The food. It is wonderful and cheap. The restaurants are excellent and the Self-service and Churrasco places are very different from anything you  you get in Europe. It is not a good country for vegetarians.

The people Very laid back and casual with lots of smiles and very friendly. I have not yet met any of the types that will kill you for your watch.

The traffic It is not too bad and there is usually parking without looking for too long. There are delays during peak hours but, compared with Europe it is all very calm. I suspect that in a couple of years I will not believe that I ever said that. I also like the rarity of status symbol cars – this will change.

The beaches I have never been much of a beach lover but it is part of life here. Whenever there is sun there are people playing football, volleyball, walking or just sunbathing.

The service It is nice to have trained and keen store assistants and waiters. They are usually very helpful but not pushy. Brazilians are hard workers.

The music. There is a vibrant cultural life and Brazil has wonderful music and dance. Sadly the youngsters seem to be much more interested in rap, hip hop and other American styles.

Cold water washing for clothes and dishes.  In Europe we are convinced that hot water is necessary.  There are soaps and detergents that work perfectly well in cold water. As fuel costs rise this becomes more important.

The weather It is wonderful, at least at this time of year. I suspect that the summer humidity would not be comfortable.

Lists like this in Brazil are usually six items which would have given me much less work. In fact there are more likes, I might do another list like this. I will also do a list of things I do not like.