Nycka, the Nomad ©

One of the best things about the lifestyle of cultural nomads is getting to know new places, new cultures, new flavours, etc. Curiosity moves us. We love art and culture and to live new experiences. In this text I will give some tips for those who have never done it and want to start expanding their horizons. Especially for those who live in a small town, without much choice, and want to try something different. Of course, the tips are also useful for those who live in big cities and don't have the habit of going to places they don't know, eating in different restaurants, etc. Travel to nearby cities on weekends. Here on the site there are tips on how to make your own travel itinerary. Include several restaurants in your schedule. Follow my social media profiles for suggestions. Try making different recipes at home. Here on the site there are some great recipes. Follow the tag / column "Savouring the world". If you don't usually go out alone, do it. Go see ...

If you have plans to live in Brazil or visit, this text has tips on how to choose what to wear in the country in the winter that is starting. Although winter only officially starts at the end of June, in Brazil the coldest time tends to be from May to August. The tips are also useful for Brazilians planning to travel or move to another city in the country. Due to its continental dimensions, the climate is not the same throughout Brazil. Don't expect every place you visit to be hot and sunny. Temperatures throughout the country at this time are below 30°C. In the south, below 20°C (at least in capital cities and in the Serra Gaúcha), and you can experience some nights of negative temperatures in some places. Today in Curitiba the temperatures are identical to those in Stockholm. In the mid-season (spring and autumn) Curitiba's temperatures are generally similar to those of Stockholm and Helsinki, lessening the impact of the move for Swedish and Finnish visitors. Not that Curiti...

In some parts of the world, withdrawing money from bank branches or ATMs is a thing of the past. The practicality of debit and credit bank cards and electronic payments is gaining more and more followers. Curitiba is perhaps the first Brazilian city where we can go out without needing money in our wallet. Currently, even to use public transport in the city, it is possible to pay using a bank card with proximity payment technology. I don't know of any company in town that only accepts cash payment. Honestly, I'd rather not know. I love innovation. For those who like to blame astrology, yes, I am an Aquarius. In several countries, the use of cards or electronic payments was already common even before the pandemic. Although electronic systems are subject to failure, the advantages, especially for those who travel or for those who have moved and do not know the city well, are still much more relevant than the risks. There is nothing more unpleasant than being a newcomer to a city...

Yesterday we talked about how to get a temporary residence visa to live in South Africa as an entrepreneur. Today we talk about how to travel to South Africa with your cats and dogs. A veterinary import permit is needed to import Dogs & Cats into South Africa. Cats are not routinely quarantined on arrival in South Africa. The cat must however have a valid import permit and a correctly completed health certificate, signed and stamped by a government veterinarian of the exporting country. If these documents are not available at the time of the cat’s arrival in South Africa, the cat will be kept in quarantine until the required documentation is presented at the quarantine station. Dogs and cats must have a valid rabies vaccination. In the case of a primary rabies vaccination the vaccination must be given not more than 12 months and not less than 30 days before the date of import. In the case of a booster rabies vaccination the vaccination must be given not more than 12 months bef...

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...

Today I'm going to talk a little bit about tourism, because this pandemic made me talk less about it for a long time, but now a lot of people can travel, so let's go! I'll start by talking about the must-see points to visit in Curitiba, in southern Brazil. Curitiba is a city with almost two million inhabitants, and leaving São Paulo by plane you can reach the city in about an hour. The city is full of parks that are worth a walk, a picnic, a walk with your pet. My favourites are Parque Tanguá and Parque Barigui. But there are several others. The Botanical Garden, the city's postcard, is also a good place for these activities. It's very beautiful and makes nice pictures. The Japan Square, which is in the region where some of the best hotels in the city are located, is also a beautiful place for photos. In Curitiba it rains a lot. So it is recommended to have closed places in the script. There are several museums in the city, the most famous being the Oscar Nieme...

I am Brazilian, I was born in a city with around three hundred thousand inhabitants but which is not a tourist destination. Today I live in a city with just under two million inhabitants in the south of my country, which is also not a famous city as a tourist destination for foreigners. I see many benefits in encouraging tourism. I think it's an industry that can change the reality of some cities in this world. Why? I have four main reasons: I believe that with tourism, local businesses have to improve their products and services in order to please people with a higher level of need than local citizens. As they improve, they can sell their products and services abroad, open stores in other cities and different countries, export their products, and so on. Yes, tourism can help other local industries and shops. Tourism can attract money from people all over the world, so that a city is not dependent on the money of the people who were born in it. With tourism, a city can attract p...

I have lived in 4 cities so far and today I am going to talk about some interesting points about each one. I was born in Montes Claros , in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. It is not a tourist city, but it does receive some commercial flights from Belo Horizonte, which means that if you leave another state you have to make a connection in BH to get there. There is also road transport. But the roads are terrible. I never went there by plane, so I can't say which is the best option. If you are or have been, tell me! In Montes Claros, the parties and restaurants usually focus on the so-called “avenida sanitária”. Lately it seems that some good restaurants have appeared outside that small stretch of Avenida Deputado Esteves Rodrigues (which has the ugly nickname I mentioned above). The city currently has 2 malls. As I remember it has 2 parks (municipal park and Sapucaia park). The people are very hospitable and the local hotel websites are terrible. The last time I went there I...

I know it's not a vacation time for most, but I want to talk about it and a lot of people, especially entrepreneurs and freelancers take a vacation when they want to. And nothing stops you from reading it now and starting planning your next vacation, even though you've barely returned from the last. Which destinations are most interesting? It depends on the interest of each one. I like trips with a cultural emphasis. I like to enjoy silly beach from time to time, but between a beach place that is only beach and eventually activities in a resort and one with cultural options, to know the history of the place and other peculiarities, I prefer the second option. And it would go easy to places without a beach or winter holidays with this cultural (and gastronomic ênfase) emphasis. Theoretically, every place would have some cultural and historical aspect to present. In practice, many governments focus so much on other things, such as beaches, that it is as if they did not. And, of...

It is summer in the northern hemisphere and here in Curitiba it is hot today and it doesn't even seem that days ago it snowed in southern Brazil. Certainly in many parts of the world the weather is also inviting to go to the beach or the pool. So let's talk about how to go to the beach or the pool in Brazil, and if you live in another country and want to comment on how it works there, your comment is welcome. If you live in another country, Brazil has many spectacular beaches, which are worth a visit. Let's start with the choice of swimwear. For men, some wear nylon shorts, but I find this horrible because we get sun and with these shorts the person will have white thighs and tanned legs. And ... ok, on a daily basis we rarely see men with shorter shorts, but in any case someone is going to see this dreadful image at some point. Spare us that kind of view of hell and wear swimwear. The smaller the sun marks, the better. A good part of women in Brazil, and I include myself a...

Some stories from our lives exist to be shared with our grandchildren and others. This looks like a movie, but I lived it a few years ago. I went from Porto Alegre to Curitiba to see a show by a Dutch band called Epica with a friend. That was in 2005. On the bus, we met three guys who were going to the same show. We arrived in the city around 6 pm, we were going to the venue and the idea was to take the first bus the next morning. When the show was over, with several hours left to catch the bus to go home, my friend asked me what to do. I suggested we could take a cab to follow the van that was transporting the group. She looked at me like I was crazy. 😁 When the van started to pull out of the parking lot, I saw a cab outside. Our opportunity to do exactly what I said. I talked to my friend, we took the taxi and asked to follow the van. The boys on the bus were with us. The van driver realised after a while that we were following him. And he tried to trick us. But the taxi driver was...

A lot of people are curious about what it's like to meet famous people and artists, so I'll tell you a little about my many experiences here. Today I will share experiences from when I lived in Uberlândia. First, one night I was in a local pub with a friend and after hours of dancing we decided to sit down. She wanted to know the time and at that time (1999) I still didn't have a cell phone. I looked around and saw a male arm with a watch next to us. I called the man to ask the time and it was Fernando Pires, from Só para Contrariar, a pagode band from the city that was a national success at the time. He was friendly, but he joked the question wanting to know if it was time for us to sleep. Our contact was just that. I spoke to my friend again and we continued at the party for a few more hours. Later, I had the opportunity to meet Shaman, a Brazilian metal band, at the time of the release of their first album, Ritual, with other members of the band's fan club in Belo Ho...

How can those who live in a warm place prepare to live in a cold place or travel to a cold place? Okay, it's summer in the northern hemisphere, and maybe that's why I should write about it today. And also for the warning of the possibility of snow in southern Brazil this week. I was born in a city where people wear winter clothes when the ambient temperature is close to 20° C. In Curitiba, the coldest capital in Brazil, this is a normal summer temperature. Yes, my dear foreign readers, not all of Brazil is that tropical country that many imagine. Here in the south it is quite different. In almost everything, by the way. First of all, the great advantage of moving to a colder place is that we solve the cold with proper clothing. In the case of Brazilians going to countries where snow is a normal phenomenon in winter, I recommend taking a few high quality winter pieces if you are going to move in winter. Just enough to leave the house without freezing to buy more suitable clothes...

I was born in a country town and grew up having to have company for everything. Even to go to the bathroom in bars or restaurants, the girls had to have company. So, I moved to Uberlândia and on the first day of school I had to have lunch alone in a restaurant because we hadn't gone to the supermarket and my roommates studied all day. My mother used to say that anyone who has lunch alone is a whore. I took a book with me, but during lunch I realized that there were many people having lunch alone, including women. And none of them looked as whores. They were more likely students like me and professionals who worked in the neighborhood. I lived in downtown, very close to the central bus terminal. Weeks later, at a party, I kissed a boy who I later learned that a friend of my flatmates had wanted to kiss him for some time. I know that if you think the same way my mom do you’re thinking badly of me now. Worse for you. After that they started to invent all kinds of excuses for not going...

Today I’m going to talk a little bit about how I choose a hotel, especially in a destination I don’t know yet. On every trip I create my own script, and I've already given tips here on the blog on how you can make yours. With the script I can identify the places where I want to go in that destination (tours, professional appointments, etc.) and the approximate location that the hotel should have. With that in mind, I discover the hotels in that region, to lose little time with travel, I see on the website of each hotel what they offer, and choose what seems to me to offer the best stay for a price that fits my budget. Sometimes I just see what the best hotels are in a destination with rates that fit my budget and choose one, but even here I analyze the location enough not to be in a place far from everything. I did this when I went to Recife and stayed in a good hotel, close to the Boa Viagem beach, relatively close to the event I went to and the taxi ride to the Recife shopping ...

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 f...