I am swimming in the Rio Negro. I had no idea that there were piranhas in the water! They say that as long as you don't have a cut or blood in water, the piranhas won't attack you.

 We also swam with pink dolphins in the river. They are amazing animals that are very rare and I am not sure if they will be around for very long.

My cool necklace that I got for swimming with the pink dolphins.

The bossa nova song "Garota da Ipanema" was inspired by this beach in Rio de Janeiro. We were so lucky to be there as the sun was setting. Shortly after the picture was taken, the sky turned dark red as the sun set. Beautiful.

Manaus e Salvador

 In Salvador we ate Açaí! It was delicious and messy. The açaí in Brazil is different than the Açaí in the Unites States because Brazil uses guaraná. I wish that I get get this stuff in the United States!

 The Manaus Temple is almost finished. All that is left is to put the angel Moroni on top. Seeing the temple nearing completion makes me excited for Fortaleza to be finished.

 Cabeção is the Arara that broke into Vanessa's room and ate her kid's shoes. He is a very angry bird and some say that he is this way because an alligator ate his mate. He is an endangered species so I guess we will forgive him.

On our nature walk we found a special species of ants that actually acts as a cologne when you smash their bodies on your skin. The smell is quite nice, but I can't see ant paste being popular in the United States.

 Here I am climbing up a huge Mahogany tree. The rain forest is very beautiful and big. The trees are amazing.

 Alligators and a big fish that we ate for dinner one night. The fish looks a lot like a dinosaur.

 We fished for piranhas in the Rio Negro. We caught three different types. . . red, black and white. The red ones are the most dangerous while the black ones are the biggest. We ate piranha soup with the very piranhas we caught.

 Terry, our amazon guide caught us a small cayman alligator. This particular species can grow to be as big as seven feet.

A lake full of lily pads.

PRAIA DOS CARNEIROS!

 Here is the hotel that Alexandre manages. It is absolutely gorgeous. Peacocks, rabbits, monkeys and other animals room the property. The bungalows would make this place ideal for the next Thueson Family Reunion :)

Engaged couples can rent this chapel on the beach to have their very own tropical wedding. 

 One of the views from our boat ride around Praia dos Carneiros.

Jacob and I are snorkeling in a really cool tide pool. There were tons of fish to see, and plenty of sea urchins to look out for.

 A picture of the beach.

 A picture of the reef.

 Jacob and I  got a good deal to go on a boat ride and see the whole beach. We saw a sand bar, a beach full of a special clay that is supposed to heal the body, old churches and some tide pools.

 Jacob and I at the sand bar.

 A cool picture that Jacob took of some kids running through the shallow water.

 

We are all covered in the famous clay that is supposed to heal and make your skin look younger.

Can you imagine the Thueson Family Reunion here!!! Why not have the Hathaway Family Reunion here too?!?!

Tamandaré

 

Jacob had a great idea to rent out a room in Tamandaré and see Praia dos Carneiros the next day. Alexandre, David's brother-in-law runs a very nice hotel on the beach and offered to let us use the hotel facilities and even pick us up from Tamandaré to take us to Praia dos Carneiros. This picture, and the rest of the pictures in this post were taken on the first day of our trip at the city beach in Tamandaré

  

Proud to be an American.

 Jacob out did me by creating an even bigger picture of an American flag in the sand.

 The beach was nice, but the city could do a better job keeping in clean. 

Here is a picture of me being brave enough to stand at the door of a Brazilian haunted house.

 An old church.

Fried Chicken and Gravy

 To thank our host family, Jacob and I decided to make them an American dinner. I personally, can' think of anything more American than fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn. It was tricky to make, but it turned out well in the end. I knew they liked it when they went back for thirds. Who would have thought that Brazilians would have liked gravy?

 

The first plate!

Porto de Galinhas

 Porto de Galinhas is a must see for tourists that visit Recife. Porto de Galinhas is famous because of its reefs that form tide pools full of sea life. Hundreds of fish gather in each tide pool hoping to get fed by the tourists.

 Lots of fish.

Jacob and I are feeding the fish and posing for a picture. We jumped in the tide pool when we finished feeding the fish. Despite the weather being overcast, the adventure was unforgettable.

New Home

I live with the coolest family ever. Juliana and David let Jacob and I come live with them when we needed to find a new place to live. Juliana jokes with us a lot and says that she is the "supper nanny" of the house! I am going to like it here a lot.

Catholic Influence at FHE

We had a really fun FHE with some of the young single adults in Recife. We ate brownies, cake and even played some games. All this was done under the watchful eye of the Pope.

The Old Recife

 On our trip to Recife antigo we saw some very old buildings. Some of them are a couple hundred years older than the United States. Notice the beautiful Portuguese architecture.

 A lady tried to sell this umbrella to me for 20 bucks. I think that she would sell more umbrellas staying with traditional colors like black.

 We went to the first Jewish Synagogue if the Americas. This wall is full of papers that contain promises and prayers of the faithful. Yes, I am wearing a Kippah on my head.

 This chapel is called Madre de Deus. The chapel was rented out for a wedding that was supposed to take place later that day.

 We went on a great ferry ride to see Recife from the river. Recife is called the Brazilian Venice because it is a network of islands that are created from the different rivers that run through it.

 Nick and me posing for a picture on the ferry.

 One of the many bridges we saw.