Tchua Brasil, até nos encontrarmos novamente…
I have been trying to figure out how to write this entry. I have been contemplating it for weeks now. I want to tell you about my Carnaval experience, but I also feel the need to put to close my stay in Rio de Janeiro, and really Brazil. I have learned an incredible amount about the country and have so much more still to learn! And hope one day, soon that is, I will be back to do so. I do think I have figured out how to conclude this short travel tale in Brazil.
Soon after I left Rio, my friend posted an article about one woman’s take on her stay there. The article was very good. I was just left with a sense of loss. I didn’t have the same experience she did. In fact, I had the complete opposite. I didn’t understand why she didn’t see the Rio I saw, the Brazil I knew. But I soon figured out why this was. To put it quite bluntly Brazil has its ups and downs, goods and bads, and I experienced many of these while I was there. Honestly it’s not the country that makes this place, or the cities, beaches, food, or even the Amazon rain forest…simply put, it is her people! I know this is a bold statement to make, considering I just downplayed why almost everyone comes to Brazil in the first place–to see her natural beauty, amazing cities and landscapes; some even counted amongst the natural and manmade wonders of the world!–but nevertheless, I have my reasons. And so this then is a testament, my testament, to that very truth…
Carnaval was everything I imagined and more! It is what Cariocas (people who were born and raised in Rio de Janeiro) live for each year! They live and breathe it and can’t get enough of it! I, for one, have been wanting to experience this my entire life! This year I made that dream come true.
I really did not know what to expect. I came to Rio for Carnaval, but I came by myself. I was afraid that I would have to celebrate it by myself as well, but to my luck and my mother and her friend’s prayers, just a week prior to the start of Carnaval, I was introduced, by a connection all the way from my hometown, to a new friend, a Carioca. I will spare you the details and the kind of confusing tale of how I was introduced to Michelle, but to put it simply, I was given her email and the rest, as they say, is history.
Michelle made it her point to make my Carnaval experience a great one. She set up everything for me. I was almost headed to the Sambodromo parade alone, until she informed me that she had a friend who was from the States, who was having friends come to Rio for Carnaval! I was so excited when they said I could join their group! We went to bloco parties; drank many caipiroska–Michelle making one of the best I had and she even taught me how to make it; had one too many frozen vodka popsicles from the street venders; had a failed attempt at a Carnaval Scala Ball–when we ended the night with laughter in the neighborhood of Leblon, all dressed up eating shawarma. This brought me to the end of my Carnaval experience – to the Sambodromo parade. I was ecstatic with excitement! Every sense was overwhelmed with vibrant colors and music! The crowd chanting and singing the different songs of the Samba schools, the Samba dancers and their amazing costumes, the drumming of each school’s band, soaking every second of the night in until I could no more. It was a night I will never forget!
As I was going home after the parade, I noticed the neighborhood surrounding the Sambodromo. It was very poor, but that didn’t stop people from pulling their televisions out to the street, gathering around them with plastic chairs, sharing a bottle of beer together, watching the parade that is literally around the corner. As much as I will remember the parade with all its wealth of costumes, colors and sounds, I will remember even more so how prized this time is in the city. Everyone, young, old, wealthy, and poor; comes together to celebrate Carnaval in their own way, welcoming the new year with the enjoyment of living life!
When I left Rio de Janeiro, I left a little piece of my heart there with it. I read stories about how this could be so, but I didn’t believe it. I fell in love with the city, but even more so her people.
Not just a day later, I was swept off to the south of Brazil, to an island called Florianopolis. There, I was stricken with the drastic difference of tranquil beaches and stormy summer afternoons; but again to be amazed by the hospitality of my Brazilian host, Antonio. He was kind enough to welcome a stranger into his home. I spent lazy days by the beach, having it almost to myself, and getting caught in many of those summer afternoon showers. Taking a Sunday drive with Antonio, listening to B.B. King, I was able to see the island in its entirety. We ended a perfect day at a local spot, eating shrimp and blue crab pastel, drinking probably one of the best caipirinha I had in Brazil, and listening to Brazilian rock rumble out of the guy’s car next to us. As the sun was setting; the rain fell, the air still warm from the passing day. It was a day I will always cherish. I ended my time in Floripa with an invitation to come back from my now friend, Antonio.
After the tranquil beaches of Floripa, I set out on my next and my final adventure to be had in Brazil, the Iguazu Falls. I had no idea what to expect and the next few days were filled with awe and amazement. The falls were beautiful, though that word falls incredibly short (no pun intended) of describing what I saw and experienced. I was bathed with white water from the spray, I went on a boat adventure ride underneath the falls and was soaked from head to toe; and to top it off I saw at least a hundred rainbows! It was magical and majestic all in one place.
Everything was perfect and I even had made some new friends from the Netherlands; we spent a couple of nights together sharing our stories and speaking Dutch! Well, not me of course, it’s a hell of hard language to speak, trust me I tried my hand at a few words, and I failed miserably. But fun and so wonderful to be around other travelers! On the last day before I was set to go to Buenos Aires, I was dealt a bad hand of luck. Some money I had was dyed with a red dye due to some ATM bombings. Of course I couldn’t use the money, finding this out when trying to pay for some food at the supermarket. Again I was surprised by how helpful and kind Brazilians are–though I really shouldn’t be at this point, I still am. While I was trying to explain that I got the money out of the ATM in that very supermarket, a family came over, offered their help and car to drive me to the police station since the banks were closed; being that it was Sunday! Even in my frustration of how my last day in Brazil was ending, I was still met with generosity and kindness. Everything worked out in the end and my new Dutch friend paid for my room–incredibly kind and trusting of him–to which he replied, with a smile on his face, “I know, I’m too good for this world.” And I must admit, he just might be. We exchanged information so we could meet up in Buenos Aires; he paid for my taxi as well and I was off to the bus station heading south to Argentina.
My last hour out of Brazil, on the bus, I reflected on my time there. It was a whirlwind of a month, filled with so many fears, excitement, times of utter loneliness, and times of complete bliss. Still to the very end, her people proved to be true to their Brazilian selves. I learned so much from her people. They are warm and welcoming, caring and genuinely kind. I know this is a generalization, and a grand one at that, but it is one that I can testify to and one that can be told by many who come to visit this bold and beautiful place. If anyone is thinking twice about visiting Brazil, don’t, just do it; you will not for one second regret it. While the country itself is filled with beauty, her people are what make it extraordinary.