Articles, Brazil, South America

Road To Rio

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After months of waiting the time had finally come to embark on the long journey to Rio.  Of course we had to eat one final meal at Sanraku, a Neumann family tradition, but this time we were joined by Moreno, Dre, Kyle and Conor. We celebrated by drinking some delicious Saki infused with gold leaves for good luck.

7:30 PM (PST) – Depart for Ft. Lauderdale with a short stop in LA. Virgin America was awesome, from the new Terminal in SFO, to inflight live TV and GoPro channel!

5:30 AM (EST) – Upon arriving in muggy Ft. Lauderdale, we decided to rent a car for the day for only $20, because we had 12 hours to kill in Miami.  It totally beat lugging our backpacks around during the rainy season.

American in Little Havana

After cruising down Miami Beach in style in our Fiat 500 we kicked it and swam at Nikki Beach for a couple of hours.  It was already getting hot, even though it was only 8 AM.

Gumball 3000

As the day progressed an endless stream of beautiful cars began lining up along Miami  beach for the Gumball 3000, an annual British 3000 mile race on public roads.  This year the race goes from Miami to New York City, then the cars are flown to London and driven again to the finish line in Ibiza.

12:27 PM (EST) – While exploring Little Havana, we just happened to run into Santino, Moreno’s former coworker. So the only person either of us knows in Miami, was randomly in line for the same ATM, what are the odds? Next thing we know, we were at his house smoking bowl and listening to old school rap.

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Two things stood out to me in Miami.  All the drivers are crazy and its the only place I’ve been in America, where everyone expects you to speak Spanish.  English is a second language in Miami.

5:30 PM (EST) – Depart from Miami, stop for a short time in Santo Domingo and chatted with a former Marlins pitching prospect.  Tiredness was setting in. Next stop Rio.

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5:00 AM (BRT) – We finally arrived in Rio and waited in the airport till the sun rose figuring out how to get to the place we found on AirBnb, although still not completely sure if the place really existed.  Luckily our taxi driver was awesome, not just because he was honking at girls the whole ride, but because he found the exact apartment in a three story building on a random side street in Zona Norte.  Without him we would have been so lost.

Quick Travel Tip: Upon arriving in a new city or country for the first time tell people, like taxi drivers, that you’ve been before.  We learned this the hard way upon arriving in Delhi a few years ago totally discombobulated and our taxi driver from the airport ‘couldn’t find’ our hostel ‘because it had closed’ and took us to an expensive hotel owned by his relative instead.  It’s easy to take advantage of people who have no idea what they are doing, so just pretend you do. 

In the next post we’ll tell you all about our host here in Rio and our adventures to Copacabana and Ipanema.

Peace

Articles

To Rio!!

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Strong he stands with helm in hand, and steers a course so true, through storm and tempest, towards the land that beckons strange and new.

-7th grade Birthday verse.

On Tuesdy, June 3rd, I will finally firmly grab the helm and steer a course to South America. The past few years I have been on an Odyssey behind the bars in San Francisco.  I’m ready to go and explore a whole new world, and to get lost in a place that’s teeming with global cultures, where Caipirinhas flow like the mighty Amazon. My journey begins at the foot of a golden gate, and will carry me beneath the mighty falls of Iguazu.

In the next few days, I’m going to be packing my bags,  and leaving my house for the last time.  The reality is setting in now, that these are my last days here in San Francisco. Soon enough, I will be in an alien land, in the midst of the madness  brought on by the entire worlds craze for one golden cup.
This is my quest for the holy grail of adventures. My dreams are of embarking on this adventure soon, with nothing but the open road and an open mind to the enchanted lands of the Amazon that lay before me.

 

 

Articles

Only One Week Left!

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In one short week my life will change forever.

When I walk onto Flight 7711 en route to Brazil, not only am I embarking the journey of a lifetime, but it will also be the start of my unplanned life.

My whole life up until this point has been planned out.  I always knew I was going to high school, then college.  Even before starting college I planned to work to save up money after graduating so that I could travel.  All these plans end the moment I step on that plane for Brazil.  It’s as if I have been planning for this trip for so long that I never expected the day of departure to actually come.

Its not like I haven’t traveled before, just that this time its different. This time there is no time table, no itinerary, no commitments, and no real reason to return home.

If I want to become a gaucho and spend the rest of my days herding cattle on the Patagonian pampas, I can.  If I feel like living deep in Amazon learning the ways of the ancient shaman, I can.  If I want to become a hippie and spend my days growing (legal) weed in a commune on the Uruguayan coast, I can. If I can’t handle life on the road and want to return home in 2 months, I can do that too.

I have never had this kind of freedom before, and to be honest it’s a bit daunting.  The first chapter of my life is coming to an abrupt end, and the second is about to be written.

Photo: My two travel bags, my new Deuter Quantum 70 + 10 and my Canon camera bag, + my passport with a fresh Brazil Visa good for 10 years.

 

 

 

Articles

84 Days to Go

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With only 84 days to go until we leave for Brazil to break some borders the excitement is definitely building.  It’s hard to believe that it has already been 10 months since I graduated from Oxy.  In terms of preparation, we have already purchased our one way flights to Rio de Janeiro for $600 and secured a place to stay in Zona Norte – a 10 minute walk from Maracanã Stadium – for the entirety of the World Cup.

Quick Travel Tip: We saved $500 by buying a $440 international flight from Miami to Rio and an $160 domestic flight from SF to Miami vs around $1100 from SF straight to Rio. 

Next on my to do list is to get insurance for my camera equipment and computer, and buy the perfect backpack for the trip.  Both are proving to be harder than I was expecting.

My Equipment:

  • Canon EOS Rebel T4i – Primary Cam
  • EF-S 10-22mm f/1:3.5-4.5
  • EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6
  • EF 50mm f/1.8
  • Canon Vixia HG20 – Backup Cam
  • GoPro Hero 3+ Black – Undercover Cam
  • GoPro Hero 2 – Undercover Cam #2
  • Canon PowerShot S3 IS – Decoy Cam
  • MacBook Pro

Until departure I’ll keep lyfting and ramp up preparations into high gear.

South America

What to Expect

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WHAT IS BREAKING BORDERS?

Breaking Borders is website and webtv series chronicling the adventures of three San Franciscans as we embark on an epic journey around the South America and beyond.  The trip will begin with a bang in Rio de Janeiro, where we will spend over a month taking in the beautiful sites and sounds of the Marvelous City during the World Cup.  We will be staying with Patrick Granja, a documentary filmmaker, only 10 minutes from Maracana Stadium (the site of the Final!).  Check back here during the World Cup for updates, pictures and videos of the protests, hooliganism and parties, as we will be in the midst of all the action.  After a champion is crowned in mid July we will head south to visit friends and live like Porteños in Buenos Aires and gauchos in Las Pampas.  We aren’t sure exactly where they will head to after, but they know that we would like to explore Patagonia, track down Moreno’s relatives in Chile, bike the road of death in Bolivia, and continue adventuring up the west coast of South America and beyond.

THE TEAM

The Breaking Borders crew is Moreno, the writer and travel noob, Walker, the photographer and travel guru, and Neumann, the filmmaker and travel vet. We will work together to produce entertaining blog posts, photo essays and galleries, and a series of travel videos. Yet, it won’t just be fun and games, as we will keeping a keen eye out for interesting people, social issues and environmental problems to investigate and document. Our goal is to not only produce entertaining documentaries, but also expose injustices and raise awareness about underreported stories and events.