Hey folks, yes, it has indeed been a long time. After returning from Europe, I stayed at home in San Antonio working on graduate school applications, working part time in my dad's office (V.P. of information management engineering, aka filing), and stuffing my face full of Mexican food. After finishing my applications-- and sufficiently stuffed with Tex-Mex--I went on a road trip to visit grad schools. From San Antonio, I went to Austin (of course), then to Tucson (U of Arizona), UC Santa Barbara, then to the Bay Area to visit friends, UC Davis, then a long haul to CU - Boulder, back to Austin, and finally home to San Antonio. Then I flew to Minnesota to visit UMinn and see my brother. The whole trip went pretty well, but I wish I had taken an extra week out west to see some more sights. Expect a decision from my on grad schools relatively soon.
Now to what you're really here for: Brazil. I flew into Rio on February 7th and spent two crazy weeks there during the madness of Carnaval. I was lucky to find a host through CouchSurfing, the friendly Alberto. He generously hosted me for two weeks, which I enjoyed tremendously and am incredibly grateful for. At the peak of Carnaval, we had 9 people sleeping on his floor.
Alberto lives in Lapa, an incredibly interesting neighborhood. Just next to downtown, it is known for its nightlife, though the nightlife there mostly consists of gathering in the streets, drinking caipirinhas, and listening tothe music played by random samba b ands. Every day during Carnaval, blocos would pass by the apartment (a bloco is a kind of moving party, a truck with a band on it that drives slowly down the street, with revelers following and dancing). People dress in costume for Carnaval, and their word for costume is fantasia. Someone asked me, "Ted, what is your fantasia for carnaval?" I replied, "I dunno, I just want to have fun," imagining that he was asking me what my fantasy was. Then I asked him what his was, and he replied, "a clown." Then I got it. I dressed in drag, with a big artificial butt (bundao). Good times were had by all.
The scale and intensity of Carnaval astounded me. So much of the city is filled with people partying all day and night. I really enjoyed the casualness of the street parties--and my walllet also appreciated avoiding bar-priced drinks. I also went one night to the Sambodromo to watch "the greatest show on Earth." I was not disappointed. The parades were so huge and so elaborate, and the crowd cheered on as if watching a college football game. My stand was just past the end of the parade, which was actually not bad, as many of the performers would stop by for a little encore performance. One unbelievably ripped male dancer gave us a close-up view of his signature move: a vigorous (and I mean vigorous) air hump. And the crowd goes wild!
a huge Bloco in downtown. The biggest bloco (not this one, but it was close) had nearly two million people.
Rio really is an amazing city, and it has broken into the realm of "I could live there" places. I've never witnessed a city with such a combination of gorgeous natural setting, attractive big city, and status as a cultural capital. That said, the poverty of much of the city is readily apparent, crime is frequent, and it will be interesting to see how the World Cup and Olympics go. My guess is that they will go pretty well, the cameras will have lots of gorgeous shots of the city, and we will be treated to a tiring barrage of articles abou the rising BRIC economies and the changing face of our world. Or something like that.
After leaving Rio, I went to Buenos Aires. I had intended to spend one night there before heading to do some volunteering nearby, but my hosts canceled on me at the last minute. Luckily, my friend Sam Thomas (aka "Words" to us frisbee players) randomly messaged me about an hour later, saying he was living in BA. So, we chilled for a couple days, and then I headed south to Patagonia, which will have to be another post. (Don't worry, I'm having a blast).
not a bad place to chill on the beach
Now to what you're really here for: Brazil. I flew into Rio on February 7th and spent two crazy weeks there during the madness of Carnaval. I was lucky to find a host through CouchSurfing, the friendly Alberto. He generously hosted me for two weeks, which I enjoyed tremendously and am incredibly grateful for. At the peak of Carnaval, we had 9 people sleeping on his floor.
The apartment. And a couple people had already left that morning.
Alberto lives in Lapa, an incredibly interesting neighborhood. Just next to downtown, it is known for its nightlife, though the nightlife there mostly consists of gathering in the streets, drinking caipirinhas, and listening tothe music played by random samba b ands. Every day during Carnaval, blocos would pass by the apartment (a bloco is a kind of moving party, a truck with a band on it that drives slowly down the street, with revelers following and dancing). People dress in costume for Carnaval, and their word for costume is fantasia. Someone asked me, "Ted, what is your fantasia for carnaval?" I replied, "I dunno, I just want to have fun," imagining that he was asking me what my fantasy was. Then I asked him what his was, and he replied, "a clown." Then I got it. I dressed in drag, with a big artificial butt (bundao). Good times were had by all.
The Lapa steps: tiled by a Chilean, who has been working on them constantly for many years.
The scale and intensity of Carnaval astounded me. So much of the city is filled with people partying all day and night. I really enjoyed the casualness of the street parties--and my walllet also appreciated avoiding bar-priced drinks. I also went one night to the Sambodromo to watch "the greatest show on Earth." I was not disappointed. The parades were so huge and so elaborate, and the crowd cheered on as if watching a college football game. My stand was just past the end of the parade, which was actually not bad, as many of the performers would stop by for a little encore performance. One unbelievably ripped male dancer gave us a close-up view of his signature move: a vigorous (and I mean vigorous) air hump. And the crowd goes wild!
Rio really is an amazing city, and it has broken into the realm of "I could live there" places. I've never witnessed a city with such a combination of gorgeous natural setting, attractive big city, and status as a cultural capital. That said, the poverty of much of the city is readily apparent, crime is frequent, and it will be interesting to see how the World Cup and Olympics go. My guess is that they will go pretty well, the cameras will have lots of gorgeous shots of the city, and we will be treated to a tiring barrage of articles abou the rising BRIC economies and the changing face of our world. Or something like that.
After leaving Rio, I went to Buenos Aires. I had intended to spend one night there before heading to do some volunteering nearby, but my hosts canceled on me at the last minute. Luckily, my friend Sam Thomas (aka "Words" to us frisbee players) randomly messaged me about an hour later, saying he was living in BA. So, we chilled for a couple days, and then I headed south to Patagonia, which will have to be another post. (Don't worry, I'm having a blast).
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