DOING THE SAMBA WITH BRAZIL

By on July 15, 2014
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For any football fan, the FIFA World Cup is a much-awaited event where top teams from across the world clash and stir up a frenzy across the planet that is hard to match. I had always wanted to witness a World Cup first hand and watch some of my favourite teams like Brazil, Argentina and Spain in action. This year’s competition was to be held in Brazil, a place I wanted to visit, and I felt that this is one World Cup that I had to experience in person, since I feel that Brazil is the spiritual home of football

If you think about it, Brazil is virtually on the other side of the planet. I was travelling with a dear friend Guru Pawaskar and the flight we took was a long one because we first flew from here to Doha and then took another flight from Doha to São Paulo, which was a 16-hour non-stop flight. Because of the huge distance and the travelling time, we spent nearly two to three days of our trip just travelling to and fro. 

Upon arrival in São Paulo, one could sense the excitement of the World Cup. The immigration procedure was quick and the airport was full of a large number of people who had come from across the world, from different countries, all converging in Brazil to watch the World Cup. The city of São Paulo looked like it was in the middle of a carnival, with huge crowds and noise ringing in the streets, full of parades and rallies at practically 
every corner.

Before we watched the men in jerseys dance around the Brazuca, we decided to take in some sights of Brazil and sample the local flavours. The first on our list was the city of Foz do Iguaçu, which is home to the famous Iguaçu Falls. The waterfall, which is much larger than the famous Niagara Falls in Canada, stretches 700 metres across the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, nestled in a national park. At certain points, you can get a 260-degree vista of the falls. Our hotel in the national park offered us a spectacular view of the thundering falls right across our room. This was nature at its wildest best.

Read the full article in 'Viva Goa' magazine copy.
Viva Goa magazine is now on stands. Available at all major book stalls and supermarkets in Goa.


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