Opera in the Amazons

If there is one way to start off our trip in the amazons, I never thought seeing an opera would be the way to do it. Boy, was I wrong! We started off our day by visiting an opera house called the Amazon Theatre, which began construction in 1881 and was completed in 1896. The interior is beautiful, and it is incredible the work that went in to everything. Hand painted everything, marble stairs and statues from Italy, 36,000 decorated ceramic tiles, and 198 chandeliers imported from Italy. This is only the beginning of what we saw. It was incredible to see and to be able to walk through. We found out that later that day there would be an opera by a Korean group that was free at the opera house, so we decided to attend.

I had my doubts at first. I have not seen a decent opera for a while and I didn't know how good this group would be. The way they sang blew me away from the moment they started. It was EXCELLENT. They sang in German, Italian, Spanish, and probably French. It was beautiful music and they were such lively people that it made it incredibly fun. The entire time I couldn't believe that I was sitting in an opera house, built in 1896 during the reign, and at the request of, Dom Pedro II the Emperor of Brasil, in the middle of the amazons, listening to beautiful opera. It was such an amazing experience that I cannot properly describe it. It is one that if anyone ever has the chance, they should take it.

Fortaleza: Day II

We started out the day going to the biggest and nicest LDS church I have ever seen in Brasil. It was seriously huge, even for american standards. The meeting was nice and I enjoyed the message that the bishop gave at the end of the meeting.

We then went to the center again to see the whole reason for the city being called Fortaleza (meaning fortress). When we got to the center we had to talk to the guards there to make sure it would be alright if we took a look around. It was built in the 1600s and it is still used as a garrison in the city.

It was cool seeing the reasons for putting the fortress there. It has a great vantage point and with some long-shot cannons it would have been able to take out any ship that got relatively close to shore. It had towering 15 foot walls that surrounded everything and make it seriously impossible to climb up. Of course, I had my 4th opportunity to fire a cannon! (not really, but I like to pretend). It was cool to see.

We went back to see the ocean and try and find the dolphins again. Unfortunately, they didn't care to make a second appearance. Thankfully there were tons of kids jumping off the docks and they were entertaining enough, plus the beautiful ocean and nice breeze. It was a nice day to relax and now we just have to pack to get ready for Manaus! We have to leave at 3 am this morning for our 6 am flight, but then we'll be in the Amazons before 10! Woo!

Day I: Fortaleza

Today we had the opportunity to visit the city and see a lot of sites and get to know Fortaleza a little bit.  There was a lot to see today, and we started off by going to this long dock and seeing dolphins! It was seriously the best start to the day! Then we went and saw this huge Catholic church that was gigantic. It was very old and the outside looked pretty bad, but when you go inside it it newly renovated and beautiful! It had amazing vaulted ceilings that stained glass everywhere. We then proceeded to the Central Market where they have five levels of shops where you can buy anything related to the culture of Brasil, and more. Cindy and I have seriously redone our apartment with different things from Brasil, it'll be fun to see everything put together. We then went to a museum that was massive with three levels, and walked around for a while. It was fun to see the art and different styles of expression. They had these rugs made from individual pieces of cloth that would have taken a looong time to do. It was pretty cool to see.

Today was an awesome way to start our short trip to Fortaleza. What I enjoyed most was seeing people walking down this huge sidewalk in their families. It just showed how safe of an area it is and how people actually enjoy doing stuff as families. I like that about Brasil.

The Cathedral we visited

 The Central Market

The Museum

Salvador: Day III

We took the most amazing trip in Salvador! We went early to the historic center and got on a boat with around 60 other people to take a boat ride to 2 islands! The boat was great and they had a live band the whole time singing reggae style popular music. It was a beautiful, perfect day and when we got to the island we quickly jumped ashore!

We got to the beach and it was so nice. The water was crystal clear and there was a ton of reef. When walking on the shore I almost stepped on a jellyfish but Cindy pulled me up in time. It was white and a guy said they weren’t the dangerous ones, the bad ones were blue.  So I got to touch a jellyfish! Yeah, it was cool. We got in the water and started messing around. I swam a ways out and was just chilling when I brought my hand down on something. I knew instantly it was a jellyfish because I had just felt the other one (like rubber). I looked and saw a blue jellyfish only about two feet away from me. I freaked a little and swam away from it as fast as I could. I’m pretty lucky I hit the only place that wouldn’t hurt me. Anyways, a little later I got to use Mitch’s snorkeling equipment and I started swimming through the reef area. It was pretty and I saw lots of fish. I also spotted 3 more white jellyfish. It was freakin fun.

We then went to the next island and had SUCH good food for lunch. We also had the opportunity to take a drive around the island to see what it was like. There was a city there and it made me wonder why you would live on an island where the only place to get stuff is a 2 hour boat ride away. I guess it would be peaceful, but not for me haha.

The trip back was nice and calm. It was awesome and I’m glad we got to take this awesome boat ride. It is definitely a once in a lifetime trip to take!

Salvador: Day II

Today we went to a turtle sanctuary and we got to see some HUGE turtles! They had a mini sea world of Brasil, and we were able to check out a lot of turtles, some huge and some small. They had a “touching” section where you could touch some sting rays that were just swimming around (stings removed of course). They had a really hard body, but the flippers felt almost gooey. It was pretty cool. Then they had a shark tank with some nurse sharks. I love sharks so being able to get a good luck at some was way cool. It was strange seeing shark tanks with almost no protection to keep the kids out. I know that specific type of shark isn’t that dangerous but if hungry enough it wouldn’t matter, and any kid that wanted to could easily climb into their tank. It was strange, but apparently we just need restrictions in the states because we’re stupid enough to get in because kids here have brains enough to stay out.

We headed to the beach shortly after and Cindy and I went to a little section and fell asleep for a while. I guess I am getting pretty dark because I didn’t even burn. Being in Brasil, it makes me proud to be a bit darker! Haha. We had some good chicken at the beach and enjoyed being there a lot. It was so much fun and Cindy and I love being at the beach. Today rocked!

Salvador: Day I!

We had the opportunity to visit the old center of Salvador to learn more about the history of the city and also of Brasil. It was awesome! We started out the day walking to a lighthouse that had the best view of the city. It was the first real look we got of the beach and it was awesome. The water is crazy blue and so so clear. We then took a bus over to the center and split off into groups. I, Cindy and Mike headed down this gigantic public elevator (the largest in Brasil) that takes you from the top part of the center to the bottom. We entered the Mercado Modelo which is a large building where up to 250 little craft stores are set up. We bought crafts and ate lunch while watching some guys do capoeira. The Mercado is the location where slaves used to be traded when they were shipped to Brasil. The bottom level is where they used to keep the slaves and the sad thing is, when the tide came in sometimes the water got so high that it killed the slaves who couldn’t stay above it. It is a really sad history, and now the things that are sold there reflect the history of the slave culture and the culture of the city, which revolves heavily around the African American culture.

We then headed out to see a bunch of other sites. We saw the first Medical College of the Northeast and we also saw the Basilica of our Lord of Bonfim which is the location of a yearly tradition is which a large procession leads up to the church and they wash the steps of the chapel with water. Many participate and it is one of the points in which Canomble and the Catholic church actually work hand-in hand. We visited the Church of Saint Francis which was entirely covered with gold. It seriously was lined in gold all through the chapel. It was pretty incredible. Cindy then led us to a museum that was filled with Postcards from different pictures/postcards from many different years. We visited a couple other places and visited a lot of shops where local merchandise was sold, then we headed to the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black Men. Yeah, interesting name. The church had a mass at 6 pm that was a combination of Catholicism and Canomble. They had drums and lots of singing. I have never been to an actual mass, but it was probably different than it normal would be haha.

Today was an awesome way to start out days in Salvador, Bahia. I know Cindy loved it, she having knocked off one of her bucket list items. It was fun seeing a completely new side to Brasil!

Wrapping Thing Up in Recife

Our time has finally come to leave Recife and start the travelling portion of the trip. it is crazy how fast time flies by and i can't believe that we have been here for 5 weeks already. It has been such an amazing time here in Recife and we have had some awesome experiences learning about the wonderful Brazilian culture and working with the CCJ to help people in the favelas. I am so happy that Cindy talked to me about going on this study abroad. I wondered how it would be and if it would be worth all of the work and saving. It WAS. Completely. Being here for this long and participating in Brasilian life in priceless. I have loved it.

Yesterday we spent the day visiting a museum that represented what we will be seeing soon in the cities we are about to visit. It was a museum depicting the lives of the men and women who live in locations that are mainly African American and those that follow certain beliefs that involve a lot of dancing and spirits possessing them in order for the spirits to be glorified here on earth (something to that extent). They are beliefs brought from Africa that were very looked down upon, and still are in many places in Brasil, but are now being accepted in certain places. It was an interesting place where I learned more about what I'll be seeing soon.

Later today we'll be having a last picnic with Carbonel who was the director at CCJ. It'll be our last goodbye        before we leave. Then Cindy and I will have some packing to do. I can't believe that we're past the half way point.. kinda sucks :/

 Standard clothing worn by people in the Northeast, especially in the Sertao.

 ceremonial clothing for their dancing worship.

When people pray to their spirits and are healed of something they make a wooden representation of themselves or what was healed in thanks for the healing.

Chicken Port!

Yesterday we had the AMAZING opportunity to visit Porto de Galinhas, or Chicken Port. Yeah, it seems like a strange name but it has historical significance. Back in 1888 slavery was abolished from Brasil but it still continued, just kept under wraps. During this time African American's were galled "galinhas" or "chickens" so that when they were trying to send slaves in they would say they were bringing in some "chickens" so as not to get caught. So the actually name is Slave Port. Today, it obviously has nothing in common with what it used to be used for. What it is known for now are the beaches. It has been voted to have the best beaches in Brasil and it has held this title for 8 years.

Having spent a day there, i can agree that they are the best beaches that I have seen yet. It was seriously such an awesome experience. When we arrived, we broke off into groups and got on these little boats that took us out to this huge reef where we could walk around and see little pools with bright colored fish and little crabs, and where we also got to feed the fish. the water was so green and clear, it was seriously beautiful. Then we got back in the little boat and the guy started to take us through this winding reef path to another sections when he randomly stopped and asked us if we wanted to swim in that part. It was just a deeper section in between reef and we were like, "oh yeah!" We jumped in the water to start swimming around and he gave us goggles to look at the fish under water! I started swimming as deep as I could and I was getting right up in the reef. It was AWESOME.

When we got back to shore Cindy and I decided to take a walk around and shop a little and get to see the town. It was a really nice place and we got to have lunch at a little diner and buy some fun stuff. It was nice having a date with my honey, especially in a beautiful town like Porto. We spent a couple hours together then went back to the beach. We started looking for our group and something terrible happened... I was looking over at some sun bathers and noticed a really fat guy laying on his back covering his face with his arm. I thought something looked wrong and I kinda stared for a minute before Cindy said, "Jordan, that's a girl.." It was a very large, huge breasted older lady tanning topless..... yeah..... *shudder*

Aaaaanyways, we made it to out group and played in the water for a while. I got to meet a professor for the University of Sao Paulo who is a physical therapist. He was a nice guy and was on vacation with his family. It is funny how people automatically assume we don't speak Portuguese when we go to more touristy locations simply because American's that go there tend to be wealthy and don't even try to learn the language. It's fun surprising people.

Anyways, it was an awesome day. Cindy and I had a blast and I won't lie, I would love to take my kids there one day. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a GREAT time!

the little boats we were cruising on

 part of the reef we walked on and the paths the boats take

 on the reef

 our diving spot!

 fish pool!

Prepare for Battle!!!

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit the Forte dos Reis Magos, which means the fort of the wise men. I love ancient battlements, weapons, armour, etc. So any time that I get the opportunity to visit places that have them, I love it! We had to go down this long walkway that was about half a mile long until we got to the single entrance. The walls were 9m high and 9m thick. They did this specifically to prevent anything from getting through the walls, including cannonballs. This fort was built in the early 1600s and the majority of the fort is the same. The only differences that have really happened would be the stores that they built inside of the prisons there.

The location that they chose for this fort is perfect. They are in a spot where they can see the entire ocean laid out before them, they are surrounded by reef to prevent boat docking, and they have a moat to prevent anyone from coming up on them unawares. It was really clever and for these reasons it was a very valuable and remained in tact over the years.

My favorite location was on top of the battlements where they had all of the canons and you could see the city in the distance. If only I could light a canon and blast something! It would have been a dream come true! I got to act the part, but unfortunately the ability to light the fuse ended a couple hundred years ago.. too bad.. Anyways, it was a fun chance to see some important and impressive history. Loved it!

Yep, that's my cannon!

 The fort

 This was a secret cavern that was used by the leaders of the fort so that, if necessary, they were able to get out of the fort to safety. The bad thing? They left all of their men to die without a leader.

 Chillin at the top of the battlements. There is no way anyone could get away with standing at the top of a wall that has no safety precautions in the USA. A foot behind me was a 30 foot drop onto hard reef lol.

Dunes in Brasil!!

Today we had the opportunity to explore the beaches of Natal and to see why they are so famous! The beach we went to was beautiful, and the best part is that you could walk out really far from the shore and the water didn't get deep very quickly. The waves were perfect for surfing, but seeing as we didn't have any surf boards everyone decided to body surf instead. When I say "try and body surf" I really mean that we tried to jump in the waves and they smashed us time and again. It was great :) Johnny, a member of our group, took a dive into the water a liiiiiiiiiiiittle early and face planted pretty bad. He laughs about it but it still makes me cringe a little haha, judge for yourself!

We spent a while on the beach because we were having a lot of fun, then Vanessa set up a group dune buggy trip. It is a weird thought but there are TONS of dunes here and they have these sweet buggies for taking people out in. We all piled in and went for the ride. I expected us to take a leisurely ride down the beach or something, but little did I expect we were soon flying through dunes and going all over the place. I decided to sit up on top and a few times I'm surprised I didn't get launched out! They stopped part way through in a small area where rain gathers and it just has this nice lake where we got to cool off. We then continued on and saw a really beautiful lake and then finished at the top of a dune where there were people selling stuff. Cindy and I had some coconut water right out of the coconut and turned to see CAMELS.

Yeah, is this not the most random place to see a camel? This group of people were selling 10 minute rides on camels and Cindy and I really wanted to go, but the price was way high for such a short ride so we decided not to. The place had zero business so you'd think they'd get the pic and bring the price down a bit, but nope. Anyways, it was so fun seeing camels after a crazy fun dune ride.

Now, the day was awesome (other than me frying again) and Vanessa just decided to top it off with rodizio de pizza. I cannot tell you how AWESOME pizza is in Brasil! They had 25 flavors of pizza and a lot of different pastas, and if you've ever been to Tucanos then imagine them bringing pizza around to your table instead of meat. All you can eat! Heaven. Period. Oh, and chocolate pizza.... mmm.....

Camel!!

 This was our buggy. We had the crazy guy, it was awesome!

 Cindy is kissing a whale, can you see it? ;)

That's heaven right there