Traveling in Prado - Bahia (northern Brazil)

If you love warm weather, pristine beaches, great places to eat and relax, then you’ll love Prado. It was love at first sight for me. The moment that Paul and I arrived I could not believe the views. We stayed at a very beautiful, intimate and lovely pousada (same as a small hotel) called Ponta de Areia.


The beaches in Prado are very similar to the beaches in the Caribbean. Also, Prado offer delicious food that you may choose from several restaurants. You can sample local cuisine which is fantastic, or various type of food like French and Italian cuisine. If you go there for one week, you’ll be able to choose a different restaurant for lunch and dinner.

Also, I must say that all the people we met there, from the pousada staff, waiter and waitress and from the car rental (private person), was absolutely amazing. Very courteous, attentive and wanted to serve.

Prado also played an important role in Brazil’s discovery. The colonial houses, dating back to 1535, draw visitors to the Historical Center, where today it is still  possible to see the beautiful Church of Our Lady of the Conception. Together with Porto Seguro, Prado and Santa Cruz Cabrália is part of the Discovery Coast of Brazil.


Calm clear waters, coconut trees, and the formation of several natural swimming pools captivate the visitor who is looking for peace. In many areas of the coast, it is possible to dive and see the beauty of the bottom of the sea.


Ok…dive in and take a look at the pictures so you can see for yourself and maybe book the next flight to Brazil.


Found a campground in Prado - these campers had an amazing view. The RV featured here is from a couple from Swedden (shipped to Brazil to go RVing)

Driving torwards Tororao beach...... some of the views before our final destination

View from a restaurant we had lunch at Tororao beach - Prado.

If deserted beaches is your thing... then you'll find them in Prado

Town square - downtown Prado

Downtown Prado - beautiful restored old homes

Pool at Ponta de Areia where we stayed - http://www.pousadapontadeareia.com.br/

One of things we loved about staying here.... was all the wonderful little areas that you could relax....http://www.pousadapontadeareia.com.br/

Another relaxing area.... http://www.pousadapontadeareia.com.br/

Perfect reading area after the beach... http://www.pousadapontadeareia.com.br/

We hope we provided some useful information on where to go on your next vacation. We truly enjoyed our time in Prado and we'll definitely will be going back there another time. Stay tuned for the next post....

Traveling around Teresopolis, Petropolis and Nova Friborgo (Brazil)

When most people think about Brazil, one of the cities that come to mind immediately is Rio de Janeiro or the jungles of Amazon. Well….there’s a lot more about Brazil than you think. I’ll attempt to share some amazing places you can visit if you ever wish to go to Brazil. Before we begin our fun journey, I think it is important to learn some facts and history about Brazil.


Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822 and a republic in 1889. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the governance of the country when in 1985 the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Estimated Population: 192.694.955

We arrived in Brazil on November 27, 2009 to spend the US winter in a warm and tropical climate. I have to say that where we have spent most of the time, the temperature every day was over 90 degrees.

During our fist big trip while in Brazil, we went to Teresopolis in the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is located in the mountain region of Rio. At 910 m this is the highest city in the state of Rio de Janeiro. It was the favorite summer retreat of Empress Teresa Cristina and is named after her.


While we stayed at a hotel in Teresopolis, we also visited Petropolis and Nova Friborgo. Petrópolis, in the mountain range known as Serra Fluminense, in Rio de Janeiro State, is a favorite getaway for Rio de Janeiro residents. With cooler weather, historic buildings, plenty of ecotourism and adventure opportunities, and charming hotels, Petrópolis is the closest mountain resort around Rio and often thought of as part of a trio of towns that also includes Teresópolis and Nova Friborgo.

Ok… let’s see some cool pictures.

Historic site in Petropolis - Brazil

Santos Dumont house. Brazilian history teaches that he was the airplane inventor

Cachoeira (waterall) dos Frades in Teresopolis - Brazil

Cachoeira (waterfall) dos Frades in Teresopolis - Brazil

Cachoeira (waterfall) dos Frades in Teresopolis - Brazil

Cachoeira (waterfall) dos Frades in Teresopolis - Brazil

Beautiful church in downtown Nova Friborgo - Brazil

Chocalate and cheese factory in Nova Friborgo - Brazil

View at the top of this beautiful mountain in Nova Friborgo - Brazil

Paul and I going down from the mountain in Nova Friborgo - Brazil (I was a bit scared going up.... it was definitely better going down and the views was definitely worth the ride on this chair)

I hope you enjoyed the beautiful scenaries. Please feel free to drop a comment and also to let us know how we can improve this blog. Become a follower. Next trip will be in the amazing state of Bahia in Northern Brazil.

RVing to Georgia, Outer Banks (NC) and Charlestown (SC)

Paul and I wished we had discovered RVing much sooner because it is the best way to see the country. While RVing, you can make new friends and you'll meet one of the most friendly people in RV campgrounds.

Most people begin their camping experience by going and enjoying camping in a tent which is great. However, we never camped before and we bought our first Motor Home after visiting several shows. We discovered the floor plan we currently have when we went to an RV show in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It is a bit overwelming deciding the best one that will fit your style and budget.

Well.... I'm not here to talk about how to choose an RV or how to camp. We would love to share with you the wonderful experiences while RVing and traveling overseas to Brazil.

Our second big RV trip was in September of 2009. We left Massachusetts and headed torwards the NY border and into NJ and we finally made into Pennsylvania where we camped there overnight on a lovely and beautiful campground (see campground photo below). 
 First night at a campground in Pennsylvania.... got up early and watched the sunrise.

First night... campground in Pennsylvania.

Charlestown, SC  Patriots Point USS Yorktown museum http://www.patriotspoint.org/

   

Paul having a great time at Patriot Point museum in Charlestown http://www.patriotspoint.org/

Magnolia Plantation in Charlestown, SC

Sunrise at the Outer Banks in North Carolina....amazing place to visit and experience http://www.outerbanks.org/.


 If you're enjoying our blog, please consider becoming a follower and let's continue our wonderful adventure together. The next few posts will be overseas in Brazil.... please stay tuned.

Motor Home Voyage Trip

It is such a gift we give ourselves (traveling...). It is funny and hard where to begin. I decided to begin with our first big Motor Home trip. We left Massachusetts early in the morning on May 27, 2009 and we began our exciting journey. We loved every minute of our traveling and we're continuing this exciting journey to wonderful places. Come and join our ride.

This was our first campground stop in Pennsylvania:

Beautiful things to see along the route including wild flowers in North Carolina:

Beach where we stayed in Myrtle Beach. We stayed at the Ocean Lake Campgrounds. Absolutely a lovely campground and is worth every penny to be right at the beach.

http://www.oceanlakes.com/ 

Ocean Lake campground maintains some nice entrances to the beach.

Driving up to Ashville, North Carolina

View of the Blue Ridge mountains from our camp site

Our lovely motor home at the top of the mountain in Ashville, NC

Sunset at the top of the mountain (just beautiful and peaceful)

Campsite at Ashville, NC

If you're going to be in the Ashville area, you must visit the Biltmore Estate (main entrace of the house below) http://www.biltmore.com/

The following pictures are part of the Biltmore Gardens.....

Biltmore gardens...

Biltmore gardens...

Biltmore gardens...

Biltmore gardens..

Biltmore gardens...

Biltmore farm....

Biltmore farm....

The beginning

Welcome to the Coleman's adventure. Paul and I would like to share with you our humble opinion as well as thoughts about places we visited and will be visiting.

We retired from our jobs at the end of November, 2009. We're currently in Brazil in a city called Governador Valadares. Over the next few days I'll be sharing with you how the transition has been as well travel ideas if you're looking for adventure.