May 30, 2005
Carnaval in Floripa, the Falls, and the Brazil Beach Diet
Chill Carnaval
Florianopolis, Brazil -- Carnaval in Brazil is the stuff legends are made of. Four days of 24 hour partying, dancing, and general “carnal” activity. The parties of Rio and Salvador are the best known, but you know me always needing to do things differently, so I decided to camp out in the south for Carnaval. Decidedly more subdued and certainly less hectic, the Carnaval parties of Florianopolis and Garopaba are pretty much just sundown to sun-up activities, unlike their counterparts further north which literally run 24 hours a day. This grooved with me just fine as I was into getting some beach and surf time during the day and actually I get a little bored of the BIG PARTY thing after a while believe it or not.
Other travelers I spoke to who went to Rio and Salvador said, “Loved, but never need to do it again.” One was just generally revolted by the whole thing. And most women who went to Salvador said that the “Bandit Kissing” which begins after midnight (basically strangers coming up and sticking their tongues down your throat) took a little getting used to.
The main attraction in Floripa (aside from the ERORMOUS PARADE which I missed because no one seemed to know about it when I asked when the parade was...) was the “trio-electrico” in Lagoa de Concepcião. This is basically a huge stage on top of a tractor-trailer rig with speakers lining the entire underside. It moves around town at 2 mph, and people just follow it dancing, drinking, and, as I found out, fighting. This is 98% of the Carnaval in Salvador, from what I understand.
Things moved more my speed after the Trio was over around 2 AM. A small stage was up in the town plaza and a young samba band sang sweet harmonies and pumped some crazy beats until 5. A very obviously displeased British girl picked me out of the crowd and said, “Believe me, this is no fucking carnaval!” and walked away. I guess she had something else in mind...
Once I got to Rio a week later, they were still partying... This is the Rio Carnaval “Post Party” on Ipanema Beach. I always wanted to know what a beach in Rio would look like with a few thousand people sambaing on it...
Iguazu Falls
Foz de Iquazu, Brazil -- Rightly called one of the seven wonders of the new world, the Iguazu Falls are nothing short of breathtaking. It was a humbling experience to spend two full days wandering around both the Brazilian and Argentine sides. On the Brazilian side, one gets a spectacular panorama, and on the Argentine side, you get so close to the rushing water it’s almost dizzying.
All the signs said, Please don’t feed the wildlife. So people decided to just pet the “wildlife” instead. These little guys are basically South American Racoons.
The Lonely Planet Guide said, “Keep an eye out for butterflies slurping up the salty sweat of the thousands of hands which pass over the handrails everyday.” And, sure enough...!
This last shot of Iguazu is of my falls buddy Harry and me. We met on the bus out to the Argentine side and spent the day yuckin’ it up. Strangely, he reminded me of a younger, shorter version of my godfather Hal Lavin... Same wit and earnest charm.
Beautiful, Beautiful Bahia
Itacaré, Bahia -- After Carnaval, I endured more than 50 combined hours on three different buses making my way north to Bahia. Bahia is the center of African culture in Brazil, and is renowned for its breathtaking beaches, friendly people, and body moving music. From dancing Forro (pronouned fo-HO) under the full moon and practicing the Bilbão on the beach to learning to surf and trying out a little Caipoiera (Brazilian half-dance, half-martial art), Bahia left me with very solid plans to go back.
I spent most of my time in Bahia shacked up in the little surf town called Itacaré. The perfect breaks at Praia Engenhoca made for gentle conditions for the endless paddling and falling I did my first week surfing.
A small click of travelers from Argentina, Israel, Canada, the UK, Sweden, Greece, Germany, and, of course, Brazil took shape after a few days. On many days, it was just us with an entire beach to ourselves...
This little girl sold us homemade fudge on the beach for $.75. She lived in a shack on the beach with her mom. It was a 45 minute walk to the nearest road. With the calories I was burning spending six hours a day learning to surf, I was eating all the fudge, coconuts, and fried bananas I wanted, PLUS three square meals a day, and I still ended up losing over ten pounds in three weeks! I call it the Bahia Beach Diet. Random House has already called me for the book rights, so don't get any ideas!
Back in Floripa
Florianopolis, Brazil -- While I can’t say I stayed put too long anywhere during my 9 week trip, I spent the most time hanging out in Florianopolis. Most everyone just calls the whole island “Floripa,” but the town of Florianopolis is actually just part of the island of Santa Catarina. I went to Floripa for Carnaval, and came back after making my way all the way to Salvador da Bahia and back. The whole island is surprisingly middle class and the mix of Brazilian and European blood makes for some of the most beautiful people in all of Brazil.
On the whole, the island of Santa Catarina is a paradise. While it doesn’t have cristalline blue waters of the caribeean, its seas are generally clear and clean. It’s also known as the surfing capital of Brazil, so armed with my new skills from Iracaré, I felt right at home. I ended up staying in Floripa for 3.5 of my 9 week trip. By the end, I felt like a "gringo local" in this little paradise and left only under the duress of needing to catch a flight home.
One of the many charms of a place like Barra de Lagoa, where I had my apartment, is that many locals have held onto a rich tradition of fishing, despite the pressure of tourism.
Every afternoon the boats come back and sell their catch right on the docks.
Most of the fish is weighed in and trucked off to more populated parts of the island.
On days when there were no waves, these kids rode the current of the tide as it rushed out to sea from the enormous inland “Lagoa de Concepcião.
At one of the first places I stayed in Floripa, I met Magda, an 85 year old intrepid traveler from Canada. Ever since retiring at 65, she has taken three months a year to travel the globe – alone. She’s spent time all over South and Central America, Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. See, Mom?! You’re never too old to start traveling!
Brazil does not suck...
My friends in Floripa made for good times indeed. Tass, Chris, Fernando (from left) and I rented a little roller-skate car to get out to all the best breaks. By the end, I ended up buying my own board and getting in the water for three sessions a day.
From the Land of Oz. These two wingnuts, Tass and Chris (aka Bazooka) from near Melbourne (aka Melbin), Australia deserved the final photo of the trip just because they are so damn hysterical. While they were never quite sure if I was laughing at them or with them, we had a real blast staying out too late and getting up to early for dawn sessions on Barra de Lagoa. See you fellas down unda some time!
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In the end, EdsGoneSouth II was a killer trip, dude... But seriously, it was really made so special because of all the friends I made along the way. It’s funny, while I missed good ol’ El Cab, especially around hour 20 on one of those long, sweaty bus rides through Bahia, all the friends I made on this trip made Cab's absence less painful. Maybe it was the ability to chat it up on buses, or maybe it was just no having this huge machine to occupy my time, but something was different. Maybe it was just me -- a few years wiser, a little bit softer, and just a lot more willing to take things as they come.
Happy Trails,
Ed
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Posted by Sully at May 30, 2005 06:13 PM