🇬🇧 What Palmeiras can teach entrepreneurs and managers

What does Palmeiras have to teach entrepreneurs and managers around the world?

Before Abel Ferreira became manager of Palmeiras (Brazilian soccer team, current second place in Club World Cup), I commented many times on social media about the emotional fragility of the team when it took a goal. I have been following Palmeiras since the 1990s and this has really happened many times over this nearly thirty year period. In many moments Palmeiras won in turns. But it rarely won by rout against any team. Abel, at Palmeiras, corrected precisely the weakest point of the team, which is the emotional issue. I've always felt that professional football teams should have psychologists to help players and coaches deal with pressure. While big team players usually make good enough money to pay psychologists, they don't always have a family culture that welcomes this investment. So, in my opinion, clubs should offer this to professional teams. Whether or not they offer it, I don't know.

In Brazil every citizen thinks he is a football coach and wants to give his opinion on everything and the pressure of playing in a great team can be immense. Being part of the front line of a big club is not for everyone. By the front line, I mean people with jobs with higher media exposure, especially players and coaches. Once, the employee of a pet shop I frequent commented that her son's dream is to become a professional player and she goes out of her way to support him because the boy is good, but with every selection for the local teams he becomes anxious and plays badly. If this is the case in the selection for teams that are not even strong out of the state, what would it be like if he could play for a day in the Brazilian team? This inner strength is essential. But that's not the only thing that has accumulated so many titles at Palmeiras in the short time Abel Ferreira is coaching the team.

What does this have to do with entrepreneurship and management?

In football there are large, medium, small, very small teams, even that team of friends who do not practice any kind of sport, but meet sporadically to play football. There are also companies of different sizes and profiles in business.

The entrepreneur is the person who recognises their talents and identifies opportunities to contribute to society through them, doing something different from what already exists in the market. Preparation is part of the entrepreneur's life. And this has several possible and valid interpretations, and many misinterpretations. Since only those who have talent and recognise it are able to value and recognise the talent of others, this also interferes with the corporate culture, in the selection of personnel, in the attraction and maintenance of skilled labor, etc. Abel is young, but he recognises his worth, his qualities and tries to build a team of mentally strong young talents like him.

The mental strength, not only of not going down when conceding goals, but also of trying to win with a rout whenever possible, is not the only change. With it came a team committed to creating the best possible result. This, in companies, is linked to branding 360°, a service that I am a world pioneer in offering.

Another interesting point is that the leader (Abel) creates opportunities for the whole squad, there are no players with guaranteed position. And he offers opportunities for young people from the youth teams on the base to be part of the professional team. One such player who hailed from youth teams, Gabriel Menino, has already been champion at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 with the Brazilian team, as well as racking up prizes and championships playing for Palmeiras. Another Palmeiras player, Rony, always tries to score goals on a bicycle. He doesn't just want to score goals, he wants to create a beautiful show to watch. It has already become a joke among fans who, at every game, ask if he has already tried to score a goal on a bicycle that day, but he has qualities that have made him the team's top scorer in the Copa Libertadores da América, the tournament that defines the representative of the Americas for the Club World Cup.

Companies can and must give opportunities to young people, choosing those who have a profile that can add value to the company's proposal and at the same time having a business culture that truly values ​​diversity and creativity in order to always seek extraordinary results.

I could write much more, but I prefer to invite entrepreneurs and leaders from all over the world interested in having a company with a differentiated identity and offering products and / or services with high added value to learn about my services for entrepreneurs and my 360 ° branding, marketing and innovation consultancy. An innovation that goes beyond the implementation of new machines, robots and applications.

This text, like all others on this site, is protected by copyright. Total or partial reproduction or translation is prohibited.

Nycka, the Nomad

🇧🇷 O que o Palmeiras pode ensinar a empreendedores e gestores?

O que o Palmeiras tem a ensinar a empreendedores e gestores de todo o mundo?

Antes do Abel Ferreira tornar-se técnico do Palmeiras (time brasileiro de futebol, atual vice-campeão mundial de clubes), comentei muitas vezes nas redes sociais sobre a fragilidade emocional do time quando levava um gol. Eu acompanho o Palmeiras desde os anos 90 e isso realmente aconteceu muitas vezes nesse período de quase trinta anos. Em muitos momentos o Palmeiras ganhava de virada. Mas raramente ganhava de goleada, seja lá contra que time for. Abel, no Palmeiras, corrigiu justamente o ponto mais fraco do time, que é a questão emocional. Eu sempre achei que clubes de futebol profissional deveriam ter psicólogos para ajudar os jogadores e treinadores a segurar a pressão. Por mais que os jogadores de times grandes geralmente ganhem bem o bastante para pagar psicólogos, nem sempre eles têm uma cultura familiar que acolha esse investimento. Por isso, na minha cabeça, os clubes deveriam oferecer isso aos times profissionais. Se oferecem ou não, não sei. 

No Brasil, cada cidadão se acha um técnico de futebol e quer dar palpite em tudo e a pressão de jogar num time grande pode ser imensa. Fazer parte da linha de frente de um grande clube não é para qualquer um. Por linha de frente me refiro às pessoas com um trabalho com mais visibilidade na mídia, principalmente os jogadores e treinadores. Uma vez, a funcionária de uma pet shop que frequento comentou que o sonho do filho dela é ser jogador profissional e ela faz de tudo para apoiar porque o garoto é bom, mas a cada seleção para os times locais ele fica ansioso e joga mal. Se na seleção para times que nem são fortes fora do estado ele fica assim, como ficaria se pudesse jogar na seleção brasileira por um dia? Essa força interna é fundamental. Mas não é a única coisa que fez o Palmeiras acumular tantos títulos no curto período que Abel Ferreira está treinando o time.

O que isso tem a ver com empreendedorismo e gestão?

No futebol existem os grandes times, os medianos, os pequenos, os muito pequenos, até aquele time de amigos que não praticam nenhum tipo de esporte, mas se reúnem esporadicamente para jogar bola. Nos negócios também existem empresas de variados portes e perfis.

O empreendedor é a pessoa que reconhece os próprios talentos e identifica oportunidades de contribuir com a sociedade através deles, fazendo algo diferente do que já existe no mercado. O preparo faz parte da vida do empreendedor. E isso tem várias interpretações possíveis e válidas, e outras tantas interpretações equivocadas. Como apenas quem tem talento e o reconhece é capaz de valorizar e reconhecer o talento dos outros, isso também interfere na cultura da empresa, na seleção de pessoal, na atração e retenção de mão de obra qualificada, etc. Abel é jovem, mas reconhece o próprio valor, as próprias qualidades, e busca construir um time de jovens talentos mentalmente fortes como ele.

A força mental, de não apenas não se abater ao sofrer gols, mas também buscar ganhar de goleada sempre que possível, não é a única mudança. Com ela veio um time que está comprometido em criar o melhor resultado possível. Isso, nas empresas, está relacionado ao branding 360°, serviço que sou pioneira mundial em oferecer.

Outro ponto interessante é que o líder (Abel) cria oportunidades para todo o elenco, não tem jogadores com posição garantida. E dá oportunidades aos jovens dos times juvenis da base para fazer parte do time principal. Um desses jogadores que veio dos times juvenis, Gabriel Menino, já foi campeão nas Olimpíadas de Tóquio em 2020 com a seleção brasileira, além de acumular prêmios e campeonatos jogando no Palmeiras. Um outro jogador do Palmeiras, Rony, sempre tenta fazer gols de bicicleta. Ele não quer apenas fazer gols, quer criar um espetáculo bonito de ver. Já virou piada entre torcedores que, a cada jogo, perguntam se ele já tentou fazer um gol de bicicleta naquele dia, mas tem qualidades que o tornaram artilheiro do time na Copa Libertadores da América, o torneio que define o representante das Américas para o mundial de clubes.

As empresas podem e devem dar oportunidades aos jovens, escolhendo aqueles com perfil que possa agregar valor à proposta da empresa e ao mesmo tempo tendo uma cultura empresarial que valorize verdadeiramente a diversidade e a criatividade para buscar sempre resultados extraordinários. 

Eu poderia escrever muito mais, mas prefiro convidar os líderes de empresas de todo o mundo interessados em ter uma empresa com identidade, diferenciada, e oferecendo produtos e/ou serviços de alto valor agregado a conhecer meus serviços para empreendedores e minha consultoria em branding 360°, marketing e inovação. Uma inovação que vai além de implementar novas máquinas, robôs e aplicativos.

Este texto, como todos os outros deste site, é protegido por direitos autorais. Sua reprodução ou tradução total ou parcial é proibida.

Eu não costumo falar de futebol na consultoria, a menos que comparações como as que fiz neste texto façam sentido no contexto, portanto os serviços podem ser contratados por torcedores e até patrocinadores de outros times.

Nycka, the Nomad

🇬🇧 7 Days in Brazil. Destinations to try.

For those who have never traveled in Brazil or for foreigners who do not know Brazil, today two travel itineraries for a week in the country are suggested. Since Rio de Janeiro is too cliché, I excluded the city from the itinerary. But if you're traveling longer, include it, because the city is truly gorgeous and worth a visit.

First script suggestion:

2 days in Sao Paulo, staying near Ibirapuera Park or Paulista Avenue. 1 day in Belo Horizonte. 1 day in Ouro Preto which is very close to BH. And 2 days in Salvador. You will see different profiles of big cities, beach and historic city. As it includes a beach in the northeastern region, I recommend this itinerary during the Brazilian summer (December to February).

The other I would say to go to Sao Paulo (2 days, as in the previous suggestion), 1 day in Porto Alegre, 4 days in Serra Gaúcha, being 1 in Gramado, 1 in Canela, 1 in Bento Gonçalves and 1 in Garibaldi. This is a trip to be enjoyed in the winter (June). And be prepared for cold near zero degrees Celsius, even if snow is unlikely. It is a more cultural and gastronomic itinerary, with 2 big cities and 4 pretty towns.

Both routes can be enriched with visits to good restaurants, as good food is not lacking in both routes.

For Brazilians who have never visited the south, and also for foreigners accustomed to the idea of tropical Brazil, the second itinerary may surprise you, not only for the cold.

Quentão, a typical winter drink, in the south is made with wine, and is delicious. If you meet someone from Rio Grande do Sul on the Internet and will meet them on the tour, ask them to prepare a chimarrão, which is also a mandatory experience. I have lived in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul for 4 years and still don't know how to prepare. I drank only the ones prepared by other people. Drink it all and don't move that metal straw like you're drinking juice, because gauchos hate it when people do. In the south there is also a type of typical bread, which we can easily find in the bakeries and supermarkets of the region called cuca. It's worth a try because I've never seen it in the rest of Brazil. I really like guava cucas, but I haven't found them in Curitiba. The ones I see here are always made of crumbs.

And, if you plan to eat acarajé, my favorite Brazilian food, typical of Bahia and perhaps easy to find in Salvador, but also possible in São Paulo and Porto Alegre (at Redenção brique on Sundays!), know that "spicy" means with pepper. I ask you to put in just a little, because Bahians usually use chilli. I like pepper, but I like to taste the other ingredients.

Keep following the magazine's social media profiles for more travel, gastronomy, culture and other tips. By reading the previous texts you can get some other suggestions for both scripts that I have suggested to you in this text. When companies contribute, I can make very complete itineraries for short trips in Brazil - and also in other countries - with a complete guide on where to sleep, where to eat, what places to visit, etc. according to what is interesting for people. who want to travel to appreciate culture, gastronomy, art, etc.

Nycka, the Nomad

🇧🇷 Viagem de 7 dias pelo Brasil

Pra quem nunca viajou pelo Brasil ou para estrangeiros que não conhecem o Brasil, hoje tem duas sugestões de roteiro de viagem para uma semana pelo país. Como o Rio de Janeiro é clichê demais, excluí a cidade do roteiro. Mas se viajar com mais tempo inclua, porque a cidade é maravilhosa de verdade e vale uma visita.

Primeira sugestão de roteiro: 

2 dias em São Paulo, hospedando-se perto do parque Ibirapuera ou da avenida Paulista. 1 dia em Belo Horizonte. 1 dia em Ouro Preto que é bem próxima de BH. E 2 dias em Salvador. Você verá perfis diferentes de cidades grandes, praia e uma cidade histórica. Por incluir uma praia da região nordeste recomendo este roteiro durante o verão brasileiro (de dezembro a fevereiro).

O outro eu diria pra ir a São Paulo (2 dias, como na sugestão anterior), 1 dia em Porto Alegre, 4 dias na Serra Gaúcha, sendo 1 em Gramado, 1 em Canela, 1 em Bento Gonçalves e 1 em Garibaldi. Esta é uma viagem melhor aproveitada no inverno (Junho). E prepare-se para um frio próximo de zero graus Celsius, embora seja pouco provável encontrar neve. Este é um roteiro mais cultural e gastronômico, com 2 cidades grandes e 4 charmosas cidades pequenas.

Ambos os roteiros podem ser enriquecidos com visitas a bons restaurantes, pois comida boa não falta em ambos os roteiros.

Para brasileiros que nunca visitaram o sul,e também para estrangeiros acostumados à ideia de Brasil tropical, o segundo roteiro pode ser surpreendente, não apenas pelo frio.

O quentão, uma bebida típica de inverno, no sul é preparado com vinho, e é delicioso. Se conhecer algum gaúcho na internet e for encontrá-lo durante o passeio, peça pra ele preparar um chimarrão, que também é uma experiência obrigatória. Eu morei na capital gaúcha durante 4 anos e até hoje não sei preparar. Só bebia o chimarrão dos outros. Beba tudo e sem ficar mexendo aquele canudo metálico como se estivesse tomando suco, porque gaúchos detestam quando fazem isso. No sul também tem uma espécie de pão típico, que a gente encontra fácil em padarias e supermercados da região chamado cuca. Vale provar porque no resto do Brasil nunca vi. Gosto bastante das cucas de goiabada, mas em Curitiba não tenho encontrado. As que vejo aqui são sempre de farofa.

E, se for comer um acarajé, minha comida brasileira favorita, típica da Bahia e possivelmente fácil de ser encontrado em Salvador, mas também possível em São Paulo e em Porto Alegre (no brique da Redenção aos domingos!), saiba que “quente” significa com pimenta. Eu peço pra colocar só um pouquinho, porque as baianas geralmente usam uma pimenta bem ardida. Eu gosto de pimenta, mas gosto de sentir o sabor dos outros ingredientes.

Continue seguindo os perfis da revista nas redes sociais para acompanhar mais dicas de viagens, gastronomia, cultura e muito mais. Lendo os textos anteriores você pode ter algumas outras dicas para ambos os roteiros que sugeri neste texto. Quando empresas contribuirem, posso fazer roteiros bem completos de viagens curtas pelo Brasil - e também em outros países - com guia completo de onde se hospedar, onde comer, que lugares visitar, etc para pessoas que queiram roteiros para desfrutar cultura, arte, gastronomia, etc.

Nycka, the Nomad

🇬🇧 First time travelling by plane

In the previous text I commented that I only traveled by plane in 2005, even though I left my hometown in 1998. Now I will tell you how that first experience was.

I lived in Porto Alegre and was a leader in the Buddhist organization that I belong to. An event for leaders appeared in São Paulo and I was one of the 5 people from all over the state that got a place for the event. As there were only 5 places, the trip would be by plane. At that time - late 2005 - I had already been to the city's airport many times to see international bands arriving to do shows. But the boarding part I had no idea what it was like. There was a chill in the belly, a fear of doing everything wrong, of going to Conchinchina do Norte instead of São Paulo, or of arriving in São Paulo and not having anyone to receive me and direct me... and I didn't know who  were the other 4 leaders. If I had known, if I had asked, perhaps I could have arranged to go with one of them to the airport, hopefully I would find one more experienced in air travel than I (which was not difficult).

On the day of the trip I went to the airport alone, and there I ended up meeting the 4 leaders, and I knew 3 of them, because everyone ended up buying tickets for the same flight. Do you know all that nervousness, all the catastrophic scenarios that were being painted in my mind? They disappeared as soon as I met the leaders. Our seats were separate, but that's fine with me. The trip from Porto Alegre to São Paulo is very fast. The flight was super smooth. And I got a taste for it.

Traveling is good, but spending less time on the route is even better. The activity was great and the return was very smooth too.

Comment on your first experience traveling by plane.

If you like this post, buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/nycka

Nycka, the nomad

🇧🇷 Dicas para quem quer morar no Brasil

Para quem pensa em morar no Brasil, seguem algumas dicas.

• Embora o Brasil seja conhecido como um país tropical, temos regiões onde o inverno pode ter temperaturas abaixo de vinte graus, e no sul do país o inverno pode ter temperaturas negativas eventualmente, embora seja rara a ocorrência de neve.
• Em países frios, como no Canadá e países europeus é comum que exista um sistema de calefação nas casas. No sul do Brasil, embora seja frio, isso não existe nem mesmo em Curitiba, a capital mais fria do país, que mesmo no verão raramente tem temperaturas muito acima dos 30°C.
• No verão curitibano, após um ou dois dias de “muito” calor geralmente chove e a temperatura fica mais amena nos próximos dias.
• Embora Porto Alegre tenha temperaturas similares a Curitiba no inverno (é um pouco menos fria, embora seja mais ao sul), no verão é uma cidade absurdamente quente. E a ocorrência de chuvas no verão é bem menos frequente que em Curitiba. Quem pode passa o verão no litoral.
• A cidade de São Paulo, a maior do país, tem temperaturas mais amenas que o Rio de Janeiro e é absolutamente cosmopolita. O que você não achar lá, provavelmente não encontrará em nenhum lugar do Brasil. E é certamente a cidade com maior variedade de marcas de luxo disponíveis no país.
• Falando em luxo, além de São Paulo e do Rio, Curitiba é outra cidade onde esse mercado tem sido melhor atendido ultimamente.
• Já viajei um bocado pelo país e em termos de cultura e estrutura, acredito que algumas das melhores capitais para se morar no Brasil sejam: Curitiba e Porto Alegre no sul; São Paulo e Belo Horizonte no sudeste; Fortaleza e Recife no nordeste, embora eu acredite que todas as capitais nordestinas tenham algo interessante a oferecer; Goiânia e Brasília no Centro Oeste e Belém e Manaus no norte. No interior existem algumas boas opções e a região da serra gaúcha (Caxias do Sul, Garibaldi, Farroupilha, Bento Gonçalves, etc); a cidade de Uberlândia, em Minas Gerais; e Ribeirão Preto no interior do estado de São Paulo são algumas opções interessantes. Em Uberlândia, por experiência própria posso dizer que é uma cidade do interior com uma mentalidade razoavelmente cosmopolita. Na serra gaúcha, embora as cidades sejam relativamente pequenas, várias delas são fortes produtoras de vinhos e calçados e são bastante próximas da capital, com a maioria sendo acessível em no máximo quatro horas de viagem de ônibus.
• Brasileiros são muito acolhedores com estrangeiros, principalmente aqueles de países desenvolvidos.
• Muitos brasileiros são racistas, embora seja menos do que algumas pessoas dizem, então pode ser que pessoas de pele escura tenham mais dificuldade de adaptação no país, além da questão do idioma.
• Se você quer abrir uma empresa ou ter um trabalho autônomo no país, é recomendável conhecer o mercado local e contratar consultoria local para suporte. Conte comigo se visa oferecer algo de interesse das classes econômicas mais elevadas. Conheça os serviços que ofereço na página “Serviços” deste blog.

Se pensa em morar no Brasil e tem dúvidas não relacionadas ao seu plano de negócios ou carreira, pergunte nos comentários.

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Nycka, the Nomad

🇬🇧 16 countries to visit ASAP

I believe all countries have something interesting and positive to show to the world. Most of them are culturally and artistically rich and worthy being visited so we can know this. But the world is so big I’ll suggest you only 16 countries I believe anyone should visit along life and as soon as possible. After visiting these countries we can discover all others.

My choice, without ordering the importance and mentioning things to pay attention in each country is this:

• Vietnam. Gastronomy.
• Italy. Art, culture, mythology, history, fashion, language, wines and gastronomy. Italy is the european country with more works of art and architecture.
• Portugal. Culture, fashion, art, wines and language.
• France. Wines, gastronomy, language, fashion, culture and art.
• United Kingdom. Whisky, natural beauties, fashion, language, culture.
• Brazil. Culture and gastronomy from all regions, specially the states in northeast, Minas Gerais and high gastronomy in the city of São Paulo.
• Greece. Culture, history, mythology and natural beauties. If you have time, to learn the language is a good idea.
• Spain. Gastronomy, art and language.
• Netherlands. Fashion, music, culture and language.
• Austria. Art and culture.
• Mexico. Culture, art, mythology and gastronomy.
• Japan. Culture, mythology and gastronomy.
• Colombia. Culture and gastronomy.
• Australia. The peculiarity of animals typical from that region, as koalas and kangaroos, and Australian movies.
• Egypt. History, art and mythology.
• Finland. Music, culture, natural beauties. If you have time, to learn the language.

I tried to include a bit of each continent because all have interesting qualities for us. We’re nomads desiring to know the whole world, right? 

Nycka, the nomad

🇧🇷 16 países que você tem de conhecer antes de morrer

Acredito que todos os países do mundo têm seus encantos, e que a maioria deles tem aspectos culturais e históricos que valem a pena ser conhecidos. Mas aqui vou listar 16 e o quê em cada um deles vale nossa atenção num primeiro momento.

Sem ordem de importância…

• Vietnã. Gastronomia.
• Itália. Arte, cultura, mitologia, história, moda, idioma e gastronomia. A Itália é o país com maior volume de obras de arte e arquitetura da Europa.
• Portugal. Cultura, moda, arte, vinhos e o idioma.
• França. Vinhos, gastronomia, moda, idioma, cultura e arte.
• Reino Unido. Whisky, paisagens naturais, moda, idioma, cultura.
• Brasil. Cultura e gastronomia de todas as regiões, com destaque para o nordeste, Minas Gerais, e alta gastronomia na cidade de São Paulo.
• Grécia. Cultura, história, mitologia e paisagens naturais. Se sobrar um tempo ao longo da vida, o idioma também.
• Espanha. Gastronomia, arte e idioma.
• Países Baixos. Moda, música, cultura e idioma.
• Áustria. Arte e cultura.
• México. Cultura, arte, mitologia e gastronomia.
• Japão. Cultura, mitologia e gastronomia.
• Colômbia. Cultura e gastronomia.
• Austrália. Pela peculiaridade de animais típicos da região como os coalas e cangurus, e o cinema australiano.
• Egito. História, arte e mitologia.
• Finlândia. Música. Cultura. Paisagens naturais. Se sobrar um tempinho na vida, o idioma.

Procurei incluir um pouco de todos os continentes pois todos têm muita coisa interessante para mostrar. Somos nômades querendo conhecer todo o mundo, certo?

Prepare as malas.

Nycka, the nomad

🇬🇧 Bad experiences travelling

To travel by myself has some risks. When I plan my trips I have some standards in mind and sometimes to keep them I try some hotels from some group I had experienced before. But this is not a guarantee of quality, unfortunately. That’s why I am risking a bit more in small hotels sometimes. Curiously most of my bad experiences are linked to the experience in the hotel. All the rest usually is good enough.

For me, hotels must offer privacy (no thin walls, please!); a well trained team (once I was sleeping completely naked and someone tried to enter the room, maybe to clean it. Fortunately the door had a lock that I used before to sleep); comfort (a queen size bed and an excellent shower are the minimum. Something to keep a nice temperature inside the room is also necessary); security (a place to keep precious things like jewels and the laptop without the risk to be seen by the staff); and currently be pet friendly with nylon webs on the windows for my cat don’t escape, and a staff trained not to enter the room if signed the cat is inside (my cat hates humans), obviously offering the door signs for this. Free, quick and safe internet is obligatory! And TV with many different channels available are good although I usually don’t spend a lot of time in front of the TV (once I was in a hotel where the TV had options, but the only channel everyone could watch was the one played on the reception room. Don’t do this, please!). Activities inside the hotel are welcome. A great restaurant, swimming pool, a bar with excellent cocktails, are good things even in trips for businesses. More than that is highly recommended if the goal is leisure or if the city doesn’t have interesting attractions. Yes, the poorest the options in the city are, the better must be a hotel to create a nice experience for the traveler. 

My worst travel experiences wasn’t planned by me. They were simply horrible because they were much bellow my standards. All the trips paid by myself were done according to my budget, sometimes very limited. Lately, much more comfortable.

In one of these experiences I went to Porto Seguro, a marvellous brazilian beach, although the structure is poor for a famous destination, and I traveled with a group, including some family members (who have standards inferior to mine). The trip started in Montes Claros and we went by bus. The bus broke twice in the road before to cross the frontier between Minas Gerais and Bahia, and this was the beginning of a horrible experience. My will was to stop in the first city and take another bus back home, but I was an adolescent and my family didn’t allow that. When we arrived, we had a lot of people in the same room at the small hotel we stayed. Everybody from the group, but it was weird anyway. I acquainted with some girls in this group and we went to a show at night at the beach, but although I liked the main band, who played axé music (brazilian regional music from Bahia, usually played during the carnival in Salvador), the other band who opened the gig played.., U2 songs! Ok, I like U2, but both musical styles are too different. Outside the time on the beach during the day, when I could have some time alone, and the seafood, the trip was terrible.

Among the times I traveled with my mother, only one was good because I chose the hotel. She normally goes to the cheapest options and that time I found through the internet one that was much better and just a bit more expensive. She felt as if she was in a five stars hotel, and compared to those she used to stay it was really marvellous, although it was a very simple hotel.

But twice I had bad experiences planned by myself. In one of them, I went to Belo Horizonte for businesses. I chose a hotel close to the places I wanted to go, although my aunt invited me to stay with my cousin, her daughter, who is a medical doctor in the city and lives in a very beautiful house. The aunt would travel and the cousin lived too far from where I needed to go, so, I spent some money to stay in a hotel instead of spending with cabs. The hotel was too simple. There was one from the same group of the one I mentioned in the previous paragraph, where my mother felt as if a five stars hotel, close to that point and I don’t know why I didn’t discovered it before, because chances are it would be better. But although the one I unfortunately chose was weird, I survived, as I only needed a place to sleep and take a shower and spent all day outside solving business questions, and part of the night I enjoyed restaurants and malls in the neighbourhood.

The other bad experience was once I went to Sao Paulo to the Fashion Week, and went to a hotel close to the place. This is a case of hotel I experienced the same brand before and this time was disappointing. The room seemed an apartment. A nice hall with a TV, a place to work with the laptop, a comfortable couch. Then the bedroom with a big double bed, the wardrobe, and an enormous wall of transparent glass besides the bed! At night the room was charmingly lighted by the moon. There was no big buildings close to the hotel from that side, so I could have a nice view from my bed. But when I entered the bathroom, the first deception. It was too small. Specially the place under the shower. I am thin and I couldn’t move in that small space that had no more than 80cm from a side to the other. The other deception was when I noticed I could hear the other guests from my room! The walls were too thin!

Ah, twice I noticed the hotels were less clean than I deserved. Once I was with my mother, it was her choice and the worst nightmare I could have. The TV was dirty and the bathroom was even worse. Fortunately it was just to sleep that night and travel in the morning, but it was horrible anyway. The other I was in Sao Paulo, and I chose a charming hotel close to Oscar Freire street, but I noticed long hair under the pillows. The trip wasn’t bad, but I never returned to this hotel, nor to any other I had bad experiences.

I had some good experiences I didn’t return, but these cases for not having the opportunity. Two of them in Sao Paulo, because I go there often but I prefer hotels close to the places I want to go. So, these two are much better than the one I stay more often but they are not good considering the distance between them and my interests in the city.

Nycka, the nomad 

🇬🇧 Brazil - what to eat and drink in the southeast

Brazil is a big country and the variety of typical food travellers and nomads can find here is enormous. Brazil is much more than feijoada and caipirinha. This post is to talk about the food in the southeast region, which includes the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais.
This region offer a wide variety of typical foods. Some of these foods are found in restaurants in other regions too, but the local versions, in special for food from Minas Gerais, are much more interesting.
The typical foods from Minas Gerais are among my favourite brazilian foods.
The traditional feijoada is one example of local typical food. Made with black beans and pieces of pig. I don't eat the external pieces of pig, like ears, tail or feet, but some restaurants use only inner parts to prepare feijoada.
Muslims and other people who does not appreciate to eat pig (or the strong taste of black beans) have other options, like the "caldeirada", which is made with seafood and white beans.
Southeast also have "galinhada" (rice, pequi and chicken), the "arroz com pequi" (rice with pequi and bull meat salted to dry), "feijão tropeiro" (beans sauced with bacon and other ingredients), and many other. Chances are you feast in local restaurants in Minas Gerais, where we also can find great chefs of contemporary gastronomy using local ingredients in very creative dishes. Local food, in special fish and seafood on the beach (Buzios, Ubatuba, Angra dos Reis, Parati, Trindade, Rio, etc) are also good options. To eat close to the river São Francisco the local food is also an amazing experience.
Oops! I cannot finish this post without mention local desserts! The most famous is called "Romeu and Julieta" (Romeo and Juliet) and it's made of goiabada with cheese Minas or Canastra. In Minas there is a wide variety of desserts made with fruits, all of them very sweet. The "doce de leite" is made of milk and it's found in different consistences, from cream to solid. You'll find desserts made of papayas, oranges, mangoes and many other fruits, with sugar syrup, creamy or solid. Another good experience is called "quebra queixo" and is made of coconuts.
The best brazilian coffees are from the southeast: from Minas Gerais and São Paulo. The best cachaças are also made in these states.
The "quentão" in Minas is a hot drink prepared with cachaça, with flavour and smell very different from the "quentão" in the south.
These are only some ideas. For more specific tips, follow this blog and my social media channels to keep updated.

Nycka, the nomad