Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil trip - day 12
[ Sunday, 6 Feb 2005 ]
Today we headed over to Morro de São Paulo, a resort-type town on Ilha de Tinharé, the largest of a collection of 26 islands just outside the bay. We took the 2pm catamaran over, quickly found a beachside pousada, and went to the beach for drinks and lunch (actually breakfast). While Bob took a cat nap to recover from the motion sickness pills and the ride over, I walked down the beach. When I started out the sun had all but actually set. By the time I was at the end of the beaches, caipirinha stands, and lights I was alone, staring out across the Atlantic and up at the clearest sky I have ever seen. The Milky Way, and in fact the whole sky, was so brightly filled with stars that constellations I knew faded out of recognition. There were so many stars in fact that the very notion of selecting a few stars to form a constellation seemed ridiculous and futile.
At this point I was so terrifically relaxed that it was effort to stroll even lazily back up the beach. But I sang and was generally silly on the way back. Someone was working though, as they had built a small bonfire on the beach, used it to light a log torch, and was out wandering around in the tidepools, prowling for fish perhaps.
[ Monday, 7 Feb 2005 ]
It rained all night and into the early afternoon. After a morning walk in the warm rain, I came back to the pousada and just chilled in the hammock overlooking the walk of poetry that lines this street and the on-coming storm over the Atlantic. After we checked out we went hiking around the fort and the island in the rain, which let up around 13:00. I love walking in the rain because when you're walking in the rain that's all you can think about -- walking in the rain. You're just completely focused on being wet, getting wet, avoiding getting wetter, watching every step -- you're naturally and completely focused. I also enjoy the fact that rain is a great "equalizer", i.e. it's hard to preen and keep up appearances when everyone just looks like wet rats. Very amusing to me for some reason.
We caught the only catamaran back to Salvador, and it was rough. The sea was very choppy with the passing storm and the boat lurched violently for about 2 hours straight. No one was feeling good by the time we docked.
A nice final dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant; it's the only place with good and timely service we've yet been. After that, we just relaxed under the ceiling fan in the apartment as I got a first class instruction in the history and variety of Brazilian music as Bob DJ'd from his laptop. So nice.
[ Tuesday, 8 Feb 2005 ]
It rained again all night, and the storm was raging in full when we got up at 4:00. Roberto managed to find a willing cab driver and I was off on a hurling wet and wild ride to the airport. A 7:00 flight from Salvador to São Paulo, then to Mexico City, and finally back to LAX added up to at least 14 hours in the air. Who knows what sleep schedule I'm on at this point.
When I finally got off the plane at LAX we were all shuffled down a corridor toward Customs. Ahead I see an agent and behind him an agent with a dog sniffing all the passengers. As I approached the first guard he stops me and asks if he can put a marker on me to test the dog! He assures me that she won't bite but will just stay fixed on me until the second agent stops me to find the marker. My natural distrust of authority means I'm a little freaked about a setup (entrapment!) but I agree. As I walk past the dog she sniffs me and just keeps on checking other passengers. The first agent runs to catch up with me and retrieve his marker from my pocket and apologizes saying that "she's a new dog". Guess I missed my chance to import some extra goods!
Add to this the fact that I got helped by the fastest customs agent ever: she was processing at least 3 to 5 times as many folks as the other agents. When I got up there I causally complemented that she was the fastest one working. She quickly quipped, "Well, I've always been accused of being fast." Alrighty then ... welcome back to America.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil trip - day 9
[ Saturday, 5 Feb 2005 ]
OK, so today I got an email address, a phone number, and a name from a sweet and beautiful local girl. The problem? I have zero Portuguese language skills. Sigh. What ever happened to Esperanto anyway?
Bob was much feeling better so we headed off to Shopping Barra for a safe, fully cooked meal in the food court. It is virtually impossible to be vegan here. There is meat in practically every single dish, no matter what the particular themed cuisine is. Fearing Bob's experience, I steared clear of the (rare) salad bars.
That night we had tickets for the Timbalada bloco in the Ondina ciruit. While attempting to ascertain the actual time the trio would be starting up we ran into friends of Bob's from the Portuguese language school, Chris and Sue, who had also gone on the outing to the Iemanjá festival. We pass the time with caipirinhas in Bob's apartment and dinner at a local Italian restaurant.
When the bloco got underway, Bob decided that he wanted to be in front of the trio in order to actually see the band. For Alerta Geral we stayed between the trio and the drink truck. One problem is that the band is playing for and to the camarotes (the stands of private parties on the sides of the roads) and you never really get to see them from the back. Also, the beverage truck and the trio aren't always in the best of synchronization, so when the trio stops and the drink truck doesn't everyone gets even more crushed together than they already are.
In turns out that being out in front is the place to be! There's lots of space and a lot more people having a lot more fun. Even dancing out with the pipoca ("popcorn", the term for folks on the street, i.e. not in a bloco and not in the camarotes) between the rear of the preceeding bloco and the front of ours would have been a great place to be. Add to that the fact that the Ondina circuit is much different (read: better) from the Campo Grande circuit on Thursday night. This circuit begins in Barra/Porto da Barra, and follows the coast road toward Rio Vermelho. The result is that you get much more breeze to cool off the millions of hot, sweaty partiers. Also this circuit is more popular with the younger crowd as this is where all the big names play, including Timbalada and also Daniela Mercury (whom we saw later that evening).
This was by far the best time. Just dancing like mad, making our way along at about an average of 1 kph, drinking and singing. After a couple of hours we had reached the Christ statue over the ocean in the Barra. Here Bob and I slipped out from the bloco ropes and climbed up to the statue for a rest stop ... and a quick smoke with Jesus ... and a discussion of the "present moment" (thank you Alan Watts) while overlooking the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
Insanity. That's the only word for the greatest celebration of life on the planet. Our view of Carnaval from up on the hill with the statue was incredible. Millions of partiers flooding and overflowing the street like so much sweaty, singing lava.
Back to the front of the bloco. Around this point I met by chance some local partiers: Grace, her friend Lena, and the rest of their group. Grace is a secretary at a hospital just outside of Salvador whose English was much better than my Portuguese. Part of the opening coversation with Grace:
Grace: (shouting over the music) "Where you from?"
Erik: (shouting over the music) "California."
Grace: (nodding) "America."
Erik: "Yes."
Grace: (quickly, and with disdain) "America of Bush."
Erik: "It's not my fault! I didn't vote for him!"
Does the Republican party realize they're hurting my chances internationally? As if there weren't enough reasons to get a better foreign policy here's another one!
The Ondina circuit is a one way trip. After your bloco gets to the end it just opens up and merges into the swirling mass of preceeding blocos and pipoca. It was here that things turned a little ugly. I had kept a cheap disposable camera in a side pocket for taking pictures of all this craziness. Inside the bloco you're relatively safe from thievery, but out in the streets the pickpocketing and whatnot gets extreme.
We were just sort of dancing in place at the end of the circuit when a local guy comes up and dances on my left. There's always lots of bumping and pushing in the crowds so you don't generally notice it. However, I wasn't in a crowd -- I was in a fairly open pocket! This immediately raised my concern. Meanwhile, another guy comes up dancing on my right. He's dancing with a girl and is backing into me, feeling the camera in my pocket with his leg. I hold on to my pockets and work myself out of this situation. Then the same thing happens in exactly the same way a second time. Only when the guy backs up into me it's with considerably more force and an upward motion (involving his right hand) trying to open my pocket. I immediately grabbed my pocket and squared off with him. He of course faked innocence as I backed away.
This is when I told Bob I was ready to head home. That whole experience crashed my party. As we left that area I saw him repeating the story to his friends making me look like I was afraid of having my shorts pulled down. There was definitely nothing "down" about that physical interaction. In fact, as we forced our way out through the thronging thousands the same scenario repeated itself. Each time I managed to hold onto my pockets and my camera, until I could get to a clearing and move my camera into my money belt. On the way out we were passed by a group of men running, one of whom was carrying the limp body of a woman who had perhaps collapsed, been trampled, or worse. I guess petty thievery wasn't the worst that can happen.
When we made our way back to Shopping Barra Grace grabbed a taxi to the Pelourinho to stay the night with her niece, while Bob and I headed off to Pão do Porto (White Castle) and then home to crash.
Man, what a night.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil trip - day 8
[ Thursday, 3 Feb 2005 ]
Breakfast is lunch at Ramma again. Açaí with strawberries (morango) is addictively delicious! We spend the afternoon taking care of errands in preparation for the Alerta Geral bloco tonight, which basically consisted of shopping at the local mall, "Shopping Barra", looking escpecially for white shoes to go with the white outfit theme of this bloco. Also found some artwork and otherwise enjoyed the "scenery".
Our bloco was scheduled to begin at 9pm, with a recommendation to be in the vicinty at 8pm. We show up and join the only other two people who apparently adhered to the instructions: two German guys, Pier, an online journalist, and Andreas, a computer programmer, from Cologne. We later met up with some other friends of Bob's, Patrick and Burdeen, from Oregon, who were kind enough to have continued standing in line to wait for shirts while Bob went to meet me at the airport last Saturday.
Things finally got underway well after 9pm. The bloco consists of a roped off area surrounding a "trio" and a beverage/bathroom truck. Those who purchased bloco shirts can dance inside the roped off section between these two trucks. The "trio" is a vehicle that is a larger that a semi truck/tractor trailer/big rig/18 wheeler. Imagine something bigger than a semi with both sides made out of perforated metal behind which is a solid wall of speakers. On the tail end add one more wall of speakers. Add a staircase to the top where the samba band plays and the real dancers show off. Also on top add lighting structures and other infrastructure for a concert. It's huge. The bevarage/bathroom truck is the same, only it's all beer concessions.
Somewhere around 10pm we probably start the parade. Lots of samba dancing, drink consumption, pushing and bumping, photographs, and other parade activity. Around 1am, after achieving an Olympic speed record of approximately 1 city block per hour, we exit alley left and head home to recover.
[ Friday, 4 Feb 2005 ]
Robert has been under siege internally since yesterday, and as such has spent most of today in bed. I ran into Patrick, Burdeen, and a friend of their's who had just arrived from Oregon, Robin. Robin is a nurse, who speaks some Spanish, and helped me purchase some antibiotics from the nearby pharmacy. So, later that evening Bob started a short regimen of antibiotics. At least he didn't have to listen to a trio truck blasting a Portuguese version of Britney Spears' "Oops I Did It Again".
I've just been strolling around town on my own, finally feeling comfortable with the local geography -- as long as I keep clear of the bloco preparations!
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil trip - day 6
[ Friday, 28 Jan 2005 ]
Left for Salvador from LAX. It took a good 1.5 hours once we boarded to get airborne. Way back in the 43rd row, next to the kitchen and the lavatories (joy) onVarig, my row-mate and I could hear dogs barking in the storage below. Turns out that the dogs had been loaded into a compartment that was not temperature controlled. They needed to be relocated else they would die from the freezing temperature during the 12 hour flight to Sao Paulo, which now extended to 13.5 hours. A short hop to Rio de Janeiro, where I had the pleasure to witness 4 cute girls pulled out of the passport line and escorted straight passed the customs agents. I knew this could happen at a club, but a whole country?!
On to Salvador, with Robert waiting for me as I came (again) through customs (it seems the plane I picked up was coming from Buenos Aires). It's now Saturday afternoon, and after I get settled into Bob's apartment we head to the Pelourinho. Lots of Carnaval preparations, and an Olodum drumming school concert too. Rain crashed the party and we headed to Olivier's. We were hoping for some jazz, but live music was cancelled due to the weather. Enjoyed my first moqueca nonetheless.
[ Sunday, 30 Jan 2005 ]
Bob and I rent a car with the intention of getting out of town. We head north along the coast to a beautiful beach, the name of which is lost to me now. Beach combing, sunning, and a fish-less moqueca (much better, but still heavy with palm oil). Back to the Pelourinho for the evening. Not only are you asked to pay for parking on the street (or rather: sidewalk) by the nearest con artist, but you will also be asked to pay for having had your car washed while you were away (they have this highly advanced technique of replacing all the dirt they clean exactly as it was when you left ;).
[ Monday, 31 Jan 2005 ]
Bob and I escape further north to Praia do Forte, despite the rental car spontaneously shutting down after getting to hot (which it does without the warning light, and any time the engine comes down off of high revs -- makes for interesting traffic situations). Praia do Forte has been called the Carmel-by-the-Sea of (northern) Brazil. Gorgeous beaches, expensive shops, quaint beach-side town. There's a sea turtle conservation effort here, partially funded by tourists (like us) paying to view fish in aquaria and especially turtles of varying (and enormous) sizes lazing about open pools.
We adjourn to a bar on the beach and commence with the caipirinhas. Some great swimming, lots of bikini watching, and some more caipirinhas. Some shopping, including a nice time in CocoBrazil with Adreanna fawning over Bob's green eyes. Italians and Germans seem to frequent this place, and Italian pizzarias and German beer gardens can easily be found. A nice Italian wine with a questionable, yet acceptable, 2002 Brazilian Cabernet Sauvignon at "Skipper's". More caipirinhas. We get a room at a local pousada, Sabrado da Vila.
I was hoping for a change to check out the southern hemisphere's night sky. Happily the sky was clear. I look up and the first thing I see is the constellation Orion! I was hoping for something much more exotic. Only about half the sky was new to me, which should have been expected if I had only known that we were at about 12 degrees south latitude.
More caipirinhas and general barfly activity. The live music consists of karaoke or a solo guitar player. We opt for the guitar. And more caipirinhas.
[ Tuesday, 1 Feb 2005 ]
Laziness is complete. So is relaxation for that matter. We stroll to a beach on the northern side of Praia do Forte. Lots more bikini watching and sunning. The beach here looks like about a hundred yards of shallow coral, with natural pools. The water is bath-warm and a "soak in the tub" is definitely required.
More bikini watching.
Toward sunset we head back to return the car before Wednesday. We grab a quick, nice dinner and acai with strawberries at Ramma (a natural foods restaurant that might put the Whole Foods buffet to shame).
Collapsing.
[ Wednesday, 2 Feb 2005 ]
Excess sun and general heat make for a sleepless night, and we get up at 6:30 to make it to Bob's Portugese language school by 8am. A bunch of the students, and friends thereof, grab a bus to Rio Vermelho. It´s 9am at 85 degrees. There, we watch and participate in Iemanjá. Everyone in white, making offerings (usually of flowers and/or perfume) into the sea. This is, of course, and undue oversimplification.
We shuffle around Rio Vermelho, sitting in the shade, watching the gambling (bingo is oddly popular), watching the girls and the recyclables collectors, watching Bob get propositioned (complete with supposedly enticing dance and unsanitary caresses).
Bob and I hoof it back to Avenida Princes Isabel in Barra (a good 5 km) for rest and, for me, anyway, a relaxing Internet session at a local Internet cafe (http://www.intcafe.com.br/).
We hike most of the way back to Rio Vermelho, only to discover most places are out of cachaça so we get started on caipiroshkas (made with only the finest Orloff vodka :/) instead. There wasn´t really any live music so we catch a taxi to a local samba club called Beco de Gal. Great live bands, lots of real samba dancing, and a blessing from Lady Gal herself! At 1am (77 degrees now) we head out to get some food at Pão do Porto, a late night Brazilian equivalent of a White Castle. Where else can you see the guard with the nightstick bus your table?
More collapsing.
Monday, September 20, 2004
First Post!
