Ciao Brazil!

The entire morning has been spent packing - the suitcases are like a puzzle that just don't seem to fit anymore.
Soon the taxi will be here to take us to the airport for our internal flight to Sao Paulo then later on to Heathrow.

I was unsure of Brazil when I first arrived here but it has been an incredible trip with the countries diversity. The buzz of Rio, the spectacle of Foz, the richness of wildlife in the Pantanal and the relaxing family holiday aspect of Joao Pessoa. It's been like four different vacations in one.

I don't suspect I shall ever visit Brazil again in my lifetime. There are too many other countries to sample and it's just too far away to be on the regular English tourists travel map (hence why we've barely met any other Brits). But I shall remember it always as the trip of a lifetime.

I'll miss the ham and cheese toasties for breakfast, the açai, the warmth, the amazing sights. I've advised Erin to come back in her gap year perhaps and to see the things we didn't see - Christ the Redeemer and the worlds largest cashew tree (I don't think any of us will get over missing out on that).

So goodbye Brazil. There have been many highs and a few lows but an entire month spent anywhere would result in that. Maybe when I'm old and grey and can spend my last years on my travels I'll be back again. Who knows?

Oh, and thanks for listening!!

xxx Suz, Gareth, Erin and Ibby

All you can eat Brazilian style

As the time of our departure was imminent, Patrick and KeKe took us all along with Carla and Anthony to their favourite 'all you can eat' establishment - Terere (rated 10 of 40 restaurants in JP on trip adviser if you're interested). It was indeed very good with many different types of food - Brazilian, Italian etc with a great salad bar and waiters circling the tables constantly with large skewers of various types of meat.
By this stage of the holiday I was pretty sick of meat and more meat so was delighted to find an entire sushi section which was a breath of fresh air after all the heavy food. And I pretty much ate only that.


Carla drove Patrick, KeKe and Anthony home whilst we decided to stick around the Tambau area for a few hours as the boys needed to walk off their impending 'meat sweats'. We strolled (staggered) aimlessly along the coast line, perusing a few more shops for a few more souvenirs.

The evening was ended at a kind of open air food court where we could only manage to fit in a few drinks around all the food consumed earlier. The waiters from each food operation stand waving their menu's and hissing at passers by to get them to come and sit at one of their tables - which is always nice. One particularly insistent waitress came across repeatedly to encourage us to buy tapioca which is like a sweet, sticky, white omelet but she was to be disappointed. Numerous vendors circled in entice us into buying their hooky DVD's - probably the most relaxing drink stop we've ever had.

Carla and Anthony arrived with the car at 7pm as we watched a march against government corruption rolled by and it was time to go.

Warning, she bites

10 things to do before I die #2

2: Learn to swim (properly)

When I was a child swimming lessons were a fairly unstructured affair. The aim of the game was to ensure every member of the class got across the width or length of the pool without putting their feet down - but it really didn't matter how. I think it would have been quite acceptable to fashion a rudimentary raft from a nearby chair and sail it across with a makeshift chair-leg oar as long as you reached the other side.

To put it kindly, my swimming technique is not a text book one. I use far too many muscles, make far too many movements and expend far too much energy so that 25 metres feels like swimming the channel. It's probably quite amusing to watch as I frantically flail about like someone being chased by a swarm of wasps, gasping for oxygen as I reach the other side.

This holiday has been helpful in that every time we are lucky enough to have a pool in our hotel, I do as many lengths as possible with hints and tips from Gareth to improve my technique - so I have got a little better. But I have completely given up on front crawl as it involves putting my face in water (which I can't abide) so I stick to breast stroke - which I wasn't even taught at school (and explains my ineptitude for it).

My sister Lynn took adult swimming lessons a few years before she died and improved so much that she could swim for miles. I feel it's time I followed in her footsteps and booked some lessons. It would be great for my health and I wouldn't feel like such an idiot when we go as a family to the pool of a weekend and I'm forced to rest for a good ten minutes at the deep end trying to get my breath back to return to the shallow end. It's not a good look when ultra-fit women go up and down, up and down in lanes when I struggle with just a few metres!

Life's a beach

Sunday was spent mainly on the beach which, normally empty during the week, was extremely busy at the weekend - vendors selling all manner of things strolling up and down the sand. We've also been told its some kind of holiday - Brasilia's birthday or something like that.

Gareth, Sean and the children were taken off for a while to meet a local artist who is a friend of Patrick and KeKe's whilst Caroline and I stayed and chatted on the beach. I stupidly threw caution to the wind and substituted my usual factor 50 for some of Caroline's factor 20 and now have two vicious red stripes down the fronts of my legs which is very attractive.

Soon it was lunchtime and time to go in and shower off. Sean turns 33 on the 24th so KeKe and Patrick threw him a little surprise party and barbecue on the rooftop balcony. It was a jovial, relaxing afternoon and evening - our last in Brazil.

After an ice cream in the next door parlour it was early to bed for us all because too much time in the sun had tired us out.

Tomorrow we fly home. It's odd because I don't know exactly how I feel about this. I'm certainly looking forward to being in my own house, seeing friends and family again and just being in England but am also apprehensive about returning to the real world after a month away. It's as though I've forgotten how my life used to run but I guess I'll fall back into the old pattern of things. I'm going to have to because it's straight back to work and school the morning after our return *sigh*.

Things to do, places to see

We've been trying to cram quite a bit into the last few days and had been meaning to spend the day in Centro since we got here. This is the old part of the city with more Portuguese architecture so it's very pretty but perhaps not maintained as well as it should be.

Carla and Patrick joined us on a visit to the San Francisco church, built in the 16th Century. It was a beautiful building and very worthwhile looking around inside to see its original features plus some modern art installations. The guide spoke no English (and neither does Carla) but with Patrick's pigeon Portuguese, we got the gist.

Back in the car and it was on to the Science Museum designed by Oscar Niemeyer the famous Brazilian architect (not famous enough to be known to me). The building was a feat of modern architecture but the free museum inside was a little sparse but interesting. We preferred the outdoor scientific installations, experiments with weight, balance and sound waves etc. There was also a very pleasant English speaking guide who took great pleasure in showing us around the entire place -inside and out.

The next day the car was in use so Patrick joined the six of us on the same half hour journey we had made along the beach on our first day here and spent the morning at the beach bar. It was overcast or raining most if the time so we spent much of the time undercover drinking and chatting interspersed by a couple of dips in the sea by those brave enough.

That evening Sean and Caroline kindly offered to babysit the girls so Gareth and I could spend our first evening out alone in Brazil - our honeymoon meal! Trip Adviser rated Mangi as the top restaurant in JP so we felt it appropriate to go there. It's essentially a kilo restaurant where there is a buffet and you pay for what you eat by weight. The food was all authentic Brazilian cuisine and the one and only English speaking waiter advised us what each dish was. So we set to work!

A kilo each of lovely mains and puddings later (that's actually quite a bit of food) we had to call it quits. We sampled a couple of juices - the fruits of which we'd never heard of. It was lovely being just the two of us (since it was officially our honeymoon but we couldn't allow the kids to miss a holiday like this!) which is a fairly rare occurrence. Gareth and I chatted over the good and bad times during the varied trip and the very few days we had left here in Brazil.

Jacare

We had been advised to visit Jacare in Joao Pessoa for some time so one evening Carla offered to drive us there.
For some years a jazz saxophonist has taken it upon himself to go out on a boat into the bay and play Ravel's Bolero every evening around sunset (like you do). It has become quite a big tourist attraction.

So we headed down a dirt road with what seemed like throngs of other tourists, parked up at ten past five but kick off must have been at five as we could already hear Bolero in full throttle blasting out on the saxophone.
Following Carla we hurried past restaurants to a balconied area of the bay, pushing past Brazilian tourists to get a glimpse of an old rotund man in a white suit being slowly circled around in a small motor boat playing Bolero on saxophone with a microphone. The music could be heard all along the little shopping street and in the restsurants, hundreds of people watching as the sun begn to go down.

I've never heard Bolero played on a saxophone and as he drew to a close his bay-side audience cheered and applauded. I have to say it was pretty cool and I can see why it took off. He then made his way up to one of the restaurants and began to play a set of familiar jazzed-up tunes. Apparently he has an understudy who performs on the nights he doesn't wish to so I guess we were lucky to see the original.

We were then at our leisure to browse the souvenir and gift shops and had an icecream whilst Gareth took an age to set up a photo of the setting sun (nice photo but Jeez Gareth, get on with it!).
We then had our photos taken with a couple who go round dressed like Pariban soldiers (Pariba the state in which Joao Pessoa exists once had its own army and fought against the country as it wanted to remain independent from Brazil). An embarrassing experience if I'm honest but we grit our teeth and got on with it, thinking of the Facebook photos.
It had been an enjoyable evening viewing a spectacle we may have missed but for the knowledge of locals.

Tan Lines...

 

See Suz is still looking pale!

Happy Families

As soon as we rounded the corner after our 3 hour journey from Pipa (stuck in traffic), we could see KeKe standing outside the Pousada with a strange, maybe strained (?) look on her face. Her welcome was slightly cold but we tried to ignore this.

I think I wasn't being entirely forthcoming before about relations since our initial arrival in Joao Pessoa because I didn't feel it appropriate that I should be. But events have made me feel it isn't worth being discreet anymore.
KeKe had become steadily more cold towards us since we first came, the atmosphere growing more and more uncomfortable every day. I think we offended her on our first night by not allowing our children to sleep in the same room as her daughter Carla (whom none of us had met at the time). Since we came we've felt all our decisions taken out of our hands. She hired a car for us without asking if we wanted one but then had Carla drive her around in it most days for her own purposes forcing us to wait around for the car for hours, delaying our plans. And when we did have the car, we were always made to feel we needed to be back for this or that when this was our holiday. The plans we made were often dashed or changed by KeKe and you usually got the feeling it was because she wanted the car but more that she wanted to be in control.

Anyway, things came to a head the day after our arrival back from Pipa. We were told by KeKe that we were being taken to a certain beach by Carla who was to drop us there but we needed to be back by five for a meal Carla was going to cook for us.

We spent a pleasant enough morning on a beach with a beach bar. As lunch time had come and gone and our stomachs were rumbling, we considered getting an açai or an ice cream to keep us going. Patrick rang KeKe to advise her of these plans which seemed to send her into a rage because of this meal arrangement and she hung up the phone. This seemed odd as the meal was at five.

Not wishing to cause more ructions we decided to go home. Carla came to pick us up. We arrived back at three with the meal cooked and ready to be dished up and KeKe furious. As we sat down at the table she marched assertively over to the table insisting how much she did for us, cooked for us, had paid money to hire a car for us (which we hadn't asked for), basically scolding us like little children.

This was a bridge to far for me so I interrupted her rant explaining as diplomatically as one can who is fuming that we had been told (by her) that dinner was at five and that there had been a horrid atmosphere in the hotel building for days and she had made us feel like we were a burden to her. I told her she had a persecution complex when we had all come here in good faith to have a holiday.

This sent her in to further histrionics and she indicated how ungrateful we were whilst Sean and Caroline were not (divide and conquer tactics I assume) but I was past caring by this stage. Gareth soon waded in in disgust. There is only so long we were prepared to play nice. I felt I was contained but Erin told Caroline the last time she had seen me that angry was when I was in Saibsbury's and Ikea had rung up to tell me our fitted kitchen was to arrive fourteen days later than scheduled! So perhaps I was a little cross...

Ibby burst into tears and Lyla the kindly receptionist took her off for an ice cream. Carla was in tears by now and went off to book a flight back to her home town so upset by her mother, Lyla came back and was instantly fired by KeKe for having the audacity to comfort a crying child and promptly reinstated by Patrick, and Anthony (KeKe's English speaking son) came and apologised for his mothers behaviour.

The fireworks seemed to die down then and KeKe marched off. We tried to force down the meal Carla had kindly prepared for us but nobody was hungry so we soon headed down to the beach to discuss a move to a new Pousada.
Patrick had insisted it would all blow over and we must not do this so we decided to sleep on it.

There have been no more fireworks since but the atmosphere is a little frosty but growing warmer (but not exactly towards me as yet. But hey-ho).
It transpires the stress of running this Pousada was getting to KeKe. But the general feel of the place is improving and we've only a few days before we fly home.

Who says we don't spread joy and happiness wherever we go..?

It's true!

Just one step closer...

Bad hair day!

Beach vs Pool

Well, there's no contest, is there really?
If you haven't been to the beach for some time, there's something exciting and comforting about stepping onto the warm sand for the first time, the grains slipping between your toes. Then you strip off and edge gingerly into the sea, feel the waves wash over your shoulders and feel in touch with nature.

But all too soon those waves become a little more aggressive, you find yourself submerged, flailing a little bit, out of your depth. This is the sea after all, a great force of nature, beautiful but not to be trusted, people die in the sea...

So you retreat to shaw, the salt drying on your body (and possibly a bit of effluent), the sand now glueing itself to your feet and legs. You lie out on a sarong, trying to scrape off as much of the abrasive sand as possible, the sun cream making it impossible to remove. But you know in the back of your mind the wind from the waves is deceiving you, you feel cool but you're burning, really burning. So retreat into the shade, greasy, salty, dirty.

Now it's time to leave, scurry up to the beach shower and clean off. But someone has built the shower too far into the beach so that you get sandy all over again on your way up to hard ground, the sound grinding between your toes, your Havaianas gritty and painful.

You can see where I'm going with this, I've no love for the beach. And I've a healthy fear of the sea - its a dangerous place. The sea is nice once in a while but I've no yearning to live by the sea.

Now the pool is a whole different kettle of fish. Not every hotel we've been has had a pool and we've always been disappointed when it hasn't. But those that did have been great. The children love it, they can practice their swimming and play fun games but you don't have the wind from the sea to fool you into believing you're not burning. And there's the lovely chlorine of course - killing off all the germs, keeping your skin salt and effluent free. Best of all, there's no sand! It's clean, sanitised, you can lie in the sun or sit in the shade. And when you're done, shower off and get on with your day. What's not to like?

I think I've presented a conclusive case here but feel free to interject with your comments. But if you disagree with my point of view, you'll be wrong, that's all I'm saying.

Swimming with Dolphins

We were up again at 6 and soon out of the apartment (minus Gareth who had one too many cashasers the night before and felt too ill to stand) on a twenty minute walk along the beach whilst the tide was low as it's impassable when the tide is high.

We arrived at said beach and could instantly see two or three grey- silver fins in the distance in the sea.
Throwing off our clothes rapidly we waded in and very soon fins appeared in various places ahead of us, beside us - maybe twenty metres away. It was pretty special. I'm not sure I can exactly say I've now swum with dolphins but I've certainly swum in the same body of water as them!

But in half an hour they had gone. Sean and Caroline were disappointed as the dolphins had swum closer and stayed longer the day before. But I and the children were satisfied with our lot and commenced the walk back to the car.

A quick swim at the apartment, a hurried pack-up and a nice lunch miraculously prepared by Carla in what seemed only moments and it was time to check out.
As time was getting on, it was decided to forego the worlds largest cashew tree (I know, I know, that's another dream not realised) and we drove back into town.

A little shopping and a huge bowl of açai (an Amazonian fruit pulverised into a frozen yogurt topped with grenola or peanuts with banana and honey) which we were becomming addicted to and then back in the car to an ecological park where we saw monkeys, bats, a cayman and best of all, looking down from a cliff, sea turtles could be visualised bobbing up to the surface and disappearing again! It's been a great day for wildlife.
The stop off was a worthwhile one but for the horribly large amount of mosquito bites we sustained in the space of that our. I myself am sporting at least ten. I can hardly see my skin for bites! Grrrr!!!!

We climbed back in the car and finally headed back to Joao Pessoa with an air of gloom in the vehicle. Pipa had been a refreshing break from the growing frustrations of Joao Pessoa. But the problems before our departure were nothing to to the problems we would encounter on our return. Relations were about to take a decided turn for the worse...

10 things to do before I die

Well, actually 1 because I havent thought of the other 9 yet but when I do you'll be the first to know.

Number 1: Learn Spanish

Language (or the lack of it) has been a real issue here. I'm very envious of the way Gareth has picked up bits and pieces and is always opening his phrase book - never afraid to try to converse with a waiter or a taxi driver. He will sit patiently and repeat back words he doesn't understand or suddenly respond with an entire sentence while I just look on in complete bewilderment. He always seems to get his point across.

Whilst any Portuguese spoken to me is met with a stupid and childish blink as I desperately try to remember the only phrase I know 'Eh na faller Portuguese' (I don't understand Portuguese - I've spelt this wrong of course but you get the general idea). Oh and I can say 'yes', 'no' and 'sorry' too which is about my lot. It does make me feel like a kid whose language skills aren't developed yet and I stare longingly at the grown ups wishing I understood. It does put you at a disadvantage.

Now I realise in Brazil they speak Portuguese and not Spanish but I just can't see Portuguese being very useful in my lifetime. We read a prediction somewhere that within the next 100 years there will be only 3 languages left in the World:- English, Mandarin and Spanish. As the world gets smaller with the Internet etc, people may find they need to communicate more effectively and apparently only the most widely used languages may remain.

So I figure Spanish is the one for me. It would have helped us here in Brazil as some of the words are similar and many Brazilians are taught it at school. If it was up to me I would ideally like to learn German (though some people aren't fond of the sound of it) as I took it at GCSE level (and failed miserably) but at least I'd have a basic grounding. But unfortunately I can't as German as a language is going to die out you see. Sorry Germany, it's not my fault your language is gong to disappear - I don't make the rules.

And I'm quids in with English obviously as I already speak that language! Woohoo! Well, y'know...more or less. So Spanish lessons (before I die) are a cert, probably...

Pipa Proper

I'd say we're feeling very much on holiday again here in Pipa, beach, pool, shops, meals out, strolling around in the sun aimlessly. The only concern I have is this language divide which cuts Carla off from us no matter how we try. You can only get so far with a phrase book and gestures.

Gareth, Caroline and Sean decided to stay out for a beer after our meal out yesterday night whilst I and Carla went home with the children. Carla's angst was obvious and she refused to go to bed. Thankfully the Internet began to work and we utilised Google Translate to its full potential.

All the barriers melted away as Carla and I could finally communicate. She was worried about the others being out as foreigners in a strange town and felt it too dangerous for them. She was also sad as she knew much of the history of the town and could tell us nothing. Amongst these discussions back and forth in English and Portuguese, we also managed to become Facebook friends which helped to break the ice too. God I love the Internet!

The others arrived home unscathed and Carla and I could finally retire to our beds. Carla even kindly offered to take the girls home tonight so I could stay out for a drink - so thoughtful. She still insisted on waiting up for us though!

We have used Google Translate a fair bit today to get across our plans and tomorrow we all swim with dolphins??!! Gareth, Sean and Caroline have already experienced this and were all up at the crack of dawn today to swim with them at a beach a little further away. They say it was amazing how close to shore they came and want the rest of us to come. Carla I and the girls have had a lie-in and when the others arrived back we spent the rest of the day by the pool. It's nice to have a lazy day.

So I'm looking forward to tomorrow although we have to leave in the afternoon to go back to Joao Pessoa - but not before visiting the worlds largest cashew tree on the trip home. Obviously this is on most peoples 'to do' list on any holiday. Swim with dolphins - check, see worlds largest cashew tree - check....

Pipa

Pipa is a small and trendy and rather touristy beach a couple of hours up the coast from Jaoa Pessoa. With a little difficulty we communicated our plans that we were to spend a few days there. KeKe had kindly rented a 7 seater fiat and Carla her daughter had offered to take us. Patrick was to come along too.

On the day of departure Patrick decided he didn't feel well enough to come. This made things awkward as poor Carla spoke no English at all and Gareth, Sean, Caroline and I had no Portuguese.

Regardless we set off and in the predicted 2 hours we were there. It was a lovely beach town with a main strip of shops selling bikinis, surf gear and hand crafted local art work. The cobbled streets bustled with tourists and hippes and locals alike. This was what we were after! It reminded us of a Thai Island resort.
Pipa beach itself was pretty but rather busy.

We took a short drive up to our apartment which we were all very pleased with. It was a palm tree encircled iddil in the middle of nowhere - supposedly ten minutes from the beach but more like fifteen. Still the rooms were lovely and Gareth and I managed to be granted what looked like the honeymoon suit! We were all happy to see a lovely pool and fantastically maintained, landscaped grounds.

The seven of us headed back into town for lunch which consisted of a corned beef kind of pie thing - nice enough. Then it was time to check out the shops and buy provisions for our self catering apartment.

The pool beckoned back at base where we cooled off before heading back into town for a Mexican meal which was ace!

Carla kindly drives us back and forth and we are all so grateful but regret the divide that the language barrier is causing. The only person who who has no problem with it is Ibby who with her cute smile can communicate affection in any language.

We have scanty to no Internet here and were relying on Google Translate to help us all get across our intentions but without it, we are helpless. Damn my poor language skills!

Joao Pessoa

Patrick, Gareth's father, some years ago married a Brazillian lady named KeKe. Two years ago they moved to Brazil to open a Pousada which is much like our bed and breakfasts in the UK in the small city of Joao Pessoa which is the most easterly point of the Americas.
Patrick and KeKe were unable to come to our wedding and this is the main reason we have come to this country.

We flew in and arrived at Pousada O'Neill at about two thirty in the morning. We were forced to turn down the kind offer of sandwiches and drinks and retired to our quad room.

It's a lovely, clean and well run establishment and it was good to see everybody again.
The next morning we walked for an hour along the beach to where the beach bars are with Patrick. There were once such bars on the beach right by his Pousada but because of some sea turtle preservation, sadly all the local beach bars had to shut which has affected Patrick and KeKe's business.
A seafood soup and rice at a bar some distance away, we returned to escape from the sun - again fretting about the children's skin - even in sunsuits.

Gareth's brother Sean and his girlfriend Caroline arrived the next afternoon after a few days in Rio (we had spent the morning at a couple of air conditioned mall's!). It's so good to see them.

We've met so few English speaking people here that to have a conversation in fluent English is refreshing. Not only that, but although everyone at the Pousada are so kind and well meaning, the fact that their English is minimal and our Portuguese is even worse means that it's difficult to communicate our plans for our time here. But we get by.

The next day our family, Sean, Caroline, Patrick and KeKe went in a van touring all the best beaches in the area. We spent a brief time on about six (?) in total but a couple of hours on about two for a swim in the sea and lunch. It was an enjoyable trip which was really more of a taster to see where we may like to go this fortnight.

The plan now is to go to Pipa for a few days to a surfers beach.