(More Bahia Photos to come once I develop my disposable camera:)
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009.
Today is hard. I’m wary of everyone, I’m devastated that I’m about to visit a city that I’ve always dreamed of visiting with no camera to record its beauty, and I feel horribly horribly vulnerable. When I travel, I take it upon myself to remain very very strong at all times (even in the face of devastating circumstances). This is really the only way to keep my head above water. Furthermore, the moment I let my emotions take over it is very hard to move forward and I just want to curl up in a little ball until my mommy comes to rescue me. I didn’t cry much during the whole episode yesterday, and I have to admit, under the circumstances, I am surprised by my own strength, calm and perseverance. I can definitely say with confidence that there is something great about traveling with a companion, and I am looking forward to coming back to Rio accompanied at a later date.
Despite everything that happened yesterday, I really like Brazil. It’s truly a pretty great country, I had no idea. I mean of course I had romantic ideas about what it must be like here, but after spending this much time totally immersed in the culture and people it’s easy to see why most Brazilians are wildly patriotic (aside from their soccer obsession). They all know that there is an insane amount of violence, crime and poverty in their country, but underneath their shame for these things, they are still proud to be Brazilian. The rivalry between Brazil and Argentina is also really interesting, especially because I’m headed to Buenos Aires to live for a while. The majority of Brazilians that I have met think I’m silly to be moving to a country where the people are so cold and arrogant. I understand the Argentine stereotype, but hey, there are cold and arrogant people in EVERY country and the people that I happen to know in Argentina are pretty grand, just like the people I have been so blesses to meet here in Brazil. So I think I’ll just keep living my between cultures lifestyle and see if I can’t do my part to bridge the gap and clear up the misjudgments.
I arrived in Bahia. Probably just because I was scared, It looked scary and desperate and poor to me. I have so little money due to not having my bank card, but taking the bus felt like an overwhelmingly scary option… so I approached an “official” looking taxi driver and said in Portuguese – “Look, I was robbed in Rio yesterday, I have very little money and I need to get here (pointing to the address) – can you help me out” he said that the ride would normally cost $87 Reais, I told him I could only pay $60 – he agreed and I hopped into the back of a white taxi cab. The driver was the cutest little button ever with the WORST stutter I have ever heard in my life. It was so bad he actually convulsed with hands in the air every time he had to “choke up” a sentence. He was this handsome older black gentleman with milk chocolate skin and kind eyes. He loves all things musical (especially Michael Jackson) when he found out I was an artist from the states he asked for my autograph and was so excited to be driving me to my hostel… which he had never heard of… which we couldn’t find. Ahem. So, obviously I was just beyond tired sad and anxious at this time. We stopped to ask three different people and finally, FINALLY, we found it. This beautiful old house turned hostel… I could smell the Nag Champa incense burning, there was bossa nova playing in the background. I was HOME. The cutest little muffin of a Cuban turned Brazilian man greeted me with a big hug, which is when I realized that it was MY music playing in the house. Ha ha. “you must be Tiffany” he said (in perfect English) I almost cried with relief. The taxi cab driver was like a giddy little kid and asked to have a picture with me taken on his cell phone and refused to take the full $60 for the ride. He was way too cute.
We entered the house, which was filled with burning candles, colorful walls, flowers, artwork, musical instruments. It was like heaven at this point and when he handed me a glass of fresh mango juice I almost peed my pants (from happiness I mean).
Anyways… I immediately got online and took care of some incredibly pressing matters (my mom had spent ALL DAY in the bank trying to wire money to me) after a few hours she learned that California is the only state that currently cannot wire money to Brazil. Go figure. I think I have enough to live on for the next few days (since I paid for my lodging in advance). So no gifts or t-shirts but I’ll be able to eat – Oh and I bought two disposable Kodak cameras. I am having so much fun making a joke out of it with the people in the house. I’m snapping away and then shouting “oooo who knows how it’ll turn out… it’s so fun… it’s a MYSTERY!!!.”
Here’s a rundown on my housemates: There is Alex and Jacqueline (they run the house) and are artists and filmmakers (we speak Portinhol - a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish). Then there is a beautiful couple from Valencia, Spain who are here in Brazil for three months to live/explore (we speak Spanish). There is a couple here on a 5-week vacation from Austria (we speak English). There is a couple from New York who quit there jobs in the tech industry to spend a year living in Buenos Aires (they rent a house just around the corner from the studio where I’ll be recording my album, I know, Crazy – we already have dinner party plans) Then there are a couple of friends from Uruguay (we speak Spanish) and since Montevideo the capital of Uruguay where they live is just a 30 minute ferry ride from Buenos Aires, I will most definitely be visiting.
So the 7 of us (Three totally smitten couples on the vacation of a lifetime and lil' ole' me) walked down to the beach where this famous Brazilian singer (kind of a Brazilian Brittany Spears with talent) was playing at this massive auditorium right on the coast next to a light house in celebration of Brazilian independence day (which was yesterday) her name is Claudia Leitte. We had a blast drinking cheap Brazilian beers, dancing and pretending we knew the songs. I almost had a heart attack when the band starting playing a cover of Jason Mraz’s “I’m yours” – I couldn’t believe it. Talk about international recognition.
When the show was winding down we walked to a local pizza place and ate to our hearts content. Can I just say I was so very happy to have friends. It was liberating to be with people to had my back, furthermore all I had on me was like $10 reais and a disposible camera, so I wasn’t worried about being robbed. It would cost them the $10 reais to develop the disposible camera and all they would get out of it would be a blurry picture of a monkey and a self-portrait of me eating cheese on a stick on the beach. lucky them.
We headed back to the house after dinner and spent the next hour or so singing, playing guitar, jamming on drums and “attempting” to dance Samba – hehe.
So, it’s been great so far. I feel really safe and I’m making the best out of my little money/no camera situation. I’m making some nice friendships here and this morning after a big breakfast provided by the Hostel I was filmed for an upcoming documentary that will be released the beginning of next years on Brasil21 films. That is the company that was started by Alex and Jacqui, they have a couple of films out. The target audience is an English speaking audience and so I did the interview in English and I was asked to speak on the topic of “The difference between men and women within society and the existential crisis suffered by most men” I was like… gee, let me think, YEAH I can speak on that topic. HA HA. It was cool. I’ll let you know when I get a copy of the documentary.
Friday, July 3rd.
Well well well. Gonna go to the pristine beach today and eat cheese on a stick then dance Samba tonight. Tomorrow I’m going to walk to Pelourinho (the historic center of Salvador, Bahia) to take some random photos and check out the architecture. On Monday morning I head back to São Paulo for my last week in Brazil. Wow. Time has just FLOWN by. I’ll definitely be back soon. I think my sis and I are going to be here for carnival in February… my friends are looking into renting a house here in Bahia for Carnaval and (I haven’t mentioned this to my sis yet) but it would be really fun to join them. Bahia is supposedly amazing during carnaval – plus we can always stay with other friends in Rio or São Paulo. Ah yes, it’s good to now have friends here in Brazil… very nice.
We had a potluck with the entire "hostel family" on the beach tonight... after we ate and drank to our hearts content the boys rounded up some locals for a Brazilians/Internationals soccer match. It was good times.
Saturday, July 4th.
This morning I decided to get an “earlier” start on the day and we headed to the beach around 11am. Ate more cheese on a stick. Spent 20 minutes floating around in the cool bathtub like water (with about a million other people) then when I felt as though my skin might just sweat off of my body (it was hot) we packed it up and headed back to the hostel. We showered and Gillian, Kent and I (they are the couple from New York who are living in Buenos Aires) we took the long walk into Pelourinho – the historic center of Salvador.
I don’t know if it was just because I was robbed or if Brazil is just truly very dangerous but throughout all my years of traveling I have never felt so strongly that my physical security is being threatened. I think the worst part is that here in Brazil it’s hard to know what severely bad thing might happen to you. In other countries I have felt like “oh I may get robbed or pick-pocketed” here I feel more like “Am I going to be beaten or held at gunpoint” – the stakes just feel a lot higher.
The town of Pelourinho is really lovely – cobblestone streets and old colonial buildings make up the landscape along with people practicing Capoeira in the plaza (don’t you dare take a photo as they will demand money – in fact, don’t even look at them, you’re bound to be swindled)we walked down little alleyways, home to various painters and street artists – I tried my best to look uninterested, which is the only way to avoid being haggled, harassed, and nearly shook to the ground for your money. After a short time in this historic center we turned around and headed back towards home – no one in there right mind should hang out here after dark, every alleyway that isn’t “painted to please the tourists” looks like a place where very bad things happen. We were heading back to the plaza when the cutest little African looking boys starting chasing each other and laughing – while circling me. It was a cute trick (I’m sure learned at a very young age) to distract tourists while stripping them of all of their belongings. I felt hands on me and I tried to shimmy away quickly. Once they saw that all I had on me was a disposable camera and a $5 pair of sunglasses (I ditched my Chanels after the Ipanema incident) they scurried away. Phew. I was ready to leave after only 20 minutes.
We shared a taxi home with a couple of European backpackers and at the hostel I changed, showered and pounded a beer trying to ready myself to hit the streets again. My Uruguayan friend, Gonzalo had just arrived “home” and offered to split a taxi with me to the Museum of Modern Art. This museum is located right on the coast and every Saturday night they have a Jam Session featuring some of Bahia’s up and coming Jazz musicians. This was a really cool scene. Locals and tourists alike flocked to this event and there must have been a couple of hundred people in this little courtyard overlooking the water listening to these fantastic jazz musicians. There was a sax and trombone player, various percussionist and drummers that rotated in and out on stage, a couple of killer guitarists and just two female guest vocalist. By the time I got up the courage to approach the MC and ask if I could sing, the music was winding down and time didn’t allow. I did meet one of the percussionist after the show, however, and he mentioned that I should contact him if I am ever in Bahia again and he can help me arrange to play with the group.
Back at the hostel Gillian had made and Apple tart served a la mode in honor of our “motherland” and we all said a “saude” to the USA and ate apple pie ☺
Sunday, July 5th
I wanted to do something interesting on my last day in Bahia, only I couldn’t rally up any of my housemates to take a trip with me… so of course, I fought my fear, and headed out alone. I took a taxi to the central bus station where I was going to catch a bus to Arembepe since it supposedly has a fantastic beach. I walked around the bus station searching for a company that sold tickets to this elusive town. I finally found one and they said “oh, we only go to the entrada (start) of the town and no farther.” Apparently there wasn’t a single busline in the station that had a direct bus to this place. Everyone kept telling me that I had to go out on the street across the highway and catch a city bus. I did not like this idea at all. I almost just took another $15 taxi back to the hostel – but I was resolved to not spend my last day in Bahia doing something mundane. I walked the scary walkway over the freeway to get to the other side – it was like the black market with various vendors selling cheap Rolexes and other goods. I held tight to my little disposible camera and towel and walked fast with my head down. When I got to the other side, I couldn’t for the life of me find this supposed “linha verde” that everyone was directing me to. What I did find, however, was a private van/shuttle that takes people to Praia do Forte – which is another beach that I really wanted to see while I was in Bahia. At that point I was beyond nervous and when the driver said that he would take me there for $7 Reais, I was like “deal” and I hopped in the air-conditioned van. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of yet another adventure. After about 30 minutes, the van finally took off, it then proceeded to speed up to every bus stop where the employee in the back of the van would throw the sliding door open, hang out the side of the van and yell “Praia do forte, Arembepe…” and a list of all the places we were going to be stopping. I knew I had made a poor decision.
Long story short, I spent nearly three hours in this little van picking up and dropping of various Brazilians at random little towns on the way. When we finally arrived, the sun was dipping and I knew I only had a couple of hours before it would be too dangerous for me to stay there. This was NOT the way I wanted to spend my last day in Bahia.
I walked through the various tourist shops to get down to the beach and I’m sorry to report that I was sorely disappointed. During the drive there were these beautiful powder white sand dunes and one would only assume that a similar scene would be awaiting them on the coast. What I found however, was brown “raw sugar” sized sand, and a very small amount of it. The water was a nice temperature, but I was entirely too hungry, tired and frustrated to swim. I bought a subway sandwich – so sue me – and sat on the beach and ate it. Then I went for a walk along the coast, which was very beautiful. My favorite part were the colorful fishing boats that dotted the coastline, and of course… the palm trees.
The sandwich upset my stomach so I rested until I felt well enough to eat ice cream, which I did, and it was yummy. I wanted to visit the “Proyecto Tamal” – the Turtle Project – that this area was so famous for, however I hadn’t brought enough money with me. Go figure. The happiest part of this failed adventure was when I saw a big crowd gathered down by the water… there were children so I felt safe… when I got closer I realized that they were getting ready to release a bunch of baby turtles into the ocean. The Turtle Project is a wildlife refuge and a rehabilitation center for this huge sea turtles which are common and endangered in these parts. These little black baby turtles were beyond cute and only one of them had the courage to actually approach the sea. The rest of them hung back until the handlers had to physically pick them up and set them closer to the waves. When the wave came these little babies would get swept out into the sea, you could see them flailing there little arms and legs, doing somersaults, most likely terrified. Many of them ended up right back on the shore, where another wave would pick them up and repeat the entire process. I felt empathetic. It was like a metaphor for my life.
In all honesty, I was feeling a little sad. At this place I was without a doubt the only person there who was alone. There were families, couples, friends… but NO one was absolutely alone like me. I just felt one again limited from the things I could explore and the places I could go – so after being out of the van for only a couple of hours I turned right around and found the public bus that I was supposed to take in the first place – and paid only $3.50 Reais to take me back to the train station. I was feeling at least a little bit safer on this bus, so I dozed off. I awoke who knows how much longer when the bus had come to a complete stop on the side of the road, the engine was turned off, it was dark, and people were yelling. Um, yes, I was scared. I couldn’t really understand what was being screamed in angry, frantic Portuguese, but I believe it had to do with someone refusing to pay and also refusing to get off of the bus. Perhaps in another country, the rest of the bus-goers would remain quiet and calm patiently awaiting a resolve to the problem. Alas, this is Brazil. People from the front to the back of the bus were screaming a solution to the problem or complaining that they had to get home, or, I don’t know, screaming lotto numbers for all I knew. All I know is that it was a frantic scene and I was just praying that it would resolve itself before some type of riot broke out. To my left I look out the window of the bus and three military clad police officers where jumping freeway medians to get to us. Uh oh, I thought. This is either going to be a good thing or a very bad thing. Luckily – they arrived, diffused the situation and had us up and running again in a matter of minutes. OBRIGADA A DEUS.
This had been a very long bus ride by this point in time and I tried my best not to seep into a spiraling depression due to the fact that my last day in Bahia had been spend primarily riding in a vehicle – terrified.
I had a hard time finding a taxi at the bus station – when I finally did - there was something very wrong with his car. It sounded like the rear right-side tire was about to fly off of the axle at any moment. Either that or he was smuggling weapons in the wheel well. Not pleasant, and he grandly overcharged me for the ride. Once we got to a place that looked somewhat familiar, I asked to be let out, paid the ridiculous fee and walked the rest of the way to the hostel. My hostel mates, of course, were all happy and sunny having spent the day on the beach, or in the water or doing something else fabulous. I wanted to smack myself upside the head for not staying put – but instead, I just tried to shake it off and enjoyed a fabulous salmon dinner with fresh fruit salsa – courtesy of Gillian who is a fantastic cook. For dessert: butter tart with coco ice cream and of course, three rounds of Caipirinhas. After food and drink… the dancing began and Jackie taught us all a Samba routine, which we were then asked to perform for her until she was satisfied. Which basically meant when we were all sweating profusely and about a second from passing out.
It was a good ending to a not so good day. Tomorrow I head back to São Paulo, then it’s just 7 more days in Brazil. Wow, time went by WAY quickly. A whole new adventure is about to commence.
Monday, July 6th
Today has been pretty tranquilo so far… woke up, packed my things, took a shower, had “Café da manha” then took a taxi to the airport. My driver took me along the coast and since I hadn’t arrived that way – I was terrified that he was playing me and taking me on some random route. Finally towards the end of a silent trip – he looked back at me and I smiled – then he asked “Wait, do you speak Portuguese” I said “Yes, and Spanish” – “OH, he said, I’m so sorry – I didn’t know” then I explained to him how I had been robbed and how I was wary of everyone and didn’t know if he was taking me for a ride. He was very nice and responded that the drive by the coast was not only much more scenic, but also avoided an insane amount of traffic at this hour. Ah, I see. Not everyone is out to get me. So, I made it to the airport, bought a last minute t-shirt with my left over Reais and I’m now safely on the plane back to São Paulo. Phew. It will be nice to be somewhere safe and familiar again.
It was low season so the streets, shops and clubs were dead, but I got the basic picture and I can see how much fun it must be (especially for hormone raging teenagers) during the summer.
