Archive for February, 2010

Mweeer--aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!

That roar from the young woman in a deep trance will always stay with me; it certainly symbolized our trip to Salvador da Bahia!

For our last night in Salvador, we went to a terreiro, or Candomblé hall. It was a last minute plan--during our trip to Mangue Seco, Flavia, our Salvador hotel's owner, tried finding us a Candomblé ceremony that we would be able to attend. She was not having any luck, so it seemed our last night in this fantastic city would be spent walking around the Pelourinho, the city's old historic center. That would have been all right, but we would have missed out on one aspect of Brazilian life that makes this country keep pulling you back to visit.

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I will write more later, but I have to gush over the tropical garden we got to visit that is behind the ice cream shop here in Mangue Seco. The owner's daughter gave us the private tour: several varieties of mango, star fruit, pinha, hibiscus, coconut palms, even a pomegranate tree. But the star was the pitanga--small like a cherry tomato, ridged like a minature pumpkin, and tastes exuding persimmon, tomato, mango, and even a slight, briny, astringent taste. It was heaven. I'll post photos when I return home. Do I have to return home?

Believe it or not, I'm giving a presentation to a USC alumni group 2 days after I return...Thur., Feb. 25, 7pm, at the Village Idiot (no pun intended), in the Melrose area of L.A. If you think you'd like to attend, or know someone that will, please DM me on Twitter (leonkaye), or email me directly (my email is all over greengopost's site), and I will forward the invitation. I think I have a lot to say about the hype . . .

So far it is a small group, so there should be some good discussion. A fellow alum, from Brazil, will talk about his work on biofuels. He his not to be missed! Nor am I . . . :)

Mangue Seco is about 200 km northeast of Salvador da Bahia. We'll be here for 6 days total. It's wonderful--not much to do but enjoy the mangroves, palms, endless white beaches, fresh fruit, fresh fish, and the best ice cream ever. We do not want to leave. I cannot wait to write more about it! It is hard to get here. You basically have to hire a car and then a small boat takes you to your pousada (inn). Lack of infrastructure has kept this place prestine--for the most part.

While I still have 'net connection, I do have to say that our biggest disappointment is the garbage. Trash collection is haphazard at best. The views are splendid, but the plastic bottles and bags can spoil the mood. Some of it washes ashore from elsewhere, but too much of it is because of the locals. Our innkeeper, Ives, does what he can, but it's an uphill battle. If you're old enough to remember paper straws . . . I wonder what you have to say if I opine that we should bring them back, especially to a precious spot like Mangue Seco.

GGP is in Brazil with little internet connection, but we have heard that demolition on Parkman Triangle may start on Monday--so stay tuned. Let's hope this finally happens. Since we cannot be there, please take pictures if this happens!!!!

Many thanks to John Southern and Ara Babaian for all their work.

Sunday night we joined Daniela Mercury´s bloco for Salvador da Bahia´s Carnaval.  It was wild--more details on that later.

I think we joined the best bloco.  The way Carnaval works is that you have these trios, which are like floats, where the singer or band performs. On the trio, which is a jerry-rigged semi-truck, are the VIPs invited by the group.  For a few hundred bucks, you buy a special t-shirt, or adaba (will rewrite this later), that lets you hang out with the trio and follow it up the route.

I will post pictures later, but I embedded a flip video showing a snapshot of Carnival. What I loved about Daniela Mercury´s bloco is that her trio was slatered in native Brazilian plants--palm fronts, mangrove leaves and branches . . . and birds of paradise.

Oh, and of course, Petrobras was a sponsor . . . these huge trucks were powered by B-20, a blend of 80% diesel and 20% biodiesel. You would not want to be standing near the exhaust pipes long, but it was quite the experience!!!!

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