Saturday, February 27, 2010

Brazil Trip (2)

The Rio Carnaval is truly amazing! It’s worth every expensive Real and is an experience of a lifetime. The Carnaval takes place over a period of a week with street parades and grand performances at the Sambadrome (like the Tafewa Balewa Square in Lagos). 12 groups (called schools, though they are not academic schools) compete over 2 days (6 schools on Saturday and 6 schools on Sunday), and then the champions from each day do a Champions Parade the weekend after that. The best time to go is the 2nd day of the first round (on Sunday), where the best schools perform. You can buy tickets online or through your hotel or licensed tour company. There are tickets for numbered seats or you can decide to sit in the bleachers and arrive early to get a good seat. Being a cheapskate, I chose to buy the bleachers ticket but my hosts chose a great area – Sector 5 with a great view.

The show begins at 8.30pm. I arrived about 7pm, got a good seat and settled in. The entrance is quite organised and the officials are efficient. There’s little rush. You simply look for the entrance to your sector and hand over your ticket to be swiped. There are also corporate box seats (with accompanying bars) for sponsors and their guests. As you can imagine, they are in prime positions where you can see and be seen (and envied).


Each school has 80minutes to perform, and the performances include accompanying live music, grand costumed parades, drummers and very ELABORATE floats. One thing I noted was that perhaps instead of singing one song from the beginning of each performance to the end, the schools could have varied it a bit. But I guess they rehearse and time their performance to such exactitude that it may help to use just one song. Each school has about 8 groups in its routine and sometimes a school may have as many as 6,000 participants! They try to tell stories so the performances are a blend of march past, dance and dance drama. Different cultures are expressed during performances. I could readily identify the following: African, Amazonian, Asian, Spanish, Japanese, Indian, Dutch, German, Islamic, Jewish, Oriental...you name it.

I must say that the story about topless women at the Carnaval is overrated. I did spy a boob or two but they were largely costumed and were in no way sensual or garish. They were more cultural and part of the overall costume or tribal dress being portrayed. Brazil is not a very sexual culture. From what I’ve seen, the daily skimpy dressing is matter-of-fact because of the heat and beach culture and it has lost whatever sexual appeal it may have once held. Bum shorts and tank tops aren’t immodest, they’re essential if you don’t want to die of heat stroke. It’s amazing that Brazilians walk their dogs (mostly cute little things) in the heat of the late morning or early afternoon.

I was able to visit two of the main beaches in Rio – Copacabana and Ipanema. Ipanema is smaller, more popular and hence crowded. I preferred Copacobana. You can get to either beach by tube or bus. If you can, avoid the tube...it’s filled with half naked bodies pressed together in a not-so-nice way. And anyway on the bus, you can take in the sights along the way. When going to the beach simply wear a bikini, if you’re a girl, with a wrap or light dress. You really don’t need to take anything along as you can rent a folding chair and umbrella when you get there. But on a truly hot day when there are bound to be many tourists, you may bring your own. Avoid carrying a camera or bag unless you’re in a group and someone will be watching your stuff at all times. All you really need is a bit of money stuck in a waterproof arm band/wallet.

Everyone wears a bikini (could be a thong or shorts); you’ll rarely see a one-piece. No one goes topless – that’s for the French:) Anyway, Rio is more of a ladies’ market. The women are not very well endowed, but the men look gorgeous. Sisquo would be right at home here as there are some nice ebony skinned brothers with hair dyed blond and incredible tattoos. Apparently, if you wish to see Giselle types, you have to go to another city in Brazil entirely. And the sand is scorching hot! You can’t walk on it barefoot, but the water is quite cold, almost freezing in contrast to the sand. The bus stops/metro are a block away from the beach. Simply follow the crowd till you see the water. If you choose a hotel by the beach, ask for a room on the upper floors facing the beach. The views are incredible. That’s one thing about Rio, the spectacular views. You can see The Christ or Sugarloaf Mountain from just about anywhere. Just look up and about.

When I got to the beach I was struck by the wonder of a black Nigerian executive standing in the middle of a crowded beach in a foreign land. And I was grateful for the privilege.

For shopping, the RioSul is good or try the Praie De Botafogo. Both have cinemas and as a bonus there’s an additional cinema just down the road from the Praie De Botafogo called the Arteplex. At the Arteplex, you’re guaranteed to find movies in English. Brazilian food is quite aromatic. I didn’t try many dishes because I couldn’t understand what was written in Portuguese, but just like Nigerian food has a distinctive smell of Maggi, and Indian, curry, Brazilian food has its own distinctive smell. Unfortunately I didn’t ask what the primary spice was.

More on the language challenges: Brazil is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. I imagine that they will need an English language intervention, much like China required one just before the Beijing Olympics. The language barrier is really significant unless you speak Portuguese or Spanish. This was confusing to me, as you cannot be a truly world class tourist location without making an accommodation for English speaking tourists. Malaysia and the UAE (Dubai) understand this and in Malaysia for instance, the street signs are in 3 languages: Malay, Hindi and ENGLISH. In Brazil, I wouldn’t eat in some street-side cafes because I couldn’t decipher the menus. In the more upscale cafes or restaurants, you can ask for an English menu. Many of them have one. If you happen to make friends with other tourists for whom English is not a first language, remember to speak proper textbook English. Idiomatic expressions and slang go over their heads.

Tourism is a significant business proposition and there is money to be made in providing advice to English speaking tourists who wish to travel to exotic locales. This space isn’t being properly filled and right now the major resource for this category of travellers is guide books. Lonely Planet makes some of the best, but a book is simply not as interactive or as helpful as a human being.

If you’re visiting a country for the first time and you can afford to spend a bit of time, I advise that you visit 2 or more cities within the country, so you get a full sense of the country and what it has to offer. For example, were a tourist to visit Nigeria, I would advise that they visit during a major festival say the Argungu Fishing Festival or the Kano Durbar. Their itinerary should begin in Lagos where they should take in both the Mainland & Island, proceed to Cross Rivers (Calabar) to visit Tinapa and Obudu Cattle Ranch, then take a side trip to Abuja before proceeding on to Sokoto or Kano for the festival of their choice. To really experience the culture and joy of a city, a festival is a great (though very expensive) time to visit. All you really need to turn a city into a tourist location is a very distinctive festival that takes place at a definite time every year. But the city must have 3 structures: a good, trustworthy English speaking tourist agency (like Arabian Adventures in Dubai), good transportation and good hotels.

I have one more Brazil Note to post, but I’ll leave you with this for now.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

My strongest impression of Brazil thus far is that no matter the colour of your skin, your body shape or size, you can enjoy being who you are. In Brazil, the people speak freely about what they call "the mix". The country is a melting pot of so many nationalities, religions and cultures. A typical Brazilian is actually a mix of 2 or more nationalities. They are the most accommodating, unselfconscious people i know.

At this insanely hot time of the year, the fashion for ladies is to wear a bikini top and a loose fitting blouse fastened by a single button at the back of the neck, leaving the back bare. This is paired with bum shorts and flip flops. For guys, beach shorts and no shirt. A t-shirt may be tucked in the back of your shorts for when you need to walk into an establishment that requires a shirt. And a gorgeous tatoo on one bicep is quite common, or for ladies on an ankle. Everyone looks like they're just returning from the beach (which they probably are) and i mean everyone: young, old, fat, slim, foreign or local.

But before i describe my time in the city of Rio, how exactly did i get here?

Well, a couple of years ago i decided to visit one or two new countries every year, starting with a country on each continent. I had visited Europe, N.America and Asia, so this year it was either Australia or S.America. I chose S.America and eventually Brazil, primarily because Carnaval was coming up and they had an embassy in Nigeria. Applying for the visa was pretty straightforward - they require the same documents as every other embassy in Nigeria. Getting the visa was another matter entirely. Apparently it has to be approved in Brazil first before it's issued in Nigeria. This took 6 weeks! I finally got my passport back with the visa and the next step was to decide how to get there.

My travel agent suggested Iberia Airlines (via Madrid) and so began another application, this time for a transit visa. I applied and 4 days later my application was denied with an accompanying letter in Spanish! Needless to say, i was quite pissed as i had applied for a visa to pass through the airport not go into the country. I promptly attributed it to the Mutallab Syndrome and proceeded to apply for a renewal for my US Visa, with a view to transiting through the US. After standing in line at an ungodly hour in the morning and producing much stomach acid due to nervousness, i heard the magic words: "Your visa will be issued. Pick up your passport in 2 days", at which point i muttered: "Up yours, Spanish Embassy"!

2 days later i ate humble pie after realising it would cost me twice as much to go through the US. I reapplied to the Spanish Embassy with a ton of documentation (The letter in Spanish mentioned "incomplete documentation"). My transit visa was issued 4 days later, just 1 working day before my trip (I had already bought the ticket as it was required for my visa application). Phew!

Meanwhile, booking a hotel was another drama entirely! During Carnaval, all hotels must be pre-booked, the amount is deducted immediately from your credit card and there are no refunds. Making inquiries is a nightmare if you don't speak Portuguese! I finally found a quaint B & B through Trip Advisor where the owner spoke English and was a licensed tour guide so he would assist me during my stay and buy me tickets in advance to see the grand parade at the Sambadrome. But, the B&B didn't accept credit cards and insisted on payment through Paypal. Now as we all know, Paypal doesn't allow payments from Nigeria, so i had to call a friend in the US to make the payment for me. By this time, as you can imagine i had a persistent headache.

Finally, my hotel was booked, my visas were in place and i left for the airport. Now, i don't know how to say this delicately so i'll just say it. Unless it's an emergency or as in my case you're a cheapskate, please DO NOT fly Iberia! I don't know if it was a coincidence but that night it seemed like a good chunk of my fellow passengers looked like pimps, hos and drug pushers. Nigerian home videos were being repacked cause someone's hand luggage was overweight. Someone kept swearing at the ground crew, F...ing this and F...ing that. Someone else unwrapped Suya during the flight...and the onboard service can't really be described as service.

Anyway, we finally got to Madrid where i had a 7 hr layover. I now understand how Mutallab got past security. You see when you get into a country at an ungodly hour of the morning, there are only 2 or 3 passport control guys and they are so sleepy, they barely glance at your passport. Also none of your hand luggage (or your person) is scanned before you board your connecting flight, so you can pick a "package" up from duty free and no one would know.

The flight to Rio was 10 hrs long. I met up with Richard at the airport, one of the hosts at the B&B where i would be staying and we were off to Botafogo, a charming beach side town in Rio that's supposed to be one of the safest. The house is way up a hill and we kept going up a winding road made of cobblestones.

The next morning i ventured off to explore the city with directions from Rob (another host). To get to the bus-stop, i had to climb down the hill via 2 flights of dangerous looking stairs. Once or twice i got lost and that's when i discovered the language barrier. Very few people speak a smattering of English so communication is primarily via sign language and key words. But the people are friendly and someone actually went out of her way to walk me to the bus-stop to get the right bus to my destination. The best way to get around is by bus. The buses have screens below the windshield that tell you their destinations and when you get in you hand the money over and tell the conductor exactly where you're going. You sit in front and gesture that he should tell you when the bus gets to your stop as there are no announcements or screens inside the bus. A word though - the drivers are worse than Molue drivers so hang on very tight!

A security warning: Many places are safe in Rio, but if your traveling alone you're advised not to carry a bag or sling a camera over your shoulder, especially at night, as muggings do sometimes happen. However, the major tourist spots are safe as they require an admission fee and are populated by mainly foreigners. I've wondered why tourist attractions always look better in pictures and on TV than in real life. Maybe it's because one's expectations are so high. The Christ Statue, The Botanical Gardens and Sugarloaf Mountain are must-sees and can be taken in, in a day in that order. At the major attractions, i noticed that the Asians always have the most sophisticated cameras:)

The botanical gardens have an overarching aura of peacefulness and contemplation. It reminded me that sometimes it's fun to travel with someone. It's the kind of place that lovers go to, to have quiet conversations and plan their future.

In all my trips, i've found that the best way to get a feel of a city (particularly if you're traveling alone) is to book a half or full day city tour for the day after you arrive (if you arrive late, that is, as most tours begin in the morning). Search for a reputable tour company online (although sometimes your hotel may be able to suggest one). Select one where you go with other people as that way you also meet new people who are tourists. After you've done the city tour, you'll get a sense of the city and the tour guide can either recommend other activities or you can strike off on your own. You'd be amazed the tour packages you can find online including outdoor activities like rock climbing and snorkeling or parties and club jaunts.

For shopping, the Law of Shopping Malls prevails: Things get cheaper the higher up the floors you go:) On an interesting note i found that when you're served beer at the street-side cafes, the bottle is placed in an ice cooler, like champagne:)

I'll be attending the main Carnaval Parade tonight at the Sambadrome. Will post pictures when i return. Bye for now.