Caipirinha followed by espressounavoidable mud between cobblestones
mirroring the unavoidable rain that hovers over the mainland
sharing of space and sunscreen with brazilian teens and brazilian babies
on beach and on boat
that finish one beer with the purpose of beginning another (the teens)
that stare, and smile (the babies)
The islands look best from above, from the back of a horse
with a couple other brazilian adventure-lovers
as if you could place yourself in the stream and end up in the ocean
the vet teaches me about bot fly larvae and how to remove them,
and demonstrates on a black dog
(lacking pictures of the horseback ride--tradeoffs between freedom and carrying a camera...)
1 comment:
I always found Brazil a strange time zone. You drive or walk around and see modern buildings and as you turn the corner you go back four centuries and the architecture is Brazilian rococco. These same contrasts extend to all things. In the USA you buy a beer and expect to have it arrive in the tallest coldest glass possible. In Brazil the beer brought to your table at a botiquim (corner bar/sidewalk cafe) is barely 6 incher high! Looks like the glasses hotels serve OJ in. In the States we identify with our jobs, our titles, etc. The Brazilians I met identified first with their friends and family, next with their neighborhood and lastly with the job. I like that way of looking at things.
I noticed that Maria didn't have much to say about Lula 2. I think the scandal rags will say enough in the next few years. If you can't get the Economist, Maria, just talk to the Brazilians - most know more about American politics than the average American. Surprisingly they know little about their own politics and political issues - they are all kept busy with the petite indiscretions of their leaders; who got the million dollar bribe, who is commiting adultery, who ordered the "hit" on a political rival .....
I hate Brazilian traffic. Maria, you went to Parati. From Rio it is several hours along a road paralelling the coast. Much of it 2-lane roads, travelled at speeds that exceed our US interstates. Right of way doesn't matter and if you are in a major accident it will take hours for help to arrive if at all. There are no ambulances, and no hospitals in the small towns, usually occupants end up 'laid out' by the side of the road/plastic sheeting protecting their privacy.
I don't want to sound like Brazil is not nice, it is a land of contrasts. After a number of years there I measured all subsequent experiences on how they measured up to Brazil and Rio. A few years there and you never want to leave, throw away the suits and ties, walk around in havaianas, have codfish balls and kibe, cheer your soccer team and believe firmly that all ecological moves to make the Amazon the 'lungs of the planet' are clearly a US conspiracy to take posession of its resources, just like we stole the rubber tree seeds from Trombetas to plant it in Asia, the mindset that in 1988 resulted in the murder of Chico Mendes in Xapuri, for defending the rights of the rubber tappers of Acre.
Samba, caipirinhas, sports on the beach, worship of the human body, broncear (tan), dinner at 9pm, head home at 4am, greet members of the opposite sex with a kiss on the cheek instead of a handshake, park cars on sidewalks, ignore red lights after 10pm, a President that didn't graduate from grade school, focus on the bunda, read the editorials and colunas on Globo on weekends. It doesn't get any better!
Diego
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