Brasilia, Brazil


In the early evening of Monday 3 October as Orlando transferred us to the Chiclayo Airport for our onward LAN flight to Brasilia in Brazil, it was a case of two minds - we were sad to be departing Peru and at the same time looking forward to the adventures that awaited us in Brazil!

With a time difference between Peru and Brazil of about three hours and a subsequently distorted flight time of about four hours, we landed in Brasilia in an inevitably jetlagged state at about 6am on Tuesday 4 October. We had an inkling from the flight that Brazil was less of an English speaking country than Peru when the very attractive Flight Attendants didn’t speak a word of English and the immigration forms were available only in Portuguese. Transitioning from the Latin Spanish to Portuguese language and Peru Nuevos Soles to Brazil Reals currency, overcoming jetlag, having withdrawal symptoms from the chaotic Peruvian roads and negotiating a taxi in Portuguese from the Brasilia Airport to our Grand Mercure hotel however, were nothing compared to seeking an early check in at the hotel. In doing so, we learnt that one must be very pushy in Brazil to get what one wants and speaking of pushing, must push to the front of lines (where they exist) at all times! Our hotel in the finish was well worth the wait, with a monsoon shower and buffet breakfast to die for.  

Once somewhat acclimatised to Brazil, we embarked on a private tour of Brasilia with an eccentric Personal Guide by the name of Delphin. Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil, can be likened to Canberra and is immaculately landscaped courtesy of the 21st President of Brazil Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, who in collaboration with renowned Brazilian Architect Oscar Niemeyer during his five-year term, transformed it from mere bushland to an architectural landmark. As such, we visited during the tour, the notable: TV Tower, Juscelino Kubitschek Memorial, Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, Catedral Metropolitan, City Park, Square of the Three Powers, Monumental Axis, Capital Place of Federative Republic of Brazil, Alvorada Palace, Itamaraty Palace, National Congress of Brazil, National Library, Cathedral of Brasilia, Dom Bosco Church, National Museum of the Republic, University of Brasilia, Mane Garrincha Stadium, Australian Embassy, Avenue of the Ministries, Brazilian Army Headquarters and Lake Paranoa to name a few.        

As we’d literally covered a lot of ground during the tour, we enjoyed a relaxing night in the hotel watching Bollywood film My Name is Khan in Portuguese and ordering room service which included for about AUD$20.000 file a parmigiana com fetuccine na manteiga or beef parmigiana with fettucine sautéed in butter and agua de coco or coconut water.

Highlights of our brief visit to Brasilia include:

  • The eye candy on the flight;
  • Being laughed at by the staff at McDonalds (who subsequently called their colleagues over to laugh at us) when attempting to order in Portuguese;
  • Our fabulous hotel room and buffet breakfast at Grand Mercure;
  • The resultant mobs from the absence of queues and people pushing in where there are queues;
  • Having to be pushy (something that comes quite naturally to me!);
  • The eccentricity of our Personal Guide Delphin;
  • Its architecture;
  • Witnessing a group of Japanese tourists (impedingly taking photos) being shoved out of the way by the guards during the changing of the flags at Alvorada Palace; and
  • The Bollywood film My Name is Khan (I’d never seen it before and it’s very good!)


While I essentially feel the same way about Brasilia as I do about Canberra, it’s definitely worth spending a day or two in Brazil’s picturesque capital city.




Juscelino Kubitschek Memorial    

National Congress of Brazil

Cathedral of Brasilia courtesy of Nige's fine photography!    

Cathedral of Brasilia's ornate interior

The entrance to the Cathedral of Brasilia    

The outside of Dom Bosco Church

The renowned electric blue inside of Dom Bosco Church    

Brazilian Army Headquarters

A Bride in front of a fountain at the foot of the TV Tower    

Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge over artificial Lake Paranoa    

Alvorada Palace where the Brazilian President resides    


Changing of the flags at Alvorada Palace where moments earlier the Guards shoved out of the way the featured Japanese tourists who were in their way!


Our hotel, the Grand Mercure



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