Cruising Medical Style Down the Brazilian Amazon

Sweet Brazilian Relaxation

Bringing French braids and "Down by the River" to the Amazon

No somos marineras, somos capitanes!

I love me some Brazilian Portuguese interpretation

moninininito

Escalante gente Pao de Asucar

I ended up having the most beautiful day in Rio and successfully fulfilled my dream of climbing Sugarloaf Mountain. It was unbelievable. Kellen's uncle helped me so much. Since everything was so last minute, I ended up finding a guide through the internet and some phone calls (again, thank you Kellen's uncle!) instead of just hooking up with a random climber. However, they guy I ended up climbing with was just like climbing with a pal. He had just the items I was missing (I had brought my harness, belay device, and shoes): rope and quickdraws. And once we got to the route, there wasn't really any instruction. It was just like, up we go! Lucky for him I have a little multipitch experience and, honestly the climb was not really a challenge...at all. I think he felt bad at the end and kept saying I should come back and do the face 5.10. I told him not to worry. I was just glad that after all the trials of obtaining visas, plane tickets, a climbing partner, and good weather, I was actually able to climb. Plus the view of the ocean, forest, and granite domes were amazing the entire way. And now I know exactly where to go in the future if hopefully one day I return.

I was stoked to stay with such an amazing family. I just wish I could have communicated properly my appreciation.

January River

I loved talking to the El Turko girl last night, but today I was dead tired. I had to wake up around 5AM in order to get to the airport in time for my 7AM flight. I slept hard on the Gol Airlines flight (very fitting that Brazil has an airlines called Gol. They have won the most amount of World Cups...I think the number is at five), but was still tired when Kellen~s family picked me up from the airport. I was surprised because they knew exactly who I was. I think Kellen sent her cousin a picture of me from myspace.

Anyhoo, I traveled around Rio with Kellen~s uncle Walter and cousin Juliana and later with her cousin~s friend Mariana. Walter is hilarious. I couldn~t understand anything he said, but the Juliana would interpret. He kept asking if I liked certain celebrites, and if I, for example, am Bill Gate~s niece. He then told me throughout the day that he would push me up Concorvado, save me from the Ipanema waves, and stop traffic for me in order to cross the street. I said he was Superman. He replied that he was, but definitely not Spiderman.



I told the family that I primarily came to go rock climbing, so we just drove around a bit and ended up at Urca. I found Urubu rock, a rock that has various pitoned routes, but it was rainy. The only climbers I could find were some guys from Barcelona bouldering across from the rock. They said they have been in Rio for many days, but it has been too wet to do any long routes. They did part of Concorvado, but the top was too wet, so they had to take the elevator part way up the rock. With the weather my chances of climbing look bleak. Also, it was Walter~s birthday today, so I couldn~t go to the bouldering gym in Botafogo to try to find partners. Instead we returned to their apartment in the suburbs and had a fantastic pizza party. I enjoyed meeting a lot more family members. There were numerous adorable children dabbling in English, women whom would laugh at them, and, thankfully, a guy who speaks fantastic English and Spanish. I went to his house across the street, met his pregnant wife, and then he and I talked about Latin American identities and governments...stuff I studied in undergrad and find fascinating (hence the reason I would some day like to return to my Spanish studies and get at least a masters degree). We also talked about plans for tomorrow. Apparently all the museums are on strike, it might be raining so I might not be able to climb, and I have to leave tomorrow afternoon for Buenos Aires. I REALLY wish I would have scheduled to leave Saturday night because I know people would be climbing on Saturday. But such is life. I will just have to return someday...hopefully with a climbing partner.

Popcorn Blessings

I was really glad I decided to stay in Salvador for another full day. I slept in until around 10AM and then ate breakfast at the hostel. I sat with a guy from French Guiana. I have never met someone from there, so it was interesting to talk about his country. I told him I was from TN and he said some French singer has a song about Tennessee. I'll have to check it out when I get home. Anyhoo, the rest of the morning I spent exploring a few of the churches in Pelohurino, checking out a museum about orishas and the African history in Salvador, and finally trying to find a samba school. I met a two gals from the hostel, one from Sweden and the other from Quebec who were going to go and I wanted to join them. I wandered all around until I realized the place was a short distance from my hostel. I ate a quick pay-by-the-kilo place in the main plaza of rice, salad, fried plantains, with some grape juice and then sped to the samba lesson. It was so good! We had our very own drummer and tambourinist and the gal teacher was fantastic. The gym's main focus is capoeira and I was so impressed with the samba lesson, that I decided to take a capoeira lesson as well from the Associacao de Capoeira Mestere Bimba. Today my legs are suffering. I was going to go to Chiapa Diamantia to go hiking, but I think I got just as good, if not a better work out staying in Salvador.




I hope I can find a capoiera class in Cali, or at least a good DVD. Capoeira has elements of gymnastics and the stretchiness and strength needed for yoga and rock climbing...some of my favorite sports. Plus, capoeira is a sort of dance and I love me some dancing. It is really quite beautiful.

After throughly drenching my clothes in sweat, I scurried back to the hostel, took a shower, and joined a group going to a Candomble ceremony. It was...weird. A lady in a red sequined dress greeted us with a ya, ya, ya, yee, yee next to our ears when we entered the terreiro. Our guide explained to us that she is the leader of one of 2000 candomble communities and is responsible for leading the ceremony to communicate with the orishas...the Africanish gods.

I don't think I am really capable of explaining their religion because I don't really understand it myself. Basically the ceremony took place in a small room where generally the men and women sat on opposite sides and drummers played in the front of the room. The Orisha leader asked us to clap and then spun around dancing with a cigarette smoking and occassionally drinking wine from a flute glass. Later she would point at different men with her foot and they would have to start dancing. They would look at her as if to ask if they could stop dancing but she would point her foot at them again and they would have to continue dancing. This would go on until the men would start shaking and go into a trance. Then some helpers would take the man's shoes and watch and lead them outside. There the men would wrap sheets around their legs and bodies and put on straw hats. They would also get a ceramic cup full of wine and a cigar. With these usually in hand they would dance around. More and more men went through this process throughout the night. Me and the other tourists watched confusedly until each of us was taken separately to a room outside of the bigger room. When I went, I noticed a television, a small yippy dog, and popcorn all over the floor. The red sequinned leader had me spread my arms and then she proceeded to sort of pour popcorn along my arms and head, then ask me to give an offering. I politely declined doing so. I just could not bring myself to support something in which I don't believe and that which perhaps comes from, dare I say, the devil?

Anyhoo, I went back into the terrero and continued to watch men dancing around. I became somewhat bored and tired, so when one of the guys came to greet me I was, well, basically asleep. I guess that it was kind of rude, but the other tourists got a chuckle out of it.

Soon after we finally went outside and our guide explained a bit more about the religion. Then we returned to Pelorino. On the way back I ended up chatting with a lady that speaks Spanish. Craziness of craziness, I discovered that she is from Turkey, but lives in Arequipa and her brother is the owner of El Turko, a restaurant me and my traveling companions ate at three or four days ago. Que casualidad! The gal is hilarious and back at the hostel we ended up getting hot drinks and talking until 2AM.

The Axe of Salvador

Looking back from 2012:

I remember getting off the plane and taking a crowded bus to the historic center of Salvador.  Along the way I wondered what I was getting myself into because I remember it wasn't a very impressive city until I reached pelorinho.  There, the streets were lined with an endless amount of colorful colonial churches and buildings.  I quickly found my hostel (I don't remember how I chose it.  Maybe a guidebook? But it was on Laranjeras, right in the perfect spot for all the happenings of Salvador.  I contemplated getting a shared room in the hostel, but I was so exhausted and the bed I would be getting would have been on the something like the fourth bunk way up towards the ceiling in some sailorish motif.  I changed my mind and spent the extra reales to get a room of my own at the hostel.  I was just too tired to care.

After resting a bit, I ventured out into the streets and saw my very first sight of capoeira.  Man, those guys are flexible!  I remember watching them for a long, long time.

Later in the evening, I ventured down into the lower part of the city.  I think I had to take an elevator.  At the base I went to a market and tried some Brazilian dessert.  It was WAY too sweet, but I was glad to see the market culture.

I also went to a museum that I remember had something to do with the government. 

Sunset over Salvador.  I remember hanging out at this overlook a very long time.

The following is from my original blog I wrote about this first evening in Salvador after I went to the museum:

Although I seriously got no sleep last night, I am still up at 1AM. I will straight out admit that I have been partying it up...but probably not in the way you are thinking. Being in Salvador, one can hardly avoid the night life, nor would one want to.

The evening began with mass. Yes...mass...in a Catholic church. But this mass had African drums, an old lady was shaking her bon bon, and occassionally everyone would shake their hands in the air singing Alleluja. No one could say the service was boring.

I eventually left the mass and asked a policeman where Gernonimo was...a place the tourist information center gal had suggested I go tonight. He had a fun time figuring it out, but we eventually found the place and there I was dazzelled by the best samba music I have ever heard in my life. After two hours, I eventually peeled myself away, did some painting shopping along the old cobblestoned streets. Then I heard the booming of multiple drums. A procession of massive drums and men leading a group of people down the street started to engulf me. I watched awhile from the side, but got really tired and left for my hostel. I went out for an 11PM supper of bruschetta and grape juice because there was no way I knew I could sleep anyways with all the noise.



















On the way back to my hostel, I came across a table of guys playing salsa (I think) music. They invited me to sit and clap along. I sat, smiled, and sang when I could and absolutely had a blast for over an hour. People from everywhere knew the songs and would join in singing, clapping, or banging silverware together. Quite a few people took to spontaneous dancing sessions. I unfortunately did not have my camera for this last activity, but Paul and his friends are so far one of my favorite experiences of South America. I can still hear them playing in the distance.