Reflections: South America

Both Peru and Brazil are similar to countries I have been to before. In many respects, much of Peru reminded me of some of the less developed Indian cities or for that matter the lesser developed South African towns, while Brazil reminded me a lot of South Africa. But they are still very different countries, and I really enjoyed my time.

They are very different countries - with very different attractions. While Peru is a lot less developed, it is the centre of civilisation in South America, and as such has a lot to offer in terms of things to see. Furthermore, with its varied geography, there is a lot of different things to do - from the jungle to the mountains to the beaches to the desert - it is all there. Brazil is a lot more developed (in many cases more than South Africa), and offers a simpler range of attractions - beaches and jungles; and interesting architecture highlights.

Brazil is a massive country, and traveling around is time consuming and expensive. To really explore Brazil, one requires a lot more time than what I had. That said, the fact that I went during Carnaval also contributed to my less time. There are a few places I would love to go in Brazil - the North-Eastern area from Salvador up to Belem, and to the South Western area - from Igazu Falls and the Pantanatal.

Cost wise, Brazil is a lot more expensive than Peru - especially in terms of accommodation and transport. And it is not that quality is better in Brazil for the higher price - I think Peru's buses were a lot better value for money, when compared to Brazilian buses for example. In total, my travels for two months cost me about R 45 000 (inclusive of airfares), or about 4 200 Euros. That is a full R 15 000 over my original budget; but my original budget had no provisions for Carnaval; which cost about R6 000. In all honesty, I had under budgeted for Brazil; and there are two problems that hit the costs simultaneously - the strengthening of the Real and the depreciation of the Rand. My expenditure was also impacted by two very expensive flights (of around R4 500 each): Sao Paulo - Lima and Manaus - Salvador; which together cost more than my return flight between Johannesburg and South Africa!

All said, I want to go back to South America - but for a lot longer period: at least 1 year, possibly longer. And instead of just Peru and Brazil, I would like to go to the other countries in South America; especially Argentina, Bolivia, Equador and Columbia. I estimate I will need about 2 000 US Dollars a month for such a trip (on average) so I better get saving!

Reflections Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo is one of the largest cities in the world, and it is the business capital of Brazil, and for that matter South America. And in all honesty, it is a city for work, and it does not really make itself a major tourist attraction. But it is still an interesting city.

The Japanese Quarter

Sao Paulo aparently has the largest Japanese population outside Japan, and it is easily noticable. The area of "Liberade" is the Japanese quarter, and features a number of Japanese restaurants and the like. When I arrived in Sao Paulo, I had a craving for sushi, so I tracked down a Sushi restaurant (there were surprisingly not that many to choose from) which offered a sushi festival - which equated to almost an "eat as much as you can" sushi option, for a fairly decent price.

Space

I think there are probably more high rises in Sao Paulo than in New York - but the high rises in Sao Paulo are not really that high. But despite that, the sometimes claustrophobic nature of Manhattan is not repeated in Sao Paulo, because there seems to be just so much open space - not just in parks and gardens, but also in broad pedestrian avenues that seem to connect various parts of central Sao Paulo.

One interesting part is the job recruiters, who seem a lot like your standard flyer guy at the traffic lights. The jobs advertised seem to be mostly semi-skilled ones - drivers, cooks, etc. but it is an interesting approach.

The city centre is around the Cathedral (which features a sizable plaza and park around it) which is also where the concentration of what remains of old Sao Paulo. Brazil, it seems has a fascination with the Parisian opera house, as the city theatre is also modeled on the Parisian opera house (like Rio's main theatre).

Helipads

The roads in Sao Paulo are noticeably more congested, and one of the more recent features of Sao Paulo are the helipads on top office buildings and the helicopters ferrying people (most probably business executives) between the buildings. Public transport in Sao Paulo is not bad - I did not take the buses, but the metro is super efficient (there seemed to be one every 2 minutes, even after 10pm), although does not have a great coverage.

Shopping Districts

In general, there is a trend of "shopping districts" - where a certain area has all the shops associated to a certain industry. For example, near the hostel, all the shops seemed to be either mechanics or dealers for motor parts. One of the more interesting shopping areas was the "Gallery of Rock", which is a 6 storrey shopping centre with shops dedicated to rock music (and rap and hip-hop music on the ground floor): not just the music, but also clothing: from T-Shirts of your favourite rock band to studded jewelery, and other "lifestyle" products like tattoo and piercing studios.

Street People, and the "old" look

There are a lot more people sleeping on the streets in Sao Paulo - I suppose it is to be expected, as it is the "richest" city. One thing that does strike about Sao Paulo, is that it has a old, faded look - buildings seem to age very fast, probably in the inevitable smog and pollution (which is a lot less than one can expect in a city this size), but also possibly due to a lesser zeal for maintenance when compared to cities like New York.

Juice

One of the great pleasure of Brazil is fresh juice. Restaurants, always serve fresh juice - no boxed juices on offer - and there are many specialised juice bars that only sell snacks and juices. And there is an amazing variety of juices (and I guess some juices qualify more as smoothies) on offer. Apart from the obligatory orange (Brazil is the world's largest producer of orange juice), the other common juices are pineapple and mango. But most places also offer lemon (as lemonade), paw paw and granadilla. There are also a number of more local fruits on offer (from the Amazon region for example) while the two most interesting options are definitely Avocado (which is served as a smoothie really) and açaí (pronounced a-saa-ee) - which is a berry like fruit from the Amazon (looks a bit like blackberries imo), which is blended with some other fruits (usually banana and/or mango) with ice (to make it like a sorbet) and then usually eaten with granola.

Rio and Security

Rio De Janeiro is infamous for its crime rate ... in fact, Brazil has one of the highest crime rates in the world. Makes one feel right at home :p

But the security tips listed in the guide books and the hostels, is, in my opinion, silly and downright misleading. The first tip: do not carry back packs, rather carry everything in plastic shopping bags, like the locals. But a quick observation in town soon shows that locals carry only shopping in their shopping bags, not cameras and the like. In fact, there are many locals carrying backpacks, briefcases and laptop bags. In my opinion, carrying your valuables a plastic shopping bag is a downright stupid idea. Firstly, shopping bags are transparent, and even when you use two, it is pretty easy to see what it is. Secondly, shopping bags are thin, and are hardly the most comfortable things to carry. Thirdly, tourists are really easy to identify: they are usually pale skinned gringos with a hint of sun burn, or failing that the fact that they usually do not speak the language like the locals or failing that, they are inevitably carrying maps and guide books. And if you are a thief, and you see a potential target carrying a shopping bag - are you not going to rob him because he is a local?

Another stupid tip: do not carry wallets or money belts - but rather hide your money in your bra (if you are a woman) or in your shoe (if you are a man). This is followed by a tip to dress like a local: bermudas, t-shirts and flip-flops. I guess guys should not carry money ... but in all seriousness, carrying money in your shoe has a number of other problems that I can think of. Firstly, Rio is a hot place - it is about 28 Degrees Celsius at night! On top of that, since it is next to the ocean, it is fairly humid too. So, putting money in your shoe means that it will get all sweaty and wet ... you might not get robbed, but you might not get to use the money either. Next, putting money in your shoe means getting money out of your shoe. While putting money in your shoe has it's positives - getting pick pocketed is harder - but putting all your money in your shoe? That's daft.

All said, I found Rio De Janeiro to be rather tame. The signs of high crime rates are there to see - windows have burglar bars, houses have alarms, cars have anti theft devices, there are electronic gates and doors. But, to be honest it is nothing in the levels of South Africa. People drive with their windows open. Burglar bars are not that common. Fences are short. Security guards for cash in transit vans carry pistols not automatic rifles.

And my hostel is in the centre of town, in an area very similar to Observatory in Cape Town. It is rated as one of the more unsafe areas of town - and I have walked around, at night, with no problems.

But then, I do that in South Africa too. Yes, Rio De Janeiro can be dangerous. But the danger is overblown out of proportion. However that does bring an interesting social observation - according to even locals, the favelas or the slums are like warzones, areas where the police fear to enter. However, that violence does not spill over. In South Africa, this is what used to be, before 1994. Violent crimes occurred more in the townships, and since 1994, crime has been, for that lack of a better word, been better distributed. Is the violence in Rio just waiting for its own liberation?

Reflections: Rio De Janeiro

No doubt about it, Rio De Janeiro, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but, in my biased opinion, it is not as beautiful as Cape Town. The Sugar Loaf and the Corcovado, together with the beaches and the bay provide a stunning location. But in competition, Cape Town should not just be judged with Table Mountain, but also Lion's Head, Devil's Peak and the 12 Apostles, and then I think there is no competition.

But there are two factors that might make Rio a better city - great public transport and (a diminishing) colonial charm. The colonial past of the city has largely disappeared; and many of the buildings that are old, are hardly 100 years old - considerably younger than the city itself. But the remains of the colonial cities - large plazas, cobbled stone streets, lavish churches - are interesting to explore.

In general, public transport is great in Brazil. Rio has a fantastic road network, and since their mountains are a lot smaller, numerous tunnels link the various suburbs. And except for a few bottlenecks (introduced because of the geography or at the junctions of the main roads), traffic is fairly fast moving - even in rush hour. One of the side effects is that the buses are driven at, sometimes terrifying and uncomfortable, high speeds. In fact, I think the ordinary minibus taxi driver from South Africa would be hard pressed to match the Rio bus drivers on the road ... after all the buses are much bigger :p Rio's metro is also quite nice, although not as useful as it could be. They do feature air-conditioned carriages - which is really useful in Rio's weather.

I stayed a long time in Rio, and even then there were things I wish I could have done - a hike on the rain forests covering the Corcovado and surrounds topping the list, as well as a favela tour. But that said, Rio is possibly the most expensive city I have been to in Brazil, and in all honestly, it is not my favourite city in Brazil. If I come back to Brazil, I would stop over in Rio - but won't stay as long.

Flamengo vs Vasco da Gama

Football - nothing is more Brazilian I think. And a match at the world famous Maracana stadium, involving the two biggest names in Brazilian football, Flamengo and Vasco da Gama, in a cup semi-final.

I went as part of an organised tour - I was not sure what to expect, and initially could not find people who were keen to go along with. The atmosphere was electric - by far the most passionate supporters I have seen at any sporting event - and although the stadium was not full (despite the massive fan bases of the two clubs), it was a great atmosphere.

All the features of the big rivalries were there - the big flags, drums, the chanting and off course, great football. Brazilian football is just on such a different level - it is fast, and the 2-1 score line (in favour of Flamaengo) is a testament of good keeping more than bad shooting - shots on goal tended to be on target more often than not, and the sleek passing and ball control was wonderful to watch.

Hang Gliding over Rio (well part of)

I decided that Sunday was a great day to run and jump of a cliff ... on a tandem hang gliding ride. It was certainly not as much of an adrenalin rush as a bungee jump - but it lasted a lot longer. Unfortunately, it is yet again the wrong time of the year - the winds are not that great, and so the flight only lasted 10 minutes or so ... but absolutely stunning views of Rio (well part of it) and a great experience.

Lapa, Santa Teresa and Rio De Janeiro Centro

The three suburbs more or less combine to form the old centre of Rio De Janeiro - which is a fairly old city (it is almost 500 years old). Most of the old colonial buildings have been destroyed, replaced with skyscrapers. It is still a fascinating place to walk around, and there are some surprises.


The New Cathedral, ugly on the outside, beautiful inside.

The old buildings have a distinct colonial style, while the modern replacements are usually pretty ordinary.




The aqueduct, otherwise known as the Arches of Lapa. Now carries the surviving tram line to Santa Teresa.


Santa Teresa and Lapa are very much the hippie quarters - lots of artists stay around here, and thus, like Observatory in Cape Town, it is the center of music and art in Rio De Janeiro. There are loads of clubs and bars, many featuring live music every night. From Samba to trance, Friday nights are however the biggest, where Lapa basically becomes one big street party, with a few bands playing outside for free (though they are not that good). There is a big police presence, and everything works pretty smoothly.

Rio Beaches

Copacabana. Ipanema. The names are just as famous as the beaches themselves. The actual beaches are rather disappointing - yes they have beautiful scenery, and the beaches are big - over 6 Km in combined length. But the water is a bit on the cold side (though not as cold as Cape Town) and quite dirty and polluted. Personally, sitting on the beach doing nothing has never been appealing to me, so on that bias, the beaches in Rio are nothing to sing and dance about ...

Sugar Loaf Mountain

The other instantly recognisable feature of Rio De Janeiro, is the Sugar Loaf mountain. The view from the top is amazing, and Rio is a very beautiful city - and it is best seen from the top of Sugar Loaf, at sunset.

Niteroi

Across the bay from Rio De Janeiro, is the city of Niteroi, accessible by bus (over the bridge) or by a short ferry ride. There are really two reasons to visit Niteroi - one to see the view of Rio De Janeiro, and the second to see the Museum of Contemporary Art; well not the contents of the museum itself, but rather the building, considered to be one of the masterpieces of Oscar Niemeyer.


Niemeyer has a more recent creation, which is still under construction. It is a cultural centre, and will eventually be home of the Niemeyer Foundation. The functional efficiency of the theater is quite impressive - the theater stage can be used as part of the indoor complex or serve as a stage for outside.

Christ the Redeemer

The statue of Christ the Redeemer, on the top of the Corcovado mountain, overlooking Rio De Janeiro is one of the most easily recognisable features of the city. There is definitely some great view of the city from the Corvocado - but a wonder of the world it is not. To put it on the same level as Machu Picchu or the Taj Mahal? Anyone can put a giant statue on top of a hill - there is not much of a wonder to it.

Reflections: Brasilia

Brasilia is a young city - created from scratch, literally in the middle of nowhere in the 1950s. Meticulously planned to be the capital of the country, it is quite an interesting city - mainly because the creators of the city - urban planner Lúcio Costa and architect Oscar Niemeyer are two of the best practitioners in their field.

Layout

Brasilia is famously laid out as an aeroplane or a bird. The monument axis runs East to West, with another two highways running North South. The wings have all the residential and local commercial areas, while the Eastern end of the axis is dominated by government buildings.

I have seen other planned cities - but Brasilia has something different. Firstly, there is the space - in no other city I have been to, does there seem to be this much space. While most of the residential blocks are apartment buildings, there is a lot of space in between (with small parks, and walks) as well as the roads between the main blocks being quite wide and lined with trees. And that is the second aspect of Brasilia - it is so green. There seems to be more trees than people in the city - and that is quite an achievement for such a large city. The amount of vegetation also means that there is an abundance of birds flying around, which is quite cool.

The great advantage of such wonderful planning - once you get used to it, navigating is very easy, and so logical. But there are some odd consequences. For example, one of the local commercial areas, close to where I am staying has more than 10 pharmacies, all next to each other! How do they all stay in business? And it is not as if there are no pharmacies elsewhere in the city either!

In a moment of madness, and then followed by stubbornness, I ended up doing a large amount of walking in Brasilia, and I estimate, I covered at least 10, probably 15 Km. It is not that there is no public transport - busses are quite regular, although the metro, which I did use, is largely useless - but many of the sights are fairly close to each other ... it is just that there is so much of it.

SimCity

In many ways, it seems a bit like a city made in SimCity - there are the "Heavy Commercial" zones in the centre, with the "Heavy Residential" blocks on the wings punctuated by "Light Commercial" zones. On the outskirts there is some industry ... in fact I would be quite interested to see what SimCity makes of Brasilia's layout.

The Architecture

The highlight of Brasilia is its architecture - as the capital, it is also a bit of a monument to Brazil, and some of Oscar Niemeyer's finest works are on display here.

The National Congress, housing the houses of parliament.


The Cathedral, with some beautiful stained glass windows inside.


The Pantheon, not sure what the function is (it is mostly empty inside).

The Art Gallery, a recent addition to the city.

Cerrrado

Before Brasilia was built, much of the area was jungle - but not Amazon type jungle, but rather something resembling the African Savannah, known as the Cerrado. With the construction of Brasila, the area was opened up, and is now the bread basket of Brazil. Much of the Cerrado is gone, but there are still a few parks in and around Brasilia that have maintained the fauna and flora. I went to the one that is easily accessible by public transport - Jardim Botanical - which is a small portion of a larger protected park (which cannot be accessed by the public).

I found it quite similar to parks I have been to in Durban - tropical, but not dense jungle like the Amazon. There is a tarred main trail, a few trails for cyclists and bikers and a hiking trail. All in all, I walked about 6 Km around the park, and apart from the vegetation, the only large fauna I came across was a troop of monkeys.

Broken Dreams?

While Brasilia seems sleek and modern, at times it also seems old, broken and badly maintained. Case in point - the Ayrton Senna Multisports Complex, which seems not to have been used for years. Also, the Memorial to the Indeginous People, seems abandoned, and the Buriti Plaza, originally designed as one of the main plazas of the city, is overgrown and badly maintained, as attested by the broken statues.

Final Thoughts

Brasilia is certainly an interesting city - and I think it was worth visiting. It does seem a bit lifeless though - I have been here over the weekend, and there does not seem to be anything happening. I flying to Rio De Janeiro from here - the cost of the airticket is actually less than the cost of the luxury bus; and takes 90 minutes instead of 20 hours.

Salvador to Brasilia

The longest bus journey I have every been on - just a bit over 24 hours! And to boot, the route was hardly scenic. Brasilia, the capital of Brazil is on a plateau of sorts - similar to highveld in South Africa, but just not as high. It is a very fertile area, and thus the only scenery was agriculture and what is left of the original vegetation. The stops were interesting, but to be honest, the bus journeys in Peru we more pleasurable - there was no TV or music on this bus, and the only "comfort" apart from the toilet (which I did not use) was mineral water (which ran out, half way through).

Reflections: Salvador

Salvador is one of the oldest western cities on the Americas - established by the Portuguese, it served as an early capital of Brazil. The old city - the suburb of Pelourinho, has been largely restored, and features a number of old buildings, especially churches. I had intended to go and visit some of these places properly after carnaval, but never got round to it - it was both a bit of laziness and tiredness.

The city is built next to a rather large bay - and for the first time on my trip, it seem a lot like home. In fact, except for the language, it could easily be in Africa - most of the people are descendants of African slaves brought over from Angola and West Africa; the food has a definite west african flavour, the musical style features a lot of drums and the weather reminds me a lot of Durban.

Salvador is a big city - and in terms of population, it is probably bigger than Cape Town. It is also quite spread out, but since there is no big mountain in the middle of the city, distances are more manageable. The public bus system is quite efficient, so getting around is not difficult.

I have not spent much time in Salvador when it was not carnaval, and thus my experience is a bit lopsided. But I have found it relaxing, and even though it has been my longest stop on my trip, and I am restless to move on, part of me also wishes that I stayed on a bit, and experienced a bit more of the culture, and the food.

I have had quite a bit of the Bahian food, and I absolutely love it. The main specialities, not surprisingly, is based on sea food and coconuts and the food has a very rich flavour although not really fatty. It has also been a long time since I have had green cocounut water (really refreshing, especially when the coconut has been refrigerated) and sugarcane juice.



Salvador is on the Atlantic coast, but because of its position, it is one of the few places in Brazil where one can see a sunset over the ocean!

Carnaval in Salvador

Carnaval, or Carnival in English, is celebrated in a number of catholic countries, but IMO, there are only two really well known places for Carnival: Brazil and Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It is based on a catholic holiday (Ash Wednesday), which is based on an earlier pagan holiday, and in Brazil at least, the religious roots seem to have completely disappeared.

Carnaval is celebrated all over Brazil, but there are basically three recomended cities to go: Rio De Janeiro, Salvador and Olinda. Rio De Janeiro is famous for its samba school parades, but in Brazil, Salvador is famous for the party. Simply put, carnival in Salvador equates to a 6 day party, running about 18 hours a day! It is quite possibly the greatest and biggest street party in the world.

The weather has been stunning - it did rain briefly one night, but other than that, it has been clear days and night time temperatures of 29 degrees Celcius!

The Routes

There are apparently four major routes; but I only went to three of them ... the last was just too far away. The most traditional, was the route in Pelourinho, the old colonial quarter of Salvador (see my post on Salvador for more details on Pelourinho). This route mainly features drum bands, some elaborate costumes and is really intimate - the bands walk through narrow cobbled stoned roads with spectators squeezing in between the walls and the bands. The busiest quarter during the day was Campo Grande, where during the day, there are easily over a million people on the streets. The busiest quarter during the night, and also where I spent most of my time, is a 5Km stretch in Barra, the seaside suburb on the Atlantic coast. I think there were less people in Barra, but I am told by Paolo that there is also about a million people on he streets on the busiest days (Saturday - Monday).

Technically Impressive

In Campo Grande and Barra, the bands travel on massive trucks which carry massive speakers, and sometimes also have elaborate light shows and dancing girls (one bloco featured two naked dancing girls covered only in body paint). The trucks can be heard from quite a distance, and apparently all run on Bio-Diesel. After carnaval was over and things were being dismantled, I also noticed that the city has invested quite a bit on providing electrical supplies for lighting etc. on the routes - so they do not have to install everything from scratch every year.

The Music

Across Brazil, Salvador is pretty much known for its music scene, one of the many factors behind the popularity of the carnival. Music in Carnival could be classified into four types:

1. Brazilian Pop music mainly by big Brazilian music stars, most of whom are natives of Salvador or the state of Bahia


2. Samba and similar styles


3. Drums, well with support from saxophones and trumpets, but mostly drums - the most traditional music of Salvador, whose people are mostly descendants of African slaves brought over from Angola and West Africa.


4. Electronic music, well there was only two instances: DJ Tiesto on Friday and DJ Fatboy Slim together with DJ David Guetta on Tuesday

To be honest, while the pop music was very catchy, there was not much variety. The big bands played more or less the same songs, and they played them over and over again (more on that later). That said, the party was the best at these bands, simply because there were a lot more people dancing and partying away! I suppose my disappointment with the bigger bands stems from the fact that many of them are known for their vast music catalogues, and playing simply the top hits and covers of other artists was disappointment.


The other music styles were a lot more interesting, maybe because they were not repeated that often. I particularly enjoyed the drum bands - the energy of the drummer was amazing. There were also a few fixed stages, which had a more chilled environment, but the music was great none the less.

Performer Endurance

The blocos in Campo Grande and Barra move quite slowly - for example it takes over 5 hours for a bloco to go from start to finish in Barra. While the revelers can take a break anytime, there is no such breaks for the performers - they sing, play and dance for the entire route! And some big name artists, like Ivete Sangalo, performed every night! And one band, Chiclete com Banana, did both Barra and Campo Grande on the same (last) day!

Men in drag

There were not many costumes on show - but a reoccurring theme did seem to be men in drag. And it was not that the men were gay - many were chasing women ... a bit strange in many ways.

Filhos De Gandy

One of the oldest traditional groups of the carnival, they do not have any of the Gandhian traits - they drink a lot, chase women and considering the number of beads they wear, are flashy dressers too. Their main bloco was rather boring though ...

Costs

While accommodation prices sky rocket, other prices are remarkably stable, and cheap really. Drinks and food prices do not seem to rise at all for instance! That said, Brazil is still a very expensive place (when compared to Peru), and costs are higher than South Africa for most things.

Security

There is a massive security presence in Carnival, with raised police platforms and regular patrols by police through the crowds. They are very quick too - and good at apprehending trouble makers who start fights etc. Apart from the threat of pick pockets (which cannot really be avoided in such massive crowds), I never really felt in danger.

Final Thoughts

One of my aims in visiting Brazil was to sample the various music styles - and carnival was a great way to do that! I even got to see performances by one of the greats of Brazilian music - Gilberto Gil, although he played a lot of covers (quite a bit of Bob Marley). I do not go to many parties ... and I probably spent more time partying away here than all the previous hours put together! That was mainly due to a great group of people that happened to be staying together - a core group of about 5/6 of us (such as Jen) went to many of the events together, which made it really good. That, above all else, has made this trip a success ... I doubt I would have enjoyed myself as much if I went to Olinda and Rcife (which have bigger events apparently) alone.

And best of all, the music was all free ...

Carnaval Day 0 ... Introduction to the madness

By reputation, Salvador has the best carnaval in Brazil. Off course the samba schools of Rio are world famous, but as Brazilians and others constantly point out - in Rio, it is all a big a show: people sit (or stand) in "stadiums" and watch the floats go past, doing their thing. In Salvador, Olinda and Recife (the other two big carnavals) it is a big party - oh there are floats - but you are welcome to come and join the party.

Officially, carnaval is supposed to start at midnight Friday ... still 12 hours from now. But, as carnaval has become increasingly commercialised, it has increased in size and time, and the concept of a "pre-party" has been taken to ridiculous levels.

Paolo

When I started my late search for accommodation in Salvador, I came across a post on the Thorn Tree Forums (at Lonely Planet) offering accommodation. I contacted the email address, and was quoted a price, which seemed at the time ridiculously expensive, especially as I was still in Peru. But Paolo, the person at the other end, replied that he understood the constraints but urged me come to Salvador if I could. When I reached Manaus, I contacted him again, and he had one space in a slightly cheaper alternative, and I grabbed it.

Both apartments are penthouses in Barra, a suburb of Salvador and one of the main locations of the Carnaval festivities. The more expensive apartment is certainly nicer, and even features a roof top pool (part of the apartment), but the cheaper apartment is not bad at all.

But what has been great is Paolo's involvement in taking all the people staying at the two apartments (combined) through Day 0 (my term, not sure what the official term is) as well as going out on previous nights. He has really put some thought into organising everything, and since everyone (including his Brazilian friends and with the exception of Paolo himself) is doing this for the first time, he has really been great at explaining the dos, donts, dangers etc.

The Group

Apart from Paolo and myself, there are 4 Irish girls, 1 English girl, 1 Greek girl, 1 American girl, 1 Australian girl, 1 English guy, 3 Brazilian guys and 4 Australian guys (one of them actually emigrated from SA, before 1994). We managed to keep loosing the Australian guys (or maybe they wanted to get lost), but the rest of us managed to stay as a group for most of the night.

Photos

I do not expect to take any pictures of carnaval. It is just too difficult and dangerous to carry a camera in the crowds. My verbose descriptions will have to do.

Blocos

I suppose in Rio, blocos would be called schools. Except in Salvador, there is less of a show. Each bloco has at least two massive trucks - the first truck has the musical performers (and their invited guests) and the second truck as the paid "guests". For many blocos, you can purchase a T-Shirt (with the lowest costing around 250 Brazilian Reals or about 100 Euros, per day. There are cheaper deals for multiple days though, and it is possible to get discounted shirts. By joining a bloco, you basically party with the band as they go down the route: the route in Barra is about 5 Km long, and takes about 3 hours to go through.

Popcorn

If you are not in the bloco, you can still party with the bloco as they walk down the road, and be part of the "popcorn". Popcorn is intense - it is like a giant, moving moshpit, but about 10 times as intense as any other moshpit that I have come across - and I have seen a few. The energy is intense, and is one of the most intense partying experiences I have ever had (although, I am hardly a veteran of parties). It is a tiring experience - I went through over 2 litres of water!

Pickpocketing is rife - and although I had a money belt, one cannot keep everything in the money belt, and even though I swatted away a lot of hands, I managed to lose some money. I have decided to buy a hydration pack (they are fairly cheap) which I can fill with water, and then not have to carry too much money.

Camarote

Off course you can escape all the bustle and take a seat in one of the many stands next to the road. These are almost as expensive as the blocos, but many are catered and some of them have unlimited drinks as part of the equation. While the music is great, there is no real show (there was only one float that had people dressed up in costumes), and it seems a bit of a waste - especially when I don't have much knowledge or understanding of the differences in Brazilian music.

So that was Day 0

We got to the parade around 8pm, and got back to the apartments about 2pm ... the party was hardly over, but most of us were. The main event starts tonight, and apparently, there will be double the number of people. I will post again, assuming I am in a position to do so ...

In Salvador ...

I have given up going all the way down the Amazon - it is just too damn boring! Instead, I am currently in Salvador, where I will stay for the next 10 days, through Carnaval. The move has proved to be an expensive exercise - not only in terms of the expense of staying at the "best" carnaval city in Brazil, but also the cost of flying to Salvador from Manaus.

Brazil is a massive country, and my original plan of traveling down the coast is just not practical for the time I have. So, I have decided to focus on a few cities and stay there for a longer time, and really explore the cities.

And a rant - Gol is a completely unreliable airline. In this leg, I had two flights: Manaus to Brasilia and Brasilia to Salvador. Both were late, and it was not that the flights were late, but at neither times were the passengers informed that the plane was late, untile about 30 minutes after the plane was supposed to leave! And my flight between Sao Paolo and Lima, was also on Gol, and was also late (by over two hours). In fact, at both Manaus and Brasilia, there did not seem to be a single Gol flight that was running on time!

Voe Gol? Nunca Mais uma vez!

Manaus

Just over 100 years ago, Manaus and Iquitos were two of the most important cities in the world. As the Amazon was the sole supply of rubber to the world (back then, before rubber tree seeds were smuggled out to the far east), the two cities grew rich, particularly Manaus. Much of the colonial architecture remains, and makes it a somewhat fascinating city to walk around in. The highlight is off course the Opera Theatre, built materials almost completely imported from Europe. It is supposedly magnificent inside, but I could not go in as there are Carnaval preparations underway outside.





Manaus is now known as the "Hong Kong of South America", because of the cheap costs of electronic goods. Most electronic goods manufactured in South America take place in Manaus, and coupled with a low tax rate, it is no wonder that almost every street corner seems to have an electronic store, while malls seem to have more electronic stores than clothing stores.

Apart from the docks (which have massive ocean going cargo vessels, docking over 1000 Km from the ocean), Manaus becomes a rather boring city. Most travelers come here for jungle tours, and after sunset the city seems to go to sleep. That said, when there is a party, it seems like everyone joins in: a club here had a band playing, and there seemed to be more people partying outside more than inside, complete with street vendors selling alcohol and food outside. It was a great vibe actually.