Brazil

My recent trip to Ecuador with my mom in May was my first trip to South America. Since May, I have learned so much about the continent: it’s geography, cultures and languages. After living in Cochabamba for two months and learning about Bolivian customs and history, I joined the Felson family on their annual family vacation, this year to Brazil. Dave had not seen his family since he left home in January, so this reunion was highly anticipated.

We flew in to Salvador late last Thursday night and met Dave’s parents, sister and brother at the Pousada Redfish (hotel) in the Pelourinho neighborhood of Salvador. Salvador is the center of Afro-Brazilian culture and in 1985 this area was named an UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, and the preservation process is noticeable in the architecture and brilliant colors. The cobble stone streets of this neighborhood were lined with vibrant colored art galleries, shops and welcoming pousadas. Salvador is the capital of the Bahia State of Brazil, and it was also the original capital of Brazil. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and has the sixth largest population.

Friday was spent cruising the streets, window-shopping, eating, learning African-Braizlian drumming lesson for Ben and Dave, watching capoeira (a style of movement originating among Brazilian slaves (from Angola) treated as a martial art and dance form), and we ended the day with a great dinner of moqueca, a traditional Bahian coconut curry stew of fish or shrimp.

Saturday morning, we left the Hotel Redfish and set off for the island of Morro de Sao Paulo. We took a two-hour catamaran boat ride from the port of Salvador to Morro. As we hit the open seas, and the waves that come with it, we were all feeling sea sick, and we were not alone. The boat company had anticipated this and had thoughtfully tied personal barf bags on to the back of each seat. I will spare you the details, but for someone who “doesn’t get seasick”, those bags came in handy. I have never been so happy to arrive somewhere. It could have been Cleveland in February, and I would have been elated, but lucky for me we arrived on the tropical beaches of Morro.

After arranging our island taxi, we followed our “driver” to the third beach (there are four beaches on Morro- the first two are the party beaches, lined with a boardwalk and restaurants competing for your business- and the third and fourth are more removed and quiet) where were settled in to the heavenly Pousada Villa dos Corais. Vacationing during the “winter”/off season, you run the risk of less than sunny days, but we all cashed in our good karma and enjoyed two days relaxing in the sun; reading, jumping in the pool and/or ocean to cool off and walking into town via the beach. 

Dave’s sister Rachel introduced us to Acaí while we were on Morro. Acaí is a berry that is found in the Amazon, and is commonly consumed in juice form (I am told that you can buy it at Whole Foods). The Acaí berry has one of the highest antioxidant levels of any fruit or berry, and tastes great! We enjoyed some on the beach with granola and bananas- a great breakfast or snack.
(On the left is a photo of the second beach).

            We rode our favorite catamaran back to Salvador on Wednesday, this time we had loaded up with Dramamine and assumed positions on the deck for some fresh air. Upon arriving in Salvador, we buckled up for a six-hour drive inland to the town of Lencois. Lencois is in the Chapada region of the Bahia State, and is surrounded by the Chapada Diamantina National Park. Lencois was a prominent diamond mining town in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1985 when the land officially became a National Park, the diamond mining industry of Lencois came to an end, mostly because of the negative environmental impacts of mining. The town of Lencois is a quiet, colorful small town surrounded by lush forests, rivers and mountains- hard to beat! We all fell in love with the town and with the natural beauty that surrounds it. Thursday we spent the day orienting ourselves, and enjoying a short hike from town to a waterfall. Friday we went on an all day hike with our guide, Levi, through the woods and along the river. Saturday we explored another area of the National Park and were able to swim in natural swimming holes and climb a mountain for a memorable sunset.

Overall, it was a perfect vacation, filled with sun, beautiful scenery, a new and exciting culture and family. Dave and I returned to Cochabamba on Sunday rejuvenated and completely relaxed. Thank you so much Felson family!

In other news: Dave and I are planning a trip to the Salar de Uyuni next weekend. Wiñay is going well and I am looking in to doing a research project for them, which I am really excited about. I'll keep you posted!

Mountain Sun

The last few weeks have been busy with friends, volunteering, exploring more of Cochabamba and working on my Bolivian residency/immigration process. Here are some highlights:

Two weekends ago, Dave, Clara and two of her friends from her volunteer program decided to climb Cerro Tunari. Tunari is the highest peak in central Bolivia, reaching 5,035 meters (16,520 feet above sea level). We decided to climb with a tour agency, and they picked us up at 6 AM, drove us for two hours straight up into the Andes surrounding Cochabamba. Around 9 AM, we arrived, freezing, on Tunari, our guides had driven us up a good portion of the mountain, and we were going to climb from there to the summit. We slowly started our ascent, and Clara taught us the power of switch backing (zigzagging your path) while we savored our coca hard candies and water from our guide Alberto (who was Clara’s host family’s uncle!) Along the way, there were patches of snow, similar to the end of winter in the North East/Midwest- when piles of snow are the only evidence of a brutal winter. With La Paz being the highest in altitude I have ever been (and before that Colorado Springs, CO as my maximum altitude), I felt out of breath on the hike and experienced the feeling of empty lungs for the first time, but overall I felt pretty good. After three hours, and a few breaks to catch our breath, we reached Cerro Tunari! It was so beautiful (and windy) and provided an unrivaled view of the entire Cochabamba Valley. We hiked down, enjoyed some lunch brought by Alberto and crew, and descended back into the valley. We passed through Quillacollo on our way home and Alberto asked us if we had tried chicha. None of us had, so he insisted on sharing a pitcher at a restaurant before heading back to the big city of Cocha. Chicha is a popular alcoholic drink made from fermented corn, and that is to be enjoyed slowly by large groups of friends. After our early wake up, hike, and chicha, we were all ready for an afternoon siesta.

This past Friday was Bolivian Independence Day, so we all enjoyed a day off of work and a long holiday weekend! The parades, desfiles, started in full swing on Thursday, with all of the local school children marching in costumes next to their classmates in the marching band. Thursday and Friday were filled with parades, marching bands, Bolivian flags, carnival games and treats. Quillacollo, where Wiñay is, is famous for their parades- and the town was completely taken over by students dressed to the nines in beautiful gowns and elaborate military outfits. The parades lasted all day on Thursday and Friday, from dawn till dusk, still feeling the beat of the drums long after the streets cleared.

This was also the last weekend for my amazing “airport friends”; Clara headed back to Colorado on Sunday, and Hillary is leaving on Thursday! We celebrated their final weekend in Bolivia with celebrating Bolivian Independence day at a favorite café, CoCafé, eating delicious homemade pizza, and a day relaxing at a pool/family country club outside of Quillacollo, La Cabaña- complete with a tennis court, zip line, soccer field and tons of space for families to run in the grass, sunbathe and relax. With Clara and Hillary leaving, I realized that two months in Bolivia have really flown by.

Dave and I are super excited to go to Brazil next Thursday with his family! His parents and brother and sister are meeting us in Salvador, Brazil for a 10-day vacation. We are going to be spending our time between Morro de Sao Paulo island off the coast of Salvador, and Lencois, a town about 5 hours inland. Details and photos to follow!