PlanetEye

Friday, May 2nd, 2008

Caipirinhas and Cachaça, vol. 2

Brendan

The Global Nomad

Like cane liquor around the world, Brazil’s cachaça comes in all strengths and qualities, depending on the goals and skill of the distiller.

In my extensive research I have identified three main varieties:

1) Fine crafted, barrel-aged to a mellow smoothness. A pleasure to drink, high-grade cachaça comes in beautiful bottles and packaging, and each has its own unique character like a single malt scotch or high-grade tequila. Drink neat. This was the kind my house guest and his drunk friends quaffed back one night without realising they couldn’t just nip down to the liquor store to replace the bottle.

2) Nice, drinkable and reasonably smooth. Your everyday cachaça (if that’s your style). Typically these are best mixed, especially in a Caipirinha. (see earlier post)

3) OH GOD IT BURNS!! Best saved as a backup fuel for running the engine of your fishing boat, or say, removing unwanted skin.

I recommend either 1 or 2. Oh, and for the record, although they are similar, rum is made from sugar cane molasses, whereas cachaça is made from pure sugar cane juice, among other subtle differences.

• Posted in  Culture, Drinking, Partying, Uncategorized
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

The Favela: Rocinha, City of God

Brendan

The Global Nomad

It may seem a strange suggestion to spend an afternoon in a slum. How about one of the largest slums in the world?

Favelas, the slum areas of Brazil, dot the countryside – in fact, there are 350 of these impromptu villages in Brazil, many of them within Rio’s city limits. Run by (often rival) drug lords and gangs, the favelas are a side of Brazil few tourists venture into. Going to visit a place like this may seem like madness, but it can be both educational and safe. Just don’t go on your own….

We choose to visit Rocinha, the largest favela in Latin America, a makeshift city within a city. Made famous by the movie City of God, Rocinha (ho-SEE-nya) is home to 200 000 cariocas (residents of Rio de Janeiro). Although they pay no taxes and have only basic services, the labour that Rocinha and Brazil’s other favelas supply keeps the city’s buildings clean, hotels staffed and clothes cleaned.

The sights, sounds and smells of this community are an in-your-face reminder that there are no government services here– no electrical power, no water, no police, no sewage systems and no garbage removal. Fifty-five percent of the kids between the ages of 4-13 attend the four schools in the favela – many of the rest are “put to work”, begging on the streets of Rio. Two hospitals here attempt to service the needs of this huge community, suffering from ailments many developed countries haven’t seen in decades.

A tour through one of Rio’s favelas is a fascinating experience. There are several outfits that will take you, prices are reasonable and most if not all have ties to the community. We chose Be a Local, and they provided a well-run, educational trip. (The initial ride to the top of the favela on the back of a motorbike was either a highlight or a shock, depending on your personality). The organization supports a daycare in Rocinha, and also offers tours to football games and the like.

Go see the other side of Rio, bring your camera and an open mind. Oh, and don’t be scared—you’re likely safer in the favela than outside. In the words of one guide “the same guy who will steal your wallet on Copacabana beach won’t touch you in here—the gangs rule this place with an iron fist.”

Be A Local
bealocal.com 

• Posted in  Culture, Uncategorized
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Thursday, April 10th, 2008

Footie Time

Brendan

The Global Nomad

As any Brazilian will tell you, Catholicism is only the country’s second most important religion. Number one? Futebol. And this coming from the largest Catholic population in the world.

There’s no question that when it comes to the world’s most popular sport, it’s hard to beat the Brazilians, on the field or in the stands. So what could be more Brazilian than going to a soccer match? And if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it right: go to Rio’s Maracanã stadium.

When Maracanã was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA world cup, it was by far the largest stadium in the world; attendance at the final match was 200 000, the largest crowd to attend a soccer match in history. Today the place seats a more modest 95 000. To see Brazilians truly in their element, a game should be on any curious visitor’s agenda—football fan or not.

Finding out when games are on isn’t hard—just ask any carioca (Rio resident). If your Portuguese is as bad as mine, you can always check online. Here is one listing, posted by a Brazilian tour guide: http://futebolnomaracana.blogspot.com/

Some tips for taking in a game:

• Buy tickets ahead of time. Things get crazier, more crowded and more drunken the closer the game gets. Save yourself the headache and the long lineups and go earlier in the day or even a day or two before.
• Tickets can be bought at Maracanã itself, but there are other places if that isn’t convenient. If you are going to a local club game, tickets can be bought at the local stadiums of each team. Price is about 10-15 USD.
• Repeat after me: Botafogo. Fluminense. Flamengo. Vasco da Gama.
• Wear the right colours. Better yet, get a jersey from your favourite team. Just be sure to…
• Sit in the right place. Or rather, make sure not to sit in the wrong place. If in doubt, get seats in the white section, which is mellower, in the middle and less partisan.
• To tour or not to tour: most hotels or hostels can set you up with a company like bealocal.com who will pick you up, get you tickets, and bring you to and from your seats. Be aware, though that naturally there is a premium for this—the evening will set you back about 70 USD.

Note that games are played later than you may expect, to allow working people to get home and then to the game in time. At the time of writing, weekday games start at 9:45pm and weekend games at 6:10pm.

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Saturday, March 1st, 2008

Got Maya?

Brendan

The Global Nomad

The area that corresponded to the world of the Maya extends from present-day southern Mexico, through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and northern Honduras.

After running seemingly countless tours of the Mayan World, I definitely have my favourite ruins. Here are the GlobalNomad’s top 5 Mayan Ruins list, and some tips for seeing each.
 

Tikal – Peten region, Guatemala. The mother of all Mayan sites in my opinion. Truly huge (lots of walking), with some of the tallest temples in the Mayan world rising out of the remote Guatemalan jungle. Take at least a full day to see them—plan on spending two nights in the area.

Palenque – Chiapas, Mexico. Also saved from being overrun by its relatively remote site. It may still be possible to gain entry permission to the main temple tomb by going to the Archaeological office and writing an explanation of why you are interested! They give you a reservation time and you meet at the back door.

Copan – Copan Ruinas, Honduras. Famous for its stelae (carved ceremonial pillars), Copan is great also for its location—overlooking a pretty river valley and at an altitude that makes the climate easier than other sites. Plus colonial town of Copan Ruinas is a hidden gem.

Lamanai and Caracol - Belize. A tie for these. Caracol is the larger of the two and farther in the jungle, but the road to it was recently much improved—see it before the cruise ships descend (à la Tulum). Getting to Lamanai is half the fun: the only way is via high speed boats upriver for the better part of an hour.

Uxmal - Yucatan, Mexico. Unique and very cool, it can be combined with some smaller sites in the area like Labná and Kabah, which are also great. Stay across the road at the gorgeous Hacienda Uxmal, where the archaeologists stayed while excavating.

Runners Up: Secret cool sites not many people go to but which are well worth the effort:

Xunantunich - Belize. A hand crank ferry takes you across a river to this site, with a view over the Guatemalan border

Cobá - Yucatan, Mexico. Mostly under shade, it’s flat so you can rent a bike to ride around the site. Has some great recently excavated ball courts

Bonanpak – Mexico. Seriously hard to get to, famous frescoes

Note: for those who wonder why Chichen Itza was not included…well, it doesn’t need my help to be promoted. Great site, but the zoo it has become detracts from the enjoyment. If you go, stay at one of the nearby hotels so you can visit the site in the morning and evening when the tour buses are fewer. Ditto for Tulum, a minor site with a spectacular location on the ocean which has sadly been turned into a Disneyesque charade.

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