Vai-Vai in São Paulo and Beija-Flor de Nilópolis in Rio Incidentally, I’ve been with Vai-Vai since jump: And the party’s still not over…the champions’ parade is tonight! Please don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @FlyBrother, and “like” me on Facebook! You can subscribe, too!
Carnival 2011: And the Winners Are… Read More
Through all the color and pageantry of seven samba schools competing for the top prize on the first night of São Paulo’s Sambadrome competition, one dark and controversial issue reared its head in the most beautiful and touching ways. The Acadêmicos do Tucuruvi samba school (less a school in the traditional sense than a Carnival
“Reconheço Meu Valor” Read More
Burl Ives got it wrong; the most wonderful time of the year, in much of the world, is upon us – Carnival. For four, five, six, even seven days leading up to Ash Wednesday, revelers in the Catholic world drop inhibitions and taboos in a frenzied, culturally-mixed-and-matched attempt to “get it all in” before having
Last summer, Wallpaper* magazine published its “Born in Brazil” issue, a 210-page design-focused exposé on the established names and up-and-comers in the realms of Brazilian work and play. Along with the print version, the magazine included on its website this beautifully-shot, beautifully-scored look at the remarkable energy – and traffic – of São Paulo, as
A Tale of Two Cities – Part One Read More
So, I’ve settled into a new one-bedroom apartment in Downtown São Paulo. The place has character: huge rooms, high ceilings, French doors leading out to a small terrace where I can sit and write (theoretically), with my feet being massaged on top of the clothes dryer. My street is one of those formerly-grand boulevards gone
The View from the Crib Read More
First, I want to start the new year giving thanks to you, my readers, for traveling with me this far. I know I’m not very communicative via the comments section, but I sincerely appreciate every person who looks at my blog and takes away even the smallest bit of inspiration – be it to travel,
A Thank You and a Goodbye Read More
Vai-Vai was my first. In January of 2006, during my first trip to São Paulo, I became washed in the downpour of sound and energy that is the open-air rehearsal of the Vai-Vai Samba School. I fell in love with Brazil that night. With the cadences that were only two or three beats away from
Feliz Na Vida: Sou Vai-Vai Read More
8:00am Wake up after having gone to bed at, oh, 3:30am. 8:15am Run out the door of your friend’s apartment, down five flights of stairs with two large carry-ons and a briefcase, and down three blocks to the U-Bahn station. 8:24am Board the subway at Hermannplatz, pushing your way through the morning commuters to grab a
Berlin to Brazil: A Suggested Itinerary Read More
“Gringo.” I can’t stand that damn word. And it’s all over Latin America, from restaurants with names like Gringo’s Pizza to movies with titles like “Gringo Wedding.” The meaning of the word varies from country to country, but I’ve not found one place yet where it’s actually a positive moniker, despite many travelers who
Three years ago, shortly after dusk on a crisp July evening, I left the gym and walked with a friend down a cavernous back-street in Copacabana, the gritty, dense, intense, world-famous beachfront neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. At that time, my Portuguese skills were nonexistent, and I conversed with my friend in an uneasy Portuñol
Reconciling with Rio Read More
