The cities I visited in northern Brazil were only on my radar because of Raul (one of my buddies from Peru). If it weren't for him, I'd have probably spent a third week in Rio and maybe a few days hitting some southern beaches between Rio and Iguazu Falls. Fortunately, I followed his recommendation, took the financial hit for flights to northern Brazil, and ventured to Jericoacoara (a beach town known for having no paved roads and excellent wind/waves for learning various surf sports), and Olinda (a city on the northeast coast of Brazil, pretty much known for being beautiful, I think).
No camera, of course, so the photos I've included were taken from Google Images. Lame, I know. BUT... I only used photos that represented what I actually saw and experienced there, so that's as close to my own photos of these places that we are gonna get.
Jericoacoara ("Jeri")
Getting to Jeri started out as a pain, and then became awesome. I got up in Rio at 7:00am, took a cab to the closer airport, SDU, and tried to catch the shuttle bus from there to the airport I needed (GIG), but the bus from SDU wasn't leaving for GIG until 9:00am and my flight was leaving at 9:45 so that wasn't going to work. So I got a second cab from SDU to GIG, and flew from GIG to the Fortaleza airport, which is the nearest airport to Jeri. The most cost-efficient way to get from Fortaleza to Jeri is to take the Fretcar, which is a bus that leaves from the Fortaleza airport about two or three times a day. Fortunately, I was able to snag one of the last seats on the bus leaving at 2:30pm, so I only had to kill about two hours at the airport in the meantime. However, getting from Fortaleza to Jeri takes about 7 hours, the last hour of which is spent in an open-air jeep-van thing, because big buses aren't suited for driving on the sand and dirt roads that lead into Jeri.
Around 9:00pm, we all switched from the Fretcar bus to the jeep-van thing, and that was the fun part -- I loved riding around the sand with the night breeze mellowing out the hot tropical air and hearing the ocean waves nearby (it was too dark to actually see them). I was actually a little disappointed when we finally arrived to Jeri around 10:00; driving along the beach at night was so pleasant, and I wished the ride would have lasted longer.
Jeri is quite small. I hadn't written down directions to my hostel -- I figured I would just ask around or at least find a place with wifi to look it up on Google Maps -- but it turned out to be right across the street from the Fretcar office where we were all dropped off. When I got there, loud Western music was playing (definitely a party hostel), and it took a while for anyone to notice me waiting at the front desk. Finally, one of the other guests noticed, and offered to go find a staff person to help me out. In the meantime, another guest talked to me and offered me a capirihna, since it was all-you-can-drink capirihna night at the hostel. This was lovely - exactly what I needed after a full day of being in transit. I got checked in, and then the capirihnas ran out, and someone grabbed my hand and said "Come on! We're going to the dance party on the beach!" So I said "okay why not" (knowing that I really didn't have the energy for a beach dance party but I could sneak away to my bed when needed).
This is exactly what it looked like that night: "street bars" specializing in caipirinhas and capiroskas
lining the sand road leading from the hostel down to the water during sunset.
Sure enough, the party was not my scene at all, but I just snuck away and wandered closer to the water, away from all the crazy youth (god bless 'em) and stared up at the stars for a while. It was definitely one of those moments I wanted to put extra effort into experiencing as fully as possible, and lock it into memory, because even though it still doesn't make sense to me that I got to be standing on a beautiful beach in Brazil in December staring up at the stars with infinite ocean in front of me and a dance party behind me, that was my reality somehow, and I wanted that reality to sink in as much as it possibly could.
I was in Jericoacoara for three full days. The first day I wandered around trying to find a new swimsuit and sign up for kite surfing lessons. Both missions were accomplished! My new swimsuit top is suuuuper cute. Maybe once I get to SE Asia and have a camera again, I can share a photo. You can all check out my charming new "travel belly" as well, which I guess is a thing, according to other travelers. I thought I would be losing a little weight during my travels from all the walking around, but as it turns out, gaining weight during long-term travel is pretty common; you can't get into a normal exercise routine, and you're constantly eating street food or dining out at restaurants. The swimsuit bottom is, well... from Brazil. I may not be sharing photos of that scandalousness.
This sand dune was a popular gathering space for sunset-viewing
When I signed up for the kite surfing lesson, the guy at the office (Marco) explained to me that the first lesson is all about getting introduced to kite surfing basics and that I might not be getting in the water at all. I explained that I only had two days, and he said even after a second lesson, I wouldn’t be up on a board practicing actual kite surfing, but I decided to try at least one lesson anyway. I figured it would be fun to learn about the sport, if nothing else, and if I got hooked, I could always seek out more lessons elsewhere. Plus, I wasn’t sure what else to do with myself in this beach town other than lay around in the sun. And granted, that’s not the WORST thing ever, but my body needed some actual sport-y activity. I didn’t pack tennis shoes, so I have to take advantage of random sports as they become available, like downhill mountain biking, hiking, having jump-rope competitions with an 8-year-old, or kite surfing.
The day of my lesson, Marco and an Italian instructor named Francisco drove a tall couple from Germany and I out to a less crowded area, about half an hour from the main Jeri beach, set aside specifically for water sport lessons. Marco explained some kite surfing physics and lingo to me as we waited for my personal instructor, Miriam, to get there. Miriam is a very petite woman from Austria with dreadlocks and tattoos and a casual badassery about her. She certainly embodied the Brazilian beach-sports-instructor vibe. I thought, hey – if she’s strong enough to do this, I can do this. And then it was explained to me that you really don’t need a lot of strength for kite surfing; the kite is attached to you with a belt-harness, and the steering of the kite is done by gently pushing or pulling a handlebar that is attached perpendicular to the cords of the kite. In any case, a person doesn’t need to expel any strength to hold onto the kite or to steer it, although core and leg strength could help with staying balanced.
To attach the harness, I had to step into it, and then it clasped around my hips and looked like/felt like I was wearing a very sturdy diaper. Then the instructors gave me a helmet for the kite control exercises, which were done while sitting down on the sand. Take a moment to picture that, please: I was sitting on the sand, legs sprawled out in front of me, in a diaper-like harness, wearing a helmet, staring gleefully up at a kite. I ‘m sure I looked like a ridiculous accident-prone baby person, but it was actually a really good time! I practiced holding the kite steady at different angles in the sky (11 o’clock on the left, 1 o’clock on the right), feeling out whether it needed to be pulled slightly on the left or right side of the rod to get the right tension level. If the kite needed to lift up a little higher, I released the overall tension by letting the handlebar slide up a little. I practiced getting it into the air when it had crashed into the water, and then lowering it back down once I’d gotten it all the way up to 12 o’clock. It was much more difficult that I’d imagined it would be, but I think I did all right.
With about 20 minutes left in the lesson, we finally got in the ocean to feel what it was like to move through the water using the force of the wind, but without a board, aptly named “body dragging.” To start, Miriam told me to just hold on to the back of her harness and she’d pull the both of us. Turns out, body dragging is a blast and I don’t know why people bother with the surf boards when the water is that warm – why not just stay in the water as you cruise along? Oh, I get it…because it doesn’t LOOK COOL?? Is that why? I guess I’m the only one who isn’t a slave to my image, then. I’ll be a body dragger, I don’t care. (Okay, "body dragger" actually sounds homicide-related, so maybe I’ll give the board a chance.)
When I told Miriam where I was from, she recommended Hood River in Oregon for continuing kite surfing lessons, if I was still interested when I got back home. Apparently, it takes about 22 hours of training before you’re good enough to just rent your own equipment and get out on the water by yourself. I’m not sure this sport is one I’m willing to invest THAT much time or money in (one 3-hour lesson was $180 so that would be about $1320 for 22 hours of training), but trying out a few more lessons could be fun. I just like doing too many things and there isn’t enough time (and money) to get good at all of them…. Then again, kite boarding would be REALLY fun to get good at: http://kitethegorge.com/
The weekend I was in Jeri, there was a Choro Jazz Festival going on, so I checked that out the night following my kite surfing lesson. Always fun when I happen to be in the right place at the right time to catch something like that (the other time that comes to mind is when I was in Cali, Colombia during the World Salsa Competition semifinals).
My last night in Jeri, I had dinner at a restaurant across the street which, according to everybody, had delicious fish that you pay for by the kilo. You go to the freezer with the server and just pick out which fish you want, and they weigh it and tell you how much it will be, and then you can order sides to go with it. It took a while to prepare (I think I waited 45 minutes for it), but definitely worth the wait. I've been eating so much fresh seafood in Brazil! I love it.
By the time I left Jeri, I was tired of beaches. I know, you want to punch me for saying that, but you can't, because I'm very far away from you, and very close to many beaches. The thing is, you gotta put sun screen on to protect yourself from all the direct sunlight, and then you are sticky, and then the sand gets on you, and then you're sticky and sandy all day. And if you go swimming, then you also get salty-sticky, and your wet swimsuit bottom irritates your inner thighs if you keep it on for hours afterward, like I do.
Oh god, I'm the worst. I can't believe I'm complaining about these beautiful ocean paradise lands. Just goes to show how easily people can adapt to anything as their new "norm" and get jaded with it... (this is why money doesn't buy happiness!!) I'm sure that after a few more days, I'll be excited about beach-lounging again -- especially since the next stretch of beach time will include the company of my wonderful mother and sister and a completely new corner of the world. But I also truly do miss the crisp winter air that the PNW has right now and all the cozy clothing that goes along with it. I bet you are all looking very winter-chic in your boots, peacoats, and scarves these days.
The jeep ride out of Jeri was even more lovely than the ride in -- the stars were so bright and beautiful and I was sticking my head out the side of the vehicle like a dog the entire time. We switched over to the big Fretcar bus around 11:30pm, and did our best to get some rest during the bus ride, which arrived at the Fortaleza airport around 5:30am. My next flight -- the one to Recife/Olinda -- wasn't until 2:00pm, so I had to entertain myself at the airport for about 8 hours. Not that bad, surprisingly. I had to pay about $7 for 6 hours of wifi, but it was money well spent. There is always more trip-planning and blog-writing to be done when I find myself stuck somewhere for hours like that.
Olinda
Places are never quite what I imagine they will be. When I look them up on Google Images, I get a sense of the most glamorous possible version of a place and my expectations shoot a tad higher than they should. Some of my imaginings are closer to the realities than others, but it’s always a bit of an adjustment. Olinda, however, was even more charming and picturesque than the images I found on the internet. It is a hidden Brazilian gem of colorful colonial-era architecture from as early as the 1500s, tropical trees filling in all the spaces between red tiled rooftops, and a vast turquoise ocean. The photo below was taken from the internet, but my own two eyes saw a far more impressive version of this scene yesterday. It was the first time I was deeply disappointed I didn't have a camera (or a friend with a camera) with me to capture the view.
A Brazilian man named Robbie told me that I was the the only American (or at least one of very, very few) who he has encountered in Olinda. Apparently, Europeans backpack through there fairly frequently but Americans seem to skip it; not sure why that would be. I guess not everyone has a "Raul" to give them insider tips about places to check out in northern Brazil and they just don't know what's up there that they're missing out on, when there are plenty of great beaches in southern Brazil.
My two days of healthy time in Olinda (I had a cold for one day that kept me hostel-hostage) was mostly spent walking up and down the street along the ocean, stopping every few hours to grab some food or a drink. Last night I sat at a table on a pier jutting out into the perfect blue water and had a moment very similar to the one back in Cartagena, when I noticed myself thinking, "How did I get this opportunity? Why am I so lucky? It doesn't make any sense for me to be here -- how did I get away with this?" I don't think it will ever make sense. I guess it doesn't need to. It probably feels very similar to this when you fall in love with someone and then you get to marry that person: How did I get so lucky? How did I get away with this? But hey -- when something amazing happens to you, when some beyond-wonderful person loves you, you don't have to understand why as long as you can accept it.
Speaking of acceptance.... this is a slight tangent, but I've actually been thinking a little about the difference between entitlement (which is not a good thing) and worthiness (which IS a good thing). Perhaps no one else needs the difference between these to be articulated, but I'm gonna do it anyway for my own sake.
I think it comes down to this: When you are entitled, you think you should have certain things, that you are owed certain things, that if you aren't getting those things, something is wrong and it's someone else's fault and they need to make it right. This is a toxic attitude. Worthiness, on the other hand, is about being able to accept when good things happen to you -- through your own merit or through the generosity of others -- without demanding that they do or even believing that they should. It's about being able to receive good things when they do come to you, because you know that you are no less deserving than anyone else of those blessings. Someone who feels unworthy will reject love, joy, generosity, money, gifts, etc., when they are offered, and that is a shame. This is why it's important to understand that you are absolutely worthy of all kinds of wonderful things in life, but not entitled to them.
What do you think? Is that a reasonable analysis of those two concepts? Seems like they get mixed up in my head sometimes and I needed to work through it (and share it, apparently).
This is exactly what the neighborhood looked like where I stayed, except the colors were even brighter in person,
even though the buildings also looked more run-down than they do in this photo
This extended traveling thing is such a different way of seeing new places than I'm used to. Day to day I never know whether it will feel like I’m living in an all-expenses paid magical vacation fantasy, or a serious and challenging character-building adventure, or working through a "travel assignment" that I just need to finish before I can return to my “real” life. It probably breaks down to be about 35% vacation fantasy, 60% character-building adventure, and 5% travel assignment. I can remember the first week in Bogota – and moments from every city I’ve been to since then -- like it was yesterday. I get to do everything so slowly now, without the distraction of a phone (even when I had a phone, limited wifi connection prevented me from being distracted by it whenever I left the hostel or AirBNB), and this makes it so much easier to take moments of stillness and silence to absorb my surroundings. I often feel like blowing a kiss out the window of a bus, out to the ocean, or over a congested street full of humans living another day of their human lives. There is a lot of suffering and ugliness in this world, but I get the feeling the grand majority of it is quite beautiful and relatively peaceful.
I have a collection of mosquito bites at various degrees of freshness covering my arms and legs. Some bites have happened within the past 24 hours, and others are fading but leaving my skin discolored a little, like bruises. How do people native to these areas avoid being covered in mosquito bites constantly? Brazilians do not apply DEET-lotion every day, I am sure. What is their secret???
I don’t think I’m going to finish my very short, very basic Pimsleur Portuguese lessons… I have been a bit of a failure with languages this trip, haven't I? When your first language is the world's most popular second language, it becomes a bit trickier to pick up a second language yourself, I've learned.
I look forward to having a routine again when I get home. I want to start running every morning; go to bed in the same bed every night; know I will be able to find what I want at the grocery store and have regular access to a kitchen; experience the normal flow of seasons; drive down familiar streets in my own car; wear a third or fourth pair of shoes and a second bra from time to time; make my coffee the way I like it every morning; and have a regular work schedule. I like working. I miss it. I find myself preoccupied with resume-revising and job hunting which is, admittedly, not the best use of my time right now, but I just want to be prepared for when it IS time....
I missed my flight to Iguazu Falls this morning because I assumed it was at 2:30pm when in fact, it was at 2:30am, so... crumbs. I spent $380 booking two more flights to get me from Recife to Iguazu Falls by midnight tomorrow night, which would still leave enough time to see both sides of the waterfalls, but the site I booked through -- Kiwi.com -- is taking a very long time to confirm with the airline, GOL. I already paid for my flight from Iguazu back to Rio, so I really hope I can get there in time.... we shall find out soon enough! :)