The pursuit of happiness ends here

This is it folks. This is where the pursuit of happiness ends. Because it exists here in abundance. From the rich to the poor. From the vagabond on the beach to the lawyer who is settling yet another divorce case.From your friendly neighbourhood dog to your friendly neighbourhood hawker selling you skewers of ‘carne con farofa’. This. Is. Brasil.

The same could to said about the rest of Latin America as well, but here in Brasil it is hard to miss. The majority of the people here are not only content with what they have, they take it to the next level, by not missing out on an opportunity to help those in need. A prime case in example was our host in Rio, Dario, who completely personified our laidback, forever happy Brasilian.

I often use the response I get to asking directions in a place as a judgement marker on how friendly the people from that place are. And I’ve only seen one other country that comes close to Brasil in matching the enthusiasm displayed by the locals when asked for directions; I hail from that country – India! Right from the bus drivers who ensured that no passengers came in our way whilst boarding the bus with our 75 litre backpacks, to the bus conductor who would maintain eye contact throughout our journey to ensure we got off at the right stop, to the street vendor who would temporarily shut shop to point us in the right direction, we were overwhelmed by the friendliness and the generally happy attitude to life that the Brasilians displayed.

The highlight of our stay in Brasil was Florianopolis, a little island off the south coast of the country where we stayed with a local Brasilian family with Polish origins. Although Helio, who had invited us to stay over was in Rio, his wife Leiza and son Helio Jr., welcomed us like we were old mates visiting. To add to that, couchsurfers such as Laira (pictured above), her mate Naiara and Larissa showed us the the gorgeous beaches of this little town which now ranks as our favourite place in Brasil.

It’s been almost 2 months since we left Brasil, but we carry with us the imprint of the million Brasilian smiles, their generous hospitality, and lastly the images of the most gorgeous women you’ll ever see!