February 13-14, 2008 - Recife, Brasil

February 13, 2008 - Recife, Brasil
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I woke up a bit late. The breakfast was acceptable. People just do not seem to have toast in Brasil. All one finds are untoasted buns on which butter, marmalade, cheese and even ham are added and eaten. "Toasting" is still a requirement for me. Hence the "acceptable" definition for the breakfast here.

Post breakfast I chatted with Francisco on find out what to see and do and the ways of doing it by using public transport. Francisco provided me with some guidance on the different transport options. I headed to the tourist kiosk nearby. The folks in attendance spoke decent English and I managed to find out a lot more information.

Public buses run to both OLINDA and JOAO PESSOA. OLINDA is 10 Kilometres (6 miles) and 40-minutes away (it is treated like a suburb of Recife) whereas to reach JOAO PESSOA, I need to take a train to get to the long distance bus station (1-hour journey) and then take a bus from there (2-hour journey). As it was already 10 AM, I decided to do OLINDA today.

The bus stop for OLINDA was close to the tourist kiosk. I had a 20-minute wait at the bus station and kept saying "Desculpe" (sorry) many times as folks assumed I was a local (a TAMIL speaking Brazilian at that) and kept asking ME for directions!

I managed to get a seat on the bus as it was rather empty. The fare was R$2.60 (US$1.45). I watched the passing traffic, people and scenery during the 40-minute ride until I was told by a rather helpful fellow lady passenger to get off at OLINDA. I had obtained a decent map from the tourist office and headed towards the local tourist office. [While the big cities might provided a small scale map of nearby areas and suburbs, it is better to visit the local tourist offices in those nearby areas and suburbs and obtained a large scale map of the area]

En-route, I was accosted by "Guides". I had read about them in my guidebook. They are former street kids who have been trained in the local history (and are perhaps taught at least 1 additional language in addition to their native Portugese) and are authorized to act as guides to tourists. Muggings in these areas are apparently quite common and hiring one of these "Guides" is an insurance against such muggings.

One of the more persistent kids walked all the way to the tourist office with me. Although he spoke some English, I preferred to get the explanations in Portugese with some English thrown in as this was the only way, I would get to familiarize myself in that language.

The local tour office provided me with a list of maps, cultural events, museums, ways to prevent AIDS etc. in a decent handy packet. They also advised that I could pay R$5 per hour for the services of the guide.

The guide started at R$25 for a 2-hour tour of the area. I bargained him down to R$15 for 2 hours. It was 12:45 PM. We started to walk the cobble stoned streets and hit a slew of old churches and cathedrals. During our walk, a young lady wanted to be photographed! After confirming with the guide that it was not for money, I obliged her. I was also trying to test my portraiture skills as most of what I take pictures of are landscapes! An attractive local girl.

My head is spinning with all the church related information my guide is reeling fast and furiously. Most of the churches and cathedrals are closed for restoration. OLINDA is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some of the churches open at 6 PM for services while others open at 2 PM after lunch.

Igreja Da Se (Igreja is similar to Iglesia in Spanish - Church) presented an excellent viewpoint from which to view OLINDA, Recife, the beaches, Atlantic Ocean and even the distant suburb of Boa Viagem (where my hotel is located)!

Most of the churches here were built in the 1500s. The entire area of OLINDA is paved with cobble stoned streets. Decor from Carnaval celebrations were still around. While the CARNAVAL at Rio is world famous, places like Recife and Salvador have apparently terrific Carnaval celebrations. I was told this by locals who can probably appreciate these things better.

We end the tour around 1:45 PM. The guide demands R$20. I politely tell him that even though has lasted just an hour, I will pay him the agreed upon R$15 (rather than prorate the fee and pay him just R$7.50). He does not have change for R$50 (US$30). We walk around some more and ask at 4-different places. No luck. Finally a stranger on the street changes the R$50 bill for smaller bills! I pay the guide and thank him.

I head to a Creperie for Lunch. I have a decent crepe and a Cashew juice for Lunch. Cashew is pronounced CAJU - Similar to the Hindi term for Cashew. I redo a walk to some of the places (I visited with the guide earlier) and take some additional pictures. I also visit some additional places that the guide has missed in his hurry. The houses here date mostly to the 1800s. There are some houses that date even earlier. They are all very colourfully painted. Walking around OLINDA involves steep climbs and descents!

I sat down after one of these climbs and had coconut water. The old man (running the stall) and I had an extensive conversation in Portugese with me nodding my head pensively from time to time! It worked! I did not have to provide an answer or comments to whatever he was saying!

As I walked around some more, I noticed that the municipal workers were gradually starting to bring down the celebratory decor from the utility poles!

I visited a Church and a Monastery and used my tripod liberally as there was a ban on flash photography.

I finished seeing all the places in OLINDA by 4 PM. I headed back to OLINDA´s bus station and waited for 15 minutes before a bus arrived. I picked up the same bus as I came in earlier this morning. As the bus was returning to Boa Viagem on a parallel street, I mistakenly got off 20-blocks too early and had a 20-minute walk back to the hotel. I got back around 5:45 PM.

I had requested Francisco to find out about Organized tours to Joao Pessoa. Apparently all tours to Joao Pessoa require a minimum of 15 people. As that is a non-starter of an option, I plan to take the train and public bus and visit the place on my own.

I visited a local internet cafe to check my mail, credit cards, bank accounts etc. All is well. I head to another Internet cafe with faster connections and blog for an hour. I am far from being up to date.

On my return to the hotel, I stop at a supermarket and buy some bottles of water. I visit the Hotel´s restaurant at 10:30 for dinner. I order a fettuccini with tomato sauce. I write my diary while waiting for my food. The visits to Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon Jungle Lodge have really escalated my expenses for February. It will have to be bread and water from now on!

I finish dinner and finish updating my diary. I have an early day tomorrow and it is well past midnight now!

February 14, 2008 - Recife, Brasil
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I woke up at 6 AM. I get ready, finish breakfast and am at the Bus stop by 7:30 AM. I don´t think I am ever this punctual and enthusiastic for anything related to work! The bus drops me at the train station around 8:25 AM. The train drops me at the long distance bus terminal around 8:50 AM. The train was an Air-Conditioned train. Both the train and bus were quite empty. Either people here start work really early, or they have all taken time off during the month of February to enjoy the summer!. The bus and train ride together cost me R$1.75 (US$1.00). The combined bus and train ride to the long distance bus terminal has taken me close to 75 minutes.

The Progreso bus company had a departure for Joao Pessoa at 10:30 AM, while the Bonfin Bus company had a departure to Joao Pessoa at 9 AM. I took the 9 AM bus from Bonfin. The fare was R$22 (US$13). It was an executive bus and the seats reclined well. I, however, sat upright and watched the scenery. Road expansion works were in progress and it looks like the Brazilian army was helping out (folks dressed in Military fatigues were helping around and hence my assumption).

The bus made a few stops to pick people up and we reached Joao (Pronounced "Jo") Pessoa (Pronounced "Pesso") at 11 AM. As always I obtained a good map from the local tourist office (many are located at Bus terminals and airports in addition to prominent streets within the city).

The ONLY reason I had Joao Pessoa on my Agenda is because it is the Eastern most point in all of America (yes, that includes North and South!). A lighthouse apparently exists at the eastern most point and this is where I wanted to do. It was called Farol "Cabo Branco" (Farol means Lighthouse in Portugese)

I take a local bus (507) to "Cabo Branco". The fare was R$1.70 (US$1). After navigating through the city for a bit, the bus traverses through the lovely beachfront of Joao Pessoa. Bus 507 does not go all the way to the Lighthouse but stops about 2 Kilometres (1.2 miles) from it. I was to take a PENHA bus from the end of this line and eventually reach the lighthouse.

As our bus is pulling into its final stop at Cabo Branco, our driver notices that the Penha bus is just departing. He pulls right in front of the Penha bus thereby ensuring that those of us wanting to take that bus can do so!

I am dropped (after a ride of 5-8 minutes) near a construction site. Before I could turn around, the bus speeds off! A security guard at the construction site see a lame tourist (moi) standing clueless and directs me to the lighthouse. After a 500-metre walk, I come upon a sign (in Portugese) about this being the easternmost point in all of America. The Cabo Branco Lighthouse is also nearby. It is not functioning at the moment.

I spend around 20 minutes here taking pictures and requesting a local coconut vendor to take my picture. As I was quite thirsty, I ordered a coconut from the vendor (for the coconut water). I was asked by the vendor and his assistant to put away my camera in my bag before I leave the area as they were afraid that I would get mugged. I duly complied!

I head back to the construction area and the security guard tells me that buses comes this way every 30 minutes. As there is no proper bus stop, I take shelter under a billboard for the shade while I wait for the bus. About 20 minutes later, a bus comes in the opposite direction and does a quick U-turn about 50 metres ahead of me and starts to pull away towards the city. A local construction worker sees my plight and whistles. The bus promptly stops. I run and get on board. Both men and women whistle here and buses actually stop to pick them up. I need to learn to whistle well!

We get back to the area where bus 507 had dropped me earlier. As the 507 buses are quite frequent, I decided to walk to the beach and wander for a bit rather than take the next 507 back to the long distance bus station (Rodoviaria is the name given to long distance bus terminals).

What a magnificent beach! Turquoise green waters and white sand. Quite long and beautiful as well. Rio´s beaches are dumps compared to this. I am not sure why tourists flock to Rio for its "Beaches". If you want Beaches, sun and Sand, JOAO PESSOA is THE PLACE. And to top it all, there are hardly any Tourists and therefore quite peaceful.

I approached 3 sunbathers and asked whether I could capture their profiles in the picture I was composing (framed between a pair of palm trees). They agree readily. I take the picture and return to thank them. The picture has turned out well (especially in Black & White). There are lots of Coconut and Palm trees in the beach area here. I am not sure what the property prices are here.

I take bus 507 back to the centre of Joao Pessoa. I ask the conductor where to get off so I can view a famous cathedral and a lake in the centre of the city. He tells me that the bus travels close to both places. I presume I should be OK. All of this conversation is Spangese (mucho Espanol and poco portuges). After a 25-minute ride, a young lady approaches me and tells me that I need to get off at the next stop. The conductor has told her what I wanted to see and she dutifully remembers it and tells me that this is where I need to get off the bus. Quite helpful folks. I do see the park from the bus and get off.

I take a few pictures of the lake (located in a park in the very heart of Joao Pessoa) and walk to Cathedral San Francisco. I walk by a shopping centre and head to the food court. Pizza appears to be the only option here. I am quite revolted by the sight of Italian food these days. If you are eating the same stuff (that is ALIEN to your basic cuisine) day after day for months on end, I am sure many of you will be disgusted as well. Ah, the things I have to put up with - in the name of adventure!

After lunch, I head to Cathedral San Francisco. The locals direct me properly as I am visiting a place of worship! Excellent Baroque Architecture. I spent 20-minutes or so taking pictures and head to the Rodoviaria. I reach the Rodoviaria around 3:45 PM. A bus by Bonfin to Recife leaves at 4 PM. The fare is the same - R$22. I doze on and off during the ride back. During my onward journey to Joao Pessoa and during my return trip to Recife, a lady inspector get on the bus to inspect the tickets. I guess this is one more way of ensuring full employment :)

As we reach close to Recife, the bus more or less empties. A gentleman wearing what looks like a very official looking badge tells me that this is the place to get off for Boa Viagem (even though I know that this is NOT the main Bus terminal!). Then again, this place could be closer to Boa Viagem (the suburb of Recife where my hotel is located) that the main Bus Terminus.

After I get down and the bus departs, he offers me "TAXI" options to Boa Viagem. Turns out that he is an Official Taxi Agent and hence the badge. I am livid and I let it show. He promptly directs me to a Bus that supposedly takes me to Boa Viagem Shopping. Shopping malls are a very big thing in Brasil. Everywhere you turn, you can hear the word "Shopping" amidst a smattering of Portuges. I pay the R$1.75 bus fare and hope that the bus does indeed take me to Boa Viagem Shopping.

The street names are a bit far away for my blind eyes to read at night so I am quite clueless as to where I am (all part of the adventure). After 40-minutes or so, the bus more or less empties. A fellow lady passenger tells me that this is indeed Boa Viagem Shopping. I walk to the Information desk in the mall and they point out the location where this mall is located. It is about 10 blocks from my hotel. Not too bad.

The place is packed with people young and old. Malling did not appear to be a big thing either in Chile, Argentina or Paraguay. Starting from "Foz do Iguacu" (my entry point into Brasil) everyone always took a bus to go "Shopping". After all I was taken 2 nights in a row to a mall while in the Brasilian side of Iguacu!

I look around for dinner and do not have much luck. I have a milk shake for dinner. I walk to the hotel and rest a bit. I hit an internet cafe nearby and blog for 2 hours. I am getting closer to finishing my Paraguayan experience and thereby the month of January 2008.

I stop by a 24-hour grocery store and pick up water and get back to the hotel. By the time I write my diary for the day and go to bed, it is 1 AM.

As Francisco was telling me earlier, if the tour companies offer a tour option to Joao Pessoa for R$55 (US$34) and cover the places I saw on my own today, I would say it is a fantastic bargain as I have spent close to R$54 on my visit to Joao Pessoa today.

Then again you lose out on the thrill and adventure aspects as half the fun is finding out what you can do and how you can do it, in a place where you do not speak the language very well!

As I have said before, the Brazilian tourism agency is excellent. The tourism offices are quite helpful and provide excellent maps and any additional information you require. More and More, Brasil reminds me of India in many aspects. A major similarity is in the manic driving that takes place both here and in India! A second major similarity is the colour of the people - ranging from very fair skinned to very dark skinned.