Hot car!

Caught driving in the Pituba area, rumor has it there are only 2 of these things in Salvador.

Do you know where your seafood comes from?

This is a private lobster boat. The owner probably gets up and goes out at whatever hour is low tide to retrieve lobsters from the rocks. This particular day we caught him coming in at about 9 a.m., dragging his boat in with assistance, and then he allowed us to take some pictures of his catch that he keeps in an old plastic bag. He will walk around the beach attempting to sell them to whoever wants to buy, about R$7-R$10 or so apiece.



Lobster - tastey and fresh. And still moving.

R$4 gets you a buzz cut

Need a hair cut? Shave? It's cheap!

Like many store fronts in the city, barbershops and nail salons can take on a hole in the wall appearance. It is, in fact, quite practical to just pull up the garage door in the morning, sweep all your trash into the street and scrub your floors with a broom and buckets of soapy water to clean at the end of the day because the liquid can just run out the door into the gutter. It's especially practical if you don't want to pay the high electric bill for A/C.

Now filming

Shooting started this week on Trampolim Do Forte. Photos to come later. The director happens to be a friend of ours, but the movie is really a big deal. Check it out!



Update! A picture!

Election

By the way, the results are in - João will continue to be our mayor. So much for the party in the Red Square.

A bug

Living in the city, you don't see much variety in your insect life. Outside of cockroaches, ants, and fruit flies, there isn't much in the way of diversity. Once in a while I see a random butterfly that reminds me of a cabbage butterfly. This guy came in and spent a good 10 minutes sitting on my T.V. until he was almost squished by a small child. I don't know if he survived the tour of my house - may have been eaten by the cat.

Ojá - white strips of religious tolerance

Anyone driving around Salvador may have noticed the plethora of pieces of white material tied to trees, lamp posts, and other tall objects. These are a sign of religious tolerance on the part of the Candomblé practitioners (? not sure, there may be a technical term for this, perhaps Markuza can correct me??) in response to a recent court decision. The story as I understand it is as follows - a woman named Mãe Gilda was persecuted by the Igreja Universal (IURD). Her picture was published in the paper with something to the effect of "these charlatan Macumbeiros do harm to your pocket and your life." The church was sued for defaming her and the ruling was made in favor of the Candomblé side. IURD actually had to pay out money to these people, which I have been told was unheard of up till now. In response to this decision, these Ojás have been tied up to show religious tolerance (and probably victory too). I feel I do a bad job of explaining it. There is more info here.





P E A C E

S H A L O M



P A Z

Today is election day

All over Brasil people are voting for city mayors, representatives and so on (but no presidents) today. Election day is a holiday here - everyone is supposed to have the day off so they can vote because it is the LAW. If you don't vote in Brasil, you can't open a bank account, you can't get a driver's license, and you can't get a passport, among other things. You show up at your polling place, show your picture ID, sign in a notebook and receive a little ticket that serves as proof that you voted. In Salvador, our voting machines are electric and look a tad like fax machines from the 80's. Each party has a number - 13 is the worker's party (P.T., Lula's party). Today you cannot buy alchohol, but you can walk around on the street drinking some you have from home. You cannot go to the polling place with the party number or candidate number displayed on your person (although I saw this rule enforcement was quite lax in our polling place). You cannot hand out little pieces of paper that support a particular candidate or party near the entrance to a polling place (again, this law was broken where we went). Like most laws in Brasil, there seems to be a bit of wiggle room here. My husband went to cast his vote in a PT t-shirt with an Obama t-shirt hanging off his back.

Teaching a dog new tricks

These photos were actually captured by a colleague of mine on her way home one afternoon. There is also a video, if only I could figure out how to download it. According to another colleague, this man lives in Boca do Rio and rides all over the city with his backseat moto-dog. I actually saw him myself about a month ago, going into Boca do Rio in front of the Convention Center.

Barack Obama on Brasil ballot

I came across this article today - rather an amusing idea. It's a little like our "no ducks can wear pants" kinds of laws, only it actually gets used.

Not a hurricane

Freaky weather is far and few between here, although every time it rains we have random flooding problems in various places. You'd think some where some engineers would have decided to tackle this problem, but none of them seem to be here. In the mean time, this is what a storm looks like when it comes off the ocean in the Southern Hemisphere.

Hey, who's that?

Scattered about Salvador are some rather distinctive billboards.




Look closer.

The caption here is "O Poder Mudou" - "the power has changed," "the person in charge has changed," or what have you. A friend of mine here who is rather Obama obsessed is worried these signs will jinx the election with that kind of statement. So we shall see...

Old and inaccurate

This post has less to do with going ons here, and more to do with good sense and reference. I have always used google maps to look up roads and pictures here - they are more up to date and it's an easy service to use. Today, I tried to do the same with MSN maps. And let me tell you, if you want to find somewhere in Salvador, at least, don't bother using them. The pictures are at least 5 years old (there are whole sections of buildings and roads missing that have been here at least for the last 4 years I have been living here) and their entire "street map" overlay is completely off by about 15 miles, so obviously so that some of them run through the open ocean. According to this map, I live north of Rio Vermelho (20 south west of reality) and Avenida Sete runs through the ocean through Barra. I hope no one out there is actually trying to use these accurately with it being THIS far off...

A prize to be cherished

This is one of our powdered chocolate mixes one puts in the milk or with water and powdered milk for a nice chocolaty treat. This is a common remedy here to encourage kids to drink their milk and many drink it everyday. As with many products here, there is an extra incentive - buying this brand over another type could win you a special prize.




Only in Brasil? I actually can think of a few different countries where this kind of thing might work. My first inclination for Brasil now, having lived here for more than four years, is that this kind of thing shows how far Brasil needs to go to join the "1st world." Although it is stated that one can win either they cow OR the equivalent in R$ of the value of it, what people who spend R$5 on chocolate mix powder are really buying it hoping to win a cow? Okay, so this might appeal to those in the interior who might have a good fazenda to keep the cow in. It might even appeal to the general minimum salary worker here in the city, since there is no law against farm animals within city limits, although the cost of upkeep of a cow might be a tad discouraging. Sure, sure, it's just a symbol to go with that fact that this is chocolate MILK, okay, whatever. It's still just a tad on the ridiculous side.

A 40 mile traffic jam

São João is a big holiday here in the northeast. The basic deal is that everyone tries to leave the city and drive to some tiny town in the interior, find someone's floor to sleep on, and goes to the public square to dance to Forró all night. It's one of my favorite holidays here, maybe because it's so focused on being in the country and just dancing - reminds me of home and going contra dancing. The holiday falls on the 24th of every June, but the major party is on the 23rd. This year the 24th is a Tuesday, meaning it was a 4 day weekend for anyone going out of town, and the public responded quickly.

This is a lame picture of my television of a live shot of BR324 in the BrasilGas sector, near Pirajá. This traffic jam went for over 80 KM, traffic stopped or moving slowly, everyone trying to get the heck away from the city. Having only 2 major highways to get you out, not at all surprising result.

See the number of people clustered at the non-bus station stop? And at the moment a good friend of mine visiting is out of town (Chapada) and will try to return on the afternoon of the 24th to catch an extremely early plane on the morning of the 25th - I hope she actually gets here in time....

Fusca leads a double life

Fuscas are the car. You can't go anywhere without spotting one and they are frequently the "goal" car for those who were not able to previously afford one. They are also very versatile.

Take the above example. Not only is a cheap an affordable, it can double as an office and a store. Need a snack? Find it here in the Fusca! Transportation by day - hard working restaurant by night.

Cool house

There is a lot of old architecture spread throughout the city. We have buildings from the early 1900's beside those built in the last 4 years I have lived here. There are many that have been fixed up, and others that are left as empty outer shells, full of grass and trees inside. I think those are the most interesting to look at, but they are seldom in places I am likely to 1) go to alone, and 2) drag my camera out and start photographing. I like this one in particular, near Canela. It's not that old, but has been kept up nicely and retains some of it's original feel. It'd be nice to have a look inside.

Not really all that shocking

Came across this online. Much more shocking things happen in traffic here everyday, but this at least is something that people outside the country can connect to and understand on some level. Makes a heck of a lot more sense than the whole "turning left from the right hand lane without signaling" thing...

Threats of chaos

Some time ago, maybe a year or more, there was a short bus strike. The companies wanted to raise the price of a ride on one of our many city buses some thing like another R$1 or so and when the talks weren't going well (or at all, I can't quite remember), the drivers took a one day strike that threw the city in to absolute chaos. Nannies couldn't get to their charges, doormen couldn't get to work, security guards were stuck at home, people who normally took buses had to brave the streets in their cars... I remember distinctly that there was a lot of traffic on the roads that day, and that several people were still waiting at bus stops in hopes of a bus coming by anyway, or that one of the opportunists would stop and give them a ride to where they needed to go for a small fee if it were on the way or a larger one if it wasn't. The city stops with out buses. We have no other transportation (save the monorail that has been under construction for 10+ years now) and those who are too poor to have a car but have a job and mouths to feed are the ones who get screwed the most. Some employers expect the employees to find there way to work on their own. Others will go pick them up or arrange other transportation. The traffic becomes ridiculous (when it already was before).



The buses are about to go on strike again. The drivers only make a little more than R$600 a month. If no agreement is reached for a pay raise, they will strike on Tuesday, as was announced on the news this morning. Lets all cross our fingers...

Acarajé passing

I have looked all over my computer and try as I might, I cannot find a photo to accompany this entry. I was informed that Dinha, the Bahia de Acarajé based in Rio Vermelho and one of the more well known ones in Salvador has died of a heart attack late this week. Some of my fondest memories are of eating near her street stand and drinking beer from our "home" bar there in the square. I never had the pleasure of meeting her (although my partner in all things Bahia did), but her acarajé and abará accompanied some of the most memorable first nights and experiences I had here in this wonder of a city. She will be missed, but her memory lives on in the form of tasty dendê foods.

Rain Rain, go away....

Yeah, so this is an old picture. But the stretch of road looks about the same right now, so I don't feel too bad posting it. Between being gripada again and all this lovely weather we are having lately, I haven't felt too inspired to go out taking pictures of new things. Not that there haven't been some interesting things happening here lately - an accident involving a SKOL truck and some cases of beer falling off onto the cars behind it blocking the entire Orla in the Itapua bound direction comes to mind - I just haven't felt like dragging around my camera.

Bringing in the catch

Yes, traditional fishermen still exist. Even in the middle of a rich weekend housing area. And they still drag in nets and it does take a whole team of people to do it. And all the weekenders come out to watch, totally fascinated by this traditional show of manual labor. Perhaps they were also jarred into remembering that the fish they eat were once living, flipping silvery forms in these nets. Perhaps some of them don't have jobs that require actual work, so the idea of work in and of itself is interesting.







*** DISCLAIMER ***
All of the fish shown in these photos were harmed and most likely eaten later that day.

Home security

As you may well know, crime is expected here - better safe than sorry. One generally does not walk around on the street without being constantly aware of the surroundings, who is walking behind you, and who is looking in your direction. Surprisingly, few people carry "self protection" type things like mace, rather it is safer to hand over your things than to resist the inevitable. For homes, however, we can be a little less discreet. Take this example - too cheap to spring for that electronic home security system or razor wire? Just break some bottles and mix up the cement and you can easily show off your "don't come here" attitude without removing your welcome mat. The poor man's answer to a low wall or an easily hopped border. Although, after having watched the last movie in the Borne series, one could think of some easy ways over it.

Feeding Micos

There is a large population of small monkeys here, and they hang out and beg just like squirrels and pigeons in the States. If you feed one, the whole colony shows up asking for a handout. It's kind of funny to go to the zoo and see the depressing animals in cages and see these guys perched on the signs outside of the cages. Our inner city pests. Occasionally in Pelo you will see a random guy on the street with one on a leash that you can pose and have your picture with. Their little teeth look pretty sharp, so I'd rather treat them as the wild animals they are. Still, they are awfully cute.

not my fault

It's not my fault I haven't posted the video of the river that was our street some weeks ago - it's a "my camera" / "your camera" issue, but rest assured I have not forgotten those who read and I will get the spectacular video up momentarily.

Video of Praia 24 horas

Here is a short video of last night's event, shot by my partner in all things Bahia, featuring me in the water. Unfortunately there was no music being played at the time.

Beaches open 24 hours

A news article led us to the "Praia 24 horas" event, last night in Porto da Barra. A stage was mounted in the middle of the bay inlet where the boats usually achor and a free Bossa Nova concert was given from 7pm until 2am with various artists, some well known, some just locally known. All one had to do was show up and find a place to park. There were food vendors and drink vendors and guys walking around with LED blinking toys. It was generally family friendly.




You could swim out to the stage and watch the concert treading water if you so desired, as long as you didn't try to hang on it (I actually saw a guy reprimanding some swimmers for doing this, which really surprised me since generally no one really cares if little social rules like this are broken). A large screen was mounted on the beach to show close up video feed of the singers.


You can see how far away the stage was, so this video was a nice touch. Also on the schedule were events such as an artisan fair at the Farrol, aerobics on the beach in the morning, and breakfast on Sunday. I hope this event is repeated next year - definitely worth the trip down there!

Fight global warming!

This is an interesting advertisement on the back of a bus - "Against global warming? Have a cool Skol at Amanda's". Can't think of a better way to spend a hot afternoon than that.... Well, maybe not at Amanda's - it's not on the beach.

Bananananananananana

Yes, sometimes on the side of the road, you find bananas growing. Eventually these will either be claimed and eaten, or possibly stolen and sold and then eaten. Once upon a time a branch of bananas came to our home, all green. We were told to cut some off and put them in a plastic bag to make them ripen faster. This seemed to be a good idea at the time, since we eat a lot of bananas. But they just stayed green, forever, it seemed. What eventually happened was that they all ripened at the same time so we were suddenly over run with bananas all over the house. Let this be a lesson to all who think buying a branch of bananas is a good idea.

It seems to go on forever...

For New Year's, we went to the island of Itaparica. It's a lovely little place, relatively safe, and just drive a little bit and it's like you're in the country. There are three ways to get there, if you are a commoner - take a ferry launch, take a car ferry, or drive all the way around to the bridge on the other side of the island (a 4+ hour trip on roads that cannot really be depended upon for upkeep). Most people choose the first option, as it's the cheapest (about R$6 per person; about $3 US). New Years is a popular time to go to the island, as any holiday is a popular time to travel here, and so the line to get on the ferry launch was extremely long to go to the island, but that was nothing to the size and endurance of the line to go back. We opted to stay as long as possible to try to avoid the line. These pictures were taken on the 4th of January - and the line still seemed endless. I imagine many of these people may have camped out all night to not loose their place in line, having obligations on the main land. Thank goodness we didn't.


The beginning of the line.


The middle of the line.


The end, or maybe not....

Techincal problems

I swear I will post a nice story/photo as soon as I can get the two things on the same computer and out of my head.