Brazil and the Rio Carnival

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Welcome to what is probably the last blog of the trip, which I am writing a block away from Copacabana beach (unfortunately there has been persistant rain over the past four or five days, which explains why I´m writing this and am not there).

From Asuncion, we headed to Foz in Brazil. The border was the most lively we had seen the Paraguayans with roadside vendors running after cars and guys trying to sell us ´genuine´ David Beckham sunglasses inside the border checkpoint. On the other side of the border, the scene was instantly more energetic with huge queues of Brazilians waiting to pass through customs with their flatscreen tvs (Paraguay is a duty free zone) whilst we passed through a small hut that represented passport control.

Our first night in Foz we went to the ´world famous´ Refain show (has anyone else heard of it?), which is a large variety act and buffet that seats 500+ people and involved dancing and music from across Latin America including Argentinian, Brazilian and Mexican acts. It was a real kaleidoscope of colours and good value, especially when the stunning semi-naked Brazilian dancing girls were on stage in their elaborate costumes (well their gold bikinis). Naturally, we all took photos with them at the end of the show - I think it´s ok to dream now and then.

The reason we were in Foz was to view the truely spectacular Iguazu falls, 275 waterfalls that cover 2.8km in total and plunge up to 84m. The falls provide a border between Brazil and Argentina and can be viewed from both sides. The first day we did the Brazilian side, starting with a helicopter ride, which was excellent. Having dealt with the informative safety instructions (including don´t use the door handle as an arm rest or open during flight), we buzzed over the forest, following the river before emerging to get a wonderful panoramic view of the falls (it really is the only way to see them). From the air it is easy to make out the horseshoe shape and to appreciate the scale of the falls. It is hard to describe how enjoyable it was not only seeing the waterfalls in their entirity but also the basic thrill of taking off at speed in a helicopter with the A-team theme tune in your head.

I only had a brief stop in a bird sanctury that houses many species of native birds including a wide variety of parrots, as well as rescued birds, before entering the national park itself to view the Brazilian side of the falls. Once inside there is a 1km walk through the forest with viewpoints of the falls and where we also got to see families of racoons, as well as lizards. The views across the river were good and it was possible to make out rainbows in the spray which is thrown up by the falls. At the top of the walk the viewing platform pretty much guarantees a soaking for everyone.

The reason I and others were in a rush was that we wanted to see Itaipu Dam, the world´s largest hydro-electric power plant, that is jointly owned and managed by Brazil and Paraguay, and which provides 90% of Paraguay´s and 20% of Brazil´s energy needs. To get there we took a local bus, where the payment system seems to be unique to Brazil - you buy your ticket from the conductor before passing through what I can only describe as a football turnstile. This seems sensible enough but twice when we were on it people at the start of the journey just got on without paying by using the back (exit) door instead of the front. Not that anyone seemed to mind - Brazil seems far to relaxed to worry about trivial things like that.

The dam is, in it´s own way, just as impressive at the waterfalls. Having negotiated the somewhat bizarre entry requirements (including the need for knee length shorts - what safety or other benefit the extra few cm of fabric provides over other shorts wasn´t made clear), we were taken to some viewing platforms before entering the plant itself. The scale of the dam is staggering - it has enough concrete to build 210 Maracanas and enough steel for 380 Eiffel Towers. Now at full capacity, it has 20 turbines and sluice gates to deal with excess water in the reservoir it created, and it is expected to continue to be a bigger annual producer of electricity than the 3 Gorges Dam in China (a source of immense pride for the locals). Inside, it looks like a set from a James Bond movie.

We went to see the Argentine side of the falls the next day, which are reputed to be even better than the Brazilian side (and I would say that´s fair). However, we first visited the site where two rivers meet to form the border between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. The Argentine side commemorated the fact with some plaques and a set of flags - their´s naturally being the biggest. It´s interesting to observe that whilst there is a lot in common between South American countries and even mutual respect or affection, they are like squabling siblings when it comes to trying to outdo each other.

On entering the park we took a 4x4 ´safari´ through the jungle but which in fact amounted to no more than a transfer to our next activity, a powerboat ride up the river to the base of the falls. This turned out to be excellent - being so close to the water provides another perspective and we got to go really up close to some of the falls, thereby ensuring a good soaking. The captain also decided that the best way to negotiate rapids is to power straight through them, and I would probably agree with that. From the bottom of the falls we took the panoramic walkways to the top, stopping off repeatedly for some excellent photo opportunities. As well as the falls themselves it was possible to photograph green parrots, lizzards, vultures, racoons, butterflies and even a cayman. The most spectacular viewpoint on land is the Devil´s throat which almost suspends you over the biggest flow of water where the sheer volume of water creates a huge noise and the spray forms like a mist almost obscuring the view of the valley. It is very impressive. We finished our day trip with an ecological cruise down river along a slow moving backwater, sometimes only a hundred metres or so away from the waterfalls, where we got to see a few birds and spiders.

We followed Foz with two travel days to our next destination, the charming coastal town of Paraty. Arable farmland slowly gave way to more hilly valleys with steep bends and thick green forests. Unfortunately, the weather started to worsen and the clouds set in. There were two types of settlement along the route - the shantytowns are essentially wooden huts with tin roofs next to dirt roads whilst there is a more affluent class that lives in generally single story concrete or brick houses with tiled roofs and the seemingly obligatory satellite dish.

On our second travel day we skirted around Sao Paulo, Brasil´s other major city and manufacturing heartland. We stopped in the non-descript town of Boicuncanga where a number of our group decided to hit the caipirinhas quite hard. Unfortunately the results were decidedly messy. Once guy, Dave, who usually doesn´t drink much and is normally a mild mannered guy woke most of the people up in the early hours with his repeated vomitting that has seperately been described as a sea lion mating, a pig having its throat slit and Chewbacca being raped. When Scott, our resident Canadian who is a drinking machine, managed to get back he stumbled firstly into a bush before falling and crushing one of the guys in another tent, and then falling onto perhaps the smallest guy in our group in another tent. When I asked him about his night he just replied that he had slept soundly. I managed to avoid the carnage by sticking to beer - at least you know how pissed you are.

Nursing several hangovers, we headed to our next stop, Paraty, through more beautiful scenary - dark green mountain valleys frequently broken up by flowering trees with vivid pink and white flowers, semi-visible banana plantations and views through the canopy of scenic bays and the Atlantic. In many ways it looked like a tropical rainforest but unfortunately I couldn´t tell for sure - all I know is that we were near the tropic of Capricorn, there was a dense forest and by this time it hard start to rain heavily.

It was still raining when we arrived in Paraty and it continued to do so really heavily for hours. The campsite quickly became flooded and soon resembled Glastonbury - paths became rivers and the ground turned into a mudbath. I was going around in a raincoat, poncho, swimmers and flip flops - definitely the look for summer. We, and all the other trucks using the campsite, developed a Dunkirk spirit with drinking, bad jokes and ironic music (e.g. sunshine after the rain). We ventured into Paraty - a lovely colonial town full of cobbled streets and low rise whitewashed buildings with brightly coloured door and window frames - but by that point the streets had become rivers with the cobblestones acting as stepping stones. That night, we sheltered in the truck and the tent and hoped for the best.

Miraculously, the next day we were greeted with sunshine and a heat wave. Paraty is known as a beach resort and we took a five hour boat trip to explore some of the surrounding bays and beaches. The boat was well kitted out and we spent a very relaxing day jumping and swimming in the sea, lounging around on deck and having a few chilled beers. The sea was very clear and the coastline picturesque - the only downside was that it clouded over in the afternoon. The rest of the group, who have really taken to winding me up (because it can be so easy), were really delighted with one incident which illustrates my perceived obduracy when ´wrong´ (n.b. my inverted commas, not their´s!). Having entered into an arguement about whether my towel is blue or grey (no seriously! p.s. it´s grey), a girl with two drinks in her hand stood next to me waiting to get past and unfortunately my waving arm knocked one of her drinks. When she said that "I saw that coming", I instantly quipped "well, why did you stand there then?". Another friend made.

The next day we made it to Rio and the carnival. My first impression, which hasn´t really altered, is that Rio is a lot more derelict and scruffy than I imagined with lots of graffiti. I think that it´s fair to say that it is the energy, passion and spontaneity of it´s people as well as its spectacular natural setting that make Rio the destination that it is. Rio is by far the most multi-cultural city we have visited in South America and there is a real vibe in the air, which we experienced at the football, samberdome and street parties.

On our first night, after a mediocre group meal, we went out in Lapa and found a bar situated in an open air townhouse (n.b. open air because the roof was missing, covered in plastic sheeting, and most of the walls had lost their plaster). It was interesting to watch some of the Brazilian men dancing as they gyrated their way across the dance floor to any gringa that caught their eye. A number of people choose to dance in the street despite the rain, as they were crowded with carnival goers and street vendors serving beer, cocktails and snacks.

Our first full day in Rio was a busy one as we tried to make the best of a break in the weather. After Paraty, we had been cheered up by the news of snow in Britain, as the temperature in Rio reached 33 degrees. Our first stop, however, was to photograph the off-licence across the road where crates of beer where piled high, floor to ceiling. Having stocked our mini-bar, we headed off to Sugarloaf mountain, an iconic mountain around 400m tall and visible across the city. After taking the cable car to the top, we had views across the city of Christ the Redeemer, the famous beaches of Cobacana and Ipanema, as well as the lagoon. They were only partly obscured by the low cloud that was drifting across the city.

Next stop was Christ the Redeemer, which we reached by travelling up steep hairpin bends through the tropical rainforest of the Parque Nacional de Tijuca. The statue is the dominant feature in the landscape and is huge (apparently it is the largest art deco monument in the world). Having taken in the equally spectacular views back across the city towards Sugarloaf, we took a few photos with our best Jesus poses.

We finished the day´s sightseeing with a helicopter ride. The chopper flew us up to and around Christ the Redeemer, before veering away to provide a bird´s eye view of Cobacabana and Ipenema before moving onto Sugarloaf. The views were incredible and well worth the money.

During the carnival, a huge number of events are put on from street parties called bocas to major events. That night was the Red and Black ball, nominaly a single´s night where everyone dresses in the colours of the Flemengo football team who sponsors the event, but where anyone (and everything) can attend. During our briefing for the carnival there were a few horror stories that thankfully I didn´t have to endure including: women being groped by the local men, Trannies sucking off blokes in the club, prostitutes arranging business for later at the tables by the dancefloor, and men shagging each other on car bonnets outside the club. The only problem we had to contend with was the piss in the men´s toilet that could no longer be contained by the urinals and flowed over our feet. Most seemed to give up and just pissed against any available wall in the bathroom.

The venue was like most other big clubs but the clientele really did come in all shapes, sizes, genders and sexual tastes. A number of the girls in our group did indeed get groped and had men shoving their tongs down their throats before they had answered whether they wanted to dance our not (some loved it, some not so much). Naturally I was far to English to get involved - not that I didn´t want to, I was just too polite! I could almost imagine myself saying in my best Hugh Grant accent: "excuse me, but would you mind awfully if I fondled your bottom?

It was, naturally, a slow start to our second full day in Rio. Wandering near the hotel around 11am, we stumbled across a big street party where people had already started drinking despite the time and the heat (around 33 degrees). There was a real atmosphere with drumming, singing and dancing. The heat and the size of the crowd, tightly packed in together, was oppressive. Walking along the main parade route was like when the G8 comes to town - all the shops had their windows boarded up. The only other downside was the lack of toilet facilities, which meant that as people were going in the street that the air was already beginning to smell quite badly.

The sole focus for the day was going to a game in the Maracana, one of the world´s most famous football stadiums, which has the highest recorded attendance for any football match in the world. I was expecting to find a decrepit concrete bowl but it was recently refurbished for the 2007 Pan-America Games, and it now looks modern and impressive. There was only a crowd of 38,000 for the match between Vasco and Botafago (two local teams) but the atmosphere was cracking. The fans brought huge flags and drums and were almost constantly clapping and chanting (in tune!). The match finished 3-2 to Botafago (we were supporting Vasco on account of the tops the girls had bought outside the stadium) and each goal was greeted with wild celebrations, including flares. The only downside was the clammy heat, which had reached 37 degrees, and meant we could see bright forks of lightning over the top of the stands through the sweat dripping into our eyes. On leaving the ground, we (probably) wisely avoided using the metro where the rival fans and riot police decided to start fighting and made it back to the hotel to watch the carnival on tv.

It was raining the next day as we went on a fevelas tour. The fevelas are the slum areas in and around Rio that house a lot of immigrants to the city, as well as the drug barons. The tour is organised by the local community and is a way of putting money into the area. The fevela we visited was quite safe for tourists and felt like a sanitised version of the real thing (it certainly wasn´t City of God territory). It did, however, have the cramped conditions (most shops and houses had rooms only a few meters squared) and makeshift appearance that I expected. It did not, however, have any obvious signs of violence or crime.

Our tour started with a visit to a local samba school where we got to view and try on some costumes, as well to chat to some of the guys still pissed from the night before. From there we were taken to the local sunday market, which probably had the widdest and freshest range of produce we´ve seen in any South American market (there were chickens in cages waiting to be slaughtered). The main streets were really bustling and the shops sold a wide range of produce. Our guide took us up some steep, narrow sidestreets (some less than a meter wide) and it became darker and quieter. The buildings were of relatively good quality for South America and residents have access to cable tv, telephone and internet. In fact, one of the biggest impressions I had of the day was the hundred of cables running everywhere just above our heads. Our guide, having stopped off at nearly every street bar to speak to his mates and taken us past murals of Brazilian footballers (they managed to capture Ronaldo´s goofy expression really well), took us to a rooftop overlooking the fevela for some impressive views of the 40,000 or so buildings that it contains.

That afternoon, we caught the old electric tram to Santa Teressa, Rio´s bohemian quarter, which is full of cobbled streets, ageing mansions and restaurants. As there weren´t enough seats, I had to hang onto the outside, as the tram wound its way up the hill and try my best to appreciate the views. After a hearty traditional lunch, we descended the big staircase to Lapa, which is covered in a colourful mosiac of tiles. This is a relatatively recent piece of art and a local artist continually changes the tiles. At the bottom of the stairs was a mural on a wall stating that Brazil is beautiful with a heap of bin bags lying infront of it - it seemed poetic.

That evening we went to the highlight of the carnival, the Samberdome. For those of you who don´t know (and I was persecuted on our tour for not knowing), the Samberdome is where 12 samba schools parade over 2 nights with massive floats and elaborately designed costumes along the near mile long route. Each school is based in one of Rio districts and their efforts are apparently funded by drug lords (who must be loaded given the sheer scale of it). This provides an interesting insight into Brazilian culture, attitude to crime and sense of community.

The show lasted from 10pm - 5.30am and we saw 6 schools, each with around 700 participants. Each school gets 80 minutes to complete the route, meaning we saw them for about 50 minutes in our position at the finishing line. It wasn´t always possible to determine the theme of some of the floats, but it is a wonderful spectacle on an incredible scale and must be a logistical nightmare to organise. Despite the fact that they play the same song on perpetual loop for the 80 minutes, this doesn´t perturb the local crowd who continue singing and dancing with the same energy at the end of the song, as at the beginning. The quality of the float design and the attention to detail paid to each costume is staggering. The quality of the dancing is less impressive. The only downside was the continual drizzle and the concrete stands, which were quite unforgiving.

Our fourth day in Rio was spent at Ipenema and Cobacobana beaches. Normally, this would be a real pleasure but it was grey and overcast, with frequent showers. Naturally, we were disappointed about not seeing the women in their tiny bikinis but fortunately, we did get to see beach football and volleyball. Particularly impressive were the guys playing volleyball but only using football skills (i.e. headers, chest, volleys etc). They had really good control and touch, and played at a fast pace. That evening we had another goodbye dinner and drinks.

I spent the fifth day wandering around the central district, which was so disserted that it looked like a scene from a zombie film and was quite eery. The smell of piss, presumably from the day before, hung in the air. The area has a few historic buildings but it doesn´t really have the character or charm of other city centres. The highlight was the modern cathedral which is a 100m tall concrete cone with towering stain glass windows. During the day, and next morning, there was a steady stream of goodbyes as people either continued on with the tour towards the Amazon, left to do their own independent travelling, or (like me) reluctantly headed home.

My final couple of days in Rio were uneventful and spent visiting some attractions I hadn´t seen (e.g. the old fort, the botanical gardens) or walking along the beach fronts.

All in all I would say that the tour has been very enjoyable and a good introduction to South America. I travelled with some cool people and got to visit some really interesting and exciting places. I am already thinking about coming back here to complete the ´circuit´, perhaps adding Central America and Cuba to the itinerary. It´s just a question of when (oh, and of course money!).

Matt

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