Introducing The Travel Scorecard , an exciting new feature on Calypso Island Chronicles. After I complete a trip, I will write a brief review of the destination including scores (grades) for both the destination and the hotels/lodges I stayed at. As I travel to many different countries, the Travel Scorecard will provide travel enthusiasts with some very valuable information. Please keep in mind, all my opinions are strictly subjective.

First up is my scorecard on BRAZIL, based on my trip there, May 17-June 14, 2010.

BRAZIL – Grade B+ Fascinating, very diverse country, many different places to explore. In the big cities and tourists spots, prices are on the high side. In the big cities, crime is also a concern. On my trip, I visited six different areas – The Pantanal, Iguassu Falls, Rio, Ouro Preto, Salvador and Barra Grande

#1  Pantanal – Grade B+ Amazing area for wildlife observation. Quiet and peaceful.

• Passo Do Lontra Lodge – Grade C/C+ Guides were pretty good, helpful. Meals were better than average, but there is a charge for drinking water! Rooms are large – designed for groups; all-inclusive package includes meals & activities. No break for single occupancy! Not a very good value. Very difficult time making RSVNS

#2 Iguassu Falls – Grade B+ Waterfalls are unbelievable. Did not have time to go to Argentine side

• Hotel Villa Canoa Grade B- Tourist class hotel located in downtown Foz de Iguacu.
  Good service, helpful staff. Rooms are small and a little cramped

#3 RIO – Grade C Huge city, many interesting and different neighborhoods to visit, however I am not a fan of big cities. Probably will not return. Been there done that!

• Vila Casanova - Grade B+ Small bed and breakfast >in Santa Theresa. Nice, cozy comfortable room. Resident gourmet chef available
• Windsor Martinique Grade B Well run hotel. Good service. Tiny swimming pool. Breakfast buffet - average, good location on Copacabana beach

#4 Ouro Preto – Grade B+ Beautiful, romantic colonial city with ornate baroque architecture. UNESCO World heritage site, somewhat of a tourist trap.

• Pousada Sao Francisco de Paula Grade C Lousy but friendly management, funky place with nice views and garden. Pleasant ladies work in kitchen. Only a couple of decent rooms. They charged me more than rate confirmed in e-mail. Not a good business practice. Terrible administration

#5 Salvador - Grade C+ 3rd largest city in Brazil after Sao Paulo and Rio. Fascinating city, did not explore very much outside of Barra Resort area and day trip to Pelurinho, the historical quarter. Most of the people are black or mixed.

• Barra Guest Hostel - Grade B+ Management tries very hard, friendly but a little unorganized. Rooms are decent, nothing special. Very good breakfast. Good value.

#6 Barra Grande, Bahia -Grade A- Quiet beach town, tourism is very low key - an idyllic paradise. Love this place; great desire to return.

• Ponto do Muta - Grade A- Outstanding. Excellent breakfast, friendly management. Very comfortable, well-designed rooms. Would be nice if they had small swimming pool!

Next up - BOLIVIA

Brazil is one of the most difficult countries to find a proper vegetarian restaurant. Most Brazilians love a diet rich with meat and cheese; only a very small percentage are vegetarians. Given these circumstances, it came as somewhat of a surprise that while I was in Salvador, the populous capital city of Bahia in Northeastern Brazil, that I stumbled onto Ramma , a delightful natural foods restaurant.

Located in the fashionable beachside suburb of Barra, Ramma is open for lunch only every day of the week excluding Saturday. All the food is offered buffet style with costing done a per kilo basis, a popular format in many Brazilian Restaurants. You can eat as much as you want - your bill will be based on how much food you put on your plate(s). The cost per kilo is R$33,90 in the week, and R$35,90 on Sundays.

According to the owner, the average customer spends about R$17,00 – 18,00 (roughly $10USD) on a meal

For a buffet, the food is absolutely delicious and healthfully prepared with a staggering variety of dishes to choose from including fresh salads, grilled veggies, tofu entrees, quiches, homemade breads and pastries. In addition to the vegetarian dishes, there is at least one chicken and fish entree to choose from as well.

I went there on a busy Sunday afternoon in early June and the place was filled to capacity – most of the clientele were locals from Salvador in addition to a smattering of Brazilian and oversea tourists.

Ramma reflects the personality and philosophy of the owner, Ms. Marinna Neves, a middle aged Brazilian lady who was born in the state of Bahia. As a teenager in 1970, she moved with her family to Salvador where she worked as a civil engineer for 18 years before becoming a restaurateur with the opening of Ramma in January 1994.

Admittedly she has always been a food lover – even as a child - and cooking has always been a passion for her. Over the years, she has becoming increasingly health conscious, moving towards a more vegetarian life style. Getting into the restaurant business was a natural for her.

Ms. Neves describes herself as 90% vegetarian as she eats some chicken and fish occasionally. Over the last couple of years, Marina’s diet has continued to evolve with an increasing emphasis of raw foods – you’ll even find some tasty raw food selections at Ramma.

Note: A second RAMMA restaurant opened up in August 2008 in Pelurinho, the historical quarter of Salvador

As a vegetarian, Ramma has to rank as “the best” restaurant for vegetarian food that I have ever been to. I could eat there every day if I had to – the food is that delicious and is healthfully prepared as well.

Many travelers fall in love with OURO PRETO, a small, hilly colonial town located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. With its 18th century colonial architecture, steep cobblestone streets and many ornate, baroque churches (23 in all), undoubtedly, Ouro Preto is a very enchanting town. Walking through the streets of Ouro Preto, one feels transported back in time.

More than the awe-inspiring churches and steep, winding streets, I will remember Ouro Preto for its “namoradeiras”, a Portuguese word which means flirtatious women. As I walked on the streets near Plaza Tiradente, I would often look up to discover that many black ladies - dressed in their traditional garb - were peering at me very longingly from the windowsill of their house.

No, I am not talking about real ladies, but small busts or sculptures made of clay, wood or plastic. Almost all the souvenir shops in OURO PRETO carry the namoradeira busts and figurines. The busts come in different sizes from miniature to large.

In the 18th century, apparently the ladies of Ouro Preto (and other small towns in Minas Gerais) would often sit by their windowsill and prospect for appropriate male suitors as they walked by on the street below.

When I think of Ouro Preto, this image of the “namoradeiras” always come to mind.

One more thing – if you go to Ouro Preto, I highly recommend that you take a stroll to the lookout point shortly before twilight. A short stroll from the town center, any local can help you with directions. With the lights flickering from the many small houses located on the hillside and the luminescent glow emanating from the churches, the view is absolutely magical and something you will never forget.

Ouro Preto, with its unique baroque architecture, steep cobblestoned streets and many ornate churches – is indeed a very popular tourist destination in Brazil. While this small town has a lot of charm, at the same time it is a real tourist trap and you can expect to pay somewhat higher prices for dining – even higher than RIO.

Dining for Vegetarians in Ouro Preto is somewhat challenging, as there are virtually no bonafide vegetarian friendly restaurants or cafes. Sure, you can go into almost any Italian restaurant (and there are many) and order a salad or have some pasta. In most of these Italian restaurants, the food is mediocre and the prices are a bit on the high side. A simple pasta dish will set you back at least R$15-20 ($8 –11USD) and the same for a salad.

After doing some personal reconnaissance, I was able to identify some “go to” places - the best find was this small sandwich café located on the far corner of the plaza (forgot the name of the place). Popular with the University crowd, the café had a good selection of sandwiches, smoothies as well as a soup of the day. Their vegetarian sandwich - loaded with veggies, including beets, carrots, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber and mushroom - was very tasty. It was so good that I ate there three times during my 5-day stay. The cost was $7.50USD – good deal!

My last night in town, upon recommendation of a young Brazilian couple, I went to O Passo, a very classy Italian restaurant that specialized in pizza. On Thursday night, they have a Special Pizza Buffet where you can eat as much pizza you want for a set charge of R$30. The waiters come around every 5-6 minutes or so with different types of pizza. The place was really jamming – most of the patrons were Brasileros with a sprinkling of gringos.

Surprisingly they had at least 8 vegetarian pizzas to choose from – they even had a chocolate pizza. I wolfed down about 8 slices before I said “no mas”. The slices were small and the pizza had a very thin crust. Overall the pizza at O Passo was better than most places I’ve been to in the USA. Highly recommended!

Barra Grande, located on Bahia’s Marau Peninsula in Northeastern Brazil, is truly a slice of paradise. The people are relatively poor but are happy and enjoy life. I was there for six nights in June 2010, and I can truly vouch for the peacefulness and tranquility of Barra Grande. I’ve never been to a more idyllic beach town.

There has been a recent influx of outsiders to the area. Looking for a simpler and less stressful lifestyle, most of these outsiders have come from the largest cities in Brazil – Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro - as well as Buenos Aires, Argentina and from Europe. While I was there, I met at least three Argentine men who have been living in Barra Grande for the last 6-7 years. After resettling in Barra Grande, they started a family with their Brazilian wives or girlfriends and opened up restaurants near the town plaza.

I also met a nice Italian couple that recently moved to Barra Grande from Milan, Italy. They purchased an Italian restaurant located in heart of the tourist zone. At the time business was very slow for them as it was low season, but they had fallen in love with Barra Grande as well as the music of Brazil and the laid back tropical lifestyle. Whether they stick around depends whether they make sufficient monies during the high season.

I was fortunate that my stay coincided with the fiesta for the patron saint (Sao Antonio) of Barra Grande. Held near the town plaza, the festivities attracted quite a crowd - young and old and even some of the local cachorros. The focal point of the festival was a popular local band which played mostly forro music. Everybody was dancing – even me!

There is an unwritten rule that if you’re going to Brazil, you must spend some time in Rio. If you ask most people, Rio has a magical allure and a reputation that precedes itself. Well, this traveler made his obligatory visit to Rio. I would like to share you some thoughts and observations.

RIO IS BIG Many travelers don’t realize that RIO is an enormous city. With a population of about 10 million people, it is about the same size as Bangkok, Thailand. Like most big cities, it has many different and distinct neighborhoods.

CARIOCAS LOVE TO PARTY At the end of the work week on Friday evenings, many people – mostly professionals - will set up an impromptu bar on street corners in the upscale neighborhood of Leblon. Using just a wood carton or a small folding table (with or without chairs), they will enjoy beers and mixed drinks with their friends and coworkers.

Located just down from the hill from Santa Teresa is Barrio Lapa, a middle class neighborhood with many bars and upscale nightclubs popular with the University crowd and young professionals. I went there on a Thursday night, and the cariocas were out in force.

RIO BY CABLE CAR An interesting and very cheap way to see Rio de Janeiro is by cable car. The cable car starts in downtown RIO and climbs through several neighborhoods including the very bohemian suburb of Santa Teresa. Along the way, you’ll see some of the very exotic and colorful graffiti that grace the retaining walls of Rio’s tree lined streets. Brazil - Rio in particular - is famous for its graffiti artists

I met a very affable gentleman by the name Paul at my guesthouse in Ouro Preto, Brazil. Paul was an Irishman who fell in love with Brazil and had been living in Belo Horizonte for the last 10 years or so. In the mornings over breakfast, Paul and I would discuss a variety of things – Brazilian Culture, Ecotourism and world affairs.

One morning, Paul looked very distraught and told me about a terrifying experience he had the night before. As Paul explained, he had returned to his small room to go to bed. Upon turning on the lights, he discovered a huge furry spider about the size of his fist crawling on the ceiling above his bed.

Like most people, Paul was very fearful about spiders(Arachnophobia). Horrified at the prospect of this furry creature crawling into his bed at night, Paul decided to take the offensive. With the heel of his shoe, he bludgeoned the spider to death.

After hearing the story and his description of the creature, I told Paul that he probably killed a Tarantula, one of the largest spiders in the Arachnid family. Most of the tarantula species are relatively harmless despite their ferocious appearance.

I was somewhat upset at Paul for killing the poor Tarantula – after all if he was uncomfortable with the spider in his room, he could have trapped it into a container and released it outside. As a nature lover, I would have welcomed the tarantula as a visitor to my room. I would have conducted a photoshoot before setting the creature free.

In a way, I could understand why Paul killed the tarantula. He felt that that the large spider had invaded his personal space. I am sure if Paul had encountered the tarantula outside in its natural habitat, he would have respected the creature’s right to live. After discussing my philosophy of nature and all living things, I told the Irishman that I forgave him.

Funny thing - In Portuguese, the name for Tarantula is Caranguejeira while in Spanish and English, the same word applies - Tarantula

There is no doubt in my mind that Iguassu Falls, which straddles Brazil and Argentina, is a real tourist trap. People from all over the world include Iguassu in their itinerary, with the preponderance of the visitors from Brazil and Argentina. If you have followed Calypso Island Chronicles, you may have gathered that I’m not really fond of tourist traps.

Despite the fact that I read all the hype about these famous falls, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had seen many waterfalls during my travels to the tropics, but none of them could compare with the grandeur and awesome power of Iguassu. Iguassu totally blew me away! Some people, who have been the world famous Niagara Falls, say that Iguassu with its 275 cascades is far more spectacular.

If you’re arriving from the Brazilian side, the Falls are located just outside Foz do Iguacu, a city of over 325,000 inhabitants. Getting to the falls from city center is quite easy as there is frequent bus service to the falls - there is no reason to take a taxi. Cost is about 1.50 reals. The falls are hidden from view and set back from the highway in a heavily forested area.

Once you pay admission for entrance to the falls at the Iguacu Information Center, you jump on a Double decker jitney which will take you to different trails and venues – there are many different ways to see the falls, including renting a mountain bike, joining a tour group with a bilingual guide or by taking a helicopter tour.

Like the majority of the visitors, I opted to see the falls by taking the easiest walking trail, which ends up at the Iguassu Cafe and souvenir shop. The trail is about 3 km long with designated vista points for taking the best photographs. To be honest with you, there is no reason to hire a guide for the walking trail.

While viewing Iguassu Falls from the Brazil side is best for panoramic views, if you want to see the falls up close and personal, I suggest you also visit from the Argentinian side. From there you can either boat tour - inflatable rafts are used - which goes underneath the cascades or you can choose between a number of walking trails.

As I was in Iguassu for only 3 days/2 nights, I did not have time to visit the falls from the Argentinian side. Sure wish I had extra time! To see the falls from both sides, I recommend that you allow yourself a good four days. Iguassu falls? A must see!

I talked to a gentleman who manned the travel desk at my hotel in La Paz, Bolivia about my travel itinerary. When he found out that I was traveling to Rio de Janeiro, he cautioned me on the dangers of this internationally famous city. In particular, he warned me to be very wary of the seductive charms of Brazilian girls, and while walking the streets, to be on the lookout for pickpockets and potential muggers. He said that it was very common for tourists to be held up at knifepoint by thieves in Rio. In addition, he suggested that I don’t walk around with my handbag draped around my shoulder, as it could only lead to trouble.

Needless to say, I heeded his advice. When I ventured outside my guesthouse in Santa Teresa, a hilly bohemian neighborhood in Rio which is home to many artists, I carried as little monies as possible and left my Thai handbag in my hotel. Surrounding this middle class neighborhood were a number of favelas, home to the poorer classes.

Walking around Santa Teresa, I observed numerous policemen patrolling the neighborhood; sometimes there were 3-4 policemen stationed on one block. In addition, while walking to and from my guesthouse which was located down a steep hill, many of the passerbys looked at me while pointing to their eyes - sort of a warning about the presence of thieves and pickpockets in the neighborhood.

One night, I stopped at a local bar just up the street from my guesthouse. The owner, who spoke fluent English, also warned me to be very careful and told me about an incident which happened not too long ago. A band of armed thieves burst into his bar and relieved all his patrons of their valuables and monies at gunpoint. Unfortunately he couldn’t identify any of the men as they all wore stockings over their faces. When I told him about the very strong presence of police in the neighborhood, he laughed and said the police do not do anything to apprehend these criminals.

When I relocated to Copacabana Beach several days later, I was very aware of some dodgy looking characters while walking at night on poorly illuminated streets to the Bus Stop and on the way to underground train. I guess I was lucky as nothing happened to me.

And the Brazilian Garotas (girls)? Wouldn’t you believe it but not even one Brazilian lady approached me. Maybe I should have shaved or worn a different cologne?

I have discovered PARADISE in Barra Grande, a small beach town located in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Walking around Barra Grande, you will see people of every shade imaginable. As in most of Brazil, the blending of the races in Barra – black, white and Indian - is the norm. Although most of these people are relatively poor, it seems that everybody is happy and more concerned with enjoying life than with making monies.

Predictably, the whiter people in Barra Grande are the most affluent, however there doesn’t seem be any racial prejudice or discrimination, as people mix freely and seem to live in harmony. People are always smiling – there is no soliciting, begging or hustling and no hostility, and from I can see, little or no crime.

Tourism and fishing are very important to the livelihood of Barra Grande. Up till now, the community has been spared from the ravages of mass tourism – overdevelopment, land speculation and rising prices. Currently there are no large, fancy resorts; scattered around the area are a number of relatively small upmarket hotels and inexpensive guesthouses.

Definitely off the beaten path, what keeps tourist numbers in check is its relative inaccessibility. Located on the Marau Peninsula, it takes a good 6 hours with a combination of bus, ferry and motorboat to reach Barra from the capital of Salvador. During the low season (May-November) Barra is relatively peaceful and quiet; however in the high season, from November-March, the village really jumps as most of the guesthouses and hotels are filled to capacity with mostly Brazilian tourists and a smattering of foreigners.

Besides hanging out at the beach – there are some lovely but not very spectacular beaches on the bay side - and snorkeling, there really isn’t too much to do during the daytime. At night, many of the locals (and tourists) gather at the town square to share some drinks (and stories) with each other. Surrounding the town square, there are a number of fairly nice restaurants as well as pizzerias that cater mostly to the tourist trade.

Barra Grande truly is Paradise – a real oasis in the middle of a troubled world governed by money and power. However once the land developers, real estate agents and hotel conglomerates discover Barra, this small paradise may be in trouble.