We just had 2 wonderful weeks in Itacaré, Bahia. Why did we ever leave Bahia?
Praia Egenhoca. You can see Sidney’s surf lesson on his blog.
April and Ezra at our “home” beach- Concha.
Beach in Serra Grande.
Our sunset spot in Itacaré. Our first night a guy was playing berimbau there. Sidney was so inspired he wanted his own picture like it. Check out his blog for that.
We visited a cacau farm/chocolate factory
Pick the cacau.
Get out the seeds.
Dry and roast them in the sun.
Add sugar and you’re good to go!
Had a great Passover. Couldn’t find matzah, so we did it ourselves.
We were joined for seder by our friend, Sarah, we met in Arraial, and Nitzan, a fellow capoeira student (from Israel).
Nitzan showed me how to make this the easiest Passover. We made tapioca “sandwiches”. You just put the powdered casava in the pan, add heat and toppings, fold and you have a kosher for passover meal!
And Easter.
Dyeing eggs.
Hunting for eggs.
Unlikely plant to find an egg under, but there it is!
As our school back home was taking their spring break we took one, too. OK, technically it’s more like a summer break. Well, all right, we’re pretty much on summer break for most of the year, so let’s just say we took a break from our routine…vacation. The break was initiated by the arrival of my in-laws, Flora and Ramon. We were all so happy to have them visit and for the chance to share some Brazilian experiences. We spent a week enjoying life in and around Arraial (You can see our visit with them to the Pataxó reserve on Sidney’s blog)
Where there is Flora, there is line dancing.
Sidney’s favorite ping-pong buddy.
At Pitinga, our favorite beach.
Swimming out to the reef.
Not sure of the legality of this experience, but this is the freshest urchin Ramon has ever tasted. The guy even brought limes with him.
This is an actual ship from the time when the Portuguese arrived, conquering- er, discovering- Brazil. Porto Seguro is where they landed.
Then we took a road trip together to Caraiva. More like a dirt road trip, ¾ of the ride is on a rough dirt road,
which leads to a river, which leads to small rowboats taking us over to town.
In town this is the only vehicle, and there are about 3 of them. The “roads” are all sand.
We enjoyed the laid-back beach town vibe.
Then we made our way back to Trancoso, the once sleepy, hippie town that is now a playground for the rich and famous AND the hippies.
The beach was amazing.
We said “Até Logo” to Bahia and headed to Rio. It’s like New York and Miami, mixed together with some amazing little mountains. It is as beautiful as people say and just plain cool. We saw the sights and had a good time.
Tram up to Sugar Loaf.
From top of Sugar Loaf at night.
Lola and the boys on Copacabana (left corner)
The kid loves his agua de coco.
Sidney got to see a game at Maracana.
On the beaches of Leblon.
Of course we found the best desert place. Kurt’s. Sidney’s having the Brigadeiro cake.
Glorious air conditioning!
Favelas.
View from the top of our place.
We were so sad to seem them go home.
Back to America we went. Oh, I mean on to Brasilia, the capital. Filled with malls and food courts (Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Subway and more) and air conditioning. We were very fortunate to have our friends, Priscilla and Rafael to pick us up and let us stay with them for the first weekend. They showed us the town and, of course, a mall. Called “shopping” here. It’s a noun in Portuguese. Rafael did a great job of constantly explaining how the streets flow and the addresses work. I was extremely grateful once I was on my own with the car for the week. In Brasilia, it takes 3 rights or ¾ of a circle to make a left. That led to lots of confusion, but the addresses are laid out on a grid that is very clear. I was able to navigate the city without a map often. Luckily I’m a NYC driver so I could handle the aggressive drivers on the road.
With Rafael and Priscilla in front of the legislature.
Hangin’ with Leo, Rafael and Priscilla’s son.
Brasilia is filled with the architecture of Oscar Niemeyer and so many amazing buildings.
We think this looks like we are in the movie Star Wars, in front of Uncle Owen and Aunt Ru’s house.
Mestre Ralil was so gracious.
The highlight for Sidney and I was the capoeira training. We were in the hometown of our school, Raizes do Brasil, and from the moment we walked in to class we were welcome with open arms. Everyone was friendly and introduced themselves. The mestres and professors, all who are friends of Mestre Foca (our mestre in NY) were so generous with us. Mestre Railil, the Grand Mestre, who is usually very busy, was so kind to teach a class while we were there.
Mestre Cara. So kind.
The kids in Sidney’s class quickly befriended him, and once they saw him play they all wanted to get in the roda with him. Mestre Cara, who taught the kids classes, took an immediate liking to Sidney, and once he saw how good Sidney was (and man, he is so good), he took him under his wing. Sidney couldn’t get enough capoeira. He went to the kids classes and then took the adult ones with me, sometimes. He actually preferred those as he is so hungry for training.
For me, it was great to be reminded of the style I originally learned, that involves much more twisting and bending. It’s a bit more on the dance-y side. Sul da Bahia- where the training was excellent- tends to be a bit more straight forward. Also, we got a lot more time playing in the roda in Brasilia than we did in Arraial.
That being said, as much as we enjoyed our travels, we really missed our life in Bahia. Living on the beach, no malls, significantly less screen time for the kids (which means significantly more creativity in their play). As I post this we are now in Itacare, a surf town in Bahia and back to our ideal beach life again. I’m studying the other style of capoeira, Angola. More on that in the next post.
We arrived at the Pataxó Reserve with our tour guide, Max. The Pataxo Indians are on of the many tribes that live in Brasil. Many of the other tribes lost against the Portuguese when they came. The Pataxó is one the tribes that survived the attack.
So after we waited for little bit, an old Indian man greeted us. He welcomed us into the reserve.
We first had to sign our names in a little hut-type thing where two other Indian men were sitting. Then after we all had signed our names the old Indian man walked us up into the reserve.
The reserve was in a forest. Little mud huts with straw roofs were planted around the reserve. There were little Indian children playing in the sand and other tourists walking around the reserve, too.
The Indian first led us into a bigger hut with no walls and a big straw roof. In the middle of the hut there was an Indian woman carved out of wood that was holding a spear in her right hand and a long cylinder shaker in her left and. The Indian then took a little shaker and started to shake it. He was calling the other Indians. Three Indians came out. One of them was a woman. She explained their rituals and other things about the reserve.
After that another one of the Indians named, Friendly, showed us around.
He showed us the different plants they used for medicine.
He also showed us a replica of a Pataxó house. He showed us the way of communication back then.
Then we came to a trail that would lead us through the forest. We came across five Indian traps. One of them was for catching big animals. It was a big, deep pit covered with leaves and other plants. The animal would come and when it stands on the trap he will fall into the pit.
Another one traps little birds. The Indian would put one piece of bird food on one side of the trap, and one on the other side. The bird would come and eat one of the seeds and then see the one on the other side. So the bird would hop over to the other side, but then the bird would trip on the string that would wrap around the bird and strangle it.
The last trap is where an Indian climbs up tall ladder and waits until the panther comes and then kills the panther with a bow and arrow.
After we finished the trail we went to the souvenir shop
There were whistles and costumes, dream catcher and weapons.
My brother, like he is, picks the whole costume and a bow and arrow.
I picked the spear that was leaning against the table.
At the end of our trip the Pataxó did a little circle dance for us.
One of our bigger successes with homeschooling was that Sidney was able to participate in Prairie Day. It’s when every student in the 4th grader researches a topic related to to the westward expansion in this country and then creates a poster presentation, as well as some type of creative expression. The culmination is a science fair-like morning where all the students stand in front of their presentations and answer questions about their topic. Sidney obviously couldn’t be there, but his teacher (G-d bless her) printed up the materials we emailed and made his poster presentation for him. His good friend Koshi secured some apples and we made this video for his creative presentation. I think Sidney (with wonderful guidance from his mother and tech help from his father) rocked this project.
At our favorite beach, Praia Pitinga. It’s the one in the picture on our banner, above.
This is as close as we came to carnaval in Porto Seguro.
We’ve been here in Arraial for over 6 weeks now, and I think we’ve been lucky to have what I think are authentic Brazilian experiences. Carnaval. The big-party-all-night-carnaval in Porto Seguro (the neighboring “big” town) has major music acts filling the streets from 11pm to sunrise. We tried to go but the boys just couldn’t stay up that late, but we could hear the music pretty loudly in our home miles away. All night. The carnaval in Arraial D’Ajuda, was a little more tame with just a few blocos (groups of people dancing with some kind of music) marching through town each night. The capoeira school is connected to the Afro Bloco, so our family joined in and bought costumes and African-danced down the street in front of a cadre and women drummers. (You can see a bit of video of this on Ezra’s video- Episode 3). For April and I both, this was one of the highlights of our time here. The energy, the drumming, the movement, the town filling the sidewalks to enjoy it all. This felt like one of the most genuine Brazilian experiences we’ve had thus far.
Army of drummers.
April in the Afro Bloco.
Me dancing in the Afro Bloco.
Carnaval family in our costumes (except Sidney).
As for my training, in the capoeira classes people smile at me and chat with me now. There are many regular students that are happy to partner up with me. A big difference from my first few weeks here. I also feel like I’ve had a “Karate Kid” turn in my training. After practicing regularly and feeling like nothing was changing drastically, all of the sudden my playing in the roda is completely different. I have much more vocabulary and I feel like I am reacting more to the other person playing. I still have so much to learn, though, but I’m having so much more fun now. Recently, when the Mestre subbed in for his wife in the morning classes, he put me in the front row and had me start the roda.
Other real-Brazilian experiences:
Our kids are only in school a few hours a day, like the Brazilian kids who go to school from 1-5pm.
When we walk through town in the evening we get to stop many times to say “Oi!” and chat with friends.
Fresh agua de coco (coconut water) after capoeira class.
We have a fairly busy social life. Our Brazilian friends Maira and Diego made us a wonderful vegetarian-version of acarajé. A fried bean fritter (a Brazilian falafel) that usually involves shrimp. Maira made it with a side of ocra and veggies for us.
Maira cooking for us.
Toppings!
My accent must not be too bad. I’m regularly mistaken for a Spanish-speaking South American and get the occasional, “Gracias!” That could just be because there are almost no Americans here, though.
Driving a stick car for an hour on a dirt road. Not the most enjoyable of experiences.
This is when the road was at it’s best.
Ezra hasn’t worn a shirt in over a month. Really. I’m not exaggerating.
Our most Brazilian moment thus far: We made a nice dinner for some Brazilian friends who were coming over for dinner at 7pm. They texted to cancel at 7:45pm.
Proof of the transformation: I walked down the block in just my sungha and havaianas to buy eggs at the convenience store. Yes, I’m that guy now. (No, no picture for you to make fun of me. Just use your imagination.)
Photo highlights:
The Eco-Parque. Not sure about the eco part. It’s just a fun water-park.
Lolo and Lola are visiting. First stop, the reef!
Make-shift ping-pong with Lolo.
Making hamantachen for Purim. We had a little party with the Israeli’s here.
Hanging in the pool with the boys favorite neightbor, Elizabeth.
Queijo Coalho with oregano. Best beach food ever!
Loving it!
With Mom in the water at Pitinga.
Drinks with Dad at the barraca (beach restaurant/bar). Sidney- Kuat (guaraná-flavored soda): Dad- caipirinha; Ezra- açai.
2/2/15I was looking in this book my mom got. It was called, “How to be an Explorer of the World.” Something caught my eye. I was on page 52. The thing that caught my eye on page 52 was that it taught me how to make goggles. You needed cardboard, electric tape, wire, duct tape, acetate and string. Of course we didn’t bring all of that stuff, so we had to use what he had. First we had to cut a cardboard tube in half. Second we cut out a large strip of cardboard. Third we cut two hole for where the tubes would go. You know what, there’s too much more too say. So I made these goggles to help people see the world from a different perspective. What I learned from this project is use what you have.
2/9/15 This day was great! In the morning we got to play this fun math game called, “Dragon Box.” It secretly teaches algebra. So after we played with this app, me, Ezra and my dad, Barry, went to a bakery. At the bakery we got to pick out one treat. At that time I was very hungry. So I picked the chocolate cake. My brother, Ezra, picked this cotton candy popsicle. Man that was good. It felt good to eat something sweet. When we got back we just hung around. Then my dad picked up his berimbau so I though maybe I should play the berimbau, too, and started playing. My dad played the berimbau, then switched to the pandeiro. It was nice to play berimbau again. During the day my dad met the most feistiest crab. The crab lunged at him with claws ready to strike. In the end, we just left him alone.
2/10/15It started raining outside. We were about to go on a snorkeling trip to Recife de Fora. So we were about to get ready when the Arraial Trip Tur guy came and said that we can’t on on the trip because of the rain. Then we really couldn’t go. We went back in to the house. I was really disappointed. After school we went to my capoiera teacher’s house. His name is Deivid. We were going to make berimbaus! First we chose the stick that we thought was right for us. Then we would sandpaper it. There’s a lot of sandpapering in here. Then we picked a gourd to hollow out. Then we would string it. After that we made a baqueta. Then bam! We made our own berimbau! That really changed my day. You can see the whole process in pictures on my dad’s post.
2/20/15Today would be the day! We would finally go on a snorkeling trip to Recife De Fora. A reef with many interesting sea creatures. We have been waiting soooo long for this trip. We waited outside for the van to pick us up. We got dropped off at the dock. We had to wait a very long time before the ship arrived. We had to take a boat out to another dock, where we switched to the other boat that would take us out to the reef. When we got there we would climb down a ladder into the water or jump off the boat. Since we had trouble swimming we had to take a mini boat to the reef instead. There was a lake in the middle of the reef where we would snorkel. There was first a little tour before we went. Then we got to go snorkeling. My mom and I swam around the lake. There were big clumps of big fish and little yellow and black striped fish swimming in a school together. When we looked near the top of the water we could see needle fish. After we snorkeled around the whole lake we headed back to the boat and left for Arraial D’Ajuda.
2/23/15 I had the best capoeira class. At capoeira I was having a good time. I was cranking those kicks. It was just the best. The thing that made my class the best in that I made a new friend. He is very good at capoeira and is very nice. Now I have someone I know at capoeira.
These were the words April said to me as we entered Cambui, the grocery store (of all places! See my blog post about my grocery panic attack there on our second day here). We had come in one entrance, but usually enter the other way. She was remarking how we had our shopping rhythm down when we start on the other side of Cambui. (You can get a peek inside Cambui with Ezra on Episode 2 on his blog).
Having played the drums since I was 7 years old, I truly experience life as rhythm and beats. When I hear a song, I hear the drums first and the melody second. If I was destined to be a dancer, it’s no surprise I ended up a tap dancer.
Living in Arraial D’ajuda for a few weeks now, I think I have found the rhythm of this place. There is the rhythm of the Estrada da Balsa outside our home, which has no traffic, but once the balsa (ferry) arrives a mile down the street there is the briefest wave of traffic. While waiting for a bus or van we know that’s when we can expect a ride; thus we are tied to rhythm of the balsa.
There is the rhythm of our weeks. Capoeira in the mornings on Monday and Wednesday for the boys (add in Thursday and a couple of nights for me), which means school in the afternoons. There are school mornings on the other days and we end each day with swimming in some fashion. Trips to town at night a few times a week and the boys constantly inventing new games to play with each other.
Daily swim. Ezra is like a fish now.
Sidney in Capoeira class.
Ezra working on his addition.
Don’t have blocks to play, but sand is a good substitute.
A little beach capoeira.
The occasional nap.
A little paddle out.
Out for dinner in town. Boys are jacked on Guarana.
Capoeira Sul da Bahia HQ
For me, the biggest success has been that I now feel in rhythm with Sul da Bahia, the capoeira school where I am studying while in Arraial. I take classes from three different teachers who have their own grooves- as I can tell by the music they choose to start their classes. Professora Luciana, the wife of the Mestre, is sensitive to who is in the class and what’s present. Her class is the friendliest of the three and so it’s no surprise that she uses popular Brazilian music. She even let the boys come play in the roda in class.
Ezra with Deivid. We all love class with him.
Deivid, is laid back and even-keeled, just like the samba/dance groove covers of Bob Marley songs he plays. He’s a natural teacher and his movement combinations are fun and creative. He’s been the one person thus far from Sul da Bahia that we have spent time with outside of classes.
Mestre Railson is like a brick truck with no brakes. His class is intense and non-stop. There are guys doing push-ups and sit-ups in-between the exhausting exercises! His music choice is the most interesting as he likes to start class with “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” sung by Iz, the great Hawaiian singer. I can see that the Mestre is strong on the outside, but like his capoeira, it is combined with flexibility and warmth. This is what I read in the song choice.
Mestre Railson
The rhythm of the roda in his class is so different than Raizes do Brazil’s. In Brooklyn, capoeiristas of all levels would freely flow in and out of the roda, but this school- with no less than a dozen insanely amazing capoeiristas on any given night- has a hierarchy. These are just a few of the guys from class.
The great players take the roda and play long games. It’s very hard for the less advanced to find a place. That being said, the other night when there was a roda on the street which is more like a performance, the Mestre picked someone to play with me and let me take a turn. I see I am slowly earning a place in the community here.
On the town with Rafael, Priscilla and Leo.
Most importantly for us all, we are in the rhythm of friendship. Last week, while in the pool next door at the hotel, Rafael started to chat with me. That conversation lasted for 2 ½ hours- all in Portuguese! It was the start of our first real friendship with some Brazilians. Both he and his wife Priscilla were incredibly patient with us and so we spent a lot of time with them talking about almost everything. They live in Brasilia, where we are headed next, so we get to keep this one going.
Marianne and me.
I have my best capoeira buddy, an Aussie named Marianne. She has been coming here for the past 5 years and has been a great resource for us. I know it’s “cheating” to have an English speaking friend, but she’s a really good one.
Chillin’ in Rick and Andrea’s pool.
Half-cheating, we made friends with Rick, an American ex-pat from North Miami (of all places!) and his Brazilian wife, Andrea. Rick has it figured out. He has a, cliff-side home (with good wifi!) overlooking the beach and manages to work just a few months a year in the states to maintain is idyllic life.
I think the kids and our new friends are happy that I have time to get my baking “groove” on, too. My “biscoitos Americanos” are a hit here.
Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Making Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Shabbat with my homemade challah.
As April says, sometimes it takes a taste of home to make a new place feel like home.
PS- Just to prove my point, these guys just got off the ferry for Porto Seguro around 5pm for Carnaval. Carnaval there doesn’t start until 11pm and goes until the sun goes up.
No backpack, no pockets, nothing. Just flip-flops and a sungha.
In a land where meat and churrasca (grilled meats on sticks) are king, we wondered what we could eat besides beans and rice. Thankfully because of the influx of Italian immigrants to Brazil, fresh pastas and even pizza are plentiful here (no, we are not hurting for our NY Pizzas as originally predicted). Most importantly because of all the fresh tropical fruits and vegetables, there’s plenty for us vegetarians/pescatarians to eat.
For breakfast (café da manhã):
I start my morning with a lime-spritzed papaya bowl filled with vanilla yogurt, topped with granola and hempnut seeds.
For snacks (o lanche):
Acai /cupuaçu – Derived from the Amazonian açai palm, this superfruit is packed with antioxidants, omegas 3 & 9, vitamin A and calcium. The deep violet hued pulp is commonly found combined with cupuaçu (another Amazonian fruit related to the cacao plant that tastes like chocolate mixed with pineapple). I usually treat myself to a frozen cup of the stuff mixed with honey and bananas. Açai can be found on many food stands or cafes in town. It’s the best way to cool the edge off a steamy Bahian day.
For lunch (o almoço):
Our rental house came equipped with a sandwich press—oh joy!
Avocado, red onion and cheese paninis with guava juice, and double chocolate chip cookies. BAM!
For dinner (o jantar):
The Farmer’s Market across from the supermarket in town provides a fresh selection of local produce. Walking among the rainbow of fruits and vegetables I get ideas for that night’s dinner:
Black beans with crushed garlic, sweet potatoes topped with cinnamon, and colvi (collard greens) stewed in fresh ginger.
If we’re in town I usually order the traditional dish, Moqueca (Fish Stew). A rich, hearty stew served with a steak of fish, accompanied by rice and a polenta-like mash of curry, coconut-milk goodness.
For dessert (sobremesa):
Barry has found a way to satisfy his baking needs. Using measuring cups and spoons brought from the US and literally mixing the ingredients by hand with the help of two helper-elves, Bare-Chested Bakery was born. “Biscoitos Americanos” became a favorite of our neighbors who were paid with chocolate chip cookies or double chocolate chip cookies for their kindness and generosity.
Barry even rocked his challah—we had fresh, home-made challah for our first official Shabbat in Brazil, complete with a candleholder fashioned out of dried coral rock.
Aside from the baked vices, we’ve discovered a piece of dessert heaven in town, Super Paletas: Mexican popsicles taken to another level. My favorite flavor: Passionfruit with condensed milk center. Sidney loves the Belgian chocolate with brigadeiro center. And Ezra’s favorite is the Fruit Salad. Can we convince them to open a place in Brooklyn?
Maracuja (Passion Fruit) with Condensed Milk center–addictive!
This day was great! In the morning we got to play this fun math game called, “Dragon Box.” It secretly teaches algebra. So after we played with this app, me, Ezra and my dad, Barry, went to a bakery. At the bakery we got to pick out one treat. At that time I was very hungry. So I picked the chocolate cake. My brother, Ezra, picked this cotton candy popsicle. Man that was good. It felt good to eat something sweet. When we got back we just hung around. Then my dad picked up his berimbau so I though maybe I should play the berimbau, too, and started playing. My dad played the berimbau, then switched to the pandeiro. It was nice to play berimbau again. During the day my dad met the most feistiest crab. The crab lunged at him with claws ready to strike. In the end, we just left him alone.
Let Passion Be Your Guide 