Round every corner there is more and more.... and then there's carnaval!
Where do I start?!
Since leaving the forested haven of Iracambi, I have seen a completely different side to Brazil, and a different part of myself as well.
I embarked on my journey to the South at the end of November and I was so excited on the bus going.... I just wanted to explode. I felt like a child on Christmas eve unable to sleep for anticipation. I sat in the bus watching the world go by, just thinking that it really is at my feet. Everytime I travel, I slip into a place where I feel an overwhelming sense of fortitude - I look around, eyes wide opentaking it all in. I can do anything I choose ... that is an amazing feeling. A feeling which hasnt stopped!
Although I loved Iracambi, my urge to explore more of Brazil is finally being fulfilled and now I go round with a permanent smile like a cheshire cat (except when I am squinting in the sun or after too many caipirinhas, or with a face full of sea water, or thinking about leaving!!!). Towards my leaving the fazenda, I became so inspired by everything, by the amazing opportunities that life brings, that people commented how much I had changed and wondered how I stayed so positive. Everything just seems to be going my way... I even saw a double rainbow before I left.
The family I met in Curitiba are so lovely, and they really helped to orientate me in many ways, some that I can only appreciate now. Providing insight into Brazilian family life and culture, developing a support network, speaking the language 24/7 (even in my sleep!), making so many different friends, and experiencing first hand the unbelievable intrinsic kindness of the Brazilians; my immersion into the country and culture helps me feel a lot more comfortable, and only a gringa Brasileira instead of regular gringa!
Brazil is a country that you just can't imagine unless you see it (but I will try to transport you there in your mind with my photos and descriptions!). Partly due to its' vastness, and partly to its' diverse history, each state, city, island or town I have visited have distinctly different ambiances and people, as well as natural environments. As well as hugging the Brazilian coast a lot of the time, I have also been fortunate enough to see the interior of the country, and the great diversity in landscape there. I noticed a while ago that the slogan for Walls ice cream here is 'here has diversity' which becomes more and more true everyday. Where I volunteered in Iracambi, the natural environment is characterised my Mata Atlantica (Atlantic Rainforest) which is dense, warm, green, forest where huge thick creepers weave their way around the trees, bamboo grows in huge, tall clumps and bright flowers nestle between leaves. Where this meets the coast in Florianopolis in the south, and Bahia in the north, the vista is even more beautiful, and mangroves are created, like those I saw in Ilha da Superagüi. In Itacaré, Bahia, a surfers' paradise is backed by dense forest strewn with small trails providing access to the many 'selva' beaches. Another characteristic of Bahia is the palm tree - this state grows the majority in the country, and provides the essential 'coco gelado', where the refershing coco water is drank straight from the fruit. Further inland lies Chapada da Diamantina (Diamond Plateau) where Sandy and I went trekking and camping. For me, this place summised everything I love about being outdoors - incredible views, forest, rivers, pools, tumbling waterfalls, mountains, cliffs, rocks and sun - and being able to fully embrace that for our 3 day trek, where we drank the deep coloured river water, swam in the natural pools, cooked over a camp fire and slept with the stars as our ceiling, was really refreshing. Yet another type of landscape exists in the central west of Brazil, where the Pantanal lies - a huge area of savannah, palm forest and wetland brimming with wildlife. On the bus there, the Mata Atlantica of the coast gave way to clay-orange coloured soils, sparse trees and flat for as far as the eye can see. And when we entered the boundary into the Pantanal itself, this story developed to one dominated by the force of the seasonal rains, which transform the land into water where only the elevated forests, sandy roads and many rickety bridges protrude.
In amongst this natural base, come the people themselves, who are perhaps more diverse as a nation than the country in which they live. Due to Brazil's prevalent role in the slave trade, many Brazilians have African origin. And Bahia as the centre in this era has 80% African origin population, bringing the beautiful dark skin, afro hair, music and Candomble religion into the mix. In fact, no sooner had I arrived in Salvador, Bahia, was I thrust into the intense overpowering nature of the music and Candomble by the festival of the god Iemanja who comes from the sea. One of Sandy's friends who lives in Salvador had arranged a boat trip for the day, and as we approached the beach of the festival, we had the best view and could try our best to take in the enormity of it. For as far as I could see, there were people. People all on the beach, in the water, along the streets, hanging out of windows, on balconies and in boats. And as well as this, a few hunderd metres off shore were a large group of boats celebrating the emergence of Iemanja from the sea by letting off huge displays of fireworks and sounding their horns.... this is just one example of many I have witnessed illustrating the Brazilian love for a big party, their strong religion and their lives being ruled by the strong beat of music. In the historic sector of Salvador (the 'Pelorinho'), the cobbled streets, ornate buildings, churches and squares are the backdrop to a permanent elevated sense of life. Children march the streets in bands practicing samba and the blood throbbingingly loud and powerful huge drums for the carnaval. In the squares, ripped men conduct displays of capoeira, the Brazilian marshal art which is based on the principle of no contact but impressive shows of skill and strength by holding break dancing-style positions and various kicks and intimidations. Everywhere, music fills your ears - the blood of Brazil.
In huge contrast to this state of being, the south of Brazil is almost another country. The people and the way of life are completely different. Bahians are typified as being very, very laid back, where the unimportance of time is even more evident, and everywhere you can see people living their lives at a slower, more appreciating and enveloping pace. The phrase used by many in Bahia is 'Sorrisa.. você esta na Bahia'! (Smile... you are in Bahia). On our trek in Chapada da Diamantina, we had a day of walking faster than usual to catch the sunset on top of Pai d'Inacio (a large rock formation), and our guide Mil commented that we would be like Paulistas instead of Bahians because the Paulistas of São Paulo live life at a much more hurried pace!
In the states of Parana and Santa Catarina, where I visited Curitiba and Florianopolis, many Brazilians are actually of European descent. So this was one place I could actually be mistaken for a Brazilian (a covert Gringa), instead of being an overt one in Bahia! This difference is so great that some towns - Blumenau being one - have German as their first language and the signs are bilingual!
Concentrating all this diversity in one place, the result is São Paulo, a teeming, sprawling metropolis I have sadly not been able to visit this time. Contrary to the many negative media reports which highlight São Paulo as a dangerous, crime ridden city, of course, it is not quite as clear-cut as made out. The less safe areas are generally those frequented by gangs, or the poorer areas for example - which people just know to avoid. So the whole city cannot be characterised as unsafe, just particular areas, as with the Favela wars in Rio de Janeiro. As well as realising the truth behind the bad publicity, I have met so many really friendly Paulistas who have invited me to stay with them so I can see the city... next time for sure! The many, many different people who live in São Paulo (which has some of the largest groups of foreigners out of their countries), has created what I read as being called 'übergenes'! Julia and I had noticed that a lot of the people from São Paulo were distinguished by dark skin, but blue or grey eyes instead of brown, and on casually reading the Lonely Planet (which it turns out was actually useful in this case!) our theory that São Paulo creates really unique, distinctive and beautiful people was proven. Apparently, the tremendous ethnic and cultural diversity of Brazil is concentrated in this city, causing it to be dubbed the 'city of the future' with all the genetic splicing and dicing going on. This has been observed by researchers (and Julia and I!) to result in some of the most beautiful people in the world....
In amongst this diversity, there is one overwhelming continuity - the kindness of Brazilian people. For starters, rather than exchanging smiles or a brief hello with a friend, they will embrace and kiss each others cheeks and inquire 'tudo bem?' (all good?). And if I have ever had a query or needed help, I have never been let down by a friendly Brazilian showing me how to use the confusing phones, or giving me directions. When Julia couldnt find the hostel that we met eachother in, a very kind Brazilian woman actually offered her a bed if she was stuck! And Ana, a friend of the family who used to live and work in then UK, went out of her way when we spent the day together to give me a great experience trying countless new things, as well as phoning many of her connections to sort out carnaval for me. Mario, who I met in Iracambi and who lives in Brasilia, re-arranged all his meetings and thought up an inventive and complete tour to his city, which showed me all the interesting history leading up to its construction from scratch in the 1950s, as well as the sunset in the most beautiful place in the city.
Brazilians also love to talk and relax, and sit in the omnipresent road side cafés whiling away the days. Of course, this also emphasises the poverty of the country - where many people have no proper job. People make a meagre living cleaning your feet of sand by the beach, watching your car when you park it and putting cardboard on the windscreen to keep it cooler, shoe shining, and selling various things like jewellery, sweetcorn, sugar cane juice and coco water.
Sandy's friend who arranged the boat trip had an interesting perspective on these people, and believes that if competition is introduced into the 'market' of coco gelado, for example, people will make more money. His idea is that each seller puts a mark of quality on the coconut (like bananas for example), meaning consumers can differerentiate between the universal 'coconut', and instead want Mister X's coconuts which are apparently fresher, sweeter and bigger. Therefore, those just selling 'plain' coconuts would lose business, yet Mister X would get richer and richer. He didnt seem to think that the fact that this would increase the inequality rather than fix it, or that it promotes capitalism, a problem, or just in general that those who sell these coconuts, and those who buy them, would not be interested in or understand the use of a supposed quality sticker. This idea of his, he said, stems from his (misinformed) hesitance to buy bananas anywhere around the world unless they have a sticker he recognises from home in the US. Yet it was interesting to have this discussion with him and see his different observations and ideas about Brazil.
The relaxed nature of the Brazilians, and their way of life, extends to the beaches in the coastal towns and cities, creating a social phenomenon in themselves. In the cities of Salvador and Rio, but especially the latter, the beaches are incredible. In terms of natural beauty of course, with its' forested peaks, Christo Redentor and Pão de Acucar in the picture, but also in terms of the people and occurences on the beach. For example, before you even step foot on the beach, you need to bear in mind which post you are by, which determines the type of people on that particular part of the beach. There is a post frequented by families, one by homosexuals, one for the 'beautiful' (often fake) people, one for sports.... So once you have decided where to go that day, as soon as you walk on the beach you will be asked by that area's parasol and chair vendor if you would like them. Yes, ok I'll have one thank you. So there you are sitting on your chair under the parasol, and you think 'hmm, I'd really like a coca cola'.. no sooner has that thought crossed your mind will a seller walk by carrying a polystyrene box on his head or strung on his shoulder filled with iced drinks calling ' refigerante, cha, cerveza'. Then, sipping your coke you start to feel hungry and fancy maybe a sweetcorn (milho verde), or acai (an amazonian berry which is blended with ice and served with banana and granola), or a pastel (like a pasty), or camarão (fresh shrimp kebab), oysters, or a fresh fruit salad. In time, these sellers will walk past and come right to you, serving you without having to move! If you count all the different sellers, there will probably be about 20 with all the different foods, clothing, sun creams, sarongs and souvenirs wandering the sands. As well as this, there are people playing bat and ball, volley ball and football all around those who are bronzing on the beach. It is quite incredible - the best place to people watch that you can get!
As well as seeing, swimming in and sunbathing on some great beaches in Brazil, I have also seen a great variety of cities. Curitiba for example, is just like you have heard it to be. The transport system is excellent, and there is a huge emphasis on preserving and enjoying the environment (so not your average 'city' then). Mayor Jaime Lerner's brainchild was to have an efficient integrated transport system with frequent, clean, cheap, big buses that serve all round the city. They have concertinas in the middle which are really fun to stand in, and the bus stops are glass tunnels that you have to pay to get in, so you can get straight on the bus. All around the city are parks full of trees, flowers, grass and pretty architecture like the Botanic Gardens. Each inhabitant is allocated a specific amount of green space, meaning the city is healthier, greener, and so much more liveable. Because everything is in your reach, there is no need to drive miles away. The roads are made from recycled tyres too, and there is amphasis on environmental education through the Universidade Livre do Meio Ambiente (University of the Environment) which runs month long environmental courses set in a forest surrounded by a lake. Instead of the suffocating traffic that plagues São Paulo, Rio and Salvador, at rush hour, in Curitiba you can still get round relatively easily.
Rio is absolutely beautiful, and hardly feels like a city because you can always see the Tijuca forest in the background and the huge peak which Christo Redentor stands on. Julia and I went on the 'Carioca tour' (a Carioca is the name for someone from Rio), where a guide shows you the main sights in Rio including the forest, the favelas and Christo giving you the history of the city as well, which is quite incredible, especially how Christo came into existence. But the best thing is the energy with which they give the tour. Eduardo loves his city, and wants all the people on his tours to love it too, so gives them an energetic, insightful and complete experience. In order to get a 360 perspective of the city, and to have a few minutes as a bird, we both went hangliding which was so much more fun and less frightening than I imagined. Launching yourself off a cliff hardly sounds appealing, but the platform you run from didnt feel like a cliff edge and you only realised how high up you were when you were in the air whooping with joy!
Salvador is completely totally different to Rio in so many ways. I am still unsure which I like best, because Rio has such a beautiful landscape, yet the history of Salvador gives it a real lived-in feeling to me... I am not sure how to explain it, but suffice to say I have really enjoyed all the places I have been lucky enough to see, and want to see so many more but time is running out.....!
Yet, although I have only a week or so left, I have had a whole host of experiences that I am so grateful for and which have made my time here so much more than it could have been. A lot of this has stemmed from my rather mad and impulsive (what else could you expect from me!) decision to come to Brazil for 6 months on my own. So as well as learning a massive amount about myself, the people I have met in each place really made the experience as well, so if it wasnt for them, things would be totally different.
Travelling alone means you rely so much more on yourself and other people than in another everyday situation. You have yourself as company so much more, and it is your decisions that affect you, and not so much those made by others. So although you meet many more people travelling alone, the other side is that in some places you go, you wont meet as many people, and you may start to wonder why on earth you went there and blame yourself. It is like 2 extremes that you swing from in a cycle - from when you dont eve think you are travelling alone, to when you are stuck with your own company and your own overpowering thoughts. I have learnt to be comfortable with myself and not think negatively if things arent as you had hoped, because new friends and experiences are round the corner.
The friends you make when travelling are totally different to those at home. Going from not knowing someone to sharing a dorm room, living space, bathroom, snores and sleep talking in less than 24 hrs rarely happens in real life, yet this is the normal route many travellers take. Once you have exchanged the initial formalities of names, travel plans, and country of origin, you then move on to many more topics of conversation and share travel experiences because everybody likes to talk and hear a good story. It can become like a long friendship concentrated in several days and totally missing huge parts out, like having not known the person on their home turf. Yet, as people tend to travel for similar reasons, you can find you really connect with some, as I did with Juila I met in Florianopolis and traveled to Rio with, Brooke and Trina I spent time with from Florianopolis until the Pantanal, Sadie I met in Salvador, Sandy I also met in Salvador and will be spending carnaval with, and Thierry I met in Itacaré and coincidentally has the same flight back to Rio as me next week!
I have realised what I find so important about travelling alone, and whether you can have a great time or just an average one. When you are in a situation where you are yet to make friends and the place is alien to you, it takes something to get you in the mindset to make the place your friend and have a good time. Of my time here, I have definately had moments where I have felt a little down and questioned many things, but thankfully these feelings have not lasted long because something happens to awaken you. Everyone needs human interactions, and the power of a small gesture or kindness or a small conversation is inquantifiable. It is what makes you feel suddenly alive and part of the world again instead of being caught up inside yourself. I never thought much about that before, but these moments, however trivial, can come to mean alot because they put you at ease, and I can remember several....
In Superagüi, the first place I travelled to alone, on arrival I quickly began to question my decision to have come because the island was quiet with a small fishing village on it and nothing else. Of the few pousadas, I was the only guest. So being the only gringa in this small community, it was strange to find my feet and feel accepted, as really I can imagine this island being a haven for couples, parties, artists or writers... not me so much then! But brilliantly, despite rain, an escapade on a bike, being bitten by big flies and cutting my foot on a mangrove, I remained positive because on my way from the local shop I met the father of the pousada owner who invited me for coffee with his family, and really meant it. This restored my faith and removed any negativity I was feeling. Also, just meeting really kind people like Mario my scuba instructor, another Ana who ran a massage business and vegetarian restaurant who gave me a great shiatsu massage, really make a difference.
So I seem to have achieved a greater understanding, but also more tangible things such as contributing to an invaluable volunteer project which furthered their cause, as well as my future; meeting really great Brazilians and travellers who will be my friends for life; having a go at learning to surf and not letting the sea win everytime (!); learning the language; learning to SCUBA DIVE - yes, I actually did it!!! Despite my worry that time was running out as I reached february, the perfect opportunity came round and I ended up having one of the best weeks of my stay in a small town by the sea in southern Bahia called Caravelas. I had lessons from a crazy, energetic instructor called Mario who really made me feel at home and welcome by introducing me to his friends in the town and taking me for lunch inbetween the theory and practical of the course. The funny part is that these lessons were all in portuguese, including the 1990s PADI video I watched, which was hilariously posed by actors and actrices with bad hair and brightly coloured wetsuits pointing at nothing in the distance demonstrating the need to analyse the sea conditions before a dive! When I had watched the video, read my (thankfully english) book, and done my pool sessions, the next day we took to the sea and to Abrolhos Islands! These are a protected archipelego with the second best diving in Brazil, but in some ways the best because of the fish diversity and the enviornment - 5 stunning islands in the clear blue sea, only 1 inhabited with a picturesque lighthouse on it. And the diving - wow! I saw more fishes than I have ever seen in my life, and they ranged from tiddler size to a metre in length, and they were all colours of the rainbow including electric blue and flourescent yellow. Before one dive, Mario said that there is a big big fish they call Alcione (after a singer she resembles!) who he calls when we get to the sea bed and she will come and play with us and let us stroke her. I wondered if he was joking like he always does, but no, this huge brown fish swam up to us and in our circle, putting her face right infront of yours and letting you stroke her hard, glossy side. Mario fed her and put the food right infront of your face so she would rush towards you with her huge mouth open! And if you rubbed the top of her head, she would stay still like a cat! I was even luckier because I was able to do a night dive (where you see different creatures and the coral looks more its own true colour under white torchlight), and a ship wreck being with an instructor. I'm hooked - not only is there an amazing world on land, but one for me to explore under the sea too!
My final experience of Brazil will be carnaval!!!!! Talk about ending on a high! It is a 24 hr party for 7 days where millions of people take to the streets following the many trio electricos, the bands atop them blasting music of all kinds. There will be more music, parties and people than I can comprehend - the characteristics of Brazil mixed together and in full force. And tomorrow it all starts, where I have bought an abada (shirt) for a bloco (the area cordoned off round a trio electrico where you can dance right next to the band) with Sandy and her sister - can't wait!
I have definately tried, experienced and enjoyed so many things since I have been here, and will be recounting stories and memories for so long!
Bye for now!
Love Cat xxxxx
Iguaçu falls from the Argentinian side
Sorry, I havent been able to put many photos up because it takes so long, but I will find a way!
