On Saturday afternoon we visited Brazilian hip-hop artist, filmmaker and author MV Bill in the neighborhood where he was raised and still lives today, Cidade de Deus (City of God). To read more about our visit and see what this activist is about, click on today’s photo gallery.
On Friday afternoon we visited the Velha Guarda da Mangueira at Mangueira headquarters in Zona Norte (North Zone) of Rio. The Velha Guarda da Mangueira is a musical outfit comprised of the Mangueira samba school’s 10 most senior, well-respected members. The group is legendary, and has performed throughout Brazil and Europe, for decades. Join the in the musical revelries in today’s photo gallery.
It’s a sunny Friday afternoon in Zona Norte (North Zone), Rio de Janeiro. Thushan, Brian and I have just had the fortune of meeting the Velha Guarda da Mangueira, a samba outfit comprised of 10 of the most senior members of Rio’s Mangueira samba school.
I first saw the Velha Guarda perform in 2003 at a free show in Salvador, Brazil and the magical memories of that night - without question the best concert I’ve ever witnessed - have remained vivid in my mind.
This time around, however, our more personal visit to the Velha Guarda has turned out to be less than magical. Perhaps it was the lack of a typical audience participation that made the group appear flat during our brief private set. Or maybe old age has finally taken its toll on this group of master musicians.
Content to have met the group and visit them in their home rehearsal space we begin thanking the musicians and start preparing for our departure.
Then the question comes: “You wanna have a beer down on the corner?” asks Josimar. Not particularly in the mood to drink and anxious to get in some much needed beach time before the sun goes down I debate how I can respectfully decline his offer.
“Come on! Let’s go have one. Just one. Don’t worry, it won’t take long.” Josimar assures us.
“OK, but do you think we’ll make it back in time to catch the sunset on Ipanema?” I ask.
“Sure,” Josimar replies, “The sooner we drink this beer, the sooner you’ll make it to the beach.”
I give in and we head over to a tiny bar on the street. I assume that our party will consist of just Thushan, Brian, Josimar and I, but the bar owner quickly starts lining up plastic tables one after another, setting out chairs for a group of 15. (more…)
Rio de Janeiro’s skyline is dominated, not with buildings, but with impressive - no - stunning, mountains mingling between the neighborhoods and shoreline. Unabashedly called the “A Cidade Maravilhosa” (The Marvelous City), from atop Pão de Açúcar, via ride up on a cable car, Rio doesn’t just earn it’s name, it sets the bar. Catch the marvelous view from atop Pão de Açúcar in today’s photo gallery.
I am standing on a street corner in Recreio, Zona Oeste, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Its just past three in the afternoon, and the streets, except for a light sea breeze, are devoid of life. It feels like a Florida retirement community—quiet, hot, stagnant. Mike rings the doorbell. We wait. Mike rings the doorbell again.
Finally, the crackle of a voice from the speaker phone, a pleasant female voice, but not the voice we came here to meet. Mike introduces himself, and moments later, out steps a very average-looking Brazilian man. Average height, average weight, mid-fifties, wearing shorts, a Brazilian national team soccer jersey, and Havaianas, a Brazilian brand of flip-flop that is the preferred footwear of the entire nation. He isn’t the archetypal heartthrob, but then again, he never was, it was his nice-guy persona, his every-man way of being, that made him so popular.
World famous for it’s sunny days, white sands, crystal clear waters and expansive beaches, Rio has the ultimate in mega-beaches. Copacabana and Impanema, stretching more than two miles each draw crowds in hoards. Take a walk on the beach in today’s photo gallery.
A tempting sight isn’t it? Unfortunately for us, this is the scene on Ilha Grande as we departed and headed to Rio De Janeiro. We were however able to catch a couple glimpses of what draws thousands to this “marvelous” island; see them in today’s photo gallery.
Despite cloudy skies, we decided to head to the crystal blue waters and white sands of Lopes Mendes beach on Ilha Grande. Join in on the hike in today’s photo gallery.
We were duped! Find out how we fell for a brilliant (brilliantly simple - that is) trick, that left us $33 dollars in the hole on our way to the beach island of Ilha Grande in today’s photo gallery.
This afternoon, we went to a local jam in São Paulo’s center, where we, and the rest of the happy crowd fell for the infectious beats of samba. Get your groove on in today’s photo gallery.
What’s it sound like? To hear two audio clips from the day’s festivities, click here or here…