World’s second longest river…
The largest river basin on the earth…
One of the greatest tropical rain forests of the world…
South America’s largest river…

Yes, this is the great Amazon River. Passing through five countries of South America, the river is heaven for adventure lovers.

Amazon River tours can be started from Manaus in Brazil. There are a number of tour operators, who offer various packages throughout the year. Contact any of these travel agencies, and you will land in the dense tropical rainforest of the Amazon River. If you don’t want to enter Brazil, then Peru, Columbia, Bolivia and Venezuela are other countries, where you can arrange for an Amazon boat trip.

If you ask me, I will prefer going to Brazil, and start my journey from Manaus. There are a number of lodges there, which will give ample opportunity of encountering wildlife. But, believe me, getting a glimpse of the wildlife is a matter of sheer luck. If you are not lucky enough, you can end up seeing only monkeys and a number of bird species.

Why only boat trips? I can also plan for day hikes from the lodges at Manaus. There are also a number of accommodations available in remote areas of the Amazon basin. The wooden houses amidst the jungle will definitely make you feel adventurous. I am surely going to grab the first opportunity to visit the Amazon. Are you with me?

Football action will hopefully take the grip of the evening on the 11th day (August 19, 2008) of Beijing Summer Games. The evening will see two Men’s semifinal matches. The first one is scheduled at 18:00 (China Standard Time) between Belgium and Nigeria. However, thousands of football lovers will wait for the second semifinal to kick-off. This later match will start at 21:00 (China Standard Time) at Shanghai Stadium and the teams participating are the traditional rivals – Argentina and Brazil.

While Argentina’s Men’s football team is the defending Summer Games football champion, Brazil’s Men’s football team is famous for their five-time World Cup champion feats. Though, Brazil’s boys never could bite a gold medal in the history of Summer Games. This time, they are determined to shrug off the ‘Summer Games curse’. Brazil is counting highly on their striker Ronaldinho. Lionel Messi of Argentina is expected to put up a brave fight to restrict Brazil from tasting the Summer Games glory.

Brazil’s eves have already made the country proud by reaching the final of the Women’s Football in Beijing Summer Games. In the semifinal match, Brazil’s Women’s football team beat Germany by a margin of 4:1. In the final, Brazil will face the US Women’s football team, who beat Japan by 4:2. The gold medal match in Women’s football will be played at Workers’ Stadium on August 21, 2008. The Women’s football final match in 2004 Athens Summer Games saw the US and Brazil playing against each other. The US eves emerged the champions.

Last year, I took a trip to Brazil, the exotic Latin American country whose Amazonian rain forest, gorgeous beaches and waterfalls, tropical jungles and bustling towns and mega cities have a strange allurement for the tourist. The temperate climate of Brazil, makes it just perfect for undertaking a tour of this place. However, the Southeastern parts have a more pleasanter climate than the rest of the region.

A tour of Brazil is incomplete without a visit to Savannah, the Amazon Basin and the glorious Iquassu Falls. The panoramic beauty of these places will remain etched on the memory forever.  A saunter along the sunny beaches and a cruise along the Amazon River proved to be a wonderful refreshment from the din and hustle-bustle of daily life. The Pantanal, located in the west, is inhabited by various species of wildlife.

There are other interesting places in Brazil. My visit to the bustling, colorful cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo proved to be full of surprises and unexpected pleasure. This was followed by a trip to the  colonial towns of Olinda and Ouro Preto, the quiet city of Salvador in the northeast and the Fernando de Noronha Island. Both Olinda and Ouro Preto preserve the colonial history of Brazil, which was under Portuguese domination.

Santa Carina and Praia do Pinho in southern Brazil are worth a visit. Salvador is less crowded than the other metropolitan hubs of Brazil. Praia do Pinho is the most preferred place for nude bathing. Brazil is practically littered with myriads of small beaches. Some of these are the Garopaba,  Estaleiro, Taquaras and Mariscal. These areas provide exciting opportunities for indulging in a host of water sports.

Of course, the much awaited event is the carnival of Rio de Janeiro. The samba dance troupes which infest the streets, truly make it a bash every night. Soccer and music are the other attractions of Brazil. The rhythmic musical beats of the samba, forro, bossa nova and tropicalismo are simply enticing.

Brazil is truly an embodiment of ‘joie de vivre’. The city is very aptly called the melting pot of diverse  cultures. Besides the locals, you will encounter people of African origin as well as the descendants of European immigrants.

National flag of any country represents a lot of things.  Brazil’s flag is very attractive and colorful. It has a green field with a yellow rhombus in the center. Within the rhombus, there is a blue ball or circle with 27 stars of different sizes. A white band runs through the circle. “Ordem e Progresso” – the motto is inscribed in the white band with capital letters. The flag is also known as “Auriverde” which means “of gold and green”.

The modern flag of Brazil was designed by Raimundo Teixiera Mendes and was adopted officially on 19th November, 1889. In the year 1992, some minor changes were made in this flag and during this time, the 27 stars were introduced in the flag. I was amazed to know that there were 20 flags previous to this modern flag.

I came to know from a website that the present flag of Brazil is greatly inspired by the flag of previous Brazilian Empire. Apart from this, there is a lot of symbolism in this flag. Green represents the forests of Brazil whereas the yellow rhombus is for the mineral wealth of the country. The blue circle and the stars on the other hand represent the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the day of their Republic Day.

The 27 stars of the Brazilian Flag also represent lots of things. You will find a single star above the band which represents the state of Para. There are a number of constellations which also represent a group of stars – Crux is for southeastern states, Scorpius for Northeastern Brazil, Triangulum Astrale for southern states. There are 4 single stars Procyon, Spica, Canopus and Sigma Octantis which respectively represent Amazonas, Pará, Goiás and the Brazilian Federal District.

A simple flag but so much to know isn’t it!

Brazil – a land of lovely pristine beaches, unexplored rainforest, islands, rivers, dense jungles and metropolises! I was attracted to this place because of Music and dance which is an integral part of this country. Samba’s sensual rhythms, Bahia’s axé-charged beats – well! you will be transferred to heaven if I can say that. It was a mind blowing experience for me and I will cherish this all my life.

Being a vast country, the climate of Brazil varies. So if you are planning to visit the Amazon region, January to May are the best months. It is same with Pantanal. From December to February, Brazil is extremely expensive as most of the people go for holidays during this time so you may avoid this time. The winters are off-season in Brazil.

Time will fall short when you start visiting the tourist attractions in Brazil. Some of the popular ones include Monumental Axis, Palacio do Planalto, The Cultural Complex of the Republic, Palacio da Alvorada, Brasilia Zoo, Bay Park, The Central Bank’s Values Museum, National Museum of Gems, The Three Powers Square, Praca dos Tres Poderes, Banco do Brasil Cultural Center The City Park, The Brasilia Botanical Garden, The JK Bridge, Paranoa Lake, The Palace of Justice, The Brasilia National Parks, The Imperial Plateau Park and various others.

What I liked the most about the country is that the people are extremely friendly here. Ample hotels and restaurants are available here offering the best accommodation facilities and lip smacking dishes. I was also amazed by the various modes of transportation facilities available here. Flights are available for traveling between all the major cities of Brazil. International flights are also available from all the major cities of the world. Apart from this, bus, boat, car and trains are also available for transportation.

So the next time you plan for a trip abroad, you know where to go!