Looking Back

My time here in Brazil has been many things: enriching and frustrating, inspiring and maddening. While there are things I will find in the future to look back fondly on, when my plane leaves the tarmac I will, in general, have little love lost.  That being said, as I reflect on the last three years of life and travel, I will focus on the positive experiences that may seduce travelers to choose Brazil as a place worthy of visiting.

1. Colonial Towns - Brazil has a fascinating history of European settlers from a variety of nations attempting to lay claim to a part of the new world. Thanks mostly to the Dutch and Portuguese, there are a number of colonial towns still in a good condition along Brazil's coastlines as well as inland due to early mining and agriculture. I've had the pleasure of visiting Paraty in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Olinda in the state of Pernambuco, and Ouro Preto in the state of Minas Gerais. Each takes you back in time as you navigate hazardous cobble-stoned streets and slow down to wonder what is was like as one of the first inhabitants of this continent.

The picturesque town of Paraty.

While neighboring Olinda gets a lot more tourists, the old town of Recife,
which dates to the same time period, is worth a visit as well.

2. Rio - This city was easily one of my favorites in all of Brazil. I can't explain it other that to say I love the carioca spirit!  If I had lived closer I would have been camped out at Posto 9 on Ipanema ever chance I got. Nevertheless, I did manage to visit four times in three years, a couple of those for a week!  My advice for travelers: come once to do the touristy stuff - Pão de Açúcar, Christ the Redeemer (or skip this...ugh!), the Centro/Lapa district and Selaron Steps, and the Botanical Gardens - then come back again and beach until you can no longer beach.

Rio at Carnaval is just as spectacular as you would hope.
The energy of dancing until sunrise in the Sambadrome is contagious!

One of my favorite places in Rio, other than the beaches,
and a must-see for any tourist - the Botanical Gardens.

Ipanema beach at sunset...sigh

Paçoquita is a popular brand of paçoca.
(Photo source)

3. Paçoca - You know the inside of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup?  It's that but without the chocolate and more peanutty-tasting. The bakery near my apartment, Riviera, sells homemade versions which are delicious and not as sweet.
I love these plain or as a topping on açai. Speaking of...

4. Açaí - This "super food" is pretty pricey outside of Brazil, but in the country it is easy to find and worth the cost. Made from a berry, and served frozen with guaraná mixed in, it is delicious on the beach with bananas, granola, and paçoca...or basically whatever you want: strawberries, condensed milk, chocolate syrup, honey, etc. They may eat it at health-food shops in L.A., but it Brazil it is treated like ice cream. I have no problem with that.

This delicious monstrosity from a trip to Guarujá is topped
with papaya, granola, condensed milk, and banana.

5. Inhotim - This massive outdoor sculpture garden slash installation museum located in the middle of nowhere in Minas Gerais about an hour from Belo Horizante is a must see. If you "don't get" contemporary or modern art, Inhotim just might change your mind, but be prepared for sore feet and a sensory overload by the end of the day because you are part of the art here. Not to mention all of this takes place in what amounts to a gorgeous botanical garden.  I don't know why this place isn't a bigger deal!

"Invenção da cor"
by Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica.

"Narcissus Garden"
by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

6. Oscar Niemeyer - The architect of the UN Building in New York, Niemeyer's designs are all over Brazil, especially dominating Brasília, which he helped plan from the ground up. A proud communist who did not believe in private ownership of the earth, one common thread of his work is that all ground floors are open to the public, many literally so. Niemeyer also does things with concrete that seem to defy gravity.

Brasilia's Museu Nacional H. Guimarães with the National Cathedral
in the background, all designed by Niemeyer.

Niemeyer has several works in São Paulo's Memorial da América Latina,
including the Salão de Atos building.

7. A praia - Brazil knows how to do beaches. Whether in Rio, Recife, Ubatuba, or Guarujá, you find a spot, rent a few chairs, an umbrella, spread out your canga, and wait for the cerveja and açai vendors to stroll by. It's that simple. Don't forget your sunga!

Praia Trindade between Ubatuba and Paraty.

In preparing for my next adventure in Malaysia I received a preemptive email from the shipping company several months ago cautioning about the complications Brazilian customs often inflict. To quote: "As you are aware, Brazil is a very different and peculiar country when it comes to customs and other related formalities."

"Different and peculiar."

I think I'll just let this blog end with that...

M.I.A.

It may appear that I've abandoned this blog.  Or Brazil. Or travel in general.

And I have, sort of. In a way, Brazil and my desire to explore it, has lost a bit of its allure. It's no one's fault, really; it just is what it is.

A beach weekend in Guarujá

I haven't been sitting on my caboose since September - my last bloggable, noteworthy travel adventure. I've weekended on a nice beach in Guarujá, on the São Paulo coast. I've spent a lovely four days in Rio, experiencing it without the New Years, Carnaval, and World Cup crowds; though I didn't do anything I hadn't done before and that was perfectly fine!

The fact is, Brazil is expensive: sometimes unnecessarily, unjustifiably, obscenely so. And unlike many other Latin American countries where one can show up at a bus terminal, look at a schedule, and go, Brazil's buses are often booked and the route options limited.  People who can afford to fly, tend to fly, and those who can't, plan ahead and bus it.  Or they don't go anyplace at all.  Because Brazil is huge.  Sometimes busing is foolish to begin with just because of the sheer size of the country.

Açai on Ipanema Beach in Rio

And then there are the holidays.  Brazil has a decent amount of holidays and when those holidays hit, it seems everyone who can, travels. Most of them to the beach, which makes the roads to said beaches and the airports veritable mosh-pits of vacationers. And then we come full-circle to the hotel/hostel/pousada operators jacking up their rates.

All that being said, I think I have essentially breathed a deep, concessionary sigh and allowed myself to forget about where I live and just trudge forward until June when I leave this country for good. Three-day holiday weekends are just too short to fork over enough reais to pay a month's rent in the US, to fly someone interesting and different, stay in lodging with "high-season" rates, only to turn around after just catching your breath.

Nothing better than days with no schedule, friends, beach cerjevas and Rio

There may be a post here or there about explorations in São Paulo down the highway, for a city of 22 million does, by default, offer many interesting things to do and see. But I have no major travel plans for the next five months already mapped out.

Not everyone who has lived and/or traveled in Brazil will agree with me on any or all of the above, however, I can confidently say that I have lost my vontage for travel in Brazil.  And that is that!

Last two photos courtesy of Lisa Jensen-Hengstler.

We Are One (Part IV)

FIFA Fan Fests

Every host city of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is destined to be flooded with thousands of fans from around the world, sometimes waiting a few days before the match they came to see.  Not to mention all the locals looking to experience some World Cup action.  And with three to four games being played a day during the group stages, it raises the all-important question of where to watch all these games?!?

To help solve this problem, FIFA set up admission-free Fan Fest areas for spectators to gather and cheer on their favorite teams with hundreds of other fans.  However, not all Fan Fests were created equally.  We never made it to the Brasília venue as it was held far outside the city due to feared protests, or so we were told.

The Recife Fan Fest was held along the water in the narrow streets of Recife Antigo, the old colonial section of the city.  We went there to watch the Brazil vs Chile match and only stayed until half time as the combination of density of people and lack of shade made for a sweaty and claustrophobic viewing experience. Not only that, but there was only one large screen, paled by the intense sun.  (We actually ended up watching from the Sony sponsored booth's flatscreen which was akin to being sardined into a friend's living room with no furniture.)

Hot, sunny, and cramped Recife for the Brazil vs Chile match.

Rio's version was situated on the spacious expanse that is Copacabana Beach.  This venue was popular and organizers actually added a second screen visible to people just outside the Fan Fest in an attempt to include more people and probably lower the body density.  We came here for the USA vs Belgium knock-out stage match.

Ready to cheer on Team USA from the Rio Fan Fest!

Sun going down on Copacabana and the USA - Belgium battle well underway.

Argentina had won the match prior to the USA/Belgium game and many
excited fans had stuck around to continue celebrating.
It appears Neymar Jr. now plays for La Albiceleste.

Verdict is in and, of the three cities we visited, Rio's Fan Fest is the clear winner.  Hard to complete with Copacabana, though!

Third Time's The Charm

Actually, with Rio de Janeiro, it's always a charm. I love this city.

I'm a glutton for punishment: I always seem to hit Rio when it's at its busiest.  I've celebrated New Years on the beach with a million of my closest friends and danced samba until dawn during Carnaval. Why not come back during the World Cup?!?

Playing tour guide a bit, we visited some of my favorite places - the Botanical Gardens, Posto 9, and Cinelândia - plus some new ones, such as the Urca neighborhood and the Selarón Steps.  I now feel well-versed in navigating the subway as well and the city buses.  Some day I'll return at a non-peak time and wonder where everyone is!

The Botanical Gardens are a place I doubt I will grow tired of visiting.

I came across the globe-trotting Buddy Bears on my run from Copacabana
to Leme Beach one morning.

Soccer on Copacabana Beach

Pão de Açúcar under a cloud.

Watching the sun set from the Urca neighborhood.

The Escardaria Selarón (Selarón Steps) are a completely tiled pedestrian
way in the Santa Teresa neighborhood created by Chilean artist and
Rio transplant Jorge Selarón.

Since his suspicious death in January of 2013, the steps have only gained
tourist attention and have become a recognizable Rio landmark.

The first tiles Selarón scavenged in abandoned construction sites, but as the
project gained publicity, tiles were donated from around the world.

In 2003, Snoop Dogg and Pharrell used the steps as a scene in the video
for their hit "Beautiful".  The steps have been added to significantly since.
I'm attempting the channel my inner Pharrell.

Rio Scenarium is a cool bar/restaurant in Centro with three floors and live
music nearly every night of the week.  

First Botanical Graden photo taken by Alissa Monfre.

Pão de Açúcar photo taken by Dan Monfre.

Don't Ever Change

The tiny colonial seaside port town of Paraty (say: pah-rah-CHEE) has seen many incarnations since it was first settled in the 1500's.  Since then, this modest town has played part in the import of miners and export of gold from the adjacent state of Minas Gerais and then for coffee after that.  Each industry eventually ended their mutual relationship with the port after the development of roads from other coastal locales such as Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo, which proved to be time-saving in terms of travel.

Consisting mostly of one or two-story white-washed colonial-era buildings with brightly colored doors and windows, Paraty is an easy place to get lost in.  Not physically, since it spans only a handful of blocks in any given direction, but mentally, as any visitor is easily transported to a simpler time.  It is not difficult to imagine horses clomping down the cobble-stoned streets, now off-limits to cars.  (And these cobble-stones are not small; it behooves pedestrians to keep one eye on their next step at all times.)

For a small town, it is strange to find so many churches scattered throughout its historic center.  Though small, and all Catholic, it turns out each was intended for different congregants: one for wealthy whites (built in 1800), one for slaves (1725), and another (1722) for mulattos - children of mixed race, but not necessarily slaves.

Before numeric addresses, most postage was directed to a street name and
door color, making it preferable to not have repeated colors on the same block.

The bay of Paraty is dotted with many small islands leading out to the open Atlantic Ocean.  We boarded a schooner for an afternoon of island hopping and enjoying the unique and majestic views of this region's coastline, known as the Mata Atlantica, a geographic and ecologic region with characteristics unique only to here (which I've had the pleasure to visit twice before whilst in Ubatuba and Ilha Grande).

Afternoon on the schooner Moana, touring the Bay of Paraty.

The beaches in Paraty are nothing to write home about, however, those of the islands in the bay, as well as several a short drive to the south are among the best in Brazil.  We ventured to the community of Trinidade, an old fishing village now filled with pousadas, restaurants, and hostels, to settle on Praia Meio for an afternoon.

Excuse the duck-face and douche-y peace sign - too much sun and
beautiful scenery make me a wannabe a surfer-bro.

It was a great decision that Brazil made Paraty a National Historic Site back in the 1960's, thus preserving its character for that niche group of tourists who want some sun and sand with a lot of timeless charm.

The Other "Carnaval"

Or circus.  Or belated Halloween...at the beach.  Or...just Rio being Rio?

When one imagines Rio's "Carnaval" it is inevitable that the minds-eye is filled with flashes of feathers, headdresses, glitter, bedazzled thongs, and more feathers.  But not everyone is marching down the street in a sanctioned parade.  Many Cariocas (residents of Rio) choose to make their own parade, wherever they may stroll.

A lot like going diving into the Walmart bargain-bin on November 1st and putting on whatever you pull out. Why not just put on a blindfold and turn off the lights while your at it!  Now go about your regular business - pick up groceries, hail a cab, walk to the bank to use the ATM - sporting your new half-assed costume attempt.  Or throw on your beach wear and head to the beach!  What angel wings?  Bunny ears...who, me?!  This clown nose...hardly noticed it!

I attempted to document this phenomena by taking a sample of the streets, so to speak.  The following shots were taken from my phone whilst enjoying a late afternoon cerveja at corner sidewalk café in Copacabana over the course of about 15 minutes...

LMFAO, is that you?  I think Psy is following you...

Aye aye, Captain!

Seems to be a popular costume choice.

"Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl..."

There was also a baby, an angel, a mouse, an Indian, and a fairy in this group.

The weirdest part, other than the juxtaposition of urban city streets and swimsuits, was that everyone exuded an air of obliviousness to their own appearance, making the sporting of cast-off Halloween wear that much more alluring.  It was a bizarro world; a parade without a route, where the spectators are whoever happens by, and concerning oneself with a theme is irrelevant.  It's a city-wide costume party and everyone is invited!

Sensory Overload

I wouldn't be surprised to learn there was no word in Brazilian Portuguese for "subtlety."  Seems size is not the only thing big about Brazil.  It's not enough it has the largest city in the Americas (São Paulo) and six in the top 15 for the two continents together, it also has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. The Amazon may not be longest river in the world - it's the second - but it is number one for the highest volume and watershed. And aside from throwing the world's largest New Years Eve party, it also has Carnival.

In my travels I have had many "I'm going to appreciate this more later" moments.  The times when you are in a situation, seeing something incredible, or attending an event, all the while appreciating it, but knowing that the experience will only become richer with time. Attending Carnaval in Rio, specifically the iconic parade at the Samba-drome, was one of those rare and treasured moments.

My friend Ebony and I getting into the Carnaval spirit!

To many people outside of the country, the words Carnival and Brazil seem to be synonymous.  The days-long celebration of excess leading up to Ash Wednesday is a sight to behold.  The main attraction - the parade event - is held in a permanent stadium-like structure called the Sambadrome.  It is about three long city blocks in length with stadium seating on both sides.  For $US100 and up, you can get spot in the bleachers and forgo a night in a hotel, as the parade begins around 9pm and runs until nearly sunrise, with numerous Samba schools marching down the "street" between the facing stands.

Rio's Sambadrómo or the Avenida Marquês de Sapucaí.
Our "sector" was only about halfway down the entire route.

The lights, the sounds, the songs, the costumes, floats, and feathers all make for a visually stimulating night, however, in the end, this is a competition.  Groups are awarded points for various aspects of their "performance" - costuming, overall theme and concept, percussion section, etc. - and penalized for others, namely time.  The route is long and the planning has taken over a year, but it is still necessary to get your entire crew down the parade route in under 90 minutes.  They have an hour and half?!? you might ask.  Yep, and some still end up taking longer!  The floats are not race cars and you can only move so fast in stilettos and fifty pounds of feathers and headdresses.

I could describe the parade to you all night long (pun intended) but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

The first group chose "Telenovelas" as their theme.
This is a close-up of a float dedicated to the evening soap "Que rei sou eu?"

This is the top of float representing a plantation house from a soap set during
the slave era.  I don't know much about it, though it's usually on while I'm at
the gym and it seems the slaves and slave owners had a lot of sexual tension
between them if the sound off, subtitles on are any indication.
Also, yes, that is a whipping post.  At this point the master was taking a break
from the mimed infliction of corporal punishment.

I know nothing about this one except it's awesome.

Every group had a lady spinning around in a large dress with a flag
accompanied by a matching male escort.  The second group's theme represented
the city of Cuiabá, the capital of Mato Grosso state, one of the country's largest
and most "jungly" areas.

There was a lot of pink and green going on here.  This represented a typical,
though neonified, version of a tropical urban dwelling replete with jazzy
faux corrugated tin roofs. 

A close-up of the same float shows how many resembled mini-stage-like sets.

We thought these were supposed to be birds, but what do we know?!?

There was clearly a lot of folklore worked into this theme. 

Welcome to the jungle!  There is a lot going on here!

An intense float with a snake emerging from the water.

A close-up of the same float.  The designers and engineers do the best they
can to disguise the handles the performers hold on to for stability.

Mythical jungle monsters?  Cavemen?  Yetis?  Who knows!?!
Amazing?  Definitely.

The costumes seemed to get more and more elaborate.
these appear to represent ghost ships of sorts.

Jungle flora and fauna

Parrots and Crocodiles

Of course the snakes are carrying soccer balls. 

Sometimes it was difficult to differentiate between the costume and the wearer.
What people; I just see frogs and leaves here!

Enlarge this (click on it) and count the people.  I dare you.
(Also, that's real running water coming out of the soccer ball waterfall.)

Each group had a percussion section, easily the best part of the parades.
The third group's theme had something to do with horses, however, "hot mess"
may have been a more accurate title.
Evidently, I was less impressed with them as I have the fewest pictures.

These were cool costumes, though.

When watching on television the commentators can tell you who the people
are, if they're important.  This guy was probably important. 

On the more impressive floats in the third group, it had Tiffany-style laps
and swinging lanterns.  It's about 1:30am at this point.

The fourth group was my favorite as far as overall artistic concept goes;
though not necessarily its actuality.
Recently, oil has been discovered off the coast of Rio and there has been
dispute within the country who should/will benefit from it, economically.
This group's theme seemed to be a celebration of ouro negro or "black gold."
Here they are doing their own "Grease Lightning" choreography.

What's a theme about oil with rigs and swinging oil workers?!?

This was a spectacle: oil industrialization at its finest.
Those are giant gas pumps coming off the front of the float.

And lots of dancing gas pumps bringing up the rear.

Apparently oil money will enhance the arts...? 

And let's not forget construction and urban infrastructure.

At this point my camera battery died.  (If you think this was a lot of pictures, you should see the hundreds I pared down from for this post!)  Hopefully I can post more from other's cameras.  This last one is from my phone and was the ending float for the oil-themed group.

The piece de resistance: beginning with a neon iguana, floating jelly fish, and a magically
marine-like ferris wheel, the float suddenly turns apocalyptic on its back section, resembling
an oil spill.  There were even performers dressed in one long connective black sheet that was
eerily accurate in its portrayal of an oil slick on the water; you can see them in the top left corner.

I did end up making it to the end around 5:30am and it was worth every overdone second.  Thank goodness the subways were running all night!  Go big or go home, right?  More like: Go big and then go home.