Brazil Video: Travel Flashback

Brazil 2010 from B&G Duncan on Vimeo.

It's starting to feel like a lifetime ago that we went to Brazil, even though technically it was just last winter. BD really really wanted a new underwater camera for Australia so he could "make cool videos ... about the baby, too." Uh-huh. My only condition was that he needed to finish the Brazil video he started over a year ago before he started on any brand new video projects. He got his camera (surprise surprise), and just last night finished his Brazil video. I love it.
P.S. I know I have an eye-rolling problem while on camera. It's entirely annoying. I'm working on it.

The rest of Rio, New Year's Eve Day

It seems that every where we looked in Brazil there was some sort of graffiti or street art. If there's a wall, it has paint on it. As you can see, some of it is quite good. You can tell a lot about the neighborhood you're in based on the street art nearby. We saw everything from soccer to politics to religion to famous icons.

As much as we would have loved to stay for just one more day in Rio to be there during New Year's Eve, we couldn't justify another $3000+ in airfare and hotel for just one more night. Today we found out Madonna performed that night and we've been crying in our room ever since.

Because we weren't headed to Copacabana for the actual big bash, we found ourselves in the Centro district again after visiting Niterói across the bay. Having been to the Centro on a previous day, to say we were shocked at the lack of people would be an understatement. Here are two pictures of the same road, the one on the left is Wednesday at 3pm, the one on the right is Friday (New Year's Eve) at 3pm. The city literally just died.

We felt like we had the entire city to ourselves. It was a little bit eerie but we noticed things like the beautiful cobblestone sidewalks a little bit more. We were able to snap a few photos that would normally have hundreds of people walking by in the background.

Rio Branco Avenue

In front of the Municipal Theatre

Seemingly deserted street

Even though our time in Rio was short, we saw everything we wanted to. On that last day, all of our clothes were dirty, we were exhausted and a little sunburned, but satisfied and ready to be home. We lucked out and were able to find a taxi to the airport and while THIS was going on at Copacabana, we had our own little celebration on the plane somewhere over South America. Take that Madonna.

Petrópolis with the Mattos Family

During my 9 months in the mission office I worked and lived with this elder, Rafael Mattos. We became great friends and he represents such a memorable time in my life, I have fond memories of living with and serving with him. He lives in Petrópolis which is about an hour from Rio high up in the mountains, and at 28 he serves on the Stake High Council. He's a rock. Mattos picked us up in Rio and took us up the spectacularly twisty road to Petrópolis to spend the day with his family. On a clear day you'd be able to see all the way to Rio from this scenic lookout. Once again, the clouds had other plans.

Mattos and Me

Asa-delta?

Even shrouded in the rain and clouds, Petrópolis felt like a breath of fresh air because it was a slower paced, smaller city high up in the mountains where it was quite a bit cooler. The clouds were so low and thick that you could see the tiny droplets of water hanging motionless in the air, it was like walking through a spray of mist. You can certainly see the German influence in this Quitandinha Palace Hotel.

Mattos and his wife, Debora, spent the day showing us around Petrópolis. It is such a beautiful city and felt like many cities Gina and I have been to in Europe, just a little more tropical. Here's the famous cathedral San Pedro of Alcantara where Dom Pedro II, the last ruler of the Empire of Brazil is buried with his wife, Teresa Christina.

We also went through the Imperial Museum of Brazil (the old royal family palace) and saw Dom Pedro's crown, complete with 91,000+ carats of precious stones including 639 white diamonds, 77 pearls, and nearly 5 lbs worth of 18k gold. I had to wipe the drool off Gina's chin.

Palácio Imperial

After our private guided tour around the old Royal city Mattos took us back to Debora's parents' house. Debora's brothers speak very good English and the younger one is currently attending LDS Business College and lives in Provo but was home for the holidays. Believe it or not, this was the best picture of several attempts with the camera timer. Thank you very much Mattos and Recordon families for making our day wonderful! It was hard for me to say goodbye to Mattos at the bus station that evening, I loved being able to meet his wife and two beautiful children. Gina even tried to smuggle little Lívia home with us.

Mattos, Recordon, and Duncan Families

More highlights from Rio

One of the things that Gina wanted to do the most was take a helicopter ride around Rio, particularly around Christ the Redeemer. That was our big splurge for the vacation and it was totally worth every penny. We'll have a video coming soon with footage from us in the air, but in the meantime, here are two of us with our feet still on the ground.

O Cristo Redentor

Gina was so excited she almost wet herself

One of the things that I miss most about Brazil is the fresh juices of every kind. Restaurants, bars, botecos (see below), beach huts, etc. all serve fresh juice. They simply add fruit, water (or milk), sometimes a little cane sugar and blend. I was so proud of Gina, she tried as many different kinds of juice as possible and loved most of them. This juice below was one of Gina's favorites. It's pineapple blended with milk and a bit of fresh mint leaves - served ice cold.

Enjoying suco on Copacabana

Rio is known for it's Botecos - tiny restaurant/bars scattered all over the city but particularly in our neighborhood of Santa Teresa and the nearby Lapa neighborhood. They typically started out many decades ago as bars with a bit of live music (usually samba, boss nova, etc.) but have now converted to be more of quaint little restaurants with a few tables inside. People drink too much and sing too loud, but a good time is had by all. One evening we walked down the street to a boteco hot-spot in our neighborhood and found this little gem, Marcô, where we had authentic Rio-style Feijoada (black bean stew with pork and beef, collard greens, rice, and farofa).

No meal in Brazil is complete without Guaraná

The breakfast at Birgit's house nearly made it worth it. Since we're not coffee drinkers, Birgit's maid Nice (pronounced Neecee) made Gina fresh lemongrass tea each morning and it became Gina's favorite part of Rio. She even cut some from their bush for us to take home. Don't tell customs.

Morning tea

Another can't-miss in Rio was the Contemporary Museum of Art in Niterói, across the bay. You know Gina and her museums, she can't come within 100 miles of a famous museum without visiting it. Because it was New Year's Eve day the museum was closed for a private function so we didn't even make it inside. We've read that the art collection isn't anything spectacular and the best thing to see there is the building itself, or at least that's what we're telling ourselves.

UFO sighting

The famous architect, Oscar Niemeyer had it easy here, he just had to design it. I feel bad for those poor engineers that had to figure out how to make it stand up on its own.

Contemporary Museum of Art - Niterói

We might have made one more trip to the Confeitaria Colombo, and it might have something to do with a certain waffle drowned in chocolate, topped with ice cream.

I honestly have no idea how I gained 10 lbs in 2 weeks...

The first time we rode the bonde over the famous Lapa viaduct we actually had no idea that we were on it. We just thought we were on a really high bridge since we couldn't see it from our vantage point inside the bonde car. We had to go back and investigate to ease Gina's acrophobic tendencies.

Bonde car on the Lapa Viaduct

Don't you worry, as with any trip we've ever been on, I did a fair amount of Landy stalking. Here we find a beautiful South American variety nestled below the neighborhood castle. Sleeping under her hood is a 300 tdi 4 cylinder turbodiesel engine. I want that.

Gina says I'm worse than the paparazzi

Sugarloaf

We've been home for a week now and it's unbelievable how life manages to fill any extra time that I might otherwise have. I'm determined to finish blogging about the rest of our trip to help me remember the amazing things we saw and did. We wanted to be at the top of Sugarloaf mountain around sunset time but part of the view was impeded by low-lying clouds which shrouded the Christ the Redeemer statue most of this particular afternoon. Even still, Sugarloaf offers the most complete view of all of Rio's eclectic mix of neighborhoods, skyscrapers, favelas, beaches, etc. With only a few makeovers, the "bondinho" has been taking tourists to the top of Sugarloaf mountain since 1912. Ninety-eight years later, here we are. Sugarloaf is certainly a Rio must-see.

At the bottom

O Bondinho

Looking towards the centro - we may look goofy, but the views are unbelievable

Copacabana in the distance

When we were leaving, unbeknownst to each other, Gina and I simultaneously hailed two different taxis. In retrospect, we learned that wasn't such a good idea. The two taxi drivers got out of their cars and started yelling and cussing at each other fighting over which one would give us a ride. One of the taxi drivers finally gave up and the other proceeded to tell us that he wanted R$40 for a R$15 taxi ride. We walked away and got another taxi down the street for a total of R$14.80. I gave him R$20 just because he was honest.

Rio in the Rain

We left sunny Salvador on Monday evening and were welcomed in Rio de Janeiro that night by a heavy rainstorm and suffocating humidity. After an animated discussion with a few cabbies about outrageously priced taxi rides, we were able to split a more reasonable taxi with a local headed in our same direction. On the way to our Bed & Breakfast the taxi broke down with a clutch problem. Did I mention it was pouring? We waited until another taxi would stop and take us the rest of the way to our destination perched high among the steep hills of Santa Teresa. It was late and had been a long travel day and we found our accommodations less than desirable, which added to the exhaustion. I teased Gina that she has lost her dare-devil backpacking spirit. She didn't argue. The next morning after a shower and breakfast we were determined to put Rio to the test. 

Our first outing in Rio was to take the trolley car or bonde (pronounced BON-jee) to the Centro. In all seriousness, it felt like a Disneyland ride complete with all the sharp jerks and squeaks and bumps (excluding the warning to keep your hands inside the ride). Good times.

It rained on and off during the 4 days we spent in Rio which thankfully helped to keep temperatures down. We purchased a cheap R$5 umbrella off the street and didn't let the rain stop us from doing everything on our must-see list. The umbrella lasted exactly 4 days and broke just before we left.
We headed first to the beach to walk along the Ipanema boardwalk and get our feet wet. Even on an overcast day the beaches here draw huge crowds. I love being in Brazil as a non-missionary with my sweetheart.

@ "The Girl from Ipanema" Park, Ipanema Beach

That afternoon we went to the Confeiteria Colombo for tea and scrumpets. Seriously, we had tea and scrumpets. And the more times I can say tea and scrumpets, the better. I think this was a highlight for both of us, but in particular Gina. It's basically a giant specialty bakery with glass cases filled with every kind of yummy thing imaginable. It's in a beautiful old building with huge framed mirrors and a stained glass ceiling. Gina loved everything from the design of the menu to the black and white gingham aprons the waiters wear, and of course the scrumpets.

Later in the afternoon it began to rain again and didn't let up the rest of the night. We mostly stayed in the Centro and hopped from store to store in the shopping district. Eventually we found ourselves at a McDonalds where we could sit for a while and plan out the next few days over a shared McFlurry (pronounced McFlu-hee). Seriously, anywhere in the world McDonalds is often the saving grace for simply a clean place to sit and use a bathroom. That night we took the bus back to Santa Teresa, another adventure. Everything is an adventure here. Sometimes the busses stop, sometimes they don't, and the drivers in Rio are absolutely no help with directions. 

Happy New Year from Copacabana

The rest of Salvador

I didn’t know Juliano on my mission, but he drives a taxi for Jailson, and thus we had the pleasure to meet him and his family. We immediately had a great connection with them and felt like we’ve been friends forever. Having Juliano as our personal tour guide helped ease my worries about getting around Salvador. He was fantastic. His wife makes chocolate bon-bons and you can imagine that Gina was quick to put in a large order. She and Gina seemed to make a great connection. She also made Gina a beautiful doll and wrapped it as a Christmas gift. Gina can’t wait to someday put the doll in a nursery. We have been blown away by the generosity of the people and members here.

Before a few months ago, I had practically written off tasting acarajé for a long, long time, but on this trip my wish came true. Here I am about to dig into a nice palm-oil-deep-fried acarajé, complete with vatapá and shrimp. You just can’t get this taste anywhere else in the world. Gina ate it and claimed to have liked it. She’s pretty much a miracle.

Jailson took us out to the Praia do Forte which is the world headquarters for the TAMAR project, specializing in the revitalization and protection of the various marine sea turtles. I got to hold a sea cucumber, take a dip in the ocean, and talk about science. I love this place.

While I didn’t think to take a picture of it, Gina slept the entire way back to Salvador. Jailson kept thundering in his trademark low voice “A mulher se quebrou na Bahia! A mulher ‘ta quebrada,” which roughly translates to “Bahia rocked her world.” He couldn’t be more right.

After the rocking of Gina’s world and a wonderful night at the Da Silva’s house, we had a very relaxing Christmas Day and for the first time it finally felt like we were truly on vacation. We got to talk to both of our families via Skype which made being in Brazil feel not quite so far away.

Gina's Christmas Day 2010

BD's Christmas Day 2010

Feliz Natal 2010

 Gina woke up early one morning (yes, you read that right) and luckily I heard her say, “wow, look at that amazing sunrise.” I jumped up and had to snap a few quick photos. What a beautiful way to start the day.

Bahian Sunrise

 We took the long way to the airport and drove along the coast to the Faról de Itapuã. This quaint little candy-cane lighthouse is a little bit away from the city. I was glad we could cap off our Salvador trip with a quick stop here. It was certainly hard to say goodbye to Jailson at the airport. I don’t know when I’ll see him or Bahia again.

Itapuã Lighthouse

Sunday in São Caetano

We are only in Salvador for one Sunday but I knew exactly which ward I wanted to attend. There is one very special family in São Caetano that I absolutely needed to see, hug, and spend time with. First, it's such a small world, the driver of the taxi that we took to church has a sister that lives in Provo and served a mission. Furthermore, he's lived in the same condo complex as Jailson for some time now. Here we are headed to church in São Caetano.

The church building has been remodeled since I was there last, and maybe one day they'll even get air conditioning :-). The ward and stake has since split and there is now a branch for a part of the ward that was pretty far from the chapel. The members were singing Christmas hymns out in front of the church when we arrived, and we were invited to join in. They were so welcoming and all the women hugged and kissed Gina. She's getting really good at the double-cheek-kissing greetings. It was good to see some familiar faces.

São Caetano chapel

One major reason to attend church in São Caetano was the Reis family. This family was baptized almost exactly 9 years ago on the 30th of December 2001. The following picture shows Eronildes (dad), Marcos, and Rafael (kneeling). The mom and the oldest son couldn't make it today because of some health problems. So far, Hebert (the oldest son), and Marcos have both served missions in Brazil. They were so excited to show me pictures of the people they baptized who are now serving their own missions. Rafael was 10 when we first clapped at their door and he'll be turning in his mission papers in January. We're secretly praying that he is called to Utah.

The Reis (Reis translates to "Kings" - very fitting)

After church they invited us to their house to see Luzinete (mom) and Hebert with his wife. It was so great to be walking the same streets here in Salvador with my friends. Brother Eronildes plays soccer each week at 67 years old with all the young kids out in the back of the church since he's been the Young Men's president in the past few years. The streets haven't changed all that much and I could almost find my way straight to their house.

The streets of São Caetano

View off the Reis' back porch

They were so kind to serve us lunch after church. We sat and chatted for much longer than Gina ever thought possible. It was awesome to reminisce about the first days when Elder Castro and I met them and when Elder Almeida and I taught them. The oldest boy, Hebert had prayed that God would help him find the truth among all the churches. Because of his prayer, my companion and I were in his living room the very next day reciting the first vision. It's amazing to look back at that day and see why we were working late in that area even though we hadn't worked anywhere near their street before. Previous missionaries had told us that they'd knocked (clapped) all the doors over there. That day we actually passed by their house without clapping and we now realize it was because Hebert wasn't actually home. When we came by later we decided to stop and clap at their door. The dad let us in and Hebert came home from running errands a few minutes later. The three boys are spiritual giants in my eyes. They read the Book of Mormon, prayed, found out the truth, and wanted to be baptized. The parents were a bit hesitant but the boys already had their own testimonies. The parents began to read and pray with the boys and soon they all decided to be baptized. The rest is history and they're still going strong today. I definitely came to tears a few times while in their home again. There is such a strong spirit there. True Christians.

From left: Luzinete, Marcos, Rafael, Eronildes, Hebert, Rose, Gina, me