Memories from Brazil II

Brazil is a difficult place to write about. It's such an experience, its difficult to pinpoint the feel. One way of writing about it would be to explain it as Las Vegas, but brutally honest and real and authentic. The Pirate show with real pirates, the actual Eiffel tower, shows where you become part of the show and the performers don't do the act because they're on contract but because they love to do it. Theres just an intense vitality and vivacity of Brazil, even more so in Rio.

My favorite memories from Rio were:

Standing on top of Corcovado Mountain beside the largest statue of Christ in the world, with the clouds below you rolling around the hills of the city, and the sun beginning to set in the west. The city is just spread out around, nestled into the hollows and along the bays of an unbelievable fantasy landscape. It is comparable to the first time one sees the grand canyon in its entirety from the edge of the cliff.

Dancing samba at the Caprioca de Gema samba club in Lapa, a historic district of Rio, beautifully lit colonial buildings and pedestrians everywhere, drinking caphirinas and dancing with my friends and professors to the amazing live samba band at the front of the club. Drenched in sweat from the dancing and the heat and the crowds.

Standing on the prow of the boat as it took us back to the isolated colonial town of Paraty a few hours from Rio. The rain was pouring down, I was totally drenched, and the mist was rolling around the hills and islands surrounding the bay. We were coming back from lunch on a tiny island which only has two houses and an outdoor restaurant and bar.

Bodysurfing with Rio locals all around on Copacabana beach, while the military police helicopter made occasional patrols overhead.

Eating lunch in the Rocinha Favela (organized slum) with dealers cleaning their automatic weapons across the street. Someone announced our arrival to the favela when we came in with fireworks to alert the place to our presence. The police have no jurisdiction here, but its tightly controlled by other forces who maintain order. We were actually safer there than between slums or in the city.

In Rio, riding the old wooden open air street tram at night. This thing is ancient, wooden and rickety. People who dont want to spend the quarter to ride hang on the side and cling closely as the tram makes very tight clearances. Occasionally they have to hop in to avoid being scraped off the side as we rocket along at 40 miles an hour. The bumps, turns, stops, and accelerations of that tram I haven't experienced since the Indiana Jones ride.

In Sao Paolo, walking through the amazing museum/ruin of the Pinacoteca. Stupidly, I forgot my camera on the bus, but my friends got lots of pictures.

Wandering around Sao Paolo's school of architecture, a phenomenal building where the students have completely taken over the spaces. There are no handrails or guardrails in the building which is organized around a big atrium space. The studios are all open and massive. There were kids talking and working while in one corner, a review and critique was going on.

Eating dinner in Rio at a corner joint near the hotel. We first sat outside, but the owner moved us to around the bar as Aldo, Saori, and I were getting a lot of stares from the locals. Amazing rice and black beans with roast beef and beer.

Brazil is an amazing place to visit, but its too intense. It was nice to come home to Buenos Aires, and to get up the next day for a relaxing morning drinking cafe con leche y medialunas.