I Am No Damsel in Distress

Jan 3rd to Jan 11th
After a fourth day of rain in Rio, I started to get tired of the weather. The fact that the hostel I was staying at was small and

overcrowded didn't help either. So when my dads best friend, Nino, invited me to his place in southern Brasil, I jumped at the opportunity. One cab, and two short plane rides later I arrived in Florianopolis! Florianopolis, or Floripa as it is often called, is a small island off the coast on Santa Catarina (Brasil's second most southern province). Known for its beautiful beaches and surf, the island is always packed with Brasilian tourists during the summer.

Now, if you've known me for a long time, I'm sure you've heard me talk about my Italian Uncle Nino. To say the least, Nino has a certain joie de vivre that could rival Hugh Hefner's. He has lived all over the globe, and turned his sights four years ago to Brasil and its women. He, his girlfriend and their beautiful, two year old son live in Floripa at a downtown apartment by the boardwalk.
















Shortly after my arrival, Nino and his family had to leave for Salvador on business. Luckily, they were kind enough to let me stay at their home and use their car while they were gone. Unfortunately, the morning before they left, we got into two car accidents. Ninos driving reminded me that Brasilian are not the craziest drivers on the planet; Italians, by far, take the cake! Fortunately both accidents were in parking lots and only one involved Nino behind the wheel. The other one involved his two year old son - don't ask!

Although the car was banged up, the clutch was loose and the wheels made this screeching getaway noise as I turned every corner,

I had no problem driving the car. I spent the next week driving around the island and exploring its various beaches. I also tried surfing again. but in much rougher water, which was great!

Unfortunately, the latter part of my stay wasn't as great as I had foreseen. I was nearly sexually assaulted (fortunately my 7 years of Karate training scared him off...ok, more like my impeccable vocal skills), and I lost much of my adventurous spirit. I also found out that my job in Salvador had fallen through and became skeptical about my future in Brasil. After waiting over 4 days to hear from STI about other job possibilities, I decided to head back to Rio and look for my own alternatives.

Praia

Brasilian Geography and Demographics

As one travels south in Brasil, one finds less violence, less poverty and less diversity. Santa Caterina and Rio Grande do Sul are states that were mostly populated by recent European immigrants, many of whom were from Italy and Germany. Even today, some smaller towns retain German as their primary language!

My original intent for this trip was to spend most of my time in Bahia, a state in Brazil's northeast. In Bahia things are more influenced by the Portuguese colonial era. A large percentage of the population is black, and many of the cultures and customs have strong African origins. Hopefully, if all goes well, I will be there shortly.

Floripa lagoon and sand dunes

Rain, Rain

Jan 1st to Jan 3rd

After New Year it began to rain non-stop in Rio. I tried to see the remainder of the city's sites with Georgia, another friend of a friend who had been travelling around South America for the past four months. Unfortunately, most things were closed so we weren't able to see much.

Museum of Contemporary Art in Niteroi built by Oscar Niemeyer. Niteroi is the city across the harbour from Rio de Janeiro so this museum showcases the its skyline.

View from inside the Contemporary Art Museum. There was only one room of art in the whole building, but to see the building itself was worth the trip.

Downtown square in Rio

Georgia and I in front of the famous Copacabana Palace. One day, I will stay there!

Come and Catch a Feeling...

Dec 31st

New Years Eve in Rio got off to a rough start, but turned into one of the most beautiful nights of my life! At first I went to a party with some friends in Copacabana. We thought it would be a cool event because it was taking place on the terrace of a penthouse apartment by the beach. Yet, when we arrived at the party we found ourselves in a doily saturated room with five other people, all over the age of 75, dancing to what could only be described as elevator music. It was hilarious! There we were ready for a wild night out in Rio de Janeiro, only to end up in a Golden Girls rerun! Eventually more guests arrived, and the party got a little livelier, but by dinner we were ready to make a run for it. We turned to plan B and went down to Copacabana beach, where the whole city was getting ready to watch the fireworks.

Pierre and Desta watching the Fireworks.

The fireworks filled the entire sky from Leme beach to Ipanema and lasted over 20 minutes. They were the best fireworks I have ever seen!

The beach was packed with literally millions of people! As part of Candomble tradition, everyone dresses in white to greet the new year.

People throw flowers into the ocean to have lemanja , the goddess of the sea, grant their wishes. They also jump three waves to ensure good fortune. Some even go for a midnight swim!

Throwing my flowers to lemanja

Desta and I on the beach

After the fireworks, we danced to the tunes of a live Samba School until early in the morn!

Made You Look, the Remix

Dec 27th to Dec 30th
Unfortunately, I had to leave Friburgo earlier than expected in order to catch a flight from Rio to Belo Horizonte. I had to take a quick day trip to Belo so I could get my visa issues settled. A few weeks back, the Federal Police in Sao Paulo had insisted several times that the Federal Police in Belo Horizonte were the only people who could solve my visa issues. STI finally saw the dire need to come to Belo, and offered to pay for my flight there and back. Once I arrived, the processing of my visa happened quickly and I got my papers!! So believe or not, my visa issues are finally settled!

After my successful registration I returned to Rio relaxed and at peace, only to find the city in complete chaos. Earlier that day several drug lords from the federal jails had called for an attack on various police posts around the city. Several buses were torched and 18 people killed. Check out this link for more details: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6214299.stm

For those who don't know, here is brief take on my version of Rio´s problems with gang violence. Essentially, there are two major gangs in the city: the drug lords and the police. The drug lords control most of the favelas and to some extent maintain a level of law and order within the slums. The police control all other jurisdiction outside the favelas. On occasion, they raid the favelas in attempt to crack down on the drug lords. The police, however, should not be regarded as protectors of the peace. They are paid very little and usually operate out of self-interest. In some cases, they are paid off by the drug lords to overlook certain activity. In other cases, they regroup and perform unethical raids within the favelas. There is a on-going battle between the drug lords and police, but usually clashes occur in the favelas. This time, clashes occurred in safer barrios like Botafogo (an area where I later stayed).

After the attacks, tensions rose in Rio. From all areas of the city you could hear loud BANG noises erupting every five minuted. Often the BANG noises were just fire crackers going off in the favelas (kids play with them for fun, or to notify/warn drug lords that drugs and/or the police are entering the favela). In some instances though, the noises were definitely gun shots, and occasionally it wasn't to clear what they were. Luckily, I was staying with some friends and we laid low for a while so the whole experience wasn't too nerve wracking...well not completely.

After two nights of staying in and watching movies, we decided to go out to a bar in Laranjeiras. The only table available was literally in the street, which was cool but scary due to oncoming traffic. Throughout the night fire crackers kept going off around the corner from the bar. At one point I heard a loud BANG and saw sparks fly from the corner of my eye. I freaked out and ducked behind a table. My friends looked at me like I was crazy, and the man at the table next to me started to laugh while telling me that a bus must have exploded! I was clearly still working on my ability to decipher the sound of a fire cracker from the sound of a gun shot. In my defence though, a few minutes later shots of a gun did go off around the corner, and this time no one was laughing.

I must say, there is definitely no place like Rio de Janeiro. You can feel the intensity of the city the minute you land. It´s incredibly beautiful with lots to do, yet stricken with crime and violence. It is definitely the wildest and craziest city I have ever visited and so far, and I love it!

Putting Favelas into Perspective:
Many favelas are functioning neighbourhoods with bustling economies. They were built on public land by the poor (many of whom migrated from the northeastern state of Bahia). Unlike Sao Paulo, most of Rios favelas´ are close to wealthy neighbourhoods and economic centers so their inhabitants can easily access employment opportunities. The ones I visited where well developed with electricity, running water, paved streets, hair salons, bars and banks. Villa Canoa even felt like a small European town in the hills, with its small winding streets and picturesque view. Not all favelas are ridden with drugs, and those that are can still be relatively safe. Drug lords often create order in them by outlawing disturbances such as petty crime as they would attract unwanted attention from the police. I was told that generally the apocalyptic favelas are the ones riden with crack cocaine(instead of just weed and pure cocaine). Personally, I would say that the most disturbing favelas I have seen were the ones on the peripheries of the city. The favela City of God, notorious from the film City of God would qualify as such a place.

Rocinha

Side Street of Vila Canoas

Jingle Bell Rock

Dec 24th to Dec 27th

My Christmas in Brasil was random, crazy and extremely fun. While in Sao Paulo, Max and Ya Ping (the couple I was staying with) suggested that I spend the holiday with their best friend, Albertini, and his family in Friburgo. Since I had no prior plans, I figured why not and left Rio for Friburgo on the 24th.

Friburgo is a small city of 150 000 people that is located in the beautiful hills of Rio de Janeiro state. Most Carioca (inhabitants of Rio) consider it the coldest city in Brasil - cold really meaning an average of 20 degrees. Considering the intense heat that I was experiencing in Rio, I really enjoyed the weather and all the activities Friburgo had to offer.

The minute I got off the bus, Albertini was there to greet me with an entire itinerary planned. First, we went on a brief walking tour of the city, then we went out for feijao (a traditional Brasilian dish of rice and bean so heavy you just want to sleep after having it), and then he took me on a 3-hour hike through the hills. At first, the hike was amazing. Albertini was once a landscape designer and taught me a lot about the biodiversity in the area. Then the hike became breath taking...literally. After swimming in a river against an incredibly strong current, we continued hiking for what should have been one more hour. Turns out our 3-hour hike was really 6 hours long, and we still had five more mountains to climb! By the time we arrived to the bus stop to catch our bus back in to the city, it was pitch dark. When we got home, I had no appetite for the wonderful dinner his mother had been slaving over all day. I had to force the meal down my throat and pray to god that it was going to stay there.

View of the hills

Unfinished bridge

Later that night, Albertini was determined to take me to this local Christmas event called Rock Noel. Apparently, Friburgo has an annual tradition where everyone goes out after Christmas Eve dinner and dances the night away at Rock Noel. All his friends whom I had met earlier that day were teasing him about the fact that it was an event meant for teenagers. This is probably the best time to explain that Albertini is no ordinary man. He is 38 going on 17, and has more energy than anyone I have ever met. Yet, as a professional yoga instructor, he is in tune with his spiritual side and can meditate 12 hours at a time. He also sees aliens in the forests of Friburgo and enjoys a good samurai cartoon.

As tired as I was, I agreed to go to Rock Noel just to see what it was like. Turns out it was an event for teenagers - even I felt too old to be there. I must admit thought, that it was a cool party with over six dancing rooms including one for house, one for hip-hop and one with a live band. I was just feeling to ill to be there and needed to leave. Albertini, on the other hand, was very much in his element and decided to return after dropping me off at home. The next morning/afternoon his mother had to pull him out of bed. He had stayed at Rock Noel until 6am and then had slept in his car until eight.

Albertini!

On Christmas day, we visited this local artist called Nego, who makes sculptures out of wood, earth and stone in his backyard. He used to live in Bahia, the region I will soon be living in, but was unjustly imprisoned there for 10 years. In jail, he learned how to read, and became a religious man. When he was finally free, he found solace in art and has become one of Rios most famous sculptors. Him and Albertini get along quite well and commiserate about their various alien sightings in the area!

Nego and I

Nego primarily sculpts images of naked women because he is celibate. He says he needs to do it to stay sane.

The rest of my time in Friburgo consisted of eating, playing air hockey, pillow fighting, road tripping, swimming in waterfalls and more hiking. I was also able to spend some time with his parents, who were incredibly kind and compassionate. As a Christmas present, his mother had even made me a personalized towel set! The whole family was very affectionate towards one another and made me feel right at home. Albertini was a riot, and made me laugh the whole weekend. Christmas without my family turned out better than I could have ever hoped for, and I will always look back at my time in Friburgo fondly.

My adoptive family and I at Dog Mountain

Swimming in waterfalls!

Just to Get By

Dec 18th to Dec 23rd
My next week in Rio was chill. Con and Susan, the couple I was staying with, took me to their Country Club for lunch one afternoon. The club was sweet with a great pool and awesome view. Ironically enough, Rocinha, Rios largest favela was located right next to it, which made for an interesting contrast. One of the reasons I love Rio so much is that no matter where you are you can’t overlook the social economic disparities of the city. Many of the slums are located up in the hills, which make them fairly visible from no matter where you are. From afar, they’re actually quite beautiful to look at and many even safe to visit, but in general there is a lot of controversy in and surrounding their existence (I´ll talk more about this in a later blog entry).


Golf Course of Country Club


Country Club Pool


Rocinha - over 150, 000 people reportedly live here

Con and Susan were great hosts, but on their way to Canada for the holidays so I needed to find somewhere else to stay. Luckily, I had met a woman (also named Susan) through my friends in Sao Paulo, who would be staying in Rio for the next week. Susan is a professor at the International School of Business at North Western and was doing research in Sao Paulo and Rio. She had offered me a place to stay with her and her 4-year-old son, in exchange for my babysitting services while she was conducting some interviews. It turned out to be a pretty sweet gig because I was able to stay with them at the Sheraton on Barra beach!! Susan was also a great roommate and friend. I learned at lot from her regarding grad school, career choices and family.

The rest of my week was divided between babysitting, eating, sun tanning on the beach, sun tanning by the pool and sight seeing. I visited Corcovado (the big Christ Statue that overlooks the city), Rocinha and Vila Canoas (two famous favelas up in the hills), and Santa Teresa (a very cool bohemian neighbourhood). I also tried surfing for the first time and absolutely loved it! On my first try, I was able to stand up on the surfboard, which definitely impressed my teachers! I think if I have the chance, I will take up surfing in Bahia and make it a regular pastime of mine.

Dispelling certain Brasilian myths
- Contrary to popular belief, Brasilian women do not run around bare breasted on the beach. Although their bikinis cover little, it is actually illegal for women to be topless in Brasil.
- Brasilian food is NOT the greatest in the world. Although I was led to believe this in the beginning, I quickly learned once in Rio that most Brasilian restaurants are no appetizing. The only place one will find fine cuisine is Sao Paulo, which explains my original disillusionment. Generally, Brasilian food is fatty, over-cooked and tasteless...except for homecooked meals and fruit, which is always succulent!


Corcovado


View of Pao de Acucar from Corcovado


Book store in Santa Teresa


Desta singing at a bar in Santa Teresa

Girl from Ipanema

Dec 14th to Dec 17th

Once I realized my visa issues weren’t going to be resolved any time soon, I decided to catch the next flight to Rio de Janeiro and see a bit more of Brasil. I’m glad I did because Rio is definitely the most unique city I have ever visited. The best word I can use to describe it is wild. From the scenery to the people, everything in this city exists without boundaries.

Rio from the Plane

I spent my first few nights in Rio staying with another couple that my Dad indirectly knew. They lived out in Barra, which is a barrio a bit removed from the city, but close to some great, secluded beaches. The first beach I went to was nestled between two cliffs. In order to get to it, I had to climb down the rock face and trudge through the high tide. It was well worth the dangerous trek because the beach was something out of a postcard. It seemed like only surfers knew about, and aside from all the ants in the sand, I felt like I was in paradise

That weekend, I experienced Rio Carioca style. I met up with Desta, a friend of a friend of mine from University. Her and her boyfriend, Pierre, had moved from Belgium to Rio about two months ago, and were incredibly kind enough to show me around the city. Pierre’s cousin was also visiting from Spain for a week so they immediately showed me some of Rio´s cultural highlights. On Friday, we checked out a soul club in Lapa, the red-light and nightlife district of Rio. It was very cool to watch all Carioca walk around the neighbourhood, including several transsexuals who were definitely some of the most convincing women I have ever seen (Church street has nothing on Rio). The following day I spent the afternoon chilling on Ipanema beach at Poste 9, notoriously known as the spot where all the gorgeous people strut there stuff, as well as the place where Girl from Ipanema was written. Later that night I went to an Escola de Samba with Pierre and his cousin, where the group who had won last years carnival performed. The whole experience was amazing. People from all ages were drinking and dancing their hearts out. There was so much energy that despite the sunstroke I had received earlier that day, I was still able to dance until 3am. My paternal grandmother would have loved it!

All in all my first few days in Rio were great. I realized that despite my limited Portuguese, it was still easy enough for me to get around. People in Rio are generally nice and helpful. Even when I missed my stop in Barra the morning after partying Lapa, this family I spoke to at a gas station was kind enough to drive me home. They found me quite amusing because I was walking down the highway in midday looking confused, still wearing my clubbing clothes from the night before, with my painful stilettos in hand. I insisted that I had just stayed over at a friend’s place the night before, but they found me hard to believe. I must have looked so ridiculous!

View from my room - I got lost because a huge national park divides the Centre of Rio from Barra and it´s hard to orient yourself when taking a bus through this forest.

Escola de Samba

Professional Dancers