Here we go, my first 20 hour bus ride. First, cram all my belongings back into my backpack. Then down to the beach for some sunshine and exercise before the long bus ride.
The rush is on, we have an hour to get to the bus and with the traffic in Rio, this concerns me. We have too much stuff between Toby, Aaron, AJ and I for 1 cab, so we split up and get 2. AJ and I flag a cab down and head for the bus-station. On our way I mention to AJ about our tickets for the bus and he screams out in panic. He left his passport and bus ticket back at the hostel. AJ yells to the cabby in Portuguese his urgency to head back to the hostel and then to the bus-station. The cabby is game for the rush. He makes an illegal turn and hops up on the sidewalk to bypass some cars and we turn into dead traffic. I finally convince AJ to hop out and run ahead to grab his ticket. He runs back, hops in and we are off to the bus-station. The cabby does a couple more impressive moves hopping curbs and directing his car through traffic. We arrive with time to spare. I came to the conclusion that any time spent with AJ you are in for an interesting adventure.
The bus seats are more comfortable than my bed in the hostel and they recline almost into a bed. I keep myself entertained with conversation, books, movies and sleep. I have read 4 books now, all perfect traveling books. 'The Life of Pi' which starts out very slow but turns out to be a very interesting tale of survival. 'The Alchemist' is a perfect read not only because it is about traveling and life goals, but because the author is from Brazil and it is a very popular book published in many languages . . . read it if you haven't. 'The Giver' is a book I read as a child and I remember it taking quite awhile to read, but I finished it on one long beach day in Brazil, thanks Monique! Then it was onto 'Adrift', another story of survival at sea, makes me glad to be safe on land. And I am currently reading 'The Art of Racing in the Rain'. Great book told through the perspective of a dog and the way he views his world and family.
15 hours later and I am ready to be there. We are seated right next to the bathrooms, I thought oh convenient as we boarded the bus. The smell at the end of the trip made me hold my breathe and count the minutes until our arrival.
20 hours and we pull into the bus station near Floranopolis. We grab a cab and pass through Floripa. We unload our packs at our new hostel, great place, and head out to grab some shrimp by the lagoon. Glad to be out of the madness of Rio and into the chill zone of Floripa.
Saturday, 25 December 2010
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Hostel Living
Che Lagarto in Ipanema has been my home for the past few weeks. It is a 7 story building with 2 to 3 rooms on each floor hosting anywhere from 2 bunk-bed's to 7 bunk-bed's per room. The bottom floor is the lobby and hang out area. There is a bar, patio, tables and couches. The lobby usually has quite a lot going on: people lounging, checking the internet on their laptops, socializing, drinking, checking in and out, etc. The second floor has a room with 3 computers with internet, there is usually a line, so using the internet can be a challenge.
There are people traveling from all over the world. I was surprised at the amount of people traveling from other parts of Brazil, Argentina and other South American Countries. Other common Nationalities are Australian, Irish, German, Swedish, Canadian and of couse . . . Californian.
It is a regular occurrence to have new roommates on a daily basis. People come and go, lot's of hi's and goodbye's. The hostel life is a great way to feel like you are traveling with others even if you are traveling solo. The opportunity to make new friends is only an introduction away.
The AC turns on every night from 10pm until 8am, those are the hours to sleep, any other time you will wake up from sweating too much. The beds are not comfortable, but with the hustle and bussle of the day and the extra sun, sleep usually comes easy. I awoke one morning to the sound of power tools and the surprise that our floors bathroom was going under a remodel project for 4 days . . . lame. Hostel life has been a good way of breaking out of my comfort zone, very little privacy. If it wasn't for Burning Man, I don't know if I could make it.
There are people traveling from all over the world. I was surprised at the amount of people traveling from other parts of Brazil, Argentina and other South American Countries. Other common Nationalities are Australian, Irish, German, Swedish, Canadian and of couse . . . Californian.
It is a regular occurrence to have new roommates on a daily basis. People come and go, lot's of hi's and goodbye's. The hostel life is a great way to feel like you are traveling with others even if you are traveling solo. The opportunity to make new friends is only an introduction away.
The AC turns on every night from 10pm until 8am, those are the hours to sleep, any other time you will wake up from sweating too much. The beds are not comfortable, but with the hustle and bussle of the day and the extra sun, sleep usually comes easy. I awoke one morning to the sound of power tools and the surprise that our floors bathroom was going under a remodel project for 4 days . . . lame. Hostel life has been a good way of breaking out of my comfort zone, very little privacy. If it wasn't for Burning Man, I don't know if I could make it.
Life in Brazil
Living in Brazil for the past couple weeks I have walked quite a lot. I forgot how pleasurable walking can be and the many details that would be otherwise unnoticed. I walk to the corner store for a acai, I walk to the market for water and other necessities. I walk up and down the beaches of Rio, constantly entertained by the people, sports and different ways of life. Everything is similar but yet very different. I am in a foreign land with a foreign language, where sometimes the only way to communicate my feelings is to smile and nod.
It is not unusual to walk around Rio and see groups of Brazilians headed to the beach or having a leisurely lunch stacking up empty beer cans on their tables. The beach is part of their culture. Coming from Santa Cruz I feel embarrassed that we do not take more advantage of our beaches that are easily accessible and our in our backyards. The beach is a scene, with hundreds gathered even at sunset cheering when the sun sets beyond the horizon. I have settled into my new surroundings and enjoy the people watching. I usually roll out with the bear minium . . . if I'm going down to the beach, I'll try to get down to just boardies and sunglasses. The less I have with me, the less to carry and worry about.
Alex Cohen and I have had a blast running around Rio on food missions or searching for a cool hang out for a beer. We laugh at ourselves and the many strange encounters we have with other travelers and the locals. Portuguese is a very difficult language, similar to Spanish, but the punctuation is much different. We both are having troubles learning to comprehend and speak the language. Hopefully it will get easier as the weeks pile up.
Toby, Aaron, AJ, Alex and I tried to pull off the group hang out. With that many people it was hard to get on the same program, so we mostly hang in pairs or 3's. The waves have been dangerously big in Rio. I watched as person after person got a free helicopter ride by the lifeguards. The currents as the tide changes run right out to sea, and even strong swimmers didn't stand a chance without fins or a board. The helicopter would cruise out with a huge bucket, swoop up the stranded swimmer as a crowd gathered on the beach, then the lifeguards would clear a small area on the shore and drop the swimmer off and head on their way like nothing happened. Lifeguarding in Brazil seems to be as close to 'Baywatch' as I have ever seen in real life, it is a honored job.
I find myself going to the bank or regretting my credit card spendings too often. Brazil (and I'm hoping that especially Rio) is very expensive. I need to either work on my spending habits or my journey may be cut short, I guess it's a learning process. I will focus more on free activities like hiking, hanging on the beach, wondering the streets, reading and writing.
Writing a blog is interesting because I am writing for friends and family as much as I am for myself. I don't write all the details that I might in a personal journal, so I focus on things that I feel are of interest to those following my trip. I plan on spending more time doing this, it's a good way to jog the memory and be more observant of my perceptions of my travels. I can get bored at times and miss my life back home. I remind myself that this journey will have it's ups and downs, and that all I have to do is try to enjoy myself through the course of my exploration.
It is not unusual to walk around Rio and see groups of Brazilians headed to the beach or having a leisurely lunch stacking up empty beer cans on their tables. The beach is part of their culture. Coming from Santa Cruz I feel embarrassed that we do not take more advantage of our beaches that are easily accessible and our in our backyards. The beach is a scene, with hundreds gathered even at sunset cheering when the sun sets beyond the horizon. I have settled into my new surroundings and enjoy the people watching. I usually roll out with the bear minium . . . if I'm going down to the beach, I'll try to get down to just boardies and sunglasses. The less I have with me, the less to carry and worry about.
Alex Cohen and I have had a blast running around Rio on food missions or searching for a cool hang out for a beer. We laugh at ourselves and the many strange encounters we have with other travelers and the locals. Portuguese is a very difficult language, similar to Spanish, but the punctuation is much different. We both are having troubles learning to comprehend and speak the language. Hopefully it will get easier as the weeks pile up.
Toby, Aaron, AJ, Alex and I tried to pull off the group hang out. With that many people it was hard to get on the same program, so we mostly hang in pairs or 3's. The waves have been dangerously big in Rio. I watched as person after person got a free helicopter ride by the lifeguards. The currents as the tide changes run right out to sea, and even strong swimmers didn't stand a chance without fins or a board. The helicopter would cruise out with a huge bucket, swoop up the stranded swimmer as a crowd gathered on the beach, then the lifeguards would clear a small area on the shore and drop the swimmer off and head on their way like nothing happened. Lifeguarding in Brazil seems to be as close to 'Baywatch' as I have ever seen in real life, it is a honored job.
I find myself going to the bank or regretting my credit card spendings too often. Brazil (and I'm hoping that especially Rio) is very expensive. I need to either work on my spending habits or my journey may be cut short, I guess it's a learning process. I will focus more on free activities like hiking, hanging on the beach, wondering the streets, reading and writing.
Writing a blog is interesting because I am writing for friends and family as much as I am for myself. I don't write all the details that I might in a personal journal, so I focus on things that I feel are of interest to those following my trip. I plan on spending more time doing this, it's a good way to jog the memory and be more observant of my perceptions of my travels. I can get bored at times and miss my life back home. I remind myself that this journey will have it's ups and downs, and that all I have to do is try to enjoy myself through the course of my exploration.
Saturday, 11 December 2010
Da Praia
I have seen hundreds of pictures of Rio and the beach, but no pictures can portray the experience of a day at the beach in Rio. It is part of Brazilian culture to go to the beach, so everyday, but mostly the weekends, the beaches are packed with locals and travelers. All you need is the bare essentials, in my case: a pair of trunks, sunglasses, sandals and some pocket change. Then you find a spot and take it all in. Vendors walk up and down the beach selling food, matte, acai, beer, water, anything the heart could desire for very cheap. You can even rent a chair and umbrella for shade for the day for about 5 Real, which is like $3. Everyday so far there has been swell, so whenever I get too hot I jump in for a bodywomp session. My knee prevents me from surfing or the other beach sports I like so much, but in a couple months all be all good . . . I can´t wait.
Sport is big in Rio. There is a slew of nets up and down the beaches with people (mostly locals) playing volleyball, foot volley and paddle ball. Obviously the volleyball is great to watch, but both the foot volley and paddle ball are unbelievable. Foot volley is played on the same court as volleyball (I think the net is a little lower) but you can only us touches legal in soccer. Otherwise said, no hands. The rallies and sheer athleticism is amazing, I sat today and watched a tournament for over an hour. The paddle ball is like tennis on the sand. The pace of the game is very fast with the serve being so fast, the opponent only has his/her reflex to get the ball back over the net.
There is a boardwalk that is next to the beach that people skate, bike and run at any point of the day. Today I found a free gym with all the weights, machines, yoga mats and classes you can handle. It´s called Muscle Beach and it´s a perfect spot to rehab my knee! Plus you are right on the beach working out watching people play in the water and in the sand.
The sand is thick white. Every other tropical place I have visited has no-see-ems or bugs that bite around sunset. Rio has no bugs at all, day or night. There are spotlights on the beach at night (I´m assuming for safety), but it makes the beach hospitable day or night. Rio has many mountains that protrude right out of the ocean. This makes for fantastic vistas, great sunsets and even better sunrises. I partied in Lapa last night for a samba street party and afterwards went down to the beach with some Brazilian friends from San Paulo for the sunrise . . . epic!
Sport is big in Rio. There is a slew of nets up and down the beaches with people (mostly locals) playing volleyball, foot volley and paddle ball. Obviously the volleyball is great to watch, but both the foot volley and paddle ball are unbelievable. Foot volley is played on the same court as volleyball (I think the net is a little lower) but you can only us touches legal in soccer. Otherwise said, no hands. The rallies and sheer athleticism is amazing, I sat today and watched a tournament for over an hour. The paddle ball is like tennis on the sand. The pace of the game is very fast with the serve being so fast, the opponent only has his/her reflex to get the ball back over the net.
There is a boardwalk that is next to the beach that people skate, bike and run at any point of the day. Today I found a free gym with all the weights, machines, yoga mats and classes you can handle. It´s called Muscle Beach and it´s a perfect spot to rehab my knee! Plus you are right on the beach working out watching people play in the water and in the sand.
The sand is thick white. Every other tropical place I have visited has no-see-ems or bugs that bite around sunset. Rio has no bugs at all, day or night. There are spotlights on the beach at night (I´m assuming for safety), but it makes the beach hospitable day or night. Rio has many mountains that protrude right out of the ocean. This makes for fantastic vistas, great sunsets and even better sunrises. I partied in Lapa last night for a samba street party and afterwards went down to the beach with some Brazilian friends from San Paulo for the sunrise . . . epic!
Friday, 10 December 2010
Unfamiliar Roads
Deadlines, Cell Phones, To-Do Lists, Bills have all been put on hold. I turned the key for the last time on my house, a house that treated me well, filled with good memories and good times. I stuffed my storage unit until it could not fit anymore, then I put the rest on the street hoping someone will find use with my junk. I called and canceled accounts, parked my cars, and fit my life into a backpack . . . time to hit the road.
The unfamiliar road keeps me attentive. No longer do I get to autopilot around my hometown, it`s time to stay alert, interested and surprised as I pass through the streets of Brazil. There is no hiding the fact that I am a foreigner, but luckily for me, the majority of Braziliian´s seem to like Californiian´s. Portuguese is none existent for me at this point, so I speak a mixture of English and Spanish with lot´s of non-verbal communication.
Disconnecting from life back at home is harder than I thought it would be. My dreams are tangled with friends and family and experiences from Brazil. I have constant access to the Internet, but I am trying to limit this exposure so I can stay present in the moment. Although, it is nice to be able to check in on people I miss. At my hostel there are almost as many computers (laptops) as there are people in the common area. I´m glad I left mine at home, otherwise I would be stuck in a virtual world when there are great people and conversations right in front of me all the time.
Brazil never sleeps. In the morning people are running and working out on the beach before work or the heat of the middle of the day. At night cabs lead people through the streets to different nightclubs. Last night I experienced a live Samba group in Lapas. I tried to samba, but ended up busting a sandal. One of the guys that works at the hostel looks like Spacoli from `Fast Times at Ridgemont High`and he heckled me after I danced and then told me he was proud of me.
Over 5 million people live in Rio, hard to fathom that number. Rio is a mixing pot of skin colors, hair colors, cultures, lifestyles, classes and anything else you can think of. Yesterday was my first full day at the beach. I was walking on the cement boardwalk by Ipanema when I passed a Brazilian who smiled big and asked me where I was going. I didn´t really have an answer so he invited me to hang on the beach with him and a couple girls. His English was perfect which helped with translating with all his friends. He rolled a couple spliffs and we drank mate´on the beach jumping in the water every half an hour to cool down. Brazilian bathing suits are revealing to say the least, both for guys and girls. I feel over dressed in my boardshorts. There are vender's walking up and down the beach selling food and drinks, pretty much anything you could want (I wish our beach was like this but there is too much regulation in the states). I got a pretty bad sun-burn on my back where I could not reach to put on sunscreen, it looks like a rash because its only a small region. Next time I will ask for help.
I am very fortunate to be able to travel for 7 months. I am one of the lucky few who was able to break away a good chunk of time and money and go out and experience the world. Breaking out of my comfort zone will help me grow. Now is the time in my life to be open to new experiences, to challenge myself to try things I normally wouldn´t. It´s time to walk the unfamiliar road.
The unfamiliar road keeps me attentive. No longer do I get to autopilot around my hometown, it`s time to stay alert, interested and surprised as I pass through the streets of Brazil. There is no hiding the fact that I am a foreigner, but luckily for me, the majority of Braziliian´s seem to like Californiian´s. Portuguese is none existent for me at this point, so I speak a mixture of English and Spanish with lot´s of non-verbal communication.
Disconnecting from life back at home is harder than I thought it would be. My dreams are tangled with friends and family and experiences from Brazil. I have constant access to the Internet, but I am trying to limit this exposure so I can stay present in the moment. Although, it is nice to be able to check in on people I miss. At my hostel there are almost as many computers (laptops) as there are people in the common area. I´m glad I left mine at home, otherwise I would be stuck in a virtual world when there are great people and conversations right in front of me all the time.
Brazil never sleeps. In the morning people are running and working out on the beach before work or the heat of the middle of the day. At night cabs lead people through the streets to different nightclubs. Last night I experienced a live Samba group in Lapas. I tried to samba, but ended up busting a sandal. One of the guys that works at the hostel looks like Spacoli from `Fast Times at Ridgemont High`and he heckled me after I danced and then told me he was proud of me.
Over 5 million people live in Rio, hard to fathom that number. Rio is a mixing pot of skin colors, hair colors, cultures, lifestyles, classes and anything else you can think of. Yesterday was my first full day at the beach. I was walking on the cement boardwalk by Ipanema when I passed a Brazilian who smiled big and asked me where I was going. I didn´t really have an answer so he invited me to hang on the beach with him and a couple girls. His English was perfect which helped with translating with all his friends. He rolled a couple spliffs and we drank mate´on the beach jumping in the water every half an hour to cool down. Brazilian bathing suits are revealing to say the least, both for guys and girls. I feel over dressed in my boardshorts. There are vender's walking up and down the beach selling food and drinks, pretty much anything you could want (I wish our beach was like this but there is too much regulation in the states). I got a pretty bad sun-burn on my back where I could not reach to put on sunscreen, it looks like a rash because its only a small region. Next time I will ask for help.
I am very fortunate to be able to travel for 7 months. I am one of the lucky few who was able to break away a good chunk of time and money and go out and experience the world. Breaking out of my comfort zone will help me grow. Now is the time in my life to be open to new experiences, to challenge myself to try things I normally wouldn´t. It´s time to walk the unfamiliar road.
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