Road To Beauty: Cecile’s Most Beautiful Instagram Memories From Brazil

Throughout their 4000km trip through the heart of Brazil, the L’équipée girls took stunning photos with their phones… Cécile shares her favourite moments.

Throughout their 4000km trip through the heart of Brazil, the L’équipée girls took stunning photos with their phones. Here, Cécile shares her favourite moments.

Rio, Copacabana. Beach volleyball. It was our first time under the intense Brazilian sun. It was over 30°C on the beach, 20° C hotter than in Paris. We spoke some Portuguese, but when the game started, there was no sign of a language barrier. It was great fun.

Belfort Roxo, Rio Favelas. Using hairstyles as political weapons to reclaim their identities, the Meninas Black Power women bloggers are a force to be reckoned with. Expression through beauty: you don't necessarily need words to spread ideas.

Tiradentes. Chef Tanea Romao is a gregarious and wonderfully real woman. She smiles all the time. Her food is traditional but delicious, she uses a lot of ingredients that were either forgotten or abandoned. Her home is very typically Brazilian and feels like another world, a peaceful haven, far away from the hustle and bustle of Rio.

Noiva do Cordeiro. A unique village, predominantly for women. We helped them work the fields and afterwards we joined them at their table to eat the food we had spent the day gathering. As Cindy said, 'everything makes sense here.'

Brasilia. Waiting. Napping. Leaning on each other for support is always better.

Barra do Garças do Araguauinha. It was pouring with rain. The mud was thick, there were deep puddles on the road. I had to follow behind in the car, as my sciatic nerve stopped me from riding for a day. But I was with the girls in spirit (or almost).

San Francisco Farm. An introduction to piranha fishing. To be quite honest, it’s not my favourite fish. Very experienced piranhas ate all my baits. I didn't catch so much as algae or even a piece of wood. Need some more practice.

San Francisco Farm. We helped cowboys take the herd to grazing fields. We crossed the river on horseback. The cowboy blew the horn to guide the excited animals in the right direction. We led the way. The water reached our thighs. The sun was beating down, but we remained completely absorbed by our task. As they saw the other bank of the river, 200 cows overtook us and rushed out of the water. We felt so small!

And finally... I tried to make some kids believe I can play the pan flute by whistling instead of blowing. It didn’t work but I made them laugh. And they got to know the famous French Christmas carol “He is Born, the Holy Child”.