Rio to Quito + the Guianas

August 2016

Intro

Rio de Janeiro is one of my favorite cities on the planet – for so many reasons, but none more so than its incomparable location, with towering mountains affording sweeping views of the city and its harbor. Add in the delicious food, gorgeous urban beaches, colonial architecture, and joie de vivre of the Cariocas, and you have a winner. So in 2009, when Rio won its bid to become the first South American city to host the Summer Olympics (which coincidentally was the year of my first visit to the city), I already knew I would be back for it! By 2011, when I had returned to Rio for Carnaval (I couldn’t wait until 2016!), the Galeão Airport was already full of posters promoting the Games, though it was still five years away. They were so excited, and so was I!

I saved the Guianas (you know, those three countries at the top of South America that no one ever seems to talk about) for this trip, with the plan to start in Rio and work my way up the coast of Brazil until coming to French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana. As excited as I was about the Rio Olympics, it was this part, the Guianas, that really sparked my wanderlust. They have always intrigued me – these diverse, unknown, non-Spanish, non-Portuguese speaking nations that eluded the memory of most people. I was anxious to explore them.

Journey Map

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Featured Image

Fernando de Noronha

This beautiful island off the coast of northeastern Brazil is just over an hour’s flight from Natal or Recife, and has over 20 gorgeous beaches, many of them considered the best in Brazil – or in the case of Baia do Sancho, the best in the world! This is Praia da Conceição, one of the most stunning beaches on Noronha, thanks to the backdrop of the towering Morro do Pico, the highest point on the island.

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Sep 2

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Georgetown, Guyana📍 - colorful #downtown #georgetown is even more colorful from the air! 😉 goodbye for now #guyana! ...

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Aug 29

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Georgetown, Guyana📍 - fresh #veggies for sale inside the busy #stabroek #market in #georgetown, capital of #guyana ...

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Sep 1

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Kaieteur Falls, Guyana📍 - view from the top of #kaieteur falls, looking in the other direction over the beautiful potaro #river gorge ...

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Aug 31

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Essequibo, Guyana📍 - view of the potaro #river gorge from the small plane taking us from georgetown to #kaieteur falls! ...

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Sep 9

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Las Lajas, Colombia📍 - my favorite shot of the #amazing las lajas sanctuary near #ipiales! such a stunning #church built in an equally stunning location! couldn`t get enough of this place! ...

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Sep 13

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Chota Valley, Ecuador📍 - had to stop off on the panamerican highway on the way to ibarra to snap this panoramic view of the #beautiful #chota valley ...

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Aug 23

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Cayenne, French Guiana📍 - #sketch of the very popular historic hotel/bar/restaurant/club les palmistes in #cayenne, capital of #frenchguiana, my first stop in the guianas! ...

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Sep 12

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Julio Andrade, Ecuador📍 - a pretty, colorful #church in the small town of #julioandrade in northern #ecuador`s #carchi province -- made a brief stop here while driving along the beautiful pananamerican highway towards quito ...

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Aug 30

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Georgetown, Guyana📍 - #selfie time at #georgetown`s 1763 #monument, more commonly called the "cuffy" monument, which honors an african slave named cuffy who led the slave revolution of 1763. they were successful in overthrowing the governor of #berbice and more than 200 years later, #guyana achieved #independence from britain. this monument was built in 1976 to commemorate the country`s 10th anniversary of independence ...

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Sep 10

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Tulcán, Ecuador📍 - a semi-aerial view of the #cemetery at #tulcan, a interesting place to wander around and explore what has been called `the most elaborate #topiary garden in the new world`, created 80 years ago in 1936 ...

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