Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Praia do Forte

Praia do Forte is a small fishing village 2 hours north of Salvador. This fishing village has now become more of an artisan town and a Turtle Reserve. A group of us spent this past Friday and Saturday there. Here are some of the highlights of things we saw:

We arrived mid afternoon on Friday, and the sun began to set soon after we ate our late lunch/early dinner. Here is the town square, and the sunset on the coast with the silhouetted fishing boats.




Saturday morning we visited the turtle reserve which serves to save, rehabilitate, repopulate and educate about sea turtles (or tartarugas in Portuguese). They had all types and sizes of turtles including ones that were smaller than the palm of your hand (sooo cute):



Monday, October 27, 2008

Avenida Sete de Setembro

The uneven cobble stones have become familiar to my feet. Their rough edges and protruding faces no longer catch my toes or cause me to trip. I know when to hold my breath as I pass the tree of deification. This tree would take at least four people to hug its trunk sits smack in the middle of the sidewalk so you must dodge into the street to get buy. It guards the front of the haunted house whose cracked walls are stained with moss. The windows are ajar and the door shut and the house remains empty except occasionally when a few burly men spend all day carting out broken wood furniture from inside onto a flat bed truck. This tree, that once awed me, now disgusts me, for it reeks of acrid urine and occasionally is graced with human feces. It would take twenty of me to circumvent its trunk for I refuse to get too close. But as I hold my breath, and plug my nose and put my head down to try to walk I bit faster, I understand. It is prime property for the homeless, because ghosts can't protest pissing on million dollar property.

I always wave to the Porteiro at Edificio Lisboa. He always has an a black fez hat and a twinkle in his eye, and despite the fact or only interaction is waving 4 times a day, it never ceases to brighten his day. Just past his building is a huge construction site. This is the unpredictable part of the path. Its capricious state keeps you on your toes. Sometimes the sidewalk there is all together impassable and you have to brave your way into the street, suck in your stomach and hope not to get hit. But usually you can leap your way across the broken side walk on the metal electrical manholes like a frog across lily pads. The construction workers are also unpredictable. Sometimes they make no notice of passersby. But other times they call out in a cacophony of pick up lines. And this, mind you, is not correlated to how you look. One day, in a baggy tie-dye t-shirt, one man must have said “linda” a hundred times in the time it took me to pass. Whilst his friend told the other that he would fight him for me, and yet another called out for me to stop and come talk to him. But everyday I keep my head down, leap over the sand, and try to keep from laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of their attempts.

Next comes the high school which is like grand central station with kids coming and going in every direction in their blue t shirts and jeans. Right in front of the bars that make up the schools facade a man sells all sorts of fried snacks. To be honest, I am not even sure what he sells for the crowd of kids around him is always two or three heads deep. Whatever it is, it must be the tastiest thing on the block. Here, I always must slow my pace and squeeze my way past the congestion with “Com licensa” on my lips. Right next to this food stand there is another with an extensive menu of cheeseburgers and sandwiches. This too always has a few people crowded round, but no one is eating. They all are watching the 9inch screen tv that sits on a plastic stool and that perpetually plays Woody Woodpecker cartoons.

Past that, its the home stretch to school. I pass a couple more journeleiros, skip over the puddle that always gathers in front of Edificio Jose Costa, and “Ladies & Co” Boutique. I finally reach the blue and yellow gate of ACBEU. The guard at the front always says 'bom dia' or 'boa tarde' and stares at you with these piercing eyes. I return the salutation, but do not hold the gaze, duck in through the gate and join the gringos gathered in the courtyard.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Vitoria--minha vida, meu orgulho, meu amor

So this past week was midterms, papers, headaches, tired eyes, and the realization that time has flown by. I have been having such a great time here in Brazil, I am already dreading leaving! There is so much I feel that I have left to do. I am trying to dig my heels into the ground, or turn my watch back a few hours, or some how put on the brakes of this high speed train called life. I am not nearly tan enough, my Portuguese is getting better but I haven't forgotten English yet, I haven't won a Capoeira battle, I have not danced pagode all night...the list goes on. I did, however, manage to do some memorable things this weekend:

1. Bale Folcorico--We went to this performance on Thursday night that exhibited traditional Bahian performance. We saw makulele (a high energy dance/staged fight with swords and sticks), a long dance of Orishas, and some acrobatic Capoeira that was absolutely breath taking. My favorite act was the fire-dancer. This man with a cauldron of fire balanced on his head and two small bowls of fire in his hand danced and twirled across the floor. Once he put the bowls down he held the flames with his hands and stood on the fire with his bare feet. Needless to say it was very impressive.

2. Ile Aiye--This is the most renown Afro-Brazilian drum group in Brazil that was founded here in Salvador. They were an important element of the Black Movement in the 1970s and continue today to be leaders in the maintaining black pride and culture. They are the oldest and most famous black group to perform in Carnival. Anyway, every month they play music all night in this big empty gym-esque building over in Liberdade (a neighborhood about 30 minutes away). Their drumming just fills your soul and your heart beats one with the drums and your feet begin to dance to the rhythm. We danced all night and I could not wipe the smile off my face even though my checks began to hurt.

You can't really capture the feeling or music in a picture but here are the drummers:


3. Futebol! I finally went to a Brazilian soccer game! Vitoria (thats my team, from Salvador) vs. Flumenese (a Rio team that traditionally is strong but having a weak year). I had bought a jersey a few days ago in preparation for the game. The bus ride there was AMAZING. We were sardined into a bus crowded with Vitoria fans. Everyone was drumming on the windows and the ceiling and singing Vitoria chants and songs, after a few refrains to catch the words we were singing too. I couldn't partake in the drumming because the bus sped through the city so fast that I had to cling on for dear life (picture how fast the Knight bus from HP3 would take the turns...it was basically like that). It was on the bus I decided that Brazilians need to teach Americans a lesson or two about delectation. The energy was just great. It felt like the Quidditch world cup outside the stadium with different vendors selling their paraphernalia and everyone excited and cheering. At the start of the game the mascot even came on the field (I was so juiced!). Vitoria is red and has a lion mascot (which is KINDA like Gryffindor, which of course got me excited as well) The game was good, but we ended in a tie 2-2. I definitely miss going to UCLA football games (and dancing to Ow!).

Here I am with my friend Alex decked out in our gear (unfortunately I don't have face paint)


I really like this picture I took of all the jerseys for sale
and no, its not upside down, they are all just hanging that way.
Oh and if you are wondering, Fiat is the sponsor not a player

Monday, October 13, 2008

Lencois

Nestled 6 hours inland from Salvador is a small town called Lencois. The nature surrounding Lencois is absolutely breath taking (Abba, you would have loved it). There are very impressive rock formations, plateaus, and caves. Also there are amazing waterholes and waterfalls. The area is extremely unpopulated and tranquil (We were basically the only people there, and from the top of the highest plateau there was not one village/town/or city in sight). We spent Friday through Sunday there. Here are some pictures to describe my weekend:

1. We climbed to the top of this Chapada (plateau). The view from the top was amazing. The land expanded around me green and flat except the outcroppings of rock chapadas. Literally there was not a town or inhabitance as far as the eye could see. This land was once underwater.

2. Here I am doing a cartwheel at the top

3. The wind was very strong. We were on top of the world!

4. Friday afternoon, after hiking up the chapada, we went to "O Posso do Pato" to swim. Unfortunately it was cloudy and evening so our ganas to get in the water was not so strong. However, once we arrived it was so beautiful we jumped into the cold water--you just had to be a part of it.  


5.On Saturday morning we hiked through some underground caves. They were made by subterranean rivers. The orange color in the rocks is due to iron deposits

6.Inside the cave there was some stalactites and stalagmites forming. This one is called the Angel...I thought it looked like nature's version of the Winged Nike!

7. Here we are climbing out. (We had to walk through the cave with a lantern, but once we saw light coming from the exit I immediately thought of the red 'puter saying "the light that you see at the end of the tunnel, is the head light of a fast approaching train")

8..After that hike we went down to "Posso de Diablo." This was another amazing water hole. To get there you have to traipse over large rocks and boulders. We ziplined down from the top into the water.


9.On Sunday, we only had a half day. We took another hour hike to this natural waterslide. The slide was sooo much fun! It was like tobagoning but in water. Click on the picture to enlarge it and see a person on their way down.
10. Another picture of me and Nadia at the slide.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Parabens pra voce!

Thank You all for the plethora of birthday wishes. It is great to hear from people from home. I spent a very nice birthday. My host mom took me to lunch at Mahi Mahi, a ritzy waterfront restaurant where you can jump off the pier and swim in the ocean or go in the pools on the deck. It was an absolutely gorgeous day--warm but not too hot. Every time you overheated you could just dip in the water and immediately be refreshed. We spent the afternoon there.

Here are some pics from the day:

1. Mae and I eating lunch (the vegetarian selection was limited because the place's specialty is fish, but they custom made me a salad which was nice).
2. This guy jumped from the upper platform and dove into the water. Needless to say I did NOT try this myself, and preferred to use the ladder to descend into the water. (Although perhaps I should have jumped in because I did step on some coral getting into the water and a piece is stuck in my pinky toe and I can't walk on it)
3. Another picture of me and my host mom

4. Here I am, age 20!5. This is the homemade strawberry cake my mom made. Yet another culinary dessert masterpiece by her.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

O Poder Mudou

I have seen this ad many times around the city. It is part of the advertising campaign for an old newspaper that is changing its make and look. The line reads "O Poder Mudou" which means "The Power has Changed." It sends a pretty bold message about our country. The fact that people across the world recognize Obama (who is not even President (yet)) as an agent of change is impressive. And the fact that is phrased in the passed tense--while may be appropriate for the newspaper--makes it seem that the world is confident that we will elect him. And despite how many countries we have razed on the international level, they are willing and ready to give us a second (or maybe thousandth) chance. If Obama is bringing hope to Brazilians...wow.

There is one month until elections and I still haven't received my absentee ballot stuff here, but I heard rumor that I can vote at some consulate within two weeks of election day. This is going down in history books, so be sure to play your part and VOTE!

P.S. Tomorrow is election day here in Brazil. Voting is mandatory. (Wouldn't that create a different campaign strategy?) How do they enforce it? Since in order to get any job, you have to pass a test, if you skipped out on voting you cannot take the test, and thus not get employed.

P.P.S. Tomorrow is my birthday so if you feel like sending me a birthday email, I would love it!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Quiejo


One of my favorite foods here in Brazil is the Queijo. At first sight, one may seem a little skeptical. It is a narrow block of white cheese (with small holes) skewered onto a stick. The queijo is sprinkled with oregano and slowly roasted over a small pot of hot coals. When I first saw them selling this on the beach, I was like WHO would buy hot cheese (that has not been refridgerated) on a scorching hot day. But now, I cannot make a trip to the beach without getting some. As each side toasts a light brown, the delicous smell wafts towards you. mmm! The final touch to the oregano-toasted-cheese is a light drizzle of honey. Strange? No, its delicious!