We Travelled from India to Brazil Because of a Song
I think I have a Brazilian soul.
It all started in the car. My husband put on a song I had never heard – Brazilian Soul – by Sofi Tukker (the KEXP live version), and I was instantly hooked. I listened to it on repeat for months, and it became my go-to track to feel good or snap out of a bad mood. I only listened to the audio and refused to watch the music video because I did not want to associate any visuals other than the world I had imagined in my head.
Then one day, watching me loop the track for maybe a millionth time, my husband asked – “Should we just go to Brazil next?”
That was all I needed to plan our most epic trip till date. Four months later, we flew more than 15,000 km from India to São Paulo.
Initially it felt wild to travel this far because of a song. But once we spent a few days there, we were so grateful we took the leap. The country is even better than I had imagined. Everything there felt so different – the freedom that was genuinely liberating, the sense of joy and creativity everywhere around, and the zeal for life that felt exhilarating.
We Didn’t Speak Portuguese (And It Didn’t Matter)
We knew almost no Portuguese, and only a single digit percentage of people in Brazil know English, but honestly it did not matter. Everyone we met there was so helpful and welcoming.
The country is so ethnically diverse, that everyone there usually assumed us to be a local at first, and when they realised we weren’t – they tried their best to communicate with us or help us out with anything that we needed. It was truly heartwarming.
People there seemed so comfortable in their own skin. Yes, I know Brazil has some unreasonable beauty standards and has a massive beauty industry. Maybe a significant population wants to meet those standards – but they don’t seem to hide or hold back from being themselves without those standards either.
We met people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, colours, skin and body types just being unapologetically themselves, comfortable in their own skin. It made me think that maybe the two can simultaneously co-exist – you don’t stop being yourself while striving to work on the aspects of yourself that you want to.
What The Internet Warned Us About (And What We Actually Found)
Now, like any other country, Brazil also has its fair share of struggles and challenges. But so does every country. We were warned about safety and crime in the country based on the media on the internet, but we found the country to be safe, provided you follow local recommendations on safety.
The best part of Brazil that will always stay with us is how the country helped us experience a way of living that is liberating – one that values creativity, individuality, open-mindedness, and the true spirit of living freely despite so many challenges.
Everything there overflows with creativity, reflecting the kind of creative freedom people practise there. Artists across the streets and markets reflect the richness and talent the people possess.
The Artistic side of São Paulo
São Paulo is the business capital of the country – a city that moves fast, thinks big and has an energy you can feel the moment you arrive. But underneath all of that is a deeply artsy soul. The two exist side by side in a way that doesn’t feel contradictory at all.
We spent a Sunday at Avenida Paulista – one of the most prominent streets in the city – where vehicular traffic is restricted every Sunday and the street fills up with artists of all kinds displaying their work, and people enjoying every bit of it. We had a great time witnessing so many musicians perform, getting our animated portraits made and buying a couple of paintings and artwork for our home.
The city also houses the famous art street – Beco Do Batman. The street walls there are painted with artistic murals, along with different pieces of art on display and being sold at every corner. It really is worth spending an afternoon here, slowly strolling through the area and enjoying the relaxed vibe.
The Iconic Beaches of Rio De Janeiro And The Colourful Streets Of Paraty
The place that truly energised us was Rio De Janeiro. The beaches in Rio – Ipanema and Copacabana – are unlike anything we had imagined.
Yes, they are beautiful – but what struck me more was the life on them. People there with their friends and family, music playing everywhere, someone always dancing or kicking a football around. The beaches there are more lively than what we had ever seen – reflecting just how free-spirited and full of life people there are. The view of the city from Christ The Redeemer is beyond beautiful. Rio also carries that same artsy, expressive energy – it is a city that wears its creativity loudly and proudly.
And then there is Paraty – a UNESCO World Heritage town a few hours from Rio that we visited and felt like we had been transported to a completely different time. Colourful houses, cobblestone streets, an unhurried pace of life. Paraty has its own quiet artistic soul – small galleries, local artists, and a charm that made us want to slow down without even realising it.
Similar streets, markets and traditions exist across the country, giving you a glimpse of what it feels like to live a creative life, or to simply be surrounded by creativity that inspires you to live a fuller one.
Why Do We Want To Visit Brazil Again?
It is amazing the kind of positive impact a week in a country can have on your life – giving you this zeal to live with excitement, gratitude and humility, to experience life and be a dedicated student of it as you understand it from different perspectives around the world.
We started this trip because of a song. And somewhere between the cobblestone streets of Paraty, the beaches of Rio and a Sunday on Avenida Paulista – São Paulo, I understood why that song had felt so familiar even before I had ever set foot in Brazil. Some places don’t just visit you – they find you.
I think Brazil found me long before I found it. What felt like a once-in-a-lifetime trip ended with us promising ourselves to go back.