http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17749 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17749 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16993
I'm a big fan of Brazil, so I had to pick out a few of their pieces, which scream Brazil all over them. And it's not like other typical cheesy tourist stores you find at just about any corner, this one's got personality.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16993 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16991
People keep asking where we bought this stuff and how to get it. Well, Rio, Brazil, that's where!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16991 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9523 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9523 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9127 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9127 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2972 However, we bought some others from some hawkers at the Terracotta Army site at a fraction of the price (and the quality was only slightly inferior).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2972 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2392
And why don’t you take the ultra right-wing politicians from the Danish Folkeparti with you when you go. Their xenophobia is getting on a lot of people's nerves. No, don’t send them back. Keep them.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2392 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1859
The medresseh itself houses workshops and exhibition rooms highlighting traditional Turkish crafts such as calligraphy, ceramics, jewellery and so on which you can look round either before or after your meal.

The food was well prepared and very tasty and our kick-boxing, friendly and attentive waiter was great!

The menu reflects more of a cafe than a restaurant feel with dishes such as lamb meatballs served with chilli and spaghetti and scrambled eggs with tomatoes and chilli]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1859 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1510 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1510 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1335 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1335 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1208
I got an amazing silver necklace for $25 a few years ago, and there's always a few oddments that are good for people back home who hate tacky souvenirs but expect a gift.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1208 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1197 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1197 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1170 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1170 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1156 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1156 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1130
Recently though, some of a more enterprising nature have begun to open up the Serra Fluminense above the oil boom town of Macaé in the north of Rio State. The centerpiece of this area is the sleepy hill town of Sana, a bridging point across the crystalline, cascading waters of the Sana River, guarded by the majestic 3,700 foot Pedra do Peito do Pombo (Pigeon Breast Rock).

The best choices for accommodation in Sana are the town’s charming and inexpensive pousadas. Highly recommended is the pretty Repousa da Sana, with its mature gardens, restaurant serving tasty local dishes cooked in a wood burning oven (ask for the baked trout), shop selling local crafts and its comfy, tastefully decorated riverside chalets.

A big bonus here is that the owner, Antenor Sousa, speaks passable English, a rarity in this part of the world. He is a keen photographer and has spent the last 20 years documenting the town and its surroundings so there isn’t a lot he doesn’t know about the place.

For travelers with an eye on their budget, many pousadas also offer a camping option with bathroom and laundry facilities. From your base in town you can take guided walks to the dozens of waterfalls and natural swimming pools that dot the region, trek up some of Sana’s steepling granite peaks or enjoy a very agreeable couple of days’ pony trekking. There’s also enough rock climbing, abseiling, mountain biking, kayaking and white water rafting to keep the adventure sports enthusiast absorbed for days.

And after these strenuous calisthenics, what better way to wind down than in a hammock on your chalet deck, caipirinha strategically placed at arm’s length, with the calls of roosting flocks of parrots and the chattering of the river lulling you to sleep? Keep a weather eye on your drink though, as the local Micou monkeys, emboldened by human contact, are rather partial to those cachaça-impregnated lemons.

I should point out one small inconvenience. The nearest bank is 12 miles away in Casimiro de Abreu and, as telephones are a relatively new phenomenon in Sana, many of the town’s pousadas, bars and restaurants don’t accept credit cards.

However, carrying cash does not present the safety risks that it does in Rio. You are less likely to be mugged than savaged by a member of the town’s bovine community which outnumbers the human population by some distance, in other words, not very likely at all.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1130 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/843 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/843 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/842 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/842 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/623 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/623 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/523 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/523 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/469 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/469