Formula 1 Grand Prix

Wow, AMAZING week. The experience of the Sao Paulo F1 GP is one Jeff and I find difficult to put into words. It was simply amazing. They predicted storms and it threatened to rain all day but the atmosphere, the people the weather, the track, the beers all of it was excellent.


The power of the cars literally shook me to the core. Standing up against the fence directly above the track was unbelievable. I actually think I stopped breathing for the first lap or 2 – the feeling of the adrenalin pumping through my body will stay with me for a long time. It is one more experience I am grateful to have and one I certainly would have missed out on if Jeff hadn’t suggested the idea 8 months ago!!! Great idea!


For someone who has never really been into car racing, I was addicted to the track, I couldn’t’ take my eyes from the tarmac. Having very little idea of F1 (the drivers, teams, track rules, qualifying etc) Jeff had his work cut out for him.


Slowly, slowly he introduced me to the world of F1 racing and I crammed as much as I could in and I even surprised myself knowing every top driver and all the teams as they screamed around the track. It was a little harder keeping track once they started lapping drivers – but it was entertaining trying to work over a couple of beers enjoying the atmosphere.


The grand stand was jam packed with passionate Brazilians. They hollered and cheered every time Filipe Massa and Bruno Senna (and Barrichello) went around. The only driver they really disliked was Hamilton so you can imagine the cheers when he went out!!! I didn’t know what had happened. We had one of the cheaper seats for the 3 days and we could see an unbelievable amount of the track.



No surprises that the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix mid-March 2012 is high on our agenda. GO WEBBER!!!!!

Sao Paulo

We arrived in the pouring rain and the forecast for the F1 is wet and stormy weather. But we can’t stop smiling – just thrilled to be here, wet or dry!!

On the flight over we were given plain crackers – I was in the mood for a little vegemite, and so happened to have some in my bag, so I cracked it open (thanks Mum) and stunk the aircraft out. Yummo!



The first night we arrived it was late, so we opted for a hotel close to the airport with a free shuttle. The next day, the weather was pretty bleak so we decided not to venture too far. The reception staff kindly informed us that we could watch movies in the hotel, so we went down to the local video store to hire a DVD (Senna). Unfortunately we couldn’t hire as we’re not ‘locals’. Being a movie about the Formula 1 (Ayrton Senna), we (I was) were desperate to see it so they gracefully put it on the store system and we stood there crook necked for 100 min watching the film. Despite most of it being in Portuguese, it was worth it. Oh boy are we excited!!

On the way to our next hotel that Jeff organised months ago (closer to the race), we tried to take photos of the pretty impressive city but every direction was a mass of tall buildings – we didn’t’ know which part was the city – we guess it all was. Crazy big – the entire population of Australia is almost in this one city. The view from our hotel on the 12 floor is really pretty. There are a lot of bridges here and each are surprisingly unique and stunning, especially at night.



About 3 hours ago we went to pick up our race tickets – WOOFREAKINGHOOOO!!!! Thankful they included earplugs in our pack! Qualifying tomorrow and race on Sunday – will be at both and can’t wait!

Pipa

No fancy bars, flash restaurants or expensive suits here. It is the perfect lazy fishing town we were hoping for. The road from Natal to Pipa was like driving through North Queensland with hectares of Sugar Cane lining the road.

We took a local bus that took 2 hours and the Manager of the Natal hotel offered to drive us free of charge to the station. Unbelievably nice people – we tried to pay him but he refused to accept. Jeff comments every day on how incredibly friendly the people are here and I wholeheartedly agree. We could be paying our bill at a bar or getting out of a taxi we negotiated a cheaper price for and they will still shake our hands. We will miss this place.

Yesterday was Jeff’s birthday and we spent the day lounging by the pool, watching movies in our air-conditioned room and had dinner in the coolest little restaurant on the beach. It was dark but the sound of the ocean was very prevalent. We waddled our way back suitably stuffed. We won’t dare weigh ourselves – it’s not only our luggage that has gained a few pounds this trip. :-)


The hotel we stayed in for 6 nights in Pipa was nothing short of spectacular. We managed to get a deal that gave us more than 60% off the normal room rate AND had breakfast included. It was every bit as beautiful as the pictures on the website. We really did have to pry ourselves from the pools each day to check out the beach and town.

Breakfast was like nothing I have ever experienced! Every morning we spent an average of 2 hours there – around 9 we started with fresh fruit and glass of juice, half an hour later we had something hot (eggs, sausages or steak and onions) and toast then their local delicacies (chicken or ham/chs/tom filled pastries and quiche like things) then coffee and cake (there were an average of 7 to choose from!) not to mention the abundance of cookies and bite sized sweet treats in independent jars dotted around the 3 large tables of food. I couldn’t’ help but think of the possible waste each day and what the food could have done for others.


After breakfast, the toughest decision of the day was deciding which pool to swim at – yeah there were 2 to choose from. It was pretty over the top.

On Sunday Jeff went for a wander into town and walked to a point where he went for a swim and got within 20 metres of dolphins swimming. Very cool experience.

The weekends are like walking through a night club in the main street. There is music and people are quite overwhelming. The PERFECT place for 20ish year olds. Jeff’s hoping to bring his sons here one day soon – I think he’d be crazy not to. Speaking of perfect we found the greatest little bar in town we went to a few times before dinner – awesome drinks, bar staff (yum!!) and the best list of reggae music I have heard.


We spent most nights lounging in the hammock drinking wine or vodka and listening (and singing) to music - the photo of my feet was my common afternoon/evening view.

For the epitome of luxury on a backpackers budget in one of the prettiest coasts we have seen, it cost us less than $60 each per night. If only we could stop time and stay longer!!!! I loved Pipa.

The closest thing I have come to comparing these stunning parts of paradise is the Sunshine Coast. I do miss home, but not ready to come back just yet…….

Natal

Natal is a bigger city than we expected. Flying in at night was big, bright and comfortably warm. Our flight was rather delayed so we arrived at our hotel around 1.30am - the friendly reception chap who spoke not a word of English was waiting for us.

Although we could not see it, we could hear the ocean. It was beautiful. We set our alarm in time for the last 10 min of breakfast then made our way into town for a look around.

The town of Natal is pretty unimpressive - first impressions were not great. Months before getting to Brazil and ever since arriving we have heard amazing reviews about this place and Pipa. And when you make it down to the beach, you realise why. It really is stunning.

Just like Rio, the beach is graced with a wide, friendly pedestrian path - also used by motorcyclists, but they are quick to swerve past you. :-) They are littered with colourful market stalls run by such friendly people, that don't push sales, you want to buy from them all. I still can’t believe I did this – but today I bought a pair of those teeny Brazilian bikini sets with briefs aren’t quite a g-string but may as well be – to be clear I bought them for the top which is pretty cool and I have a pair of shorts that can be worn in the water. Unlike other bare backsides EVERYWHERE over here - mine will never see the light of day.

On our second night, it was a super balmy evening so we took ourselves down to the beach and went for a midnight swim – the sea was rough but warm and wonderful.

Looking forward to Pipa we have heard sooooo much about.

Porto Seguro & Salvador

The interstate bus companies here are fantastic (and we hear they are nothing compared to what Argentina offer!). Jeff and I caught an ‘executivo’ bus from Rio to a small coastal town called Porto Seguro. The seats recline back like business class in an aeroplane and there is a cushioned foot rest and snack pack for the journey. The trip was 19 hours and a very pleasant one.



Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and approx. 840,000 square km larger than Australia. It boasts around 195 million people and the city of Sao Paulo alone is home to 21 million – a touch short of the entire country of Australia. Even though there is a lot of bare land mass between cities and towns, I’m sure you will then appreciate it takes at least 1/3 longer in time to get to each place by road than it does in Australia for the same distance.



We arrived into Porto Seguro just after 3pm and went straight to our hotel. After spending a week in a busy but exciting hostel, we decided to lash out and stay in a pretty flash hotel for a whole $42 (AUD $22ea) per night. It was really lovely place but they had to call for the owner’s son every time reception saw us coming as absolutely no one in the hotel spoke English. But they did try and they were all extremely pleasant and very helpful.



The hotel food was awesome but I think the pool with its bar was the highlight – their cocktails (especially the caipirinha) were pretty damn nice and on the rainy day, we spent it upstairs in their little cinema room and watched a couple of DVD’s – we were never short of anything to do. The beach was amazing – long and quiet with squeaky sand. It was dotted with straw rooved huts and wooden seats, open restaurants and peaceful locals.



It should never be an expectation that people around the world speak English but every day it surprises me how few people in Brazil do. Thank goodness for translation books. When we are unable to communicate with hand gestures or by speech, I have learnt to point to the word in the book that Jeff brought (Thank you!!). My pronunciation of Portuguese is evidently extremely bad – even when I know a word, be it in Portuguese or Spanish – they are unable to understand me. But when they do not speak English they will always find someone who can if they are available.



Another interesting observation is the number of non-speaking English folk here that can sing songs perfectly in English but unable to hold a conversation. Like the Saturday night we spent in Rio. Jeff and I were having a few duty free bourbons and coke when a group of Brazilians sat at the table nearby with a guitar and started pumping out Oasis tunes. We joined in and they invited us to join them at a street party in Lapa. One lady, Mariana, spoke great English and looked after us like we were family. Around 11ish, all 15 or so of us jumped on a public bus, took up the entire back section and one of the guys pulled out a ukulele and we screamed Oasis tunes the whole way (around half hour). The group of friends have been meeting and going to Oasis concerts around Brazil for years. Even when Oasis split, they continued following the transformed group now playing under the name ‘Beady Eye’. You would have sworn they spoke perfect English. The night was like nothing Jeff and I have experienced before and we stumbled home around 4.30am with an arm full of McDonalds. We thought we had a great video of us singing, but can’t find it. Alcohol induced slip of the finger in recording we think. Brilliant, brilliant night!!!



Salvador is a bigger city than I was expecting. After a pretty comfy 12 hour journey on a sleeper bus, we arrived into Salvador around 7.30am and made our way slightly south to the lively beach area of Bara. With its pumping music, beach sport, market stalls and burnt tourists, it was actually little more of what I expected the beaches of Brazil to be like. The atmosphere was alive and fun.

It definitely deserves a mention that a huge and surprising group of talented people we have found do amazing sculptures in the sand. Literally unbelievable pieces of artwork. They start around 7am when the tide is going out then work on them tirelessly all day until it gets washed away.

We were only in Salvador for 2 days but it was brilliant. The weather was perfect. We spent most of our first day walking around the historical town of Pelourinho and checking out the markets. The beach was clean and busy with sunbathers and people playing sport or music. The restaurants are open and full of patrons. I picked up a pair of Havaianas on special for around $6 AUD. They are black and have been branded my new ‘going out’ shoes – the new high heels for the NE coast of Brazil – jeans, dress, bathers, shorts, you name it and they wear them.

We stayed in a very cheap hostel that boasted great reviews, was clean, safe and close to the beach. This morning 15 hot rugby players arrived for the weekend. Not happy about leaving tonight!! It would have been a very entertaining night out. But excited about arriving in Natal.



By chance I decided to check out flights just 3 days ago and found an awesome last minute deal for under $60 AUD to Natal which means we gain an extra night and it’s actually considerably cheaper than a bus. Woohoo. Another 9 days in paradise.

Know of any jobs in Rio??

I am absolutely serious – a 3 – 6 month contract would be absolutely perfect. One of the few places I have visited that I would actually be excited to stay long term would definitely be Rio. I would have to be disciplined to overcome the language barrier I am finding very difficult to learn and understand but as a place to live and work it would be amazing. Very few places do not compare to the little part of paradise I have found and love on the Sunshine Coast.

The sun, warm weather, beaches, white sand, smiling happy people, fun relaxed atmosphere, good business opportunities, great bars and beer, impressive eye candy and plenty of places to exercise are all part of what I would consider my ‘choice’ living requirements . I could also continue my volunteer work. My primary intention for travelling to Brazil was for a break, a holiday between volunteering periods. But after speaking with a number of interesting locals, it is surprising how many Favella’s (slums), orphanages and places through the country of Brazil that are seriously struggling. Individuals, families and communities are in grave need of assistance just like so many other places in the world.

The day I arrived (Tuesday), I caught the public bus and met this amazing lady (and local) called Julia. She had just flown in herself from her brothers farm just outside the capital of Brazil - Brisilia and was heading home, literally 4 streets away from where I was staying - posh beach suburb called Leblon. Stunning place, just 2 beaches down from Cococabana.

After the 90 min bus ride, we swapped emails and arranged to catch up the following day. She had a car, is training to be a travel guide and was keen to show me around. We had an amazing day visiting historical sights and watching hang gliders launch themselves off the side of a cliff with incredible views, perfect place for the adrenalin rush. We then drove to where they landed on the beach and had a beer, watching a dozen or so land.

Before gettting to Rio, I had been in contact with Dioga, a chap I spent 4 months in Kenya with last year. We had been in touch since working together and he had been living in London but recently relocated to his home town, Rio. When I arrived on Tuesday, he was waiting for me at the hostel. It was amazing to see him again and we spent the entire afternoon/evening catching up over several beers. Great night. After a travelling for 16 hours and drinking, I slept like a baby. Excited for Jeff's arrival in just 2 days.

Thursday night Jeff was due to arrive and after a few intense hours where flights were diverted and late, he just made it, albeit later than scheduled. Every day has been lounging on the beach and seeing the sights. The most impressive was the Christ - views are simply breathtaking. We also scaled up the side of a mountain on the other side of the city and had our first coconut on Copocabana beach.

Soooooo much more to boast about but must post....... :-) Having an amazing time. I love Rio so very much. Although my stay is so far brief, Brazil is everything I had hoped. More.