Favelas

It would be unfair to write about our experience in Rio without writing about favelas, large slums. Rio has around 500 favelas, some filled with up to 200,000 inhabitants. Movies like "City of God" portray the institutionalized poverty and inescapable cycle of oppression that exists in Rio, alongside the very richest in the country, perhaps the world. From most vantage points throughout the city (even the most pristine beaches), favelas can be seen on hilltops.
Jamila had learned about favelas and watched a few movies about the conditions in her Portuguese class, and we had discussed their comparisons to the American ghetto, as favelas are filled with mostly Afro-Brazilians.
When we arrived in Rio, our fancy hotel boasted a complete "favela tour" for around US$75. Jamila and I were horrified by the objectification of people and their homes as another tourist attraction, the notion of slumming. We wondered where the money went- to an outside tourist agency or to support businesses and families within the communities.
Our friend Warren went on a favela tour that took him about 5 hours. He said it was a really great experience and kept talking about how the favelas had their own grocery stores and were their own self-sustained towns. When I expressed my concerns about visiting a favela, he admitted that he too was worried about treating a favela like a zoo. But our discussion with him brought up the important fact that favelas do exist in Rio, and in fact are a large part of the city's history and culture, and to ignore their existence would be equally ignorant. If I return to Rio, I would be interested in visiting a favela, to get to know the people beyond the stereotypes, and to hopefully directly support those living there. It would be a different vacation than lying on the beach, but I think also important. I would be interested to know what others think.

More Pictures from our Travels

Copacabana beach!
We drank agua de coco from the beach.
What would Jesus do?
The view from Sugarloaf.

City of God/The Marvelous City/ Rio de Janeiro

We left São Paulo around 9:30 Thursday morning en route to Rio de Janeiro.  We finally arrive 7 hours later to our final destination of the South American road trip.  After being ripped off by yet another taxi driver (for any who's counting that's like the 5th time) we made it to the Windsor Plaza in Copacabana.  Staying in hostels can be fun but it can be difficult to get a good night's sleep or a warm shower.  The hotel was located a mere 2 blocks from the famous Copacabana beach.  And most of you might be familiar with "The Girl from Ipanema," a bossa-nova song by Tom Jobim, which was only about ten minutes away.  

Rio stood up to its name at the the Ciudade Maravilhosa as it quickly became my favorite city we visited.  Large and lush mountains reach the white sandy beaches making for a stunning back drop from any vantage point.  It was about 90 degrees- perfect weather for going to the beach.  The waves were big and the water was refreshing.  We did sustain one casualty however; Emily attempted to enjoy the waves but ended being topped over by a smaller wave by most people's standards.  From farther in the water I watched Emily go down- with a look of terror on her face.  She grabbed her head in a vain attempt to save her glasses.... but all was for nought and they were donated to the sea.  So if you see any fashionable sunglasses floating around the Atlantic Ocean, let us know.

 The city was our most expensive destination due to plethora of tourist attractions.  The first we visited was Sugar Loaf or Pão de Açucar.  This large mountain was originally named by the indeginous people of the area, but the Portuguese explorers thought the name sounded like Sugar Loaf.  After taking two three minute trams to the top we had an AMAZING view of the city.  The beaches, the moutains, and of course the smog.  Although some Cariocas (people from Rio) claim that São Paulo was too big, Rio is home to around 10 million people.

That night we went out to the famous "Lapa" area which is known for it's bars and clubs.  It was similar to Bourbon St. perhaps in the fact that the streets were filled with people and lined by restaurants and places to party.  People walked down the street serving shots of tequila as others just enjoyed themselves.  While it is common for most to stay out until about 8 AM, Emily and I only lasted until about 2 AM.  We had been waking up early to take advantage of the city, and thus barely getting any sleep.  The Cariocas we met were disappointed.

On Saturday we made our way to the famous statue of "Christ the Redeemer" which sits atop a mountain which can easily be seen from most parts of the city.  It was a windy road to the top and we were joined by hundreds of other people.

For me it was climax of the trip because about 4 months ago I pointed out the statue to Emily on a post card.  We were in Minnesota at the time and all of this seemed so far away.  But finally after 10 days of exhausting travel we had made it- and it was worth it.

Enjoy the pictures!  Until next time- Jamila

Claes Encounters of a Third Kind

We are back in Buenos Aires after a long, amazing trip.  Here is where we left off...

Sao Paulo, Brasil.  Written by Emily (title provided by Jamila)

The Sampa Hostel prepared to host a party in honor of 100 years of Hosteling International, a company that organizes hostel options across the world.  Gonçalo, who worked at the hostel, was hyping the party with its Brazilian BBQ, wine and cake.  People who owned/worked at hostels throughout Sao Paolo came to the event and they got the lion's share of the free food and drink.  The BBQ was yummy and cost R$3,00 (about $1.50USD).  I kept wondering about the gigantic cake.  As the Paulistas got drunker, the cake became means for a food fight.  When I finally did try the cake after asking about it for hours, it was not too yummy.  Claes, Jamila and I had a fun time and at midnight the party moved to Pau Brasil, the samba bar from the night before.  It was packed with a live band playing and everyone on their feet dancing.  A wonderful part of Brazilian culture was displayed at the bar- someone buys a large beer (a "40") and brings many cups to the table, sharing with everyone.  The beer was a bit watered down so I loved it.  Jamila and I had to leave early for Rio the next day, but before we left, Gonçalo shared some important observations.  He called me "cakey girl" because I was allegedly obsessed with cake and he told me that Sugarloaf (one of the famous tourist attractions in Rio) was indeed not a cake.  All in all, our time in Sao Paulo was a lot of fun, but I know we did not get to see all that the large city (of 14 million people) had to offer.  Next time maybe!

More Travels- Porto Alegre and Sao Paulo

In order to repay the generosity of Arno and his partner Silvia, Jamila and I offered to cook them a ´typical American´dinner on Sunday night. Cooking in someone else´s kitchen is difficult, trying to find the spices, the particular utensils, etc. Finally, Jamila and I were able to complete a spaghetti with meat sauce, broccoli (Arno challenged my favorite vegetable by saying they had no flavor- I had to prove him wrong!) and garlic bread. It was pretty delicious, as Jamila and I are a pretty solid cooking team. And it was so nice to eat vegetables!
We left for Sao Paolo on Monday. I had booked plane tickets through Azul airlines, a local company founded by the creator of Jet Blue. When we got to the airport, we were treated to a complementary buffet (for all Azul passengers) and then a delay. While we only had to wait for about an hour, other passangers had been stuck at the Porto Alegre airport for 6 hours. We made it onto a plane that stopped in Navigantes, arrived in Campinas and then we hopped on an Azul bus to Sao Paulo. All in all it took six hours- way less than the 20 hour bus ride we opted out of.
We got to the Hostel in Sao Paulo in the Vila Madalena neighborhood, where our friend Forrest just recently finished his study abroad. It was exciting to walk around a city and I wish we could have done it with him! We did meet a traveler from Sweden named Claus, with whom we walked around. We took the Metro, which was a cheap $1.25 USD per ride and went to the MASP, the art museum, the Mercadao (pronounced Mer-cah-dow), a cross between Canal Street, China town, and Times Square. People were selling underwear, candy jewelry, batteries, bootleg movies and games, purses, and even a live turtle! The market spanned many many blocks. Also, we made a stop at McDonald´s for my first chesseburger from Micky D´s! I´m ashamed to say this, but it was delicious. I have a picture to prove it.  We then walked into a Cathedral, one of the oldest neo-gothic in the continent.
We rounded out our long day by picking up ingredients for dinner. Cooking will be cheap and keep us warm! It was a little rainy and chilly today but hopefully the weather will clear up, especially for when we get to Rio!

Last moments in Uruguay and first day in Porto Alegre

Hola! Or should I say Ola?...

Emily and I had a late night on Thursday getting free tango lessons until 3 AM in the hostel. I started to get the steps.... but Emily was having a harder time which Carlitos, our impromtu instructor found to be quite entertaining.

Sleeping in a room with 8 other men and women wasn´t as bad as I thought it would be. It was quieter than an average Macalester dorm room. We got free breakfast consisting of cereal and bread with dulce de leche ( basically caramel sauce) and then headed out around town in the old part of Montevideo (la ciudad vieja).

We walked out to a nice viewpoint and finally saw the Atlantic Ocean, and then went on a tour of the oldest theater in South America. We went with our new travel buddy Warren, and even though the tour was in Spanish, the Teatro Solis spoke for itself in many ways.

For lunch I basically had a plate filled with cholestorol including- french fries, a hamburger with an egg, ham, bacon AND cheese, and potato salad. I did not even finish half of it. Emily had a big piece of chicken with a side of fries. In Uruguay they do not eat their fries with ketchup, either oil or vinegar is added instead.

Montevideo was small but fairly interesting, and so it wasn´t a bad thing that we only spent one night in the city. So at around 6:15 PM we were ready to leave for the bus station - Tres Cruces or Three Crosses, and then on to Porto Alegre. The staff at the hostel tried to call a taxi for us to take to the station; however, they were unable to get a hold of anyone so we quickly made our way to the Plaza de Independencia (pictured in the photo) and waited and waited and waited for a taxi. There was a long line building up of people waiting at this taxi stop, and it was so bizzare because there were either no taxis in sight, or every one that passed by seemed to be full.

After about 45 minutes of waiting, Emily and I got nervous that we wouldn´t make it to the station in time to leave on our bus. Emily then asked someone about how to take the public bus to station and two women were really kind and said they would walk with us to the stop. We asked them why it was taking so long for a taxi and learned that unfortunately a taxi driver had been murdered and most drivers were on strike as a result. The bus stops were, as a result of the death, COMPLETELY packed. Luckily the bus headed to the station stopped right in front of us and we were able to squeeze are way on with out too much pushing or shoving. We arrived at the train station at 7:40 PM... only 10 minutes late. But of course, it really wasn´t a big deal that we were late and Emily and I took a big sigh of relief.

The bus was not too bad, it left Montevideo at around 8:30 PM and we arrived in Porto Alegre at around 9:00 AM. Although it might seem like an incredibly long bus ride, the idea is that you sleep for the majority of the time, and so the time really goes by fast.

We are now at Arno´s apartment. He is such a professor- his rooms are overflowing with books about human geography, geopolitics, etc. He is an excellent tour guide! He took us to a buffet for lunch $5.50 USD for all you can eat- and so many fruits and vegetables!) and for a walk around the old part of the city.

Hola Uruguay!

We made it to Montevideo, Uruguay today via Buquebus (a ferry/bus system far superior to any I've seen in the US.). We crossed Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires to Colonia. Madonna played in the background the whole way.

Once we got ripped off by our taxi driver (NOTE: Jamila tried to stop the man and asked him to recount change, and the second time, still gave us less change than we deserved), we entered, relatively unscathed, to El Viajero Ciudad Vieja Hostel. Things are very cheap in Montevideo and it is quite chilly! We met Warren at the hostel, a Malaysian citizen from New York who recently quit his job, sold his belongings, and is embarking on a trip around the world. He says it costs less for him to travel than to live in New York!

The three of us walked through El Centro along Av. 18 de Julio, ate empanadas (I think I may be in love with them), found the tiny Museo del Arte Contemporaneo and got a feel of the city for a few hours. It was cold but nice when we walked at a brisk New York pace. We also wandered into a crafts market and saw small jewelry-type boxes made out of orange skins! We also found this gorgeous classy bookstore- they don't make them like that anymore!

When we got back to the hostel, we ate hamburgers and hung out, chatting with the people who work at the hostel. Tomorrow we will bop around the city more and then take an overnight bus to Porto Alegre where we will stay with Arno Lehnen, the father of Jamila's Portuguese professor, Leila.

Check out Warren's blog at: www.journey26.com/blog

Learning As We Go

After a delayed takeoff, Jamila and I made it to Buenos Aires!
Thanks to our friendly neighbor on the plane, Fernado, we learned that strawberries are called ¨frutilla¨ and not ¨fresa.¨ For breakfast, the plane served croissants or medialunas. Yum!

We are staying in Palermo Hollywood, a trendy neighborhood. Our hostel is pretty quiet but we both needed to catch up on sleep so that´s just dandy.

Once we ventured out for dinner, we learned:

Taxis charge you per big bag they have to lift
Table service (bread, etc) is charged- like 6 pesos per person, even if you don´t touch the bread! Why tip? Also, you have to pay for water.
Caesar salad in BA is not too fabulous (mayonaise dressing)
Italian food is on point
It is possible to buy lunch for two people for under $20 pesos (about $4.75)
There are delicious sweets- we are sampling candies!
Breakfast consists of coffee and a medialuna
Dinner really does start at 10PM
Chips Ahoy brand is called Pepitos! (exclamation point included)
We are on the adventure of a lifetime!

We are planning our trip to Montevideo now (rather, Jamila is planning while I type) and I am so so excited!

What's new, Buenos Aires?

I promise that's the only Evita quote in the post.

Before my trip, my mother insisted that she and I watch "Evita," the 1997 cinematic interpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical about Eva Peron. I made Beth promise not to sing along. I had seen a few other movies about/set in Argentina: The Official Story, about the Dirty War; and Live-in Maid, about class relations in Buenos Aires. Both were very good.
But back to Evita: Madonna starred as Evita and Antonio Banderas starred as the narrator, Che (Guevarra). I know Che is from Argentina, but I don't know how realistic the relationship between Che's movement and Peronism is. I do know, however, that I do not like the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (I find it campy) and that I am so excited to see Buenos Aires for myself!

Seattle Pride

Seattle Pride was a lot of fun... A lot bigger than Portland Pride.  We also got to march in it through Emily's internship position at the Lambert House.  It was a beautiful day and a nice way to celebrate my first Seattle Pride.

I'll Have a short drip half-caf with milk?

Anyone who doubts Seattle's reputation for being coffee-crazed with coffee is mistaken.

After taking coffee orders as an intern this summer, I thought I knew my way around the barista's menu. So when my supervisor Helen took me out to coffee for a meeting, I was ready to order with New York speed. What came out was...gibberish.

Turns out I knew nothing about coffee. As the barista stared at me blankly, I frantically explained to Helen how I like my coffee and she translated. "Americano with room for milk."

Before we could start our meeting, Helen embarked on a twenty-minute coffee tutorial, explaining the difference between lattes and cappuccinos, mochas and drips.

Now I know what I prefer: Café Latte, please.

Portland Pride

 

It was a pretty cold day in Portland but fun to go to Pride- a very nice addition to our Oregon weekend visit.