Our trip to Brazil

Links for an overall summary of the trip and Photos

Tues, June 19th

• Kyle arrives!!

Wed, June 20th

• Took day off to bombard Kyle with strange food: tapioquinha, romeu e julieta, cereal paraense, aça, and tacac at Estação das docas
• Visited Museu Emilio Geolde, saw jacaré (a type of cayman?, peixe-boi (manatee), onça pintada (painted jaguar?)?
• Went to great concert with Luciano: Arraial da Pavolagem, with baby boi bumb and everything
• Saw some heavily African-influenced music/dancing, roda style; then some marathon lunatic Brazilian-style square dancing (quadrilha)

Thurs, June 21st

• Another big breakfast, went to Imazon. Met Imazon researchers, , struggled through some English with Edson over coffee
• Dinner at Donadinha's-with Homero (buchecha O>O) drank some good, some bad wine, got a little tipsy, got teased
• Forr at the Universidade Federal, under the stars. Definitely too much wine.

Fri, June 22nd

• Walked a long way (asking directions from about a dozen people on the way) down a shade-less street to find Fazenda Carmo's office and buy tickets got the shpeal from Carlos
• talked about physics over lunch with Eugênio and Jeffrey Gerwing
• Eugênio's talk
• Dinner at Catinha Italiana-I cleaned my plate while you let yours get cold, carried away in a physics conversation :)
• Broke alarm clock
• Called Dalsoren's for a wake up call

Sat, June 23rd

• Woke up at some ungodly hour (thanks mom and dad) to head off to Maraj
• Got boat from the docks, tapioquinhas and café com leite for breakfast (what made it to my mouth)
• Panicked search for the green VW van with the license plate IKJ5182 -yeah, right
• Met Neto, Jorge, the fazenda boys
• Motor boat ride down the river, fresh pineapple
• Welcomed to the fazenda by Leia, Vaneide and tasty cookies, slept like the dead, CHUVA!!
• Horse back riding, capibaras, coffee break, sunset, galloping!
• Swam in the pond with the kissing fishes :O , is that you, Danielle?? Is what me??, getting rained on
• Showering, brushing teeth with brown water
• Fantastic supper (Piraruc?)
• SLEEP!

Sun, June 24th

• Milking the water buffalos, trying to pet (squeely) baby piglets
• Boat ride to Carmalite ruins, mokejes (???), rubber tree
• Canoeing (defective canoe ;)
• Visited other, deserted fazenda
• Boat ride for wildlife spotting (kamikazee iguana, sloth, snake (jiboia), jacaré, moon, sunset, stars, southern cross, big dipper, MILKY WAY!)
• Caipirinhas of pineapple and lemon
• Capoeira on the spongy lawn
• Happy Birthday Kyle!! Danced brega, carimb, zouk
• BIG TOADS!!

Mon, June 25th :)

• Barefoot buffalo riding
• Lunch, Birthday cake for Kyle, writing our thanks in the book
• Went to beach at Joanes, saw a gringa's pousada, interesting beach plants, bathing buffalos, kids, fish for lunch, caipirinhas of genipapo, lemon
• Boat ride to Belem with doors open (?)
• Walked in Praça Batista Campos (noting the futbol game effect)
• Crazy, piss-smellin' taxi ride (PICARETA!) to restaurant on the river (hitting a cyclist on the way). Ate yummy caldeirada paraense, drank caipirinhas, para variar. CHUVA!! (left windows open, oops)

Tues, June 26th

• Paid rent
• Went to capoeira (elbow dive, ouch)
• Made spaghetti for supper
• Opened presents from the Dalsoren family
• Water (?)

Wed, June 27th

• Breakfast at the padaria downstairs
• Ganz rhythms
• Sneaky ladder
• Iguana at Imazon
• made the "Quasi-local Hough Transform!!"
• Salgadinhos and despedidos at Carlos and Karen's place
• Sushi at L?er!
• Luis Gonzaga (?)

Thur, June 28th

• Forr at the Universidade Federal (sober), dancing in the aperto da multidão

Fri, June 29th

• Kyle sends smoke-screen of productivity ???????

Weekend, June 30th, July 1st

• Went to Bosque, saw monkeys and funny little red-butted rodents, old castle-y thing
• Went to Cotijuba-lunch next to old prison (?) ruins, stray dogs, rented bikes, got drunk on the beach, some cappy tricks
• Dinner in Icoarac, no electricity, ate some tasty seafood on a shingle
• No electricity in Belém, either

Random memories

• Leak problem
• Lock problem
• Tem poupozudas??

Airplane

• paranoid woman with the bag, door opening cartoon with lumpy butt

Foz do Iguaç

• July 2nd - leave for Iguaç from Belem
• Matte
• Buying Gords
• Trees w/ big bean pods
• Possada Evalinda - woman gave too many details
• French Guy's funny pants
• Chinese Food
• July 3rd
• "Are you sure you aren't Lebanese?"

• Iguaç: from Argentine side
  • Walking around the forest - monkies, little water fall, butterflies
  • Watching the leaves go over the edge
  • Boat trip to garganta do Diablo "The Throat of the Devil"
  • Trip to border with Paraguay and Argentina (no more fish)
  • Iguaç: from Brasilian side July 4th
    • Crazy evil racoon things
    • Beautiful views
    • Lunch at the top of the falls with bees
    • Called Kyle's Mom & Dad from airport
    • View of Sao Paulo from Airplane - "nice" sunset

Salvador

• Long bus ride into Pelorino (Kyle was anxious about a place to stay)
• Cobblestone roads are hard to walk on
• First hostel was closed, second hostel was closed, third one smelled like cat piss.
• Skanky bar
• Bonfim wristbands
• July 5th http://www.dancalatina.com/clubsresult.php?dance=Forro&namecity=Sao%20Paulo * Changed room to Hotel Solar
• "Helpful Turrist Office" not so helpful
• Great handmade drums across from Hotel Solar
• Capoeira ABCA with Mestre Curio
• All girl [Hello]? group Did was really good
• ABCA Capoeira roda w/ 15 mestres!!
• Met Jessica ? from California that knew Wajid and Nura
• Crazy [Hello]? band with beat up drums and a lot of energy
• July 6th
• Capoeira de Angola with Mestra Jararaca, an older American guy and a kind of odd girl
• Talked with Mestre Curio, Mestra Jararaca, and two guests until 2 PM - much talk about straight-legged negativa
• Saw great fish painting and another famous brazilian artist's work
• Went to get lunch in Pelorino - Kyle's first Moqueca
• Fell asleep for the rest of the day :(
• July 7th & 8th
• Walked around Pelorino
• Danced Forro'
• Bought a cuica from the cool drum store
• Buying lace from deaf woman
• Great pizza in Pelorino
• Trip to Cidade Biaxo (the lower city)
  • 10 cents for the big elevator down
  • Marcado Modelo - capoeira pants, underground passages, capoeira outside
  • Found Capoeira cord at a fishing store by the docks
  • Spent the day at a beach just north of the city (close to Itapua)
  • Ki Mokeka
• July 9th
• Desparate to escape the vinyl mattress, cold-showers, cat-smell, and Pelourinho^Òs four insistent beggars, decide on heading for Morro de São Paulo
• Took Bungie to Cidade Biaxo to catch boat to Morro de São Paulo

Morro de São Paulo

• after long, arduous catamaran ride, arrive at Morro de São Paulo to be accosted by tourist-hungry islanders. Find our own pousada, admire lighthouse^Òs sunset silouette
• After wading through about 50 "turrism officials" we walked down the beach and found Possada Guirofo where for R$30/day we had a beach front possada with a hammock and mosquito netting
• Had ok italian food at one of the 20 italian resturants there
• Night walk on the beach, ask for and receive shooting star (brilliant!) and get a honey-moonrise to boot.
• July 10th
• Woke up at 5 AM to see the sunrise. It was gorgeous!
• Saw these funny monkies running along the ground between trees.
• Went back to sleep until about 11 AM
• Walked down the beach
  • Piscina Natural with black and yellow stripped fish
  • Started to rain, so we took shelter in a resturant and had some drinks
  • Maybe a few too many drinks ;^]
• July 11th
• Had breakfast at the possada
  • watched hummingbirds feed in the courtyard
  • got a kick out of the guy that sat on his plastic chair and watched the beach like an old man
  • Cute little kids singing "Tapina no doi" (A little slap doesn't hurt)
• Got details on boat and little commuter plane
• Took pictures of the hummingbirds
• Got plane tickets, looked for crepe place from the night before, but ended up having paella which was very good
• Chilled in hammock for a nice long while, listening to rain
• Tractor tour of the island -- scurrying crabs and coconut trees--on the way to the airstrip in the middle of a huge palm forrest. Took the little 8 seater to Salvador in about 1/2 an hour. Had a great view of the city (but no pictures) and sat across from a funny couple: a brasileira (from Manaous and Belem) and Evan's long lost older brother from San Diego
• Got to Pelourinho late-ish, checked into Rod?io de electricidade Hotel, ate fancy schmancy (lobster) moqueca at Dona Chika-Ka, with a view of Curiós whitey class.
• Got in and took bus back to Pelorino. Met Miguel Tello He was very interesting and told us about Direitos Humanos no Brasil 2000 (see also ) He worked for Catholic Relief Fund in Recife and his wife worked for Habitat for Humanity. He tried to get support for community programs for water in the arid regions of Brasil. He offered to let us stay at his place in Recife.
• Took a hotel with hot water and a "rodizio de electricadade". Ate fancy schmancy (lobster) moqueca at Dona Chika-Ka, with a view of Curiós whitey class.
• July 12th
• Last spin around Pelourinho-visit Bimba^Òs school, Jorge Amado museum (bought good coffe-table books), slave church, fish painting gallery closed >:(
• rush to airport, caught a little embolada pandeiro banter on the way

Recife, Olinda, Porto de Galinhas

• arrived late-ish in Olinda, found Pousada Quatro Cantos
• cashew revelation, dinner at Goya, a "quaint, regional restaurant" with a menu of sleeve, "flame on the fire water", and green smell. HOI-tee-TOI-tee manner-toot ering, fantastic conversation with my baby.
• Fri, July 13
• Wandered in Olinda, capturing colors, buying silly fofo shorts, dressing up for Maracat
• Guided though miles of made-in-Taiwan market to get to bus station
• Arrived with just a little sun left to savor, hairy-chest serenade on the beach
• Dinner at Bar-Caxeira with cool décor, anchor light fixtures; stayed at Pousada Porto Verde
• Sat, July 14
• Walked down to Maracaip, you boogie-boarded and belly-rubbed, I searched, found, and shredded a canga (not conga :), then decorated it with a slimy ass-print.
• tried to steal some crepes. unsuccessful.
• Bad singer dude with scary multi-voice effects
• Highlight of the day: BOUGHT SUNGA!
• Sun, July 15
• Checked out, went to beach, talked about the future and played in the ocean with some locals, bought pandeiro --80, not 30 >:( drank beer, then spent the whole bus-ride needing to piss.
• Back to Recife after dusk. Went out for sushi.
• Hotel with loud teenagers oi OI OI!!

Rio de Janeiro

• Mon, July 16
• Danielle's birthday! Took off early for Rio
• Hard time finding a place to stay, then Canada saves the day! Mirror and all :)
• Went for "decent Italian food" at Sindicato do Chopp (read: lasagna looked like a refried bean sandwich in a shallow bowl of sloppy joe) spent the rest of the day/afternoon/night in bed.
• Tues, July 17
• Perfectly unplanned sunset ascent to Pão de Açucar after a day spent touring Rio by bike (at brasileiro price!) Copacabana, Arpoador, Ipanema, Lagoa, old homes in Humait and Leblón, then all the way back to Leme and Mestre Marrom's capoeira academy, dropped off bikes and caught a taxi to Pão.
• Dinner of grilled salmon and prawns on a spit, water-potent wine, eating next to suited stiffs with "millions"

Random Memories

• Southern Cross
• Rainbow circle with plane shadow inside
• Michael Jackson dead ringer
• sleek-winged birds of Rio
• poopy and poopless
• clocks: break, buy, repeat
• street bombs in Rio
• Forr at the University (once drunken, once not)
• Carlos' cat, Iguaç butterfly enamored with your feet
• beija-flores
• savoring hot showers
• flexing Kyle'ss clothes recycling skills
• Cotijuba bike ride, beaching with water buffalo
• banging my head on the ladder
• giving my bed away
• Maria-vai-dormir plant
• baggage-checker's receipt/novel
• mermaid sculpting, sand engineering
• learning about iridescence
• SUPER-BEIJA!!!
• Lua de mel para sempre

  Lock it in your memory banks