Travels in Brazil

One of the best trips I have taken outside of the U.S. was my spring break the last year I was in college. My friend Shea was teaching some english down in Brazil, and had invited me down there just before he left. I spent a little more than a week visiting him down there, starting in Rio. We did the city, saw the famous beaches and landscapes, but the trip really took off when we got to Sana. A small town in the middle of no where, we had to navigate 20 miles of almost undrivable roads to get to this hidden jewel. Lush green, waterfalls, and light rain several times a day put us in a trance as we relaxed for a couple days in the mountainous jungle. We got to stay in these little huts, which backed up to the river flowing down from one of the mountain sides. For about 10 bucks a night in American Dollars, we situated ourselves right in the little downtown.
We were the only tourists there, and finding a phone to use was almost impossible. We ate dinner one night at a little restaurant. Surprisingly, they had a lasagna dish, so I ordered it up. I was in need of a hearty meal. However, in Brazil. there is no real marinara. The sauce they use is much more thin, much more like ketchup. I hadn't enjoyed it yet, but the lasagna was actually quite good.