As a tourist in Brazil, you would probably expect to spend your time between Sao Paulo and Rio,
possibly visiting Salvador or Foz do Iguacu and maybe even passing through the Amazon region.
My 7 months in Brazil though, was centred in Curitiba, further south, and for most of the time my focus was as an inhabitant rather than a tourist. It wasn't until I returned on holiday in late 2006
that I finally visited Rio, and so the main focus of this page, and the site in general is sourced from experiences in Curitiba, and other southern cities.
Curitiba
Curitiba, although not a typical tourist hotspot, is nevertheless blessed with a generous array of cultural and natural sites and it was the parks and other green areas of the city that had particularly drawn me to the city before I began living there.
However, my inauguration into the Curitibano (Natives of Curitiba) way of life had barely begun after the first two months and the onus on me to explore the cultural and pastoral life of the city was growing.
I was starting to feel a little guilty, but without a well-annotated guidebook, it can be difficult to make the most of any city. I was lucky, therefore, to have friends to guide me through the alleyways and thoroughfares the city had to offer.
The people who have handled the growth and development of Curitiba, up to the current size and population of a little under two million, have mostly geometrically planned the city. Although many of the older parts have remained intact or have been preserved, as you make your way outwards from the centre, you find yourself traversing neat blocks of commercial and residential buildings. These areas are themselves approximately segmented by the main bus routes that lead you towards the outskirts.
Parks
As I said before, it was the parks of Curitiba that first endeared it to me, and the longer I lived there, the more I learnt to enjoy them. After living in London, Wakefield, Wiltshire and Chelmsford, it was refreshing to have so much choice and variety within reach.
Tangua park
is one of the more sculpted parks, set on two levels. On the top level, fountains form the centrepiece for a paved area with benches lining the flanks.
This area is then dramatically halted by a huge drop to a lake below,
which itself is surrounded by a varied and relaxing park area. What particularly appealed to me about this park was the serenity and remoteness of it. We only managed to visit it on a few occasions,
but on each one, we were the only people there and it wasn't merely due to poor weather conditions. There just seems to be more space for people in Curitiba than in most other places I've lived.
I hope the same can be said when I next return there.
Baragui park is a different type of park altogether.
Although it, too, boasts a lake and peaceful atmosphere, it is a more social area, where many locals go walking in their spare time. It is also a recreational space for families, football training, picnics
and capoeira.
The park also has a large restaurant for some of the more affluent citizens, whose impressive houses border the park. The lake is central to what is a wide-open area with a path running around the edge,
and there was a small funfair located at one end whilst I was there, although I never ventured close to it.
The Botanical Gardens are the most picturesque of the park areas in Curitiba.
The park is split into two parts.
The focus of the first is an art gallery, which sits beside yet another small lake, in which you can see lots of turtles, ducks and other wild birds. The focus of the second part is an arboretum
that is reminiscent of Kew Gardens.
Again, the beauty and peace of the park is all that more enjoyable because of the space and lack of tourists blocking doorways and taking photos of everything.
The other impressive aspect of this and other parks is that, on all sides, the park is bordered by tall apartment blocks and main roads, which seem to fade away once you reach the heart of the park itself.
Beaches
How could I possibly talk about Brazil,
without covering the topic of beaches. Despite residing many miles inland, I was blessed with ample visits to the coast and was able to enjoy a variety of locations.
The first beach I saw, was also the last, during my original 7 month stay. My Wife's Aunt and Uncle were privileged in owning both an apartment in the city, and one by the beach, in the resort of Guaruja. It was a part of a block, that along with two others,
had private access to a small beach of their own and we travelled there the day after landing
in Sao Paulo.
In the morning we wound our way down a short, steep path to the beach itself, which was no more than the size of a large garden. Luckily we were the only people on it all morning, although we were not
alone. At first I didn't notice them, but a flicker in the corner of my eye suddenly drew my attention to a small, pale crab a few meters away that was digging itself a little hole in the sand. It would disappear
sideways into its hole and emerge a few seconds later with a claw full of sand, which it would then hurl as far away from its hole as possible. This was at first, a little amusing. I had always enjoyed catching
crabs in rock pools as a child. But then I began to see that it wasn't one or two crabs.
It wasn't even six or seven; it was dozens of crabs, all over the beach, all of different sizes and all of them digging their
own little hole. With the knowledge that there must be crabs right beneath me in there own little holes, I began to wonder if the entire beach might suddenly collapse and swallow us whole. Perhaps that was why we
were the only people on the beach that day. All this didn't aid my ambitions of a rapid suntan and we soon returned up to the apartment for lunch.
The resort also played host to a couple of larger beaches. What struck me most about them, was that they were practically deserted on most of the occasions we passed them.
Even though it was their winter, and the weather was not boiling, it was still warm enough to draw any British down to its shores, had it been Bournemouth or Brighton. My only regret, as I now look at the photo,
is that we didn't spend more time there, but it is fair to say I feel that way about so many places I saw whilst in Brazil.
My first look at the beach there came on the second morning in Guaruja, as I accompanied
my Wife's Uncle down to the sea-front to buy some fish. These were later battered and fried, and though I'm still not sure exactly which fish they were, they were certainly very tasty.
Theatre
Having spent a significant portion of my life training and working as an actor, the theatre in Brazil, and specifically Curitiba, was of particular importance to me.
Whilst we were first in Curitiba, so was a significant portion of the country's actors for the "Festival de Theatre" and we had tickets for a couple of plays. The first we saw was the only English language play
at the festival and had come, like us, from London. It was called "100" and was a tidy piece of not altogether original but concisely scripted and performed, theatre. I was hoping to bend the ear of the director
or actors to glean some sort of advice for my future plans.
Unfortunately, I found myself face to face with the assistant director who had come from Curitiba, was living in London and was as useful as a
chocolate teapot. "No, there wasn't any English Theatre here. No, there wasn't any demand for it here. No, she didn't have any advice. Yes, she did have the politeness of a neutered warthog".
The other play I saw was a Portuguese version of "A servant and two masters" by Goldoni. As it was uses some of the traditional technique of Commedia Dell' Arte, which is of specific interest to me, I was able to follow a lot of what was going on, and was able to get some enjoyment from it as well as a learning experience. However the audience were a distinctively 'home crowd' and laughed inappropriately occasionally and my Brazilian advisors suggested that it was not really quite up to the standards they would have expected. It appears as though the actors were recent graduates and this was their first performance of the piece. Bringing the Director on to the stage for formal thanks I found a little unprofessional, but then again, it may just be a cultural thing. I have since learned that it is customary to always give a standing ovation.
I also saw one piece of free theatre that was a fable type story about animals that I didn't find particularly exciting, but until I have learnt the language, I don't feel confident to give any strong opinion on such matters. I would say however, that my chicken impression is infinitely more entertaining.
Fortunately, the longer I stayed in Brazil, the more involved I became in the theatre there.
Through a friend I was put in touch with a local teacher and Arts organiser who was very interested in British Theatre
and was excited about the prospect of being involved in a production with me. Another friend, and student of his, was brought onboard to direct and we began to plan a feasible project. It was a wonderful experience for me
to plan for something like this, but unfortunately my time ran out before we had the chance to fulfil our intentions.
However, my involvement with theatre didn't end there. Through an English-teaching school I was working for, I became part of a group of teachers who were in the midst of preparing their annual production. Although I would have liked to direct or to write the play, I was nevertheless very grateful to be asked to act in the play with them and I also contributed towards the editing of the play, and the addition of a few jokes. Despite not excelling in quality, the performances still drew impressive audiences and a wonderful reception. It is one of my intentions to return in the future and help them to produce a piece of work I've penned myself.
My directing dream was reborn eventually, when I was asked to help direct another local group in their yearly production. I had first been sussed out for the job whilst visiting the British Honorary Consul when we first arrived in the city. It turned out that his wife was the driving force behind the productions, but that she was in need of some help to spread the load. Again, I was thwarted by time, when the end of my visa inevitably led to the end of my involvement and I had to bow out only part way through rehearsals. It was though, a wonderfully enjoyable experience, and I was sad not to have been there to see them take the stage.Cinema
Already an avid cinema-goer in England, I was keen to continue this aspect of my lifestyle in Brazil. I was lucky therefore, that apart from their own national films (Of which there were few), everything was available in English. It was the Brazilians who then had the choice of dubbing or subtitles.
The cinemas themselves were of a very good standard. They weren't quite as impressive as our Multi-plexes, but the seating was comfortable, the auditoriums were clean and the films were as regular as they are in the UK. There was also the bonus of price. Providing we went on a Wednesday, we were able to get in for the equivalent of £1 each, and when you consider it costs £6.50 in Bath, that is very cheap, even in relative terms. Even at full price, it was only around £2.00-£2.50.
It is worth pointing out as well, that contrary to the Brazilians' terrible time-keeping, the films actually start when they say they will, and not 20 minutes later like they do in England, so you'd better turn up in plenty of time. Also, the audiences there can be a little more animated; especially the kids.
Bars
One of the first places I was taken once we had settled down in our apartment was a "Cachacaria", which is a bar, specialising in the drink (Cachaca) made from sugar cane. When we arrived it was almost 12 o'clock (midnight). The bar was evidently very busy when we walked in and we waited a few minutes for the waiter to allocate us a table as I scanned the room for signs of unusual people and drinks. The wait turned out to be unnecessary however, as we found ourselves being led upstairs into a quiet (nearly empty) and somewhat less atmospheric room, but I was glad to be able to hear the conversation at full volume so as not to embarrass myself too frequently with misunderstandings.
The menu arrived promptly and the pages were predominantly reserved for alcohol and in particular, the many, many varieties of cachaca that were divided into age and region and categorised with a star system to denote the quality and price. I wondered whether they did the same with their men and women in Brazil. It is with shame, and to my discredit, that I must admit to not having tried one of these cachacas on this occasion (I have since made up for it), as I was sidetracked by some of the other creations that were described and suggested by my companions. In the end I opted for a peach and pineapple drink that was surprisingly set off by vodka and the national favourite, condensed milk, although this was equalled in distinctiveness by the strawberry and maracuya versions that were also ordered by our table.
They all arrived in two glasses per drink, one large rounded glass and a smaller tumbler that I presume was to carry the excess and, thankfully, with plenty of ice, which I desperately needed to temper the sweetness that my beverage possessed. I am not sure how familiar you are with condensed milk, but imagine downing an entire can and you may be in the vicinity of the sweetness that I experienced with that first sip. It was well fortified with alcohol too; leaving me with an unforgettable tang that would last well into the following morning.
Coincidentally, this was also the last bar I visited before I left Curitiba, and this time I had rather too much of their national favourite, and I will forever owe my wife an apology for failing to help her pack for our departure the following morning. My preoccupations were more with the bathroom floor.
The next place I went was an American-styled bar, called "Crossroads", and we were treated to excellently well-reproduced versions of rock classics. In this bar, they operated the most common system of billing, by providing you with a card, upon which all drink options are listed and appropriately crossed off as you order your drinks. You then pay for what you drank (plus any entrance fee), at the end of the night. Often, there is also a minimum amount you must spend on drinks, so it's worth finding these figures out before you decide where you want to go and how much you want to drink.
As well as visiting other bars of a similar nature,
I also spent some of my time in the smaller, open-fronted sandwich bars, which sell chocolate and tissues in addition to beer and spirits. It was during the Euro 2004 football tournament that I frequented these places,
as many have televisions and the beer is a whole lot cheaper than in the bars, where you sometimes have to pay a service charge. This really was the time
I felt most like I was living the Brazilian life, and it gave me a good chance to practise my Portuguese.
Attractions
To me, Brazil itself is an attraction and you won't need to go searching to find places of interest. Without having toured the sights of Brazil I have been left with no sense of having missed out and those things I didn't see during my seven months I eagerly look forward to exploring when I return.
Cataratas at Foz do Iguacu
These waterfalls, on the border between Brazil and Argentina have a special significance for me,
as they are where I proposed to Dulcilene, who is now my wife. They are the most spectacular phenomenon I've ever
seen and to visit them is an absolute must.
You can access the waterfalls from either the Brazilian side, or the Argentinean side and people will dispute which is the better. My wife, who has been on both sides, says there is more to see on the Argentinean side, and it is quite a bit larger. However, I've been told that the principal view is more spectacular, looking from Brazil.
The greatest piece of advice I can give you about visiting the waterfalls, is to go early and avoid the queues, as when we passed the entrance on the Brazilian side at 2pm of the day preceeding our visit, the waiting time appeared to be considerable. This would be compounded by the weather, which can be extremely hot there. By going early, we avoided queues and sunburn.
Niemeyer Museum
The "Eye" is amongst Curitiba's most easily recognised
sights and is one they have every right to be proud of. From the outside it is a commanding modern structure that has been given room to breath; whilst most other museums
I've visited are compressed by their surroundings.
It's capacity for displaying art is generous and varied, with the "Eye" section boasting the most original area, although it wasn't housing an exhibition when I visited the attraction. The main section is spacious and open
(inside and out), and reminded me a little of the Tate in London.
The work itself was very impressive. When I went there with my family, they had a surrealist exhibition on that boasted work from Klee, Dali and many others.
My mother, who is an art teacher, and much more knowledgable about what we were seeing, said the selection of work compared extremely favourably with what she had seen at the V&A and the Tate.
Away from the surrealists was a lot of other work by international artists, ranging from tapestry to modern sculpture. We were also blessed with a cool and quiet day, which made the appreciation of this attraction all the more enjoyable.
Essentially; even if you don't normally find yourself frequenting museums, this one is easily worth a morning's outing.
