the Redeemer (Cristo Redento)
Views of the Redeemer and
Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf)
the bay and to burgeoning
favelas
Diary/Photo Journal
Week of January 02 - January 08, 2011
We skedaddled out of Rio on Sunday morning and headed north to Arrarial do Cabo and Buzios, very nice beach areas that are known for their crystal clear waters, white sand beaches and unfortunately, for their tourism in the summer.
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Even the Palm Tree is imitating the Redeemer (Cristo Redento)
Views of the Redeemer and |
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Leaving Rio and views to the bay and to burgeoning favelas |
On the drive north along the coast, there are several lagoons separated from the ocean by sand dunes and low lying hills. It has quite a remote feeling as the roads are dirt and not many people live on the marshy land. Of course, this only meant that Gerson had to find a shortcut that took us through the backyards of one small village.
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Views along the drive north of Rio Quaint fishing hamlets
Visible police
presence (look Lovely sand dunes |
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Views of the beaches and the lagoons along the drive north of Rio
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We were heading for Arraial do Cabo for a couple of nights as it is the step-sister to Buzios and quite a bit less touristy. Arraial do Cabo is neighbor to a number of beautiful beaches and several are only accessible by a hike in or by a boat.
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View to
Saquarema and its landmark church Flamboyant tree living up to its name |
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Coming into the Arraial do Cabo area |
It was unfortunate that the day was intermittingly overcast and rainy and arrival in Arraial do Cabo did not immediately signal sunshine. As I had seen what the waters look like on a sunny day, I could easily imagine the incredible beauty of some of its beaches.
The next day was a bit cloudy, however bright, and that gave us a good reason to take part in a boat excursion for the day. The boat was to visit several beaches and allow for swimming, snorkeling and beach exploration as well as supplying the guests with caipirinhas and grilled meats. Unfortunately, a bit of a personal tragedy defined the entire day and cannot be thought of without my smacking myself in the head and being rather distraught over my grievous stupidity.
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Waiting for the embarking Fishermen preparing their nets View to the harbor and to the bay |
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View to beach -
Praia Forno Gerson enjoying the walk Two ways to this beach: |
We stopped at a very nice beach that is only accessible by trail or by boat (Praia Forno "oven) and the water was perfect. Arraial do Cabo is next to another town called Cabo Frio (Cold Water) and the locals feel their water is cold. Compared to what we are used to in Southern California, this was bathwater (wimps!).
After our first stop, we enjoyed a caipirinha and off to a second beach (Praia Farol "lighthouse"), only accessible by boat and part being protected as a marine reserve. It was at this beach that we experienced our personal loss at the hands of yours truly and I am black and blue for kicking myself in every conceivable way. We are sorry to say we lost a dear friend that had been with us for thousands of miles, hundreds of cities, many countries and provided countless memories. It was here, at this beach that my last picture was taken with my trusted Panasonic Lumix camera.
Why? Well, as I had done many times in the past, I packed my camera into its special waterproof bag (that was specifically made for underwater use) and thinking about how I double and triple check the bag's air-tightness and that the bag has never leaked out any air (IE: leaked in any water), I mentally flicked off this practice being fully confident in my preparation of the seal of the bag.
With abandon, I dove into the water, adjusted my snorkeling gear, and away I went. Within a few yards, to my profound sadness, I found a young sea turtle caught in some fishermen's negligently discarded line and as the turtle needs to breathe air to live, it obviously had not achieved this need in time. The turtle, being only a few feet from the surface, seemed to have a look on its face that was evidence that it knew its fate.
Wanting to capture this poignant scene, I gathered my camera from where it hung from my neck down along my torso, raised the camera to spot the picture and it was then that my tears were no longer for the drowned turtle, but rather, for my drowned camera.
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On a sunny day, these waters must look
amazing Our boat trip and caipirinhas When we walked by this little establishment, the
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Unique formation and there is a religious statue in between My last photograph |
It is easy to say that digital/electronic cameras do not fare well when submerged in water! So, with my last photo taken from the boat, I was deprived of a camera for the next several days. However, with the blessing of the internet, I have borrowed some photographs that give a hint as to what we saw over the next few days. Not having a camera was like not having an arm...I kept reaching and it was not there.
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Arraial do Cabo and its unique geography Beautiful beaches and |
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Split rock with
a religious statue in between Beaches near Arraial do |
After mourning my loss the rest of the day, we did find the one camera store that existed in Arraial do Cabo. After I got over the sticker shock of the cost (about $400US for the most basic of Kodak cameras - VERY high tariffs) and after the owner showed us that that was her last camera (as the holidays wiped out her stock), I bought the overpriced camera to tide me over until I could find a more suitable replacement.
Well, as luck would have it, I no sooner than charge the batteries and test the camera that night, that I find that the camera was defective. First thing the next morning, we have our faces pressed against the camera shop door, waiting for the owner to saunter in. Within about two minutes (and I mean less than two minutes), the owner, who had loudly insisted there was nothing wrong with the camera, backed down and promised to take the camera back and reverse the Visa charge. The owner's sudden change gave Gerson and me the feeling that she knew there was something wrong with the camera and that knowledge was there before we bought the camera. (I have since verified the charge was withdrawn).
So, my pseudo-elation of having a camera was dashed to the rocks and I was once again digitally handicapped. However, as luck would have it (and I am only saying that as I was cameraless), the weather was cooperatively uncooperative and raining. Not much good a camera will do on a rainy day!
We had thought to stay around Arraial do Cabo; however, with the rain, we decided to head up to Buzios and wander around. Buzios is the more famous beach in the area and it was made that way when Bridgett Bardot popularized its use in the 1960's.
Buzios' beauty cannot be denied and fortunately, the rain did abate somewhat and gave us the opportunity to drive along some of the many beaches the make up the Buzios area. Beaches such as: Geriba, Ferradurinha, Lagoniha, Praia da Foca, Praia Olho de Boi, Praia Brava, Praia dos Amores and my favorite, Praia do Forno. I preferred Praia do Forno because as we had driven around and saw that all the beaches were crawling with people, Praia do Forno had this sloppy little cantina type restaurant overlooking a gorgeous bay and only a few families freckled the beach. (If only I had a camera!)
So, like I did before, I went to my friend, the internet, and have presented a taste of Buzios.
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Buzios area Praia do Forno One of the many boat moorings One of the many beautiful bays |
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Buzios beautiful beaches look at that water Main marina |
We had decided that because of the intermittent rain and the constant traffic, we would not stay around Buzios for too long. We departed in the afternoon and made our way to our next destination, Belo Horizonte. While on the way, we stayed in a beautiful little mountain town called Teresopolis and the hotel being built in the early 1900's was certainly cozy.
We planned to stay a couple of days in Belo Horizonte as a friend of ours had moved back to his home city after living in Southern California for the past two decades. Gastao (Gas-town) opened up a little "Champagne-aria" that serves Champagne (sparkling wine), beer and his specialty, Mojitos along with tasty appetizer foods. He opens his doors at 7:00 p.m. and closes sometime around 2:00 a.m. and has live music every night. It was just great to catch up and relax for a couple of days.
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Differing views of Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte and |
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As I did
not have my camera, I borrowed these pictures from Gastao's website: www.mojitodomato.com Mojito do Mato and Gastao |
On Friday, it was get up early and embark on our 12 hour drive back to Curitiba. As it had been substantially raining in the mountain towns nearby (as of writing this, over 600 people have died in the mudslides and floods in the same area we traveled: Teresopolis (where we stayed), Petropolis (where we filled the gas tank), etc. we knew there would be some slow spots on the road home. We made the long drive with only minimal rain issues and awakened early Saturday to get ready for a party.
Marco, our good friend from California (originally from Curitiba and is a childhood friend of Gerson), gave a 70th birthday party for his Father, Dinardi ("Didi"). I had a special interest in the party as I put together the birthday video profiling Didi's life. I enjoyed making the video and even more so, I was happy to watch Didi and his family enjoying the video.
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Dinarte (Didi)
and Marco Marco and Valeska Even rain could not keep us Gerson with his favorite
person |
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Vilma, ?, Tere,
Nicole, Maria Lucia, Valeska and Louise Julio, Gerson and Paulo The usual massive ribs |
The party was a grand success as evidenced by the disappearance of the food and many, many cases of beer. Even with the skies opening up and rain coming down in a sheet of water did not detour the fun, we just slid the tables and chairs out of the way of the rain and never missed a beat.
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Marco
announcing the video I
think Didi and the family liked Lorena, Marco's sister and
Pierre Maria Lucia, Vilma, Tere and
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Didi was
visibly moved by the video (made me cry!)
Vilma, Lorena, Tere and The California Contingent Didi's family |
It was very gratifying to have the video received with such a wonderful response, not to mention the tears in Didi's, Maria Lucia's and Marco's eyes...that got me crying and I had made the darn thing! Did I say it was a really good party!
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Didi getting
ready to blow out the candles
His appreciation of everyone Lorena, Pido, Valeska and Marco |
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The cousins:
Paulo, Tere, Vilma, Julio, Didi and Maria Lucia Didi playing cards with the grandkids Paulo, Didi and Julio My favorite picture...just happy! |
As you can imagine, we stayed a bit late at the party and enjoyed the laughter until the end. It was definitely worth the rushed drive back to Curitiba the day before and the sleeping in the next day.
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