The rest of the voyage to Brazil was very very long. We had a lot of class and our first test in global studies, out completely useless required course. The information we are learning about is very interesting and is stuff that I would love to know, but it is presented in a very poor manner. Everyone is disappointed.
On a more positive note, we just left Brazil last night! It was amazing. We arrived Saturday morning and me and my friends did not hesitate leaving the ship. We walked around Salvador and watched as everyone prepared for Carnaval. Although the celebration had already started, the main part was at night. One thing I did pick up from class was that it was started as a way to keep people’s cultures alive. Salvador is known for its unbelievable floats and costumes. The city itself is very poor, and it is just amazing the way that the people come together to celebrate their culture.
The way that the city it set up is that there is and ‘upstairs’ and a ‘downstairs.’ The ship docked downstairs, a few blocks from where the market was. That was ideal, so everyone pretty much headed there and took over the market place for a couple hours. It is very similar to a flea market. I bought a few things, and then we had lunch at the market as well. I wasn’t thrilled with the food, but it was cheap and we were starving. Then we took the elevator upstairs, which is where Carnival was taking place. Usually it costs five cents and only runs from morning until night, but during Carnival it is free and runs 24 hours a day. It was around 1:00pm and the party had already started. For some reason, a lot of men like to dress as women. There are half naked people running around, and some are a lot more than half naked. There is music playing everywhere and people dancing in the streets. Unfortunately pretty much everything is closed; the stores, restaurants, post office, malls… everything. Although I am sure some people were very happy to go to Brazil during Carnival, I think it made it difficult to actually learn a lot about the country itself since what it is like during Carnival is not what the country is like at all the other times of the year.
We returned to the ship around 2:00 to take a nap, and then headed back out. Since I was not going to have much time to explore Salvador, I wanted to do a lot now. Since we had an early lunch, we had an early dinner. I asked anyone and everyone if they knew where an open restaurant was, and finally we were directed to one. We had pizza which was actually very good, and I told all my friends that they needed to try Caiperinha, which is a drink made with a Brazilian liquor, sugar, water and lemons. Unfortunately, they were horrible at the place. It was basically like three tequila shots with a lime served in a Dixie cup. While we were eating, it started raining, so we decided to head back to the boat again. Some people went on the computer while others changed their clothes, we picked up some more people, and then headed back out to Carnival.
We thought it was crazy before but we really had no idea. We walked the entire city several times just watching people and watching what was going on. People old and young, dark and light, big and small, came together to dance and sing. It really was amazing. We found one spot where people were having a break dancing competition, so we stayed and watched for a while. The only thing to drink at Carnival is beer, people from age 8 to 80 are drinking it. Beer is not my thing though, and the people I was with were not big drinkers either, so it was fine and it was fun being the only sober people out of the 2 million in Salvador. From what people had told me and what I had learned about and seen pictures off, it was not what I expected. I expected crazier. Granted, I did call it a night around 11:00 or so, so it is possible that the craziness started later. But it was a lot of fun. That was all the Carnival I needed though. I was very happy to be leaving for the Amazon.
I got back, packed, and took a little nap before meeting my Amazon group at 1:20am in the Union, which is where global studies class is held. We loaded a coach bus to the airport for our 3:00 flight. Some people were still drunk from partying at Carnival. The flight was seven hours in total. Our plane stopped somewhere we didn’t know it was going to stop, let some people off, and then continued to Sao Paolo, which was where we had to change planes to get to Manaus. It is a very indirect route but it was the only available route during Carnival. I slept the ENTIRE time which was great and made it go a lot faster. When we got there, it was morning so we were all ready to start our first day in the Amazon.
Now, I am not sure of the order of things because it all seemed like one long day, so I am just going to write about everything that we did. Our accommodations were on a boat. We slept in hammocks and although there was a toilet for each sex, there was no shower. We were all going to be stinky. We went hiking, which is a feat when you are 3 degrees from the equator. We learned about how to survive if we are ever lost on the Amazon; what trees to eat, where to get water, how to climb a tree, what trees are hollow and used for banging against so that people can hear you and come find you. We hiked and hiked and hiked. We saw where the Rio Negro and the Amazon River meet however, did you know that they do not mix? There is basically a line where one ends and the other begins. It’s like oil and water. One has black water and the other has clear water. We went Alligator hunting and catching, piranha fishing, and swimming in those same waters. I held an anaconda, an alligator and a sloth and I decided that I want a pet sloth. (I thought of you Pop while holding themJ) We visited native villages where I feel in love with the children and wanted to take at least one home with me. I have some beautiful pictures I will try to post soon. We learned about how they survive, what they do for work, and we got tours of their villages. We also shopped at their ‘souvenir’ shop, which was how they make a living. It was an amazing experience and the highlight of the Amazon for me. They have nothing, except the most beautiful view in the world to wake up to every single morning.
Our tour guides were great. They could answer any question we may have had about the Amazon. They were both born and raised in a village in the Amazon, like the people that we saw. They were passionate about what they were doing, and they do it non-stop throughout the year with very little time off.
The food on the ship was amazing. Although I have been a vegetarian since leaving home, the non-meat products were delicious. For the fish eaters, we kept the piranhas that we caught and they were cooked up for dinner. It was nasty looking but everyone said it didn’t taste like much. There was not much meat on the fish.
We saw a show at a lodge in the city before heading to the airport for out flight back. We again had to switch planes, but in Brasilia this time. And, we had a three-hour lay over. Imagine 60 people sleeping on the floor of the airport…that was what we did. We arrived back at our ship around noon, ready to experience a few more hours in Salvador since Carnival was now over.
I got back, and took my first shower since Saturday. It was amazing. Then I was going to take a nap but my friends were ready to go out. None of them had gone to the Amazon with me, we all did our own thing. Some went to Rio, some stayed in Salvador, other went to a small island elsewhere, so it was fun to share our experiences, as well as make new friends on my trip. So we went back to the market, did a little more shopping, and then went to a typical Brazilian restaurant. A churrascaria where they come to you with different types of meet none stop until you turn your green light to a read light. There is also a normal buffet. (Kind of like Ipanema for those from Boston, but of course this was the real thing:) ) It was amazing and it felt so good to eat some protein. Some people got dessert but I just couldn’t. It was the first time I have been full in a very long time. We had to be back on the boat by nine o’clock, so after stuffing our faces, we got back in a taxi and went back to the ship.
On a more positive note, we just left Brazil last night! It was amazing. We arrived Saturday morning and me and my friends did not hesitate leaving the ship. We walked around Salvador and watched as everyone prepared for Carnaval. Although the celebration had already started, the main part was at night. One thing I did pick up from class was that it was started as a way to keep people’s cultures alive. Salvador is known for its unbelievable floats and costumes. The city itself is very poor, and it is just amazing the way that the people come together to celebrate their culture.
The way that the city it set up is that there is and ‘upstairs’ and a ‘downstairs.’ The ship docked downstairs, a few blocks from where the market was. That was ideal, so everyone pretty much headed there and took over the market place for a couple hours. It is very similar to a flea market. I bought a few things, and then we had lunch at the market as well. I wasn’t thrilled with the food, but it was cheap and we were starving. Then we took the elevator upstairs, which is where Carnival was taking place. Usually it costs five cents and only runs from morning until night, but during Carnival it is free and runs 24 hours a day. It was around 1:00pm and the party had already started. For some reason, a lot of men like to dress as women. There are half naked people running around, and some are a lot more than half naked. There is music playing everywhere and people dancing in the streets. Unfortunately pretty much everything is closed; the stores, restaurants, post office, malls… everything. Although I am sure some people were very happy to go to Brazil during Carnival, I think it made it difficult to actually learn a lot about the country itself since what it is like during Carnival is not what the country is like at all the other times of the year.
We returned to the ship around 2:00 to take a nap, and then headed back out. Since I was not going to have much time to explore Salvador, I wanted to do a lot now. Since we had an early lunch, we had an early dinner. I asked anyone and everyone if they knew where an open restaurant was, and finally we were directed to one. We had pizza which was actually very good, and I told all my friends that they needed to try Caiperinha, which is a drink made with a Brazilian liquor, sugar, water and lemons. Unfortunately, they were horrible at the place. It was basically like three tequila shots with a lime served in a Dixie cup. While we were eating, it started raining, so we decided to head back to the boat again. Some people went on the computer while others changed their clothes, we picked up some more people, and then headed back out to Carnival.
We thought it was crazy before but we really had no idea. We walked the entire city several times just watching people and watching what was going on. People old and young, dark and light, big and small, came together to dance and sing. It really was amazing. We found one spot where people were having a break dancing competition, so we stayed and watched for a while. The only thing to drink at Carnival is beer, people from age 8 to 80 are drinking it. Beer is not my thing though, and the people I was with were not big drinkers either, so it was fine and it was fun being the only sober people out of the 2 million in Salvador. From what people had told me and what I had learned about and seen pictures off, it was not what I expected. I expected crazier. Granted, I did call it a night around 11:00 or so, so it is possible that the craziness started later. But it was a lot of fun. That was all the Carnival I needed though. I was very happy to be leaving for the Amazon.
I got back, packed, and took a little nap before meeting my Amazon group at 1:20am in the Union, which is where global studies class is held. We loaded a coach bus to the airport for our 3:00 flight. Some people were still drunk from partying at Carnival. The flight was seven hours in total. Our plane stopped somewhere we didn’t know it was going to stop, let some people off, and then continued to Sao Paolo, which was where we had to change planes to get to Manaus. It is a very indirect route but it was the only available route during Carnival. I slept the ENTIRE time which was great and made it go a lot faster. When we got there, it was morning so we were all ready to start our first day in the Amazon.
Now, I am not sure of the order of things because it all seemed like one long day, so I am just going to write about everything that we did. Our accommodations were on a boat. We slept in hammocks and although there was a toilet for each sex, there was no shower. We were all going to be stinky. We went hiking, which is a feat when you are 3 degrees from the equator. We learned about how to survive if we are ever lost on the Amazon; what trees to eat, where to get water, how to climb a tree, what trees are hollow and used for banging against so that people can hear you and come find you. We hiked and hiked and hiked. We saw where the Rio Negro and the Amazon River meet however, did you know that they do not mix? There is basically a line where one ends and the other begins. It’s like oil and water. One has black water and the other has clear water. We went Alligator hunting and catching, piranha fishing, and swimming in those same waters. I held an anaconda, an alligator and a sloth and I decided that I want a pet sloth. (I thought of you Pop while holding themJ) We visited native villages where I feel in love with the children and wanted to take at least one home with me. I have some beautiful pictures I will try to post soon. We learned about how they survive, what they do for work, and we got tours of their villages. We also shopped at their ‘souvenir’ shop, which was how they make a living. It was an amazing experience and the highlight of the Amazon for me. They have nothing, except the most beautiful view in the world to wake up to every single morning.
Our tour guides were great. They could answer any question we may have had about the Amazon. They were both born and raised in a village in the Amazon, like the people that we saw. They were passionate about what they were doing, and they do it non-stop throughout the year with very little time off.
The food on the ship was amazing. Although I have been a vegetarian since leaving home, the non-meat products were delicious. For the fish eaters, we kept the piranhas that we caught and they were cooked up for dinner. It was nasty looking but everyone said it didn’t taste like much. There was not much meat on the fish.
We saw a show at a lodge in the city before heading to the airport for out flight back. We again had to switch planes, but in Brasilia this time. And, we had a three-hour lay over. Imagine 60 people sleeping on the floor of the airport…that was what we did. We arrived back at our ship around noon, ready to experience a few more hours in Salvador since Carnival was now over.
I got back, and took my first shower since Saturday. It was amazing. Then I was going to take a nap but my friends were ready to go out. None of them had gone to the Amazon with me, we all did our own thing. Some went to Rio, some stayed in Salvador, other went to a small island elsewhere, so it was fun to share our experiences, as well as make new friends on my trip. So we went back to the market, did a little more shopping, and then went to a typical Brazilian restaurant. A churrascaria where they come to you with different types of meet none stop until you turn your green light to a read light. There is also a normal buffet. (Kind of like Ipanema for those from Boston, but of course this was the real thing:) ) It was amazing and it felt so good to eat some protein. Some people got dessert but I just couldn’t. It was the first time I have been full in a very long time. We had to be back on the boat by nine o’clock, so after stuffing our faces, we got back in a taxi and went back to the ship.
A lot of people say that they do not think that any other stop on this voyage will beat Brazil, but I beg to differ. I have high hopes for South Africa…
Andrea, Kevin, Dannie and me in the market
with the elevator to the upper city behind us.
This is the 5 year old girl i fell in love with at one of the two
villages that we visited. Her name is Erica.
Me and Jika at the second village that we visited.
Me and Liz after a wicked long hike in the AMAZON.
these three are for you Pop!
Me holding the snake of the Amazon, the Anaconda.
My new favorite animal, the sloth! It's so cute!
Can you tell im nervous?
8 comments:
Jordi,
Brazil sounded so amazing. I can see why you would want to take Erica home with you. She has such big beautiful eyes. I loved the pictures of you with the animals.... especially the anaconda. Did you see the movie by that name?
We all appreciate you sharing your travels with us. It makes us feel connected to you.
Love you,
Dad
Baby, I am sorry the caipirinhas were not Junior like hehe, but I am glad you had a lot of fun! I loved the pictures, you look so funny holding that little aligator though... i am sure he was as nervous as you are. I cannot wait to see you online. I miss you :( say hi to Danni, Kevin, Dan and the rest of your friends. Te amo, bebesote
Hi Jord,
So glad to finally hear about your Amazon trip and see your lovely face!! Pop would certainly be in heaven if he could have gone with you! Thank everyone for sharing their telephones with you. Please enjoy, "be happy & don't worry"!!
Love you mucho,
Mom & Tova
ahhhhhh! omg i would NEVER hold that huge smake around my neck, youre crazy! I hope youre having an awesome time, looks like you are! Miss you so much!!
<3 Kate
JORDANINHA!!!!! This sounds soooo awesome! I can't beleive you are doing all of this! Miss you. I have my address in Spain if you want it. I'll send it by e-mail. I am leaving tomorrow. I can't belive it. Talk to you soon.
OOO Jordi you look like you having so much fun! I am WICKED jelous. i cant believe you held that snake. I cant wait to see you in a few months and here about everything! Miss and love you cuz!
ps. you probably are wondering about all the celeb gossip so no worries. I have you covered.
<3 Sharon
Baby i told Indra, my cousin in Brazil about your trip and she wanted me to forward his message to you:
Hi, I'm Paco's cousin who lives in São Paulo. I loved to read about your experiences in Brazil. But don't be too disappointed, because Carnival is a very nice time to get to know the Brazilian way of living. It's all about passion and being happy. That's what Brazilians are like. Enjoy your trip!!!!
http://wishiweresomewhereelse.spaces.live.com/
Hi! I'm writing another post...
So I didnt tell you before you left because I kinda decided last minute that I was going to apply to study abroad next winter in south africa :D !!!
I'm wayyyy excited, and we spend a week of our trip in cape town so definately write a lot about it to fill me in! I just submitted my application last week, ill let you know when i find out if im in!!
I love youuuu!!
<3 KateCass
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