Monte Azul

I'm working as a volunteer for Monte Azul Community Association in the Jardim Monte Azul favela on the outskirts of the Zona Sul in Sao Paulo for just over a month, from 12th Jan to 18th Feb. Monte Azul is an anthroposophical (more info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthroposophy) NGO which works on educational, health, cultural and environmental projects in the favela and surrounding areas. 

Jardim Monte Azul

There's a group of around 20 international volunteers (mainly German) and about 250 people working for the Association in total. Monte Azul helps around 5,000 families and it's obvious that it's making a difference to their lives when you look at what has been done over the last 30 or so years since it was founded. An open sewage channel has now been covered over, there is a music school, theatre, kindergarten (in the picture below) and classrooms.

I'm staying with a Brazilian family near the Centro Cultural of Monte Azul – it takes about 10 minutes to walk to where I work at the International Relations office at the Centro Cultural, which is great. 

A typical day

I set my alarm for 7am, snooze a bit and have breakfast at about 7.40 - usually delicious homemade bread made by Dona Lindalva with passion fruit jam (also delicious), juice (usually guava or passionfruit or a mixture of the two) and coffee - and get to work at about 8am. We have a coffee break at about 9-10am and then break for lunch at 12pm. Lunch is in a different building about a 5-10 min walk away (downhill on the way, uphill on the way back!). There's generally some combination of beans, chicken, beef, salad, carrots, beans and rice and you help yourself to what you want.  A lot of the vegetables are grown by Monte Azul and they taste very good. There's always fruit for pudding – a different type each day. We've had melon, pineapple, mango and Brazilian grapes (very different to the grapes in the UK). Work starts again at 1pm and goes on until 5pm (we don't have an afternoon break).

Dona Lindalva making bread

I generally finish work at about 5pm or just after and walk back to the family home for an evening of skype chats, internet searches for apartments in Sao Paulo, research into travelling and flights and dinner, which we generally help ourselves to in the kitchen (it's kept hot on the hob) at about 8pm. There's always rice and beans, and a combination of some sort of meat, vegetables and salad, with suco (juice). Every now and then Lindalva also makes bolo (cake) – most recently with nuts in it.

My work in the Monte Azul International Relations office

The office just has one person working there permanently, supported by volunteers like me who come and go. I'm helping mostly with administrative support for international volunteers eg. getting the documents together for their visa applications, co-ordinating their work and helping to organise accommodation for them. The work also involves giving presentations on the work of Monte Azul and how volunteers fit into this - my boss gives these in Portuguese and either I or one or other of the volunteers helps with translation into English (and sometimes German) as needed! 

Photo of some of the other volunteers painting the Centro Cultural building - the stairs lead up to the International Relations office, where I'm working. 

There is also a project to get more support for volunteers from their home countries so that they are not so reliant on Monte Azul, which currently provides accommodation and food for volunteers who stay for a year. Currently only Germany supports volunteers financially. If anyone knows of any support available from the UK (or elsewhere) for people who want to volunteer abroad, it would be good to hear about it!

Sao Paulo

We arrived in Sao Paulo in the evening on Tuesday 10th Jan after a full day travelling on buses from Rio to Santos (to pick up the suitcases which we'd left there) and then into Sao Paulo. The journey from Rio took 8 hours - one hour longer than we were expecting - and it took about about one hour from Santos to Sao Paulo. The long distance buses in Brazil are very comfortable and the one from Rio to Santos was no exception - the seats are comfortable, you can tilt them back nearly horizontally, and there's masses of leg room. It was interesting going by road as we got a sense of what the country's like away from the cities - very green due to all of the rain! It was sad to see how far outside of Rio the favelas extend.

Once we arrived at the Pousada dos Franceses in Sao Paulo, where we were staying for a couple of nights, we enjoyed a relaxing drink of duty free whiskey (mum) and vodka (me). 

We spent the day on Wednesday sight seeing in Sao Paulo. First we went to the Catedral da Se for the midday service, which lasted for about half an hour and was, as we were expecting, in Portuguese. Mum was still able to work out what most the readings were though! We then had a walk to the Bovespa (Brazilian stock exchange) building, where we had coffee and biscotti. Next we went up the art deco Banespa building, which is very close to Bovespa, and took some photos of the panoramic view of the city from the top.   

Next stop was the Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo (MASP). Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly!), the museum didn't have information or a map on its exhibits, but we found our way around - most of the art is on the first and second floors of the museum. There was an exhibition of Sigmar Polke's work on 'Realismo Capitalista', Gods and Madonnas (Deuses e Madonas) and lots of paintings from the Romantic period. 

Had dinner at a lanchonete (snack bar) on Avenida Paulista opposite MASP. Just rice, beans and chicken (for me) and fish (for mum). Muito bom and very Brazilian!

Centro do Rio

We hadn't quite decided what to do on our last day in Rio. We started off by going to the Bonde (tram) Station in Centro, where you can get a tram up the hill to Santa Teresa, one of the older parts of Sao Paulo which has cobbled streets and once grand houses. The station was closed and we found out there was an accident in August in which 8 people were killed when one of the cars of the tram rolled down the hill and that the tram will be closed for another 2 years to redevelop it. A little scary as I went on the tram a year or so ago and it was a little rickety...

Next we went to the Catedral Metropolitana do Rio, which is next to the tram station.  Although it's a bit of an eyesore from the outside inside it's a great open space with stained windows and statutes and has a sense of being open to the outside world through the large open doors and windows.

On my good friend Tom's recommendation, we headed next for the Museu do Arte Moderna on the Baia da Guanabara, walking down past the Arcos da Lapa - see picture below. Unfortunately, it was looking a little quiet when we got there and we found out that it didn't open on Mondays. On a quick check of my guidebook, this seems to be the case for most museums. 

Even though it was cloudy we then headed to the Corcovado ('hunch back') mountain to see the Cristo o Redentor. We got a mini bus up the mountain, stopping at a great viewing spot on the way up – where we saw monkeys as well as panaromic views of the city. At the ticket booth for the Cristo we were told that there was “zero visibilidade” at the top of the mountain and that as a result we wouldn't even be able to see the Cristo's feet. We hung around for an hour or so but it didn't look as though the mist was going to lift, so we jumped on a mini bus back down the mountain. View of Pao de Acucar mountain from part way up Corcovado:

We decided to head back to Centro and have some cake at the Confeitaria do Colombo also on Tom's recommendation. We saw the Uruguaian flea market on the way, with an impressive mural showing deforestation scene with trees dripping blood. Uruguaian market: 

We were very impressed by the old fashioned elegance of the Confeitaria do Columbo, in particular its enormous floor to ceiling mirrors, and the fact that Queen Elizabeth had visited in 1968.  I had a strawberry tart, which was delicious. 

Got back to Catete and walked around the Palacio do Catete gardens, hoping to see the 'occasional' swan promised by my guidebook. We didn't see any swans, just three geese. Following this we had dinner at a comida por kilo restaurant (where you pay by the weight of the food which you have) which was particularly good for mum as she could pick the veggie options.

Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain) and a bit of culture

Got up early (had breakfast just before 8.30pm) and headed to Botafogo to get to the Pao de Acucar. We met a very friendly Brazilian man who spoke good English and suggested we try getting a bus to the Pao de Acucar, which we did. The cable car looked rather scary from the bottom but was worthwhile as the views from the top were stunning and we were lucky enough to see the Cristo o Redentor when the mists lifted.

When we got back to Botafogo (also on the bus!) we bumped into the man again and he pointed us in the direction of the Museu do Indio in Rua das Palmeiras (which we walked to). There is an exhibition which gives an insight into the way of life of the indigenous people – how they make flour from mandioca, wood carvings, jewellery, hats and weaving. We had a chat with an indigenous man who worked at the museum who had large lumps of wood in his ears (which he got when he was 15 as a right of passage into adulthood). He was very friendly and asked if we had enjoyed the exhibition – which we had, though we thought it might be helpful if some of the museum info could be translated into English.

We got the metro back to Catete and spent an hour and a half in the Museu da Republica after having cappuccinos and biscotti in the Palacio do Catete next door. Really enjoyed the museum. Mum and I learnt a lot (even though it was all in Portuguese!). This was the seat of government from just after the creation of the Republic of Brazil in 1889 until 1960, when President Juscelino Kubitchek moved the capital to Brasilia. President Vargas killed himself in 1954 in his room at the palacce as things had gone very wrong when his security forces had tried to kill a journalist who was exposing corruption and a military major was killed instead.

Some key facts about Brazil:

Independence from Portugal – 1822

Creation of Republic of Brazil – 1889

Involved in WWI and WWII

Population of 180m, with most people living in coastal cities and over half living in Sao Paulo state – the rest of the country isn't densely populated. We've seen homeless people and we've seen lots and lots of favelas. The level of poverty in an industrialised country is shocking. The more well off homes have metal railings around them and cameras for protection.

The cable car up to Pao de Acucar looked rather scary from the bottom (mum said going up there was 'beyond the call of duty' though she went up anyway in the end!) but was worthwhile as the views from the top were stunning and we were lucky enough to see the Cristo o Redentor when the mists lifted. 

After Pao de Acucar we went to the Museu do Indio, which is nearby in the Botafogo district. There's an exhibition which gives an insight into the way of life of the indigenous people – things like how they make flour from mandioca, wood carvings, jewellery and hats. We also found out that there were around 5m indigenous people when the Portuguese arrived in the 1500s and there are now around 300,000. Apparently there are still some tribes living deep in the Amazon rainforest who have never had contact with the modern world. We had a chat with an Indian man who was at the museum and had large pieces of wood in his ears (which he said he got when he was 15 as a right of passage into adulthood). He was very friendly and asked if we had enjoyed the exhibition – which we said we had, though we thought it might be helpful if some of the museum info could be translated into English. There was a traditional house outside the museum - see below!

We got the metro back to Catete where we were staying and had well deserved cappuccinos and biscotti in the Palacio do Catete, which was the seat of Government until 1960 when President Juscelino Kubitchek moved the capital to Brasilia. There are some very large and impressive condors on the roof of the building (ignore the obstructions in front!). 

Part of the Palacio is now the Museu da Republica and we spent a very interesting hour and a half wandering around it and learning about Brazilian history (again in Portuguese). One particularly dramatic bit of history was the suicide of President Vargas in his room in the Palacio in 1954. Things had gone very wrong when his security forces had tried to kill a journalist who was exposing corruption in his government and an air force major was killed instead - the President saw suicide as the only way out and shot himself through the heart. Incredible. 

Rio, a cidade maravilhosa - beaches

We arrived in Rio from Foz do Iguacu in the evening of Friday 6th January.

On Saturday, we spent most of the day walking along Rio's beaches. We did a round trip from Cantagalo metro station to Copacabana, up to Ipanema and Leblon beaches, then to Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas (a lake just inland from Ipanema beach) and back to Cantagalo. Quite a lot of walking, but worth it.

There was an incredible sandcastle on Copacabana beach - had to get a photo!

The beaches were incredibly busy, with lots of Cariocas (residents of Rio) enjoying the sunshine. People literally spend the whole day at the beach under hired sunshades. It's a good life! The picture below is of Ipanema beach, which is not exactly an undiscovered gem but we enjoyed walking along it despite the crowds.

Cycling along the beaches and around Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas seems to be a very popular activity - and you can hire Rio's equivalent to Boris bikes to do so (sponsored by one of the big Brazilian banks, Itau, rather than Barclays!).

Next post - Pao de Acucar (sugarloaf mountain)!

Foz do Iguacu

The Foz do Iguacu (Brazilian name) or Cataratas de Iguazu (Argentinian name) are in the Rio Iquazu which marks the border between Brazil and Argentina. You can reach the falls from both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides. Mum and I decided to stay on the Argentinian side on the advice of my good friend Dylan, who said it'd be possible to stay in a nicer place for the same money, eat better food and drink better wine than in Brazil. This appears to be true judging by our room, the food and the Argentinian Malbec that we've been drinking every night so far. Apologies to any Brazilian friends who don't agree!

We spent one day in the Parque Nacional Iguazu in Argentina and one day in the Parque Nacional do Iguacu in Brazil. The highlight is, of course, the waterfalls or cataratas, though the falls are in the middle of the Selva Paranaense or rainforest ('jungle') which is pretty impressive itself. The museum on the Argentinian side has some interesting information about the rainforest. One thing that struck me was that it originally covered 1,000,000km2 but now covers 60,000km2 (this is still the size of Norway according to Wikipedia).

There are trails that take you up close to the waterfalls. The Brazilian side of the falls has the best overall views but you can get closer to the falls from the Argentinian side. The falls really are staggering. According to my guidebook, the Niagara falls are a 'ripple' compared to Iguazu. Only the Victoria falls in South Africa are comparable in terms of size, but the Iguazu falls are different as the shape of them means that you can stand with the water coming down almost all around you.

My jaw literally almost dropped when I saw the Garganta del Diablo, or Devil's Throat from the Argentian side, where you can get really close to it. This is the most powerful individual waterfall and colossal amounts of water gush continuously at high speed over the edge of a semi-circle of rock. It made me wonder where it could all be coming from and how it can possibly keep going like that. I think you really have to be there (or watch a video!) to appreciate the immensity of the Garganta del Diablo. The water falling into the canyon below creates mist and you can also see rainbows when the sun refracts through the water. There's so much mist and the force of the water is so great that it must be impossible ever to see the canyon at the bottom of the waterfall.

There's a campaign to vote for the Iguacu Falls as one of the 7 'new' natural wonders of the world. The falls are provisionally included as one of the 7 wonders, subject to validation of the votes, alongside the Amazon, Halong Bay, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerta Princesa Underground River and Table Mountain. I have to admit I haven't heard of all of these. I clearly haven't done enough travelling yet!

Photo of the beach at Sao Vicente on New Year's day

Bringing in the New Year in Sao Vicente

Spent New Year in Sao Vicente, a coastal town about an hour away from Sao Paulo which is very popular with Brazilian holidaymakers - it was heaving and there was a real party atmosphere!

At midnight on New Year's Eve we were on the beach with lots of other groups of people standing together on the sand watching the fireworks. Lots of them were wearing white for good luck in the New Year. Fireworks were going off from all directions – from the sea, from either side further along the beach, and from behind where the blocks of flats tower up at the edge of the beach. All you could hear was people laughing and the banging noises from the fireworks and from bombes, which are thrown to add to the atmosphere and have been going off at all times of day and night for the last few days. People were throwing white roses into the sea and jumping seven waves, again for good luck in the New Year. It was also raining – common in the summer in Brazil.

On New Year's day the sun came out and the beach was teeming with people and sunshades. We walked past the beachfront to Vila Sao Vicente, the historical part of the town, which turned out to be 4 or 5 houses on a traffic island. Sometimes the tourist sights in Brazil aren't quite what you might hope for! There's an old cathedral next to the historical centre which we sat in for a bit for some quiet time. There were quite a few other people in there, though most of them seemed to be there just to sleep.

We walked back from the historical centre to the beach, via a monument in the sea. There were crowds of people in the sea and the children in particular seemed to be having a great time. My Mum went for a paddle while I went for a swim. Although the water felt a bit cool to begin with, once in it didn't feel cold at all. It rained in the late afternoon and the beach cleared pretty quickly, though some swimmers stayed in the sea. After eating microwave meals in the apartment (the restaurants are expensive and not very good) and going to the internet cafe to send some emails (unbelievably it was open on NY's day!), Mum and I went to a bar on the beachfront for cerveja (me) and gin and tonic (mum) and were joined later on by Adriano.

Feliz ano novo!