The Beach

Brazilians LOVE the beach. They flock to it on every holiday, jamming the freeways and emptying Saõ Paulo. We learned the hard way to head for the mountains on those days. Otherwise we could plan on spending hours creeping home at the end of the day along with two million other tanned and waterlogged beachcombers. To handle the staggering amount of returning traffic all freeway lanes head back toward the city. The freeway to the coast winds through the mountains atop high supports. I hope someone is checking them for cracks.

I can understand the attraction because the beaches are beautiful at any time of the year and in any weather. Guarajá is a favorite one of ours. Brazilians don’t lay out sunning, smeared in oil. They already have beautiful bronze coloring. Instead, they lounge under the large brightly stripped umbrellas that blanket the beach from end to end. It’s a fiesta. Everywhere you hear the music of the many little samba combos that dot the sand. Even in the cooler months the water is calm and unbelievably warm.

A couple of months ago while Barb was visiting us we got to the beach late one Saturday afternoon. The sky was full of dark and heavy clouds threatening rain. I was sure that there wouldn’t be a soul left, but to my surprise the party was in full swing. The umbrellas stayed up, swimmers splashed in the surf, seadoos buzzed back and forth and the music played on despite the drizzle and lightening. After all, this is Brazil. What's a little rain.

Eight or so people ride this thing while a speedboat pulls them through the waves. It looked like they were having a blast. Maybe next time I'll give it a try, too. Or not.

Embu de Artes

One of our favorite places here is the tiny 450 year old town of Embu with its tree-lined cobblestone streets and colorful shops full of antiques, art, clothing, pottery and everything Brazilian. While Barb was here in January we took her to see it one drizzly Saturday morning and found it nearly empty. Embu is at its liveliest on the weekends when it hosts an outdoor market. The plaza and the narrow streets become crowded with booths selling homemade handicrafts, necklaces of native beads, toys, leather goods, lacework and on and on. Singers strumming guitars serenade diners at every little eatery and draw crowds that choke the lanes. As often as I’ve been there I never tire of seeing it again. Sometimes Marsh will bring a book to read in the shady town square while I browse through the stores and kiosks.

Embu is all about art, including music. Early one Saturday morning we followed the sound of spirited music upstairs to a large room where a brass band of fifty or sixty talented musicians were practicing for a coming concert. We pulled up some chairs and thoroughly enjoyed a delightful hour or so listening while they energetically played some of the classical greats. The youngest was a boy of around twelve. These musicians looked like working-class people and played like polished performers. We’ve been back to hear them several times since. Amazing and wonderful.

This January 13th, Barb came to visit us for ten fabulous days. We had a great time seeing Brazil's best sights. Every day was jam-packed and yet somehow she even managed to complete her huge final project for a class at Harvard.

Monday, the 14th, we took off early for a three-hour trip North to the quaint and colorful little Swiss Brazilian mountain town of Monte Verde in Minas Gerais. The drive is through some of the most beautiful hilly country-side I've ever seen. Herds of white Brahmas dotted patches of hillsides that were so green they seemed florescent. Scattered throughout the valleys were picturesque white stuccoed and terracotta roofed farmhouses. For the last ten miles we bounced and jolted upwards on dusty, one-laned gravel roads, dodging potholes, until we reached the little town full of charming little shops.
Every restaurant and little eatery there features fondue and it's worth the drive just to have some! We had a lunch of chicken and steak, bites-sized pieces cooked in our own pot of bubbling oil, with seven dipping sauces, and also a big pot of creamy cheese fondue for dipping crusty bread cubes. We were so full we didn't think we could eat another bite. Then dessert came. Sliced bananas, mangos, strawberries, apples and tart bright pink guava to dunk in a pot of silky smooth chocolate fondue. We managed to eat it all. I'm going back for more. Want to come?