Fortaleza

Fortaleza is beach city in the north east of Brazil. It has lovely beaches, hot weather, buggies and great shrimp, which enough for me.






















TV On The Radio - Staring At The Sun (Diplo Remix)
Velvet Underground - Who Loves The Sun
Wire - Sand In My Joints

Photos taken by me, Bruna, and my Dad.

15th of August is the day of computing and single people.

The Brazilian Obsessions 3: The Lord

The other day I was waiting for the bus when one drove by with the message "Nos vamos com O Senhor" (We go with God) on the front. Now this isn't entirely surprising in this country (home of the world's largest Catholic community), but it was on the electronic display where you would expect to see the destination. And I understand that Catholicism requires a leap of faith, but surely even the most ardent god-botherer would flinch at this. Do you trust the Lord to take you home, or do you wait for the next one? Guess what I did.

Man alive, do Brazilians love to get their Jesus on. And when you come from a largely secular country as I do, it can be a little disorienting to see such obvious shows of faith. 90% of the people I see reading in public are reading the Bible. It is very common to see people wearing t-shirts proclaiming their faith and devotion to the almighty. I also find it a little embarrassing, in my own English way, to see such a public display of emotion. Surely this is a private thing, to be respected, but kept to yourself? They parade it in the same way that I used to show off my taste in US indie bands when I sixteen: put it on your chest.

I guess this says more about me then it does about them, after all, why should they be ashamed and hide it away all anglo-saxon style? It's not exactly the Brazilian way. But just so you get an idea of how I feel, see below:


Now do you know what I mean?


The Gutter Twins - God's Children (from the album Saturnalia)

The Flaming Lips - God Walks Among Us (from the album 1984 - 1990 (A Collection Of Songs Representing An Enthusiasm For Recording . . . By Amateurs))

The Future - Future Religion (from the album The Golden Hour of the Future)


April 13th is the day of the office boys and the young.

The Brazilian Obsessions 2: Boring Place Names

Sâo Paulo, Rio De Janeiro, Salvador...they sound so exotic and tropical to us non-Brazilians. But as soon as you have a basic grasp of the Portuguese language, then you realise that actually these names are really mundane and boring. So here's my guide to boring Brazilian place names:

Sâo Paulo - St. Paul
Rio De Janeiro - January River
Salvador - Saviour
Santos - Saints
Recife - Reef
Belo Horizonte - Nice horizon
Rio Preto - Black river
Rio Branco - White river
Ouro Preto - Black gold
Natal - Christmas
Fortaleza - Fort
Porto Alegre - Happy port
Campo Grande - Big field
Boa Vista - Good view
Sâo José Do Rio Preto - St. Jose of the black river
Brasília - Britain-chester


So what do we learn from this? Well not a lot, obviously. Just because January River is such a tedious name doesn't stop Rio from being lovely. I suppose it does show us that the Portuguese settlers were very unimaginative folks, and that, despite it's faults, Woodingdean is a very exotically named place to have grown up.



LCD Soundsystem - Yr City's A Sucker

Kid Creole and The Coconuts - Going Places

February 23rd is the national day for members of the Rotary Association.

The Brazilian Obsessions 1: Public Holidays and Commemorative Days

The first in an occasional series of not entirely serious reflections on Brazilian life as seen through the eyes of an outsider.

There are around 20 public holidays a year in Brazil, which is about three to four weeks off a year, (if it falls on a weekend, it isn't moved). Sounds great doesn't it? The only problem is that I am in one of those jobs where if I don't work, I don't get paid, so they can be a bit of a pain to me as I am always having to reschedule everything to fit in.

But more interesting than this are the commemorative days which generally celebrate saints and professions. Today is the day of the printers and 15th of October is teachers day, for example. Fair enough you think, but some of these days are mental, for example, 9th of June is the day of the doormen, tennis players and people who make prosthetic limbs. 5th of October is the day of the trees. I am not making this up.

I'm not sure what we citizens of Brazil are supposed to do on these days. Maybe we should just lean back and reflect on all the good work that the trees do for us, and consider a life without prosthetic limbs. Makes you think doesn't it?


Below is a new-ish Devo song, which I have included here because of the titles vague connection to the subject:
Devo - Watch Us Work It

What do you think?


The image above comes from here. Have a look, it's really good, honest.

Christmas in Brazil 2007: Natal in Natal

This year we spent Christmas in the north east of Brazil, in the city of Natal. Coincidentally, natal is also the Portuguese word for Christmas. How apt. The city itself is quite pleasant, but the main attractions are the beaches, which are breathtaking (and I'm not a beach person). It's hot all the time, but there is also a constant breeze, so it feels like you are carrying an air conditioning unit around with you. Perfect, in other words.

Below are a collection of photos, taken by myself and Bruna, with explanations where required.


Bruna on the balcony, 24/12/07:


I discovered this TV show which has live games of Proevo, with commentary. And they say Brazilians are obsessed with football. Natal, 24/12/07:

Forte dos Reis Magos, 24/12/07:

The worlds biggest cashew tree (over 7000 square metres), Pirangi Do Norte, 24/12/07:



My feet in the wet sand, Barra do Cunhaú, 25/12/07:

Digging for crabs, Barra do Cunhaú, 25/12/07:

Barra do Cunhaú, 25/12/07:

Barra do Cunhaú, 25/12/07:

Barra do Cunhaú, 25/12/07:

Barra do Cunhaú, 25/12/07:

My delicious Christmas dinner (fish in tomato and coconut milk sauce, farofa, rice). Barra do Cunhaú, 25/12/07:

Feet, Baía Formosa, 26/12/07:


Me attempting, and failing, to remove some sand from my face. Baía Formosa, 26/12/07:

Baía Formosa, 26/12/07:

The amazing Coca Cola lagoon. The water is filtered through trees to give it an identical colour to Coke. Baía Formosa, 26/12/07:

The border of Rio Grande do Norte and Paraiba states, Praia Sagi, 26/12/07:

The locals, Baía Formosa, 26/12/07:

Baía Formosa, 26/12/07:

Baía Formosa, 26/12/07:

Buggies are key to Natal, they are huge part of the tourist industry. We took a 120 km trip north of Natal, which was incredible. Here, buggies have to take rafts to cross the river. Genipabu, 28/12/07:

Along this part of the coast, there are huge sand dunes, reminiscent of the Sahara. Genipabu, 28/12/07:




And in the middle of this desert, there is an oasis, where people are plunged into the water below. Then they are pulled up the dune by this bizarre piece of machinery, seemingly made from old car parts. Genipabu, 28/12/07:





Sandy cliffs, Pipa, 29/12/07:


Happy new year.