Pre-Carnaval anticipation and excitement happens all year, but reaches its peak the week before Carnaval.The backbone of any Carnaval celebration is the music of Samba.Samba seems to grow and flourish in the hearts of all Brazilians, as evidenced by their passionate singing and dancing.Cariocas, the people of Rio, are a happy-go-lucky group who love Samba and live to party.
When an amateur Samba School performs on the streets of Rio, a massive block party, or Bloco, ensues.The Schools are marching bands led by a section of enthusiastic percussionists and followed by the Carro do Som, an enormous truck with a platform on top that carries the Samba singers.The rhythmic beating of the drums keeps the pace for the march and the lively lyrics excite the trailing party that follows.A School may have as little as 45 members, but the number of people that flock to join the party ranges in the thousands.
The Sunday before Carnaval was our first Bloco experience.As we walked along the Ipanema beachfront, we could hear the pounding of drums from over a mile away.We could also see crowds of Cariocas and tourists, young and old, heading in the direction of the sound of Samba.As we made our way along the white sand beach, the cool blue water was a beautiful contrast to the crimson color of the sky as the sun set.The warm humid air gave us a relaxed shorts-and-t-shirt feeling in the tropical setting of Rio.Feeling so relaxed, we thought we could stop along the parade route and just watch the party go by.However, once we approached the chaotic samba-crazed mass, it was impossible simply to be observers!
Brazilians do not sit pleasantly along the sidelines as Americans do when they watch the New Year’s Rose Parade.In Brazil, everyone is involved in the parade from singing, to drinking, to dancing with friends and strangers.Initially, we attempted to let the Bloco pass by with its celebrating Cariocas in tow, but before we knew it, the crowd and beer vendors encircled us and sure enough, we began to clap and sing with the rest of the parade.
As a Samba school moves slowly down the street, it gathers people and momentum along the way.In what seems like only moments, thousands of people appear in front, in back, and along the sides of the band.Moreover, the partygoers all consider themselves a part of the parade attraction.We saw everything from sequined clad transvestites, to men in all sorts of Halloween costumes, to women in the famously skimpy Brazilian bikinis—and everyone was shaking their bodies to the tunes of Samba.We eventually got the hang of it and samba danced the night away upon the sands of crazy Rio.What a night—and that was only the celebration for Pre-Carnaval!
Brazil’s largest and most spectacular Carnaval celebration consists of five nightly parades held at the world-renowned Sambadrome in Rio. The Sambradrome, constructed specifically for Carnaval, is a linear outdoor stadium stretching over a quarter of a mile long and seating up to 40,000 spectators.The stadium floor is the stage for professional Samba schools to perform to a carefully selected theme, parading in lavish costumes, each with a full band, and a grand fleet of two and three story floats.
Try to picture 3,000-5,000 Brazilians singing and dancing for each Samba school at the parade (seven schools parade each night).Now envision the most elaborate costumes in a rainbow of colors, with feathers, flowers, sequins, shells, lace, and lacquer.Add to this the pounding of a marching band in a surreal, riotous exhausting display of energy; all of this enhanced by towering floats adorned with glitter, blinking lights, smoke machines, and topless women shaking their hips atop rickety platforms to the rhythm of samba.As if that were not enough to keep your eyes occupied, there are also flood lights, spot lights, and colored lights shining in every direction so that not a corner of the parade is left unnoticed.
Watching from the grand stands is an exhilarating experience, particularly if you are seated in the less expensive, non seating-assigned, “non-tourist” sections.In the “locals” sections, everyone stands up, dances, sings, and routes affectionately for their favorite Samba school.Celebrating with the locals in Section 3, we experienced what it was like to be a part of Carnaval—not just to observe it.
Rain or shine, the parades must go on.Rio is located in Mata Atlantica, a coastal rainforest, and the rainy season occurs during their summer (January-March).The night we went to the Sambadrome, it began to rain during the beginning of the first samba school’s grand entrance, but this did not slow down any members of the school.Rather, the members marched on, heads held up high, faces glowing, voices overflowing, feet moving, hands clapping--and no one seemed to skip a beat.Since the parades are also a competition, each School’s energy is unstoppable and a little inclement weather is not going to “rain on their parade.”
Each night of the event, seven schools compete against each other.They each have 80 minutes to traverse the stadium floor and there is a 20-minute intermission between each performance.This means that if you are adventurous enough to buy tickets to the Sambradrome, you have just signed yourself up for an all-night party!The parades kick off at 9pm and end at 6am.Now you know why Carnaval in Rio has a famous reputation: it’s non-stop glitz and glamour for the biggest party of your life!
Heading south of Rio by bus to Costa Verde, you begin to notice that there is much more to Rio State than the bustling metropolis of Rio de Janeiro.Costa Verde means “Green Coast” and the name is appropriate for the area since it is truly a tropical paradise: 350 lush green islands, nourished by heavy rainfall, dot the coast like gleaming emeralds in the ocean.
As our bus pulled into the station at Angra dos Reis, the first main stop in Costa Verde, it began to rain.Actually, it poured, the heavens opened, and the thick vegetation of the rainforest drank.What it could not drink, it spilled out plentifully into the streets, and the rain flooded the roads.Cars rowed past the window to our hotel room, water up to their rims, splashing pedestrians as the drivers thoughtlessly sped down the avenue.The storm shut down the town’s electrical power too; yet, what initially appeared as a foreboding scene turned into a romantic setting.Without any light in Angra, restaurants served dinner by candlelight.We found a quaint locale near the port and enjoyed paella for two at Verde Mar.As the candles on our table flickered in the dark, a warm glow seemed to overcome us in the otherwise wet and dreary evening.
The raindrops of night magically turned into the sunshine of day.Now we could enjoy the splendor of the Costa Verde islands after all!For only $7 each, we boarded a large white schooner named Corisco IV for a six-hour tour.With its tall wooden masts and large bow, we motored with 55 people to the beautiful but tiny Islet of Cataquases.The captain pulled right up to the sand and from the middle of the boat, we jumped into the clear light blue water.First, we snorkeled, then, we ventured on land to explore the dense green foliage.The island was not more then 100 meters long and in some parts not more then 20 meters wide, so, it took little time to trek.
Soon we were sailing for Isle Grande, the largest island in the archipelago.We reached the island’s blue lagoon, swam with hundreds of intensely bright colored fish, then climbed ashore to hike through the rainforest.The forest was chock full of all types of palms, banana trees, and climbing vines.There were plants growing right out of the side of trees!There were vines that wrapped around trees like boa-constrickers, moths that blended in with the grayish color of tree bark, and gorgeous butterflies dancing amongst our heads.Just when we thought our jaunt to Isle Grande could not get any better, to our pleasant surprise, our $7 tour included a typical Brazilian buffet lunch on another isolated part of the island!To our hearts’ content, we ate locally caught fresh fish, rice and black beans, fresh vegetables and salad.On this sort of budget, we could afford explore the Costa Verde all week—and that is exactly what we did!
The trip from Angra dos Reis to the 18th century village of Paraty, is only a two-hour bus ride further down the Costa Verde.For a total of merely $4, we road a local bus to this next destination.What an experience…There were so many people on the bus, we had to stand for the first hour.As evening fell upon us, rain came in the windows wetting passengers lucky enough to have a window seat.We stood in the isle crammed with 30 other locals hanging on for dear life as the crazy bus driver sped through heavy rains, windy roads, and the black of night.Miraculously, we arrived safely in Paraty despite the wild journey.
Arriving in Paraty provided no relief from the downpour, but our trusty Let’s Go guide helped us find a dry hotel room right on the beach for only $18 a night.What we were not able to see because of the darkness and rain was the beautiful beach and the town of Paraty.Only in the morning once the rain had ceased did we discover that our hotel was on a tree and hut covered beach, with stunning views of a tropical rainforest hill, islands and boats, and just across the river from the colonial-style downtown.
After a walk into the old city, we realized that this part of the Costa Verde was interesting not only for its natural beauty but also for its history.Approximately 300 years ago, the Portuguese sought to fund the expansion of their empire with gold.From the gold mines of Minas Gerais in central Brazil, there was the Gold Trail, which ended at the port at Paraty.Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese, Paraty was little known; however, in the 1700s, as Portuguese gold mining began, Paraty became an increasingly important and developed port town.
The town’s rich and well-preserved architecture consists of white washed walls with brightly colored doors and window frames.Inside many of these solid walls is a traveler’s dream: restaurants serving sumptuous local sea fare in an atmosphere of dark woods, unique carvings, black and white tile, colorful walls, tropical palms, and tunes of romantic Bosa Nova music.For those who fancy a drink outdoors, chairs intimately arranged on bougainville-lined cobble stone streets provide an equally charming setting.
Everything about Paraty attracts the eye.A light hike over the rainforest covered hill to Praia de Jabaquara beach was yet another delightful surprise.The sun was setting and the tide receded 100 or so meters because of the almost flat ocean bottom, which revealed a huge floor of mud.As we walked along the shoreline, the thick, dark grey mud beckoned Chris to tromp around in it.With mud up to his thighs, he painted his stomach and arms, pretending to be a native as Angele laughed and smiled back on shore.Supposedly, during Carnaval, the locals completely cover themselves in the mud and run back into town to complete a local dance ritual.Chris wanted to cover his whole body in it but was unsure if our Posada owner (hotel owner) would enjoy the abdominal mud man walking through his front door.Luckily, a beach-front bar had an outdoor shower for Chris to wash off.
Clean and rested, we awoke “early” (8:45am) the next morning, excited for more adventures around Paraty. With a couple from Brazil and Seattle we traveled in an open, over-land truck to the remote seaside village of Trindade, 30 kilometers from Paraty.Up until five years ago, there was no road from Paraty to Trindade, so the only way you could get there was by boat or on a very long road from Sao Paulo--this helped to retain the small-town feel of the place.For the most part, only locals and expat hippies have inhabited this village and its beautiful beaches.
The allure of Trindade is its rather untouched landscape.The light blue bay has large rocks jutting into it, which create several smaller bays shaded by palm trees and other dark green rainforest plants.Fresh water streams run down from the hills, cutting across the sand, and trickling into the surf. We hiked a trail that led us up and over a dense patch of rainforest to a secluded beach of pure white sand.Then it was up and over another hill to natural salt-water pools with colorful fish swimming about our feet as we waded through the chilly waist-high water.Large grey granite boulders provided protection from the surf and provided a smooth perch to soak up the suns tanning rays.It was like a remote slice of heaven.Chris snorkeled about the natural reef enjoying the underwater circus, while Angele relaxed on the rocks.Too bad we were hungry for some fresh fish from the local beach side restaurants or we would have stayed at the pools the rest of the day.
During a relaxing lunch on the beach we exchanged stories with our new traveler friends about the ups and downs of traveling on a budget in Latin America.As anyone who has been on the road for an extended period of time, in a foreign country, on a shoestring budget, can testify, all never goes as planned, but the experiences create memories that will last a lifetime.
