After 3.5 years of living in London it is time to go. while this was more sweet than bitter, decision was difficult and one of mixed emotions. Despite being in a position of enjoying my job and being happy enough to live there something said it was time to go!! I had a brilliant time and made some great friends.....more on that later.
Before heading off to Sydney, the plan is to go to Rio, Santiago, Bolivia, Peru (Cuzco and the Inca trail). After that the plan is to drive across the US (with Caleb) and finish with a few days in Mexico (baja california).
Brazil was first up. My first interaction with the fabled Brazilian attitude started on the plane: having made the wise decision to check-in online and get a decent seat, the air hostess asked me about possibly moving to another seat so a pregnant lady with a small toddler in tow could take my seat. I was happy to oblige, but was quite surprised when my (approx) 20 yr old neighbour said "does she need or does she want to sit in these seats"... shocked, the hostess replied "er, she wants, I suppose" the girl then replied "well, NO then, she cannot have my seat. If she needed it, that would be different".
Arriving in Rio there is an immediate confrontation of the senses: poverty and beauty, all within about 5 minutes. While what I saw was not as full on as the poor areas of Africa, Asia or even Iran, the so called favellas line the motorway from the airport to the city on one side or the other. On the opposite side of the road to each of the favellas is either some nice stately homes or a great view of the beach or forest. The drive presents with some interesting smells, also in contrast: raw sewage at one point then forest flowers at another. The road had two old rust buckets, still smoking or burning from the night before, resting on the side and new luxury saloons sped by. Somehow, surprisingly at the time, it felt so much like Portugal (except with more water) that I kept thinking I was there. The roads were the same, the language the same and the feel, the same.
The first day brought about a few other "early impression of Brazilian people" moments; of course they were all on the beach. Copacabana has been usurped by Ipanema as "the" beach to be seen at in Rio. This supposedly happened a long time ago but they forgot to tell the tourists and accordingly the touts. Luckily the hotels are cheaper there, so I was there by default. Anyway, i was immediately struck by the showing of flesh by everyone. Not one person had a shirt on, very few hats and only the ubiquitous havianas on their feet. It was very hard to really connect with it. Although obviously joining the action, Australian beaches are usually so empty with just a few surfers or dog walkers or fishermen, so I hadn't seen such a beach before. Old, young, whatever, people were in budgy smugglers or bikinis. It was impossible to tell the locals from the tourists, other than the tourists looked less at ease. After a day of sun, volley (ball), coco(nuts) and caparhinas the sun was going down... and... people started to applause!! It was amazing. I felt the need to join in of course. A few people hugged and others kissed each other bye and that was it. A day over.
During the rest of the time I managed to see the Christ the Redeemer, visit the sugar loaf, tour the favellas (see below), eat lots and lots of meat (the food and drink in Rio was a real highlight - great quality and real variety), get in 4 minor bus accidents (the drivers are not as mad as in Asia but a lot worse in their execution) and ....
visit the maracana stadium.... this was something to behold. The stadium officially holds 140,000 people but has once held around 200,000 for a football match!! The game was Flamego (the largest club in South America and possibly the world with over 30 million fans) versus some other team in the league. It was a cup final - like say the FA cup in the UK. For those who don't know, this means all teams in the region enter and play knock out games until two are left. This type of competition can mean a non premier league / top division side can make the final. In Rio they play a best of two final series unlike in the uk. For the game, it was 35 degrees and played in the baking sun. Everyone was drinking beers and chanting and singing. Somehow there was a sinister feel to the chanting although I know no Portuguese I could feel the tension rising along with the temperature. More and more police began to show an interest, until the away team scored and Flamengo had a player sent off. At this, some people in Flamengo shirts started to leave and abuse (and beer cans etc) was thrown from die hard fans at the leaving groups..... the police showed up with batons, a beer was spilt and about 3 feet from me all hell broke loose!! The police with guns (not drawn) and batons, the fans turning on each other with beers and chairs were soon covered in blood. Somehow it cooled a little, giving enough time for non combatants to exit. I got out with a father and his 2 little boys. The battle continued outside until the riot police turned up. Luckily, I found my bus and was able to get away. The end result 0-1 to the visitors! 0-10 to the police. (nb: while it was pretty wild, the fans left me alone and were not interested in me at all. All in all it was great to go to a game in Brazil).
Favellas (for those who have not seen city of god) are the slums of Rio. Somewhere around 1 m people live in the slums of rio. There is unemployment reaching 70% in some of them. In Rio there are around 800 Favellas with the biggest being around 160k. The problems depicted in the city of god movie are apparently real. the favellas are a haven for drug dealers and in some there is little or no police presence due to fear and danger. The crime rate is, according to the guide who took me there, lower in the favella than anywhere in Rio. But, he did point out that almost all of it is violent and usually results in death. The drug dealers do not want much crime as it brings in the police... so I was safe as I posed no threat (and I suspect I was in the safest Favella in the world!!). The problem, said the guide, is that the poverty cycle is hard to break. He said that many people come to the cities for jobs and only get minimum wage (i cant recall the figure but it was less than my daily budget (around US$50 per day) for this trip per month). This means drug dealing is a way out of this cycle. The Favella was an eye opener, a city within a city, its own rules and its own life.
Overall Rio is a weird place. When I arrived I did not feel that at home there. Although I was very impressed by its beauty and amazing vistas, the beaches and.. the locals. I really enjoyed my time there.. actually the longer I stayed and especially towards the end, I was a little sad to leave. It is like anything .. it took me a while to find my rhythm there - something that comes naturally to the locals!! I was reading a death in Brazil (thanks suze) while I was there and while the book itself annoyed me for some reason there was something in the themes of the book - the fusion of sex, food, music and body politic that rang true in Rio. Certainly worth another visit.
After the 5 days in Rio I headed off to Santiago (where I am now). Arriving in Santiago 5 days after arriving in Rio demonstrated a stark contrast. It showed why it was hard to leave Rio. The difference is like the difference between Spain and Portugal. Now this is an idea formed on very little knowledge of any of the four countries, only brief visits. While it may be stating the obvious given their former colonisers. Rio felt something like portugal - run down, good food, great beaches and people seem very content. That said, there were political undertones of anger at the present Government that I was unable to understand in my short visit. On the other hand, in santiago it feels like spain: great roads, really great roads... and a brand new airport (my image of spain) and everything seems to work. Getting from the airport to the city was quick and cheap and it all seemed too easy. None of that may be even remotely correct '- but it felt true at the time.
When I arrived in Chile I realised I didnt have a phrase book or a map. I purchased both quickly and found it was a real help. I was able to get a bit of a feel in a short time. Santiago is not far from the coast and is right in the foothills of the Andes. It feels a little like melbourne, flat, well organised and dry air. After a day and a bit of walking around the city, checking out a few sites I got to the airport again. It is pretty impressive and very well run. I went to the check in to be greated by: "buenas noches señor, blah blah" I said... "yo no entiendo" (i do not understand) she said "do you know your destiny", I laughed and said "I wish".
Off to bolivia now. Chavez will be there just as Bush is now in Brazil!!
Hasta Luego.
