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The Brazil Diaries #8: Looking back at 18 wild days

Sergio Moraes / Reuters

The World Cup is over, but my trip to Brazil ended almost two weeks ago.

When it was time to return home on June 29, I wasn't ready to leave. At that point, my shoes were falling apart, all the clothes I'd brought were covered in sand, and my beat-up camera was developing a mind of its own. But none of that mattered. Another week in Brazil would have been just fine. Maybe another month even. Hell, a lifetime if we're being honest.

In fact, I was so unprepared to leave that I may have subconsciously missed my flight back to Toronto on purpose. After one last morning of beach soccer and partying on Copacabana, George and I flew from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo, where we were supposed to catch our connecting flight to Toronto.

However, after loafing in a Pizza Hut inside Guarulhos International Airport for far too long, we missed our check-in and discovered that Air Canada had given away our seats.

Luckily, the good people at TAM Linhas Aereas - Brazil's largest airline with whom Air Canada had a codeshare agreement for our missed flight - bailed us out. They hooked us up with a hotel next to the airport for the night along with a buffet dinner and breakfast, and scheduled us on a flight to Toronto via New York the next morning.

In other words, TAM threw a ton of free stuff our way for a mistake that was essentially ours. Can't complain I guess.

Since arriving home, each morning I've been getting up and wondering what city I'm in and where the nearest beach is located, only to eventually realize that I'm in my apartment and that it's time to get ready for work.

However, being back home has allowed me to put some perspective on my trip. As much as my two-and-a-half weeks in Brazil were aimed at enjoying the World Cup, the primary goal of my trip was to take in what I now fully believe is the most awesome place on this planet.

Brazil is another world, far removed from any other culture I've ever seen. Even Ecuador, where I've spent numerous summers visiting family and friends, doesn't come close to Brazil in terms of energy or overall happiness.

There's always so much going on that it's hard to know what to look at. In front of you is a mix of vendors, stray dogs, and traffic. Down the street, there's live music, graffiti, and someone kicking around a ball. In the distance is a picturesque view, either filled with beaches, mountains, or forest.

I don't want to oversimplify Brazilian culture since each city has a uniqueness that separates it from the rest of the country, but some of Brazil's features are universal no matter where you find yourself. The majority of people say hello to you with a smile, delicious food is never more than a few steps away, and there's an overall relaxed-ness that's unparalleled.

With so much going on and so much to see, I probably took about 5,000 pictures throughout my trip. And since that's far too many to post, I figured it'd be appropriate to end this series with some of the photos I snapped at the six matches I attended. I'm nowhere near a professional photographer, but I'd like to think that some of the images turned out fairly well.

England vs. Italy (camera died right before kickoff)

Ecuador vs. Honduras

Argentina vs. Iran

Belgium vs. Russia

Ecuador vs. France

Belgium vs. South Korea

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