salvador... the organizing..

so... yesterday was a crazy day... basically landing here.. spending two hours on a local bus to get to the city center (and admiring the beaches from the bus... mind you... I'm not sure that at 40 degrees and high humidity that I wanted to be there)!
The influx of tourists here has created a frenzy unlike anything else I have seen (barring the madness of the 1.5 million folks at the Holling Stones concert, as pronounced by the local Cariocas, the people of Hio!)
There is a great deal of African influence here because of the history of slavery.. it creates for awesome cultural blends and kickass food! :) So, I spent yesterday trying to organize an Abada (the ticket to the parties are t-shirts... the MOST expensive tshirts I have EVER bought!!!!). I will let you know if its worth it. I am not even gonna take my disposable camera to these parties... its gonna be too intense and even the disposables create too much attention! the Locals say that you have to remember it in your heart and mind...
ciao all.. time to go and make some musical memories! I can hear the drum beats of over a hundred drummers playing in the street.Someone should teach them how to play the DHOL!

rio... and off to Salvador

so... my trip in Rio draws to a close.. its been awesome... and although I still feel the odd pang of loss of the digi.. its quite liberating not having anything of great value on me while traveling.I think disposable cameras and buying appropriate postcards is the way to go! :)
I would write more right now... but after a late night of dancing samba (at Circo Voador with the headline... Orquestra Imperial . It was awesome! Today was a walking tour of the largest favela in Rio
anyways... I gots to run to catch some zzzs before heading to Salvador tomorrow!
ciao all! :)

rio... the good and a lil of the ugly

so... here I am on my second day in Brazil in an AWESOME guesthouse GUESTHOUSE RIO where Dirk and Roberto take the utmost care in making you feel at home and their homemade cake, coffee, fresh fruit juice and attention to detail. This is DEFINITELY part of the good!
ok... so lets get to the main story...
The Rolling Stones concert on Copacabana beach definitely showed me both sides.Like I've said before, there is a warmth in the people of Brazil that I havent been able to explain yet.From friends I met on CouchSurfing.com to the travel agency where they went out of their way to help me (knowing it wont make them any money) and in the concert everyone immediately around our group (7 of us from the guesthouse) were awesome and so friendly.We took many pictures and exchanged emails (while speaking in Portañol - Portugese and Español combined). Jumping up n down in a fevered pitch to the Stones and to the two Brazilian bands beforehand was good prep for Carnaval.There was a father who came with his two daughters and cousin who became more important than just being friendly.
Near the end of the concert, a big guy snatched the camera right outta my hand and obviously passed it to the person behind him.In my great wisdom (NOT), I followed the guy (not so easy with a million people around you) and actually caught him and his friend.As I reached for the camera, a fist came flying to my face and down I went (dont worry, I have thick skin and not even a bruise has formed!Just a lil tender).As I got back up and started my chase of the guy (I could still see my camera on!) the father of the girls came and caught me and pulled me back to where out group was. Which was the best thing that could have happened.The camera (and the awesome photos of the stones) were not worth the possible stabbing.The amazing thing was that all the people around me went SO out of their way to make sure that I enjoyed the last few songs of the concert!There was some serious calming down session by all of them (apparent strangers) and promises of THEM sending me photos instead of vice versa (from normal cameras).The hugs at the end of the concert by all of them definitely gave me chills down my spine and confirmed my initial thought that there is something in the air or water that makes Brazilians so warm and caring.And as I was told in Portañol, it is important to keep the memories of the concert in the heart not just in the camera! Being in the energy of a million people... its incredible!
Trying to get back home was a logistical nightmare and there were a few scary moments as the organization was lacking in this department for sure!WAVES of people...crushing towards the small streets... two of us got separated from the rest and we ended up going for quite a long walk.Oh and that was barefoot too! That was the biggest miracle of all!Walking barfoot for over two hours in a crowd of a million plus people on the streets where there were broken beer bottles and all kindsa stuff... unbelievable luck to not even get a scratch on my soles (just nastily dirty!)
So... word to the wise... (and thanx mom for the disposable cameras)... travel light in the technological dept. (it is more than double the price here to buy a camera.. hence the want to steal also)... travel light in the clothes(too bloody hot).... and travel open in the heart... you will be rarely disappointed in Brazil! :)
p.s. Dont ask me for details of the negative part of this story in real life... its over and done... Oh... did I mention I managed to get a Rolling Stones edition beer can! I dont know if it'll make it home... but I will try! ;)

photos...

So... it seems a better idea that writing to let the pix tell a lil' story... otherwise I have a feeling that I'll be spending more time in here than out there! :) So... here are the pix.. I'll keep updating the album whenever I can download the pix! :)
JUPS PHOTOS

hot n wet in Sao Paulo

so.. its my first full day in Sao Paulo and I have to say... its been a great intro to the country sofar.

My new friend, "D" who I met online at Couch Surfing has taken it upon himself to give me the authentic Brazilian experience... needless to say that I will be sleeping when I am on the plane heading back home! The vibrant colours of the houses, trees, flowers and of course the clothes definitely infect the senses and keep you going long after your physical body is tired. And we havent even gotten to Carnaval yet. The weather has been hot and humid but the afternoon showers cool things down to the manageable 20's (celcius). This is where I expect the beatings from my Canadian friends! ;)

So, if any ya'll wanna join me... here is the outline of the itinerary that I have sofar (i.e. the air pass) :
Rio - Salvador Feb 22
Salvador - Recife March 1
Recife - Natal March 7
Natal - Buenos Aires March 13
Buenos Aires - Rio March 22
And from then till April 11th... no idea!
Also, if you have any friends or friends of friends in these regions, PLEASE let me know... :)
Cheers all!

time to fly...

so... in regular JupStyle... its the day of departure to Sao Paulo, Brazil and I haven't even packed yet! Instead, I'm procrastinating and typing this! :) I'm not sure what to expect and what exactly am I going to do beyond the first few days! Yeesh! I'm sure I'll come up with something! :) I'm hoping internet access will be good there and I'll be in touch via this blog.
In the mean time... enjoy some of our 2-3 feet of snow here! :)

time to fly...

so... in regular JupStyle... its the day of departure to Sao Paulo, Brazil and I haven't even packed yet! Instead, I'm procrastinating and typing this! :) I'm not sure what to expect and what exactly am I going to do beyond the first few days! Yeesh! I'm sure I'll come up with something! :) I'm hoping internet access will be good there and I'll be in touch via this blog.
In the mean time... enjoy some of our 2-3 feet of snow here! :)