The Magical Place They Call Brazil

Beijos!
Finally back from a magical 2 weeks in Brazil...what a soulful place! I loved everything about it - everything is so sexy...the music, the beaches, the people! I had many adventures - most of them with my comrades in crime Sarah and Christine. I have travelled with Sarah before - she always attracts interesting energy. She is one of those people who is my total opposite but we have this weird universal connection that has made our lives for the last 10 years run parallel - and she's ridiculous fun!

After spending time in Brazil I wrote these words:

Beauty - Decay
Serenity - Violence
Excess - Denial
Adoration - Disdain

If you understand the contrasts, yet balances, of these words you will understand Brazil. It is a mysterious place, full of wonder and despair. It is truly one of the most special places I have visited - I feel a deep connection to the land and the people. I thought I'd share some of my experiences:

Day 1
I arrived in Rio after my long trip where I met my driver, Henry. First tip, always hire a car or go to the cab booth in the airport - don't jump in a cab...your likely to get robbed. (One of our friends got mugged in Casablanca - it's no joke!) It is a bit lawless down there - so keep your eyes open and be smart. Henry wisked me to meet my gal pals who told me to drop my stuff and let's go up to Sugar Loaf - a cool cliff on the edge of Rio. Took us a while, but definitely worth the view. When we got back we were hungry so we skipped down the street to gula gula - a great place to get a snack. That night Seth and Renata - my friends who were getting married invited us to cocktails at Zero Zero, a very exclusive nightclub in Rio that's half outdoors half indoors. Cool place with cool people.

Day 2
The next morning we all piled in a private bus headed for Paraty, where my friend Seth and Renata were to be married that Saturday. During the 5 hour ride we got to know some of the rest of Seth's friends - including Jason, a film director from New York who had a film Flannel Pajamas at Sundance this year, Renee, a sassy fashion designer from New York and Nancy, one of his oldest friends and founder of the Daily Candy of Miami - a really nice folks. When we got to Paraty we all headed for the water and swam until it was dark. That night, Renata's parents had a cocktail party at the Santa Clara Hotel, a good place to stay in Paraty on the water. Another less expensive option is Bamboo Bambuu. That night was fun - made a lot of new friends and had some good laughs when the power generator went out and we all held candles! (We have Sarah on film looking angelic and singing hymns - she'll never live that one down:))

Day 3
On Friday, Seth and Renata took us out on a 70 foot boat to tour the islands, party and swim. If you are in Paraty, this is a must. Not only is it one of the most beautiful places I have been, but the pristine turquoise waters are quite refreshing after being in the sun. We toured around, ate, swam, danced, rapped. Very relaxing!

That night we had dinner in town at Cafe Margarita. This place was so cool inside - if there were something like it in the sf - it would be jammed 24/7. (Think the Grove but 10 times cooler). After dinner, Seth and Renata said they had a surprise for us all. They led us out into the street and there was a 20-piece authentic Brazilian band which proceeded to lead us in a parade down the streets of Paraty. We were singing and dancing and the town people were coming out to join us. We finally ended up in the town square and we all danced in the rain until the wee hours. Definitely one of the most fun nights of my life.

Day 4
The day of the wedding everyone just chilled. I got a massage and laid around with Sarah. We had some deep talks about life - something we do a lot since we have these parallel lives.

The wedding was at this cool estate on the water. Renata and Seth both looked happy and beautiful. Like everything in life - there were moments of pure comedy, like the singing rabbi and the photographer knocking a bucket full of rain water off the chuppah onto the head of Cathy Riva, the head bridesmaid and sister-in-law. Cathy has a great tv show on the Discovery Channel about event planning - I can guarantee that will never be on her show!

The wedding was a blast - the Brazilians know how to party - so, Sarah, Christine and I joined them. The evening ended with a pool party after hours of dancing. Never, I repeat, never drink the Brazilian rum - it's wicked.

Day 5
The next day the girls and I decided to head to Isle Grande, upon Seth's recommendation. We took a bus to Angra and then a crazy little refugee boat to the Island. Isle Grande is probably one of the most heavenly places I have ever seen. It is lush and rocky and a sight. However, there are 2 things that you must do in order to have a fun trip to Isle Grande. First, is only go if it's good weather. Secondly, stay at the upscale resort on the island. Unfortunately we did neither.

It was pouring when we arrived and we searched high and low for a nice room in town. The scary thing is that the nicest room in town still was like a prison cell. We tried to make the best of it, but after walking in the pouring rain to an inedible dinner (christine tried to feed her's to a homeless dog - he wouldn't touch it), then not a wink of sleep that night I woke up the next morning and said, "I am making an executive decision - we r outta here!" It was still pouring, so I knew there wouldn't be any of the hiking or kayaking we came here for. I got a little flack but as soon as I headed for the door they were right behind me. We got on the first boat out, met some really cool Israelis who'd been travelling for 9 months and things started looking up again.

Day 6
We arrived back in Rio and it was sunny, so we headed to Ipanema Beach after checking into the Praia Ipanema Hotel. The girls were thanking me profusely for dragging them back to Rio. We also found out that some of our friends from the wedding were still there so we all had dinner at the cool place in Ipanema, Forneria. Very cosmopolitan crowd - lots of stylish frenchmen!
We all went back to the hotel which has a roofdeck and called some of our new Brazilian friends who came over. We laughed and laughed all night.

Day 7
Tuesday the weather wasn't great so we went shopping! The shopping in Rio is incredible...some of my favorites are Lita Motari, Christine Ban (for accessories), Mara Mac, and Blush. The prices aren't cheap, but you can still get things for less than in the states (for example a purse that would be 800 in the US would be 400 in Rio. The three streets to shop on are Rue Visconde de Piraja, Rue Anibal de Mendona and Rue de Garcia.

That night we all just wanted to have a mellow night, so we wandered the streets of Ipanema - which a lot like those in the Village in NY. Cool little streets....we found a great restaurant called Bazaar and had one of the best dinners since being in Rio.

Day 8
Wednesday we explored more, went swimming and really got into vacation mode.
By the evening, we were all in chill moods when we headed over to our new Brazilian friend, Andrew and Caco's house. Andrea is tiny little thing, so cute, and has lived all over the world due to her father being an ambassador - so she has excellent english. Caco is a musician in a band and truly a special spirit. He made us his secret cocktails (still not sure what was in them) and he broke out his guitar. We all sang everything from Sade to Pink Floyd and used his homemade instruments, like a chime made of a hundred keys - these things were works of art. We could have kept singing all night except Caco wanted to go to a film screening by a local documentary maker that he was featured in. We all headed over and saw the film, which was about indie rock bands in Rio. Afterwards, a bunch of the bands in the film played. Even in Portugese music unites.

Day 9
It was now time for us to all part ways. Sarah and Christine headed back to California and I contined on to Buzios - a seaside town 2 hours from Rio.

I arrived at the Brava Hotel ready for some r & r. The staff here is extremely friendly and I felt right at home. It is perched on the side of a cliff overlooking the water which is about a 3 minute walk.

When I got to the hotel I went for a hike and swim and got ready for dinner. I was sitting at dinner reading (which I have done a ton of on this trip) and a waiter walks up to me a says, "George has sent you some champagne." "Who's George?" I said. "The owner of the hotel."

I looked up and there was a very handsome man smiling at me. I smiled thank you and went on with my dinner. Later on, he came by my table and we started talking. George is Argentinian and opened the hotel with his brother after realizing that life as a lawyer in Buenos Aires just wouldn't cut it. We had a great conversation, but he didn't speak english so his assistant had to sit and translate for us...pure comedy. George invited me to go into the town to go dancing so we went and Samba-ed the night away.

Day 10
George told me that the way Brazilians stay young is that they run on the beach and swim in the ocean every morning. So Friday morning, I got up and did the routine. I have to say that it was so refreshing I felt great afterward. I lounged on the beach for awhile and then met a girl who was a yoga instructor. In Brazil they practice different kind of yoga which concentrates more on holding the poses for a duration than repitition. We did a private session on the beach that afternoon.

With my mind clear, I went for a hike up a ridge where I spent hours writing and meditating. Back at the hotel for dinner, I met 2 South Africans who lived in California (go figure) who were surfers. They invited me to the famous surf beach Giraba in Buzios the next day - how could I say no?

Day 11
Headed to Giraba Beach with my South Africans in tow. Giraba Beach is a hip surfer beach where the youngins hang out. Lots of volleyball, surfing and a scene. My friends gave me surfing lessons and we played all day at the beach.

Next, we headed to the town of Buzios, which is a quaint little town with plenty of restaurants and shops. The boys helped me pick out some gifts and I helped them pick out some surf shorts. We stayed and had dinner off the grid at a mom and pop place (mom and pop's are my favorite). Later on we hit a great club...more dancing!

Day 12
Sunday morning I woke with a really strange feeling that I had to go back to Rio. I wasn't sure why, but I have learned over the years that my gut is always right (even when sometimes I don't want it to be). On the way back to Rio, my friendly driver Carlos taught me a bunch of Portugese and I taught him some English. The Brazilian countryside is quite beautiful so the ride was great.

When I got back to Rio, I decided to go get brunch at Allesandro and Fredrico, a local place in Ipanema. I was waiting to be seated and I looked up and saw Karina, a girl I had met through Andrea and Caco last week. She waved and asked me to come over to join herself and Marina, another girl I knew from the wedding. Wow!, I thought...I know 4 people in Rio (a city of 8 million) and I see two of them.

The thing I love about Brazil and Brazilians is the laid back vibe. We sat at brunch for 4 hours talking, laughing and drinking wine. Then Karina said, let's go see a movie! Sarah and I had talked about how fun it would be to live like a local so this was perfect. I suggested, "Let's see two - a double feature?" They were game!

On the way Karina said, maybe we should go watch the sunset first (another thing that's great about Brazilians - they'll free flow like I do) - so we went to beach. Ipanema is famous for its sunsets. By the time we got to the theater our movie was sold out but we turned around and there was - Andrea and Caco! Strange - every person I know in Rio was here so we decided to celebrate. A real local thing to do on a Sunday night is go to this outdoor court where they have food, drinks and live Brazilian music. This is close to Lappa, an area of town where artists and bohemians hang. Lappa has incredible live music and some cool hangouts. During our dinner, we talked a lot about politics and life in Brazil. For more on this see my blog entry, "Brazil: Contradictions and Tensions in Paradise" (will be published next week)...fascinating.

Day 13
Monday I explored the city, going to Rio's Modern Art Museum, which had a huge Lichtenstien exhibit. Then I strolled down to Rue Henrique Dumont where there was a local farmer's market selling fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers (and there was one stand that sold underwear...very Brazil - random). This is a good place to wander, the vendors all singing, the locals haggling.

Monday night Karina, Marina and Andrea took me to a local hangout, Devessa. They brew their own beer here, which unlike the Brazialian rum, is fairly tame. Lots of girl talk and gossip!

Day 14
Before leaving Rio, I really wanted to see the Favellas, the slums made famous by the movie, "The City of the Gods", based on one of Rios 750 Favellas. The Favellas are controlled by drug lords, the biggest group being the Red Command. For more about this experience, see my blog post, "Inside the Favellas: The Myths and The Music" - (will be published next week)

After my tour, Marina came to have a goodbye lunch and I headed off to the US. Okay, okay - I know you want to know about the men. All I can say is Brazilian men are romantic, passionate and hot. But not as cute as the French American I met at the airport;) Enough said!

I have already made plans to go back in January to explore Bahia....according to the locals something you have to do once in your life. Brazil truly stole my heart....