Leaving Rio

March 2, 2006 Leaving Rio De Janeiro.

It's exactly like everybody said: you won't want to leave, and you will definitely come back. Nobody goes to Rio only once.

There is so much to fall in love with, and every day you can find a new reason. We were so lucky to meet up with Jaimie, a friend of a friend from Vancouver, who got us tickets to all the best parties, and showed us the best sections of the beach, and treated us like family.  He organized a dinner for 30 last night at an elegant Brazilian BBQ.  We ate with new friends from Paris and London and New York and Miami and others from the state of Minas Gerais, and a few locals for fun too.  To feel so welcomed is a wonderful thing.

I don't know where to start. The pictures don't tell the whole story.  They don't capture the heat or the breeze or the way you sweat as soon as you get in an elevator.  You can't taste the beer or the Caipirinha. You can't smell the urine rising from the stone sidewalks at dusk (I know  it doesn't seem like something to love, but you get used to it, and it adds to the flavour of Rio.) There aren't many pictures from Rio because it's too dangerous to carry a camera.  Joe's camera was stolen out of his backpack on our trip back from the Corcovado (the Christ statue) . One of the first locals we met asked us right away, "Who's been ripped off already?"... It's very common and the thieves here are artists. They are clever and well-practiced, and you always have to keep your eyes open and watch each other's backs.

We spent only a few hours each day at the beach, but in Brazil, the time moves more slowly, yet somehow, a few hours at the beach eats away most of your day.

And the beach is an amazing scene. Besides having spectacular sand, brilliant emerald water and fun, but treacherous waves, it also has service.  You don't take a towel to the beach, or a book, or any supplies, just a few $Reals, maybe $10-$15 will last you a whole day.  You rent a chair and an umbrella, start a tab at one of the dozens of tents (run by locals, mostly from the Favelas- the slums... Just give them your first name, no ID, no deposit) And then you recline under your umbrella and watch the never-ending parade of spectacular bodies.  And just when you thought you've seen the most spectacular specimen, another will walk by and smile, and then you lose your heart for the 20th time today. There must be something in the air here. The Brazilians are obsessed with beauty. They are happy to show off, and they are the masters of flirting.  And if you think you are finished falling in love at the beach, the walk back to your apartment will present even more opportunities.

During Carnival, the street that runs along the beach becomes a giant party. It starts around 6:00 when the sun starts to set behind the mountains. Each day, a new 'float' from a different neighborhood in the city leads the way. The float is usually just a truck with massive speakers belting out traditional music that everyone sings to. The truck starts to move ever so slowly down the street. Musicians gather behind the truck and drum and play their horns. The crowd starts to gather, with little kids in princess costumes, or dressed like batman or spiderman. And adults play too: Drag-queen bumble-bees, and men dressed like cheerleaders in hot-pink outfits and really bad wigs. And everywhere, they are all singing and dancing. and the crowd just keeps growing and growing, until you can't see the end of it in either direction. It can be quite scary if you get caught up in the flow: it's like a rip-tide that you can't get out of. I was lucky enough to find a cement pole that I could stand on and watch the crowds streaming around me like water around a stone in a creek.

The kids buy these cans of foam that are a cross between fake snow and bubble bath... And they love to spray you with it!  And you can't be mad at them because they are smiling so big and having so much fun. The children here are beautiful and playful and they lift the spirits of anyone near them.  After the nightly parade dissipates a bit, it's time to head back to the apartment.  But you have to walk down Rua Farme, where all the restaurants have filled up on both sides of the street, and the crowds start to gather on the sidewalks for a Caipirinha or a beer. Soon, the crowds are so thick that traffic can no longer move, and the street party begins. Hide your wallet and enjoy the ride, the crowd will take you from one end of the street to the other, but there is a price to pay: you will be groped and hugged and kissed and danced with, and when you are spit out the other end, you might just want to dive back in again. It is chaotic and disorganized and delicious.  If you smile at someone, they will buy you a drink or dance for you or just give you a brilliant smile in return. You can start so see why it's so hard to leave. I want to cry right now just remembering it.

and I've not even told you about the Sambodromo experience. Seeing it on TV does not do it justice.  The Sambadromo is just a long stretch of street with bleachers on one side and private boxes on the other, it holds about 90,000 spectators, and is only used for Carnival- the rest of the year it is just a regular street for traffic. When we arrived by cab, the scene outside was the usual chaos of Rio; cabs weaving in and out, thousands of people streaming across the streets, and of course, the street vendors that are everywhere (We learned that street vendors make up 30% of the economy of Brazil. So far we have seen them in every city, always selling ice cold beer, mineral water, coke or Guarana.)  Inside the sambodromo, you fight your way through the crowds to find a place to stand to watch the parade.  We found our spot in the 'nosebleeds', but the view was excellent.  Each night 5 or 6 "schools" participate. The schools are really clubs that develop from the street carnivals. They start on the streets and over the years can gain enough participation and support to make it into the competitions. The schools that compete have up to 10,000 people marching and dancing and drumming. The floats here are like nothing you have seen before. They are 3 to 4 stories tall, and are pushed by people rather than being powered.  Each school has between 1 hour and 1 hour 20 minutes to show off, with a 20 minute break in between to let the crowds sit down and to clean the streets. There are lots of rules to participate, and each section of the parade represents a different facet of the schools chosen theme. Each year the schools write a new song, which is published in the guide-books so everyone can sing along (of course, this is Brazil!) And When I say they write a song, I mean they write only 1 song. It is an hour long (at least).  Oi, I had such a headache. But the floats and the costumes and the colours are unbelievable. Some of the floats had fireworks, some had waterfalls, some had a constant stream of mylar confetti, which kept floating up higher and higher, filling the air with a cloud of glittering silver. We stayed for four hours, but couldn't survive the heat and  the drums much longer.

And then there are the parties, the after-parties, the pool parties, the street parties. These people know how to live! The first party we went to, called X-Dimentia was in the old downtown area, and the streets were absolutely insane. There were so many people on the streets drinking and partying and it was scary. Everywhere you looked there were vendors and music was pounding and cabs were screaming by. We were all nervous until we found the venue, which was on three levels, with the top level open to the sky with a brilliant view of an ancient aqueduct and the favelas lit up on the hillsides. The music was good and the crowd was very friendly.  At one moment in the evening we had all gone up to the top to take a break from the heat on the lower dancefloor, and as we danced upstairs and looked up at the stars, two huge white birds sailed so slowly across the sky, lit from below, and oblivious to the pounding music. These birds look prehistoric, and they just sail on the warm currents, never flapping their wings even once. It was beautiful.

Another party we attended was in the marina, outdoors under these giant open tents. The music at this one was outstanding, and we met so many people, including dozens of friends from Vancouver who had just arrived on a cruise ship.  But it was so hot, even outdoors, that I felt tired for most of the party.  However, at about 6 am, the word started to circulate on the dancefloor that everyone was heading to the After-Hours party. We couldn't say no. We jumped into a cab and headed back to the apartment for a much needed shower and a change of clothes. And then we walked from the apartment to the party, and that's when one of our finest moments happened.  The sun was rising slowly, turing the whole city gold. The usual noise of the city was gone, and all we could hear were the birds and the shopkeepers sweeping the sidewalks. The air was still and had just the perfect temperature, and I was walking with most of my dearest friends to yet another party. Life doesn't get much better than this.

When we arrived at the club, we were all a bit apprehensive, but once we were inside, the music was even better than the previous party, and the scene was absolutely wild

When I finally stuck my head around the corner, all I could see was a sea of beautiful people, dancing like you wouldn't believe, with so much energy and so much fun. And these are absolutely the most gorgeous people on the planet. Sweating and smiling and having much fun. I have been to some great parties, but nothing like this. It was magic. I stayed as long as I could, but eventually, it was just too hot, and It was time to go and get some sleep (I think I left around 10am!)

There is so much more to tell of our experiences in Rio, and we are already trying to figure out how and when we can return. We flew out today, and are now in Salvador, staying in a small resort near the beach. Salvador is small, only 2.8 million people, and their carnival just finished, attended by 2 million people. The resort owner told us that about 800,000 people leave town so they can get away from all the madness, but another million plus come in to celebrate. They were still cleaning up when we were having dinner tonight.

I'm determined to go for a jog along the beach in the morning before it gets too hot, then we are heading to the old part of town for  a little sight seeing.

I'm so sad to have left Rio, but we are looking forward to Sao Paulo and the Amazon. Life is a little slower in Salvador, so we are hoping to write more often, and there seem to be internet cafes all over town.

More to follow!  And Brian, I am thanking you everyday for the camera. We are through about 700 photos already!  (And yes, we will make you look at all of them!!!)

Goodnight All!