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South America » Brazil
January 29th 2008
Published: January 31st 2008
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Beach at RioBeach at RioBeach at Rio

Most of the time at the beach it was packed and we were in bathers, but this day was a bit rainy
New Years Eve (ano novo)
We come to Brazil and a whole new era of travel begins. We amazingly find accommodation on the busiest night of the year, New Years eve, and arrive in the morning and rest for the afternoon. That evening, we dress in white, following advice and take a taxi to Copacabana beach, for the famous celebrations. We really don´t know what to expect. When we get there hoards of people clad in white, carrying either white flowers or polystyrene boxes (full of beer) are heading to the beach. It is packed. The beach is luckily massive, both in length and width and there´s space for everyone - apparently 6 million people. It literally feels like the whole of Rio has descended, along with a good number of drunk Brit tourists.
Rows of babies and toddlers lie sleeping under makeshift shelters. We have dinner and then walk to get close to the main stage and perch ourselves on the beach. There´s a DJ playing and we look in amazement as every person sings along; literally, everyone knows the words and is loving it. It´s very nice to see families grooving away! The sense of a culture of music
Christ the RedeemerChrist the RedeemerChrist the Redeemer

Very impressive monument on the top of Corcodova, Rio de Janeiro
shared by everyone really impresses us, and we wonder if anything could be similar in Australia. As we get closer to midnight the atmosphere intensifies and the actual moment is followed by about 20 minutes of spectacular fireworks. Wonderful! We meander to the waters edge and watch as heaps of people jump in, fully clothed, or in their little Rio shorts, in reverie. The night continues with samba performances, very snazzy, and we watch the stage, and the people around us (equally engaging), until about 3 when it finishes up. We load onto a bus (which was a very squeezy and frightening experience as a woman I tell you) and not quite sure where we are going are relieved when the bus stops outside our hotel. Happy new year!


Rio
Rio is a wonderful city. It´s layout is what really captivates, along with its lifestyle. Ariel is surpised that they would think to build a city here. The landscape is very unusual with jutting obelisk like mountains and beautiful bays. The favelas - unofficial suburbs housing the city´s poorest inhabitants - are all built on the steep mountains. Whilst they provide a romantic twinkling of lights at night
Iguazu FallsIguazu FallsIguazu Falls

From the Brazilian side of the falls
we are reminded of the reality of 1.5 million (of the total 7 million) people who live in them. However they look a lot better than the slums we´ve seen pictures of in India. Strange that in most parts of the world the well-to-do live in the hills overlooking the poor people on the flats, but here in Rio, everything is topsy-turvy. The economic divisions are profound here, and the crime and violence attributed to the favelas. In the rich beach suburb of Ipanema it feels like Noosa, and yet on a public holiday in the city the homeless sleep everywhere, not even getting a place in a favela. Yet there is a shared sense of belonging on the beaches and the samba schools, where people from all backgrounds participate and share the joy. We conclude that no matter what socio-economic situation you are in, you would be happy to be born a Brazilian and live in Rio. Annette falls in love with a particular patch of the sea at Ipanema Beach where she swims in delight - the girl IN if not FROM.

Talking of music, this is a city that thrives on musical expression. We discover Lapa,
Iguazu FallsIguazu FallsIguazu Falls

Protagonists in Brazil
a grungy inner-city hood where the pavements are broken and nobody seems to expect them to fixed anytime soon. We enjoy a few nights out there, including a night at Rio Scenarium, a big club, where you can watch the samba band from three levels, where tables are at a premium, but most people don´t need them because they dance all night, and where someone has collected sets of vintage objects - TVs, bicycles, instruments, clocks, typewriters etc. etc, and strung them from the ceiling, or placed them in alluring display cabinets.

We also take a taxi to a Samba School rehearsal. Rehearsal? This was more like one huge party. GRES Sangueirna (I think), in Tijuca, Rio. They are one of the bigger schools here and are gearing up for Carnevale next month. The atmosphere was amazing. It was in a huge hall completely decked out in red and white checks. It was packed full and> those who paid extra were dancing away on an upper level. On a big stage on one side were the singers and some incredible costumed dancers. Opposite them in an elevated grandstand was the band. Surdos, snares, shakers and a cracking tamborim section.
Buggy tripBuggy tripBuggy trip

In Natal, North-East Brazil, Ariel went on a sand dune adventure with driver george and three Israelis.
The band were getting into some dance moves, but the best dancing was to be had down in the sweaty lower level where we were, in amongst the empty beer cans. People were seriously just going for it. We were there for maybe two hours and it just didn't abate - and all at a seriously fast tempo. I can't even move my feet at> that tempo, let alone flail my hips torso and arms about in a seemingly random, but totally cohesive manner. They seem indefatigable in their love of this music and their identity.

We also took a bonde tram to Santa Theresa. After a long wait, we were packed into an old yellow cable car. We were lucky to get seats, as half the tram was hanging on the outside, potentially dangerous as we climbed over some narrow sections with steep drops. Still, our fellow travellers were in joyful spirits, with no fear on display. The gears were in overdrive as we ascended, and then got to walk around the pretty suburb of Santa Theresa and enjoy our first crepe dinner and a lovingly prepared maracuja (passionfruit) caipirinha.


Sao Paolo
The biggest city in
Accordion lessonAccordion lessonAccordion lesson

Ariel "learns" some ´forro´ near Pipa
Brazil, we spend 2 days visiting art galleries! Only get a very small feel as we are staying in the sheltered posh suburb of Jardins (in the best pousada to date with the yummiest home made breakfast, they even had kugelhof cake for breakfast, oh my!). The Afro Brazilian gallery has an enormous collection showcasing the cultural influence of African slaves brought to Brazil for over 300 years, and like eating an enormous meal, we feel we had better miss the modern art museum to save space for another. We eat Japanese for dinner, to honour the long Japanese tradition in Sao Paolo (fancy that) and then get the last 2 seats (typical of us, we always get the last 2 seats on buses - thank those angels!) at a gig by a well loved jazz samba artist where, again, everyone sings along to every song! Sao Paolo, like Melbourne, prides itself on its cultural life, and we are pleased to have had a small taste.


Iguacu falls
Located at the intersection of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay these are the biggest falls in the world. When we arrive on a sweltering day they keep unfolding before us, just
pre-Carnavale in Olindapre-Carnavale in Olindapre-Carnavale in Olinda

Some powerful Maracatu drumming
when we think we´ve seen them, we turn a corner and another vista unfolds. It is truly wonderful. There are loads of birds around, lucky things, swooning in the mists, and very lovely rainbows. It´s a delight to get wet, both by the spray and by a little dip below! Ariel, brave man that he is, goes rapelling. He gets strapped to a rope and hung down over the river below. Annette practiced deep breathing. Very relieved to see Ariels head finally pop up!! Ariel´s experience on the way down was magical, hanging in the middle of a 50 metre drop, away from the tourist buzz, able to look around and appreciate the vastness of these "cataratas". Also, a bit of an adrenalin rush.

Travel to Argentina the next day and see a turtle, racoon, butterflies and birds galore and really feel the extent of the wilderness. It´s very well trodden and a little quieter at the end of the day. For me (Annette) it was so interesting to be up top, ie above the falls, watching the water flow along soo gently, and calmly, and then plummet down unfathomable heights. I would have expected rapids and a build
Annette in OlindaAnnette in OlindaAnnette in Olinda

Annette in rose regalia with Carnavale unfolding behind her
up, but rather just the most tranquil river system. The whole vibe of the place was so tranquil despite the enormous power of the falls. There´s something in that.

Ariel got a different perspective of the power of water, visiting the Itaipu dam, a joint project between Brazilian and Paraguayan governments that is the largest freshwater dam in the world - apparently one of the 7 modern wonders of the world. It provides something like 90% of Paraguay´s power and 20% of Brazil´s and supposedly returns 100% of the water back into the river system. I get a comprehensive tour of the facility, with a personalised guide due to the fact that I am the only English speaker on the trip. It is HUGE, but doesn´t have the majesty of the natural falls.


Joao de Deus, John of God, Abadiania (near Brasilia, the capital)
2 weeks of stillness and inner time (for Ariel 5 days!) was gratefully welcomed after the pace we´d been setting.

This place is a kind of spirit project by ´Dom Ignacio de Loyola´where benevolent spirits assist in healing people (physically, emotionally, spiritually). The casa and surrounds are like a portal where spirits
Olinda street lifeOlinda street lifeOlinda street life

All the walls are painted to celebrate Carnavale and this woman drinks SKOL, the cerveja of choice for Brazilians
of light and love, in service of God, i­ncorporate into a human body (known as a medium) or simply come, as spirits, unincorporated, and interact with people. People have to ask for help and then individualised healing is dispensed thru operations (either visible where you see the cuts and stitches) or invisible (where its the same but invisible on the outside, still stiches on the inside), herbs, soup, blessed water, prayer and meditation. All over Brazil this work happens, and is part of an accepted process of healing.

From this place it is possible to heal from anything. AIDS, cancer, brain tumours, mental illness, you name it. The healing here is free and has a very high success rate. A 57 y.o. American man staying in the same guesthouse as me came here with 3 months to live after diagnosed with cancer of throat/mouth and spread to lymph. In 2 weeks he was healed. Whether it takes 2 weeks or longer it is always a process where each person has to actively pray and ask for assistance from the benevolent spirits, and goes on their own journey.

This was a part of the trip destined to be on
Rehearsing for CarnavaleRehearsing for CarnavaleRehearsing for Carnavale

We stumbled upon this in the cobbled streets of Olinda on the way to buy our bus ticket
a different plane altogether, and I felt excited and a little nervous. I knew that any kind of healing requires a process of travelling through things and was wondering just what would come. For me Annette my intention was an overall tweak, I was asking for assistance for a few things such as my digestion. My friend described the experience of being so saturated in love, that anything that´s not love comes up. For me it started with a physical experience, in terms of transformation, and the whole time felt like a lot was going on. Actually feeling the spirits working on me (like, literally touching me, as if they were humans only invisible), was quite extraordinary. Initially I kept saying to myself, this is all in light and love, because the actual feeling of being prodded was peculiar. The volunteers explain things clearly, the common language makes you feel that this is all absolutley normal and to trust! For me Annette I had a spiritual operation, so that was a journey, I opted for invisible surgery as was not up for seeing any real cuts! It was scary but there were at least 200 of these a day and the actual operation was blissful (the atmosphere, I didn´t want to leave when it finished) and the physical sensation for me was just warmth (on my tummy area). I think it´s different for everyone, and once the spiritual anaesthetic wore off my tummy hurt for a day, and then I felt dizzy for the next 3 days! The night after the surgery a spirit emissary visited me and gave me a massage, very beautiful!!
For Ariel the experience was less pronounced (he didn´t require surgery) but still very eye opening.

Yes it may sound a bit out there, and it is certainly a unique place on earth.

Natal and Pipa
Whilst Annette was getting spiritually healed, Ariel got some solar healing in the North-East of Brazil. I flew to Natal and spent a few days soaking up some sun on a very nice beach. The area is famous for sand dunes and I took a buggy trip to experience these shifting sand dunes up close.
I played some berimbau and met up with a variety of people coming through the hostel, mostly Israelis - apparently there are 500 000 Israelis travelling the world at any one time.

Pipa was a very different experience - a much smaller town with a great, relaxed and youthful feel. Incredible beach, with cliffs. I climbed up in an Ecological Sanctuary to see some turtles playing in the water below - no dolphins on that day unfortunately - and practiced my Brazilian slang with some cool dudes from Brasilia.

Here I also chased down someone to introduce me to the wonders of forro. This accordion driven music is typical to this area and after a 20 minute ride on the vack of a motorbike, we turned up unannounced at Cicero´s place. He hurt his finger, so he doesn´t play so much these days, but he was able to show me a lot, and it was a real pleasure to sit down with another musician and his family. we had "agua de coco" - coconut juice that he just grabbed down from the tree and I tried to get my head around this challenging style - all with little common language, although by this stage my Portuguese is good enough to hold down my end of a half hour conversation on the bus to Pipa.


Olinda- pre carnaval
What a transition, from deep healing and quiet to cultural celebration. Olinda, in the north east of Brazil is known for its more local and traditional carnaval, and the locals are proud that it is free and accessible to all. Even though the official start day is a few days away we have had 4 of the most exceptional nights - and that´s not to suggest that the days are quiet. Small colourful houses line the cobbled streets making for a gorgeous world heritage town setting. We were surprised to see a mini carnival unfold each night. I guess everyone is so excited they can´t help but get started.

The blocos come in great processions of dancers and musicians, with local regalia, colours and rhythms and the local people, dress up in all sorts of home made costumes and dance wildly as they follow behind. The two rhythms of choice here in the state of Pernambucco are ´maracatu´and ´frevo´. They are very different, maracatu being a heavy drumming style, typically played by about 50 musicians using big sticks on big round drums, snares rattling away and the ever-present cha -cha-cha cha of the gourd shakers. Frevo is 100 years old this year. It is a weird mutation of the military bands that were here in colonial times. The trumpets, trombones, saxaphones and soussaphones compete to play loudest and fastest. It reminds me of American marching bands, but on speed, and with a drumming section that is more like samba. Frevo dancers are called pastishas, and they typically are young girls who hold a multicoloured mini-umbrella in hand, leaping up and down, doing the splits, jumping both legs into the air with great vigour. All of this on sometimes slippery cobble stones, and many of them only in bare feet or the ever-present Havianas.

However, the real stars are the local people. Anyone can ´join´a blocco and trail behind the band and the dancers. This is where you see the real illumination of Carnavale in the hearts - and faces - of the local people. They sing rowdily along with the songs, dance frenetically and generally glow good vibes. Dressing up is part of the experience and we have seen men in women´s clothes (very popular, I even saw a man dressed as a bride, wearing a white mini skirt, sash around his chest and veil), ladies of all ages dressed as clowns, or wearing satin hoop dresses (bit hard to squeeze past) and little toddlers dressed up and dancing to the best of their ability. I saw a larger sized middle age woman wearing a white long tshirt with a drawing of a slim g-string clad woman on it, so funny, the Brazilians are so out there!! Wigs are also a big hit.
We will spend the official Carnavale in Salvador so will report more soon!!



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