A Week in Brazil <http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/?p=97>
Hey folks. Sophie wrote a post on my laptop about 2 weeks ago. We hadn’t had a chance to get my computer on the internet, so on my computer it has remained. Sophie is sick in bed, so here I am to post it for her from Salvador in Bahia. Enjoy! Well hello there, Sorry for the major delay in updates. Since Alex started working on the last South Africa post things have been crazy. Our final day in Cape Town was spent sorting out last minute details and having a delicious lunch with the Holland family. June cooked her famous gammon as well as my favorite “June salads” and other amaaaaazing dishes. Hopefully we will see cousins Katie and Mary in the States this winter. We flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg, then to Sao Paulo, arriving on the afternoon of Monday the 5th of February. After arriving at the albuerge de juventude (youth hostel) where we had a reservation, we were told that they misunderstood and thought we were coming the next day. They had done the same thing to a Korean guy, so they shipped us off to another hostel, which was wonderful, but no one could tell us where we were going, so it was a bit of an adventure. That reminds me of one of the more surprising things I’ve found about Brazil. NOBODY speaks English. OK, that’s unfair, I have heard tall tales of five individuals scattered around the country somewhere who speak English. OK, so I’m exaggerating, some people do, but it’s rare, even in the big cities apparently. As a result I have been trying to speak Portuguese with everyone we meet. I studied the language a bit in college, so things have been coming back and it’s exciting to talk to someone in their language when I always thought that was an impossibility for me. It is also exciting because I have never visited a country where the signs aren’t in the main language and English, and where everyone does not speak English as a second or first language. Alex and I have started talking to each other as though the other person doesn’t speak English, often taking long pauses while constructing sentences, and miming things to each other. Other misunderstandings about Brazil – South Africa/Africa is not the only part of the world that has it’s own special way of organizing time. “Africa time” is alive and well in the form of “Brazil time” over here. I will report back on this phenomenon once I have conducted more research. Another major misconception we had about Brazil was that it would be relatively inexpensive compared to the US. This is not so. Compared to South Africa, it’s outrageously expensive, but in dollar terms the prices are more or less comparable with prices for similar items in the midwest. Number four, Brazilian women do not all look like supermodels. Not even a little bit. Don’t get me wrong, there are many beautiful, even stunning women, but no more so than the proportion of beautiful women you might find elsewhere in the world. I thought I would be surrounded by lots of Giselle Bundchens. Our friend Anna is the closest thing to Giselle, and she’s from Germany. Although I have heard that Brazilian men are wonderful lovers, I will never know if this is true. And in the meantime, there have been more Irish and British men who sparked my fancy than Brazilians. Sao Paulo – 02/05 – 02/06 (1 night). Sao Paulo is mammoth in size. I have never seen anything like the view from the airplane flying into the city. I have traveled to some of the biggest cities in the world and have never seen anything like Sao Paulo. We were anxious to leave because we were advised that it is incredibly dirty and crime is rampant. I don’t think we got a feel for Sao Paulo but it does have some beautiful areas, including the home of an old friend of Alex’s dad. He kindly agreed to keep our excess luggage for the duration of the trip. We had to wait a while outside the high walls while the security guard verified our story from behind a tinted bulletproof glass. Afterwards, we wandered around Centro, the central area of the city, and into a very vibrant street market where people were practically throwing mangos and watermelon and zucchinis at us. We had no problem negotiating the metro train and bus system as we made our way to Ubatuba. Ubatuba – 02/06 – 02/09 (3 nights). We read and heard a great deal about Ubatuba being the surfing capital of Brazil. Although the good surf comes during the winter, we were able to hop on a local bus to Praia Grande and play in some so-so waves. After realizing that we had forgotten sunblock on our first day at a beach in Brazil, we headed for cover at one of the many beach bars/restaurants. At Midi-Bar our waiter, Coue, tried tirelessly to have a conversation with us about everything and anything. It served as amazing practice for our Portuguese because he really sat with us and worked through what we were trying to say and what we meant. He even gave us advice on where to visit in Paraty, our next stop, as well as his home number and address if we wanted to go out, or stay at his house. We tried to call him, but to no avail. His mother, who picked up the phone, was quite content to go on and on in Portuguese although I told her I had no idea what she was saying. Coue served us our very first authentic caiparinhas, the most common cocktail in Brazil, made traditionally with limes, LOTS of sugar and cachaca (a white rum, also called pinga, indigenous to Brazil). They were delicious and refreshing, and after about half of one I almost crawled under the table to go to sleep. Usually they are incredibly strong and we have learned to be careful. Then again, we are on a trip, so some nights involve several caiparinhas. They are also made with vodka for a lighter effect, as well as with various fruits, including maracuja (passionfruit). [image: caiprinhas-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/caiprinhas-large.JPG> Caiparinhas at noon spells trouble. According to our guidebooks, Ubatuba is where well-to-do Sao Paulo residents (paulistas) vacation in the summer months. There are a million little restaurants and pousadas (accommodations), hotels, and stores. At night, the locals set up a smallish market on the waterfront with food stalls. We ordered a hotdog and hamburger for dinner the second night. These were served in large shopping bags, with mashed potatoes, corn, salsa, lettuce, and cheese whiz all on the hotdog (which had one bun and 4 hotdog wieners on it) and on the burger. Each of these cost $1.00. From this point on, we learned the importance of clarifying exactly how you would like your burger/dog to be served. On the last day, we took one of the local bus routes as far as it went into a beach town called Forteleza. There, we swam in the rain and ate a fish lunch at what appeared to be the only restaurant in the whole town. The city bus actually climbs the mountains and makes a final stop here. These are some pictures of our bus stop, quite tropical. [image: busstop-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/busstop-large.JPG> Parati (Paraty) – 02/09 – 02/12 (3 nights). We caught our bus to Paraty early in the morning, arriving in the town with the whole day to spare. We have become quite adept at finding the tourist information booths (where no one speaks English) and asking for the cheapest accommodations in town. This time we landed in a really great pousada called the Konquistador. The cheapest accommodations in many of the towns here are private rooms with private bathrooms. You pay more for AC, for cable, or for more space. Neither Ubatuba nor Paraty has any accommodations with dorms. This means that accommodations cost slightly more than we were paying in South Africa, but then they are private as well. Paraty is really beautiful. We stayed in the old part of town, with huge “cobble-rock” streets, and beautiful historic buildings and churches. [image: paraty-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/paraty-large.JPG> This is a view of the town from across the river that runs alongside it. Everything stays open really late and here we first were introduced to the marvel that is the dessert cart. People stand in the street with huge carts full of delicious sweets, cakes, puddings, pies, and cupcakes, basically anything that can be made using sugar. They are very decently priced, although you are never quite sure what you are getting because the descriptions include some vocabulary I don’t understand yet. While strolling around the historic part of town, we came across a small cachacaria, a store specializing in selling cachaca from all around Brazil. Although the best cachaca comes from the area of Minais Gerais, the people of Paraty are quite proud of the product that they produce. After having a taste testing, the store owner directed us to another cachacaria that functions as a bar as well. We found it down a dar side street and after making quick friends with the bartender, sampled a number of other types of the dangerous drink. He offered Alex a sip from the bowl pictured below… [image: cachacasnake-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/cachacasnake-large.JPG> …yes, that is a cobra. On the first day we visited a local beach called Praia de Jabaquara, a 2 km walk from the town. The water was rather muddy from the local river and incredibly hot, so hot that it burned my skin where I had gotten too much sun. The bay remains shallow so far out into the water that we were almost able to walk to a nearby island in the water. For dinner we visited Brik-a-Brak, listed in one of our guidebooks as a top 5 restaurant in Brazil. We had amazing filet mignon with incredible sides for about $14.00 per person. That was the best steak I have ever eaten, hands down. After dinner we returned to the pousada, and to shouts of “Gringos!!” from a troupe of people drinking in the kitchen. We met a number of Chileans staying at the Konquistador as well as an amazing sister and brother from Germany, Anna and Christoph. Anna is working at hospitals in Rio, and has the horror stories to prove it, while Christoph lives in Germany, outside of Berlin. Christoph is really amusing in that he is very sensical and matter of fact, and responds to my exaggerations by correcting my thinking that “a bazillion people” could not in fact fit into the street parade. This I know, but Christoph never knows that I know. One night on Ilha Grande he had me cracking up when I stubbed my toe, by recommending quite sincerely that I “put it in the mini fridge.” We stayed up chatting for ages and the next day we took a packed bus with Anna and Christoph to Trinidade, described as paradise on earth by the locals. The beaches were beautiful, the water refreshing and crystal clear, with live music played from some of the beach bars. In addition, we were lucky to have the most beautiful day. We explored the many beaches, and even hiked into the hills, climbing the Atlantic rainforest trails barefoot to mountain pools and small waterfalls. The day was spent exploring, sunning, swimming, and getting to know new friends. [image: germans-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/germans-large.JPG> [image: trinidade-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/trinidade-large.JPG> [image: trinidade2-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/trinidade2-large.JPG> Anna and Christoph on the beach in Trinidade and other shots from the day. Back in Paraty, We all went out on the town to dance to some local music. Alex and Christoph lasted well beyond anyone else. We have heard crazy stories about the sexual aggressiveness of Brazilians, particularly the women. Alex was approached by people serving as messengers for someone else who wanted to “kiss” him. The only people who hit on me were a Canadian and an American, haha. I think South African men and Brazilian women might be on a par with one another on a scale of grabbing and flirting. On the third day, it poured rain all day, so we slept and watched movies, catching up on some sleep. Ilha Grande – 02/12 – 02/16 (4nights). The bus to Ilha Grande was something else. Packed to the absolute brim with other travelers, we had to stand for almost two hours while the bus bounced and wove to Agra dos reis. We took some pictures to remember the crazy journey. The guys you see behind me in the picture sang almost the whole way. [image: fullbus-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/fullbus-large.JPG> [image: crazybus-large-2.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/crazybus-large-2.JPG> [image: crazybus-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/crazybus-large.JPG> >From Angra we jumped on a ferry to the island that took about 1 ½ hours. We got in pretty late, bargained some discounted accommodation, and went out for food. We drank with our Australian and English neighbors and taught each other new ways to play our favorite games. The next morning, we decided to hike through the rainforest to a beach called Lopes Mendes. This is supposed to be the most pristine beach and the best beach for waves on the island. It took THREE HOURS to hike there. Normally, this might not be so intense, but we were climbing steep inclines and declines in the hot and humid jungle. It was very challenging but rewarding. Our new rubber flip-flops have proven mountain worthy for climbing up and down angles of 45 degrees. I wish I could say we were tough enough to hike back, but we opted for a ferry boat back to Villa Abrao, the main (read: only) town on the island where we are staying. Below are some pictures of the climb and the little monkeys (lemurs??) that we ran into along the way. [image: alexlarge.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/alexlarge.JPG> [image: lopesmendes-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/lopesmendes-large.JPG> [image: lemur-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/lemur-large.JPG> The boat cruises from Villa Abrao are pretty inexpensive and the only way to see some of the best beaches, so the next day we took an all day cruise around the island. The pictures below are of some of the stops on the way. [image: lagao-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/lagao-large.JPG> [image: coconuts-large.JPG]<http://www.alexcheston.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/coconuts-large.JPG> The man in the picture above rowed by in his little boat, constantly bailing water out of the boat as it continued to fill up. He had a bunch of coconuts and a machete and his job involved rowing up to the sailboats (while simulataneously bailing water out of his boat) and selling coconuts to the other travellers. He slashes a hole in the top of the coconut with a machete and sticks a staw through the hole, voila, coco milk. I suppose one could call him a travelling salesman of sorts. The water was so clear and beautiful; it was a pretty amazing day. Alex was able to borrow some goggles to check out the underwater marine life. That’s him in the background of the shot of coconut man. We also saw humungous starfish and a peaceful sea turtle. Next, Rio de Janeiro. -- "In complete darkness, we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you." J. Jackson "El amor es como un reloj de arena; mientras se llena el corazón, el cerebro se vacia." --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "English Learner's Cafe" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/english_learners?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
