Brazil, Forever in my Heart
Well I’ve been on the road for 65 days now and it’s time for this blog idea to turn into a reality before my year of travel is suddenly over! I can’t believe how quickly the first two months have gone. All of a sudden taking a year to travel the world seems so little.
I have spent the majority of the last two months back in Brazil, somewhere that I have lived twice now and it just keeps calling me back. It’s such a huge country, there is always more to see. The natural beauty is abundant and diverse, and the people warm and vibrant. However, I feel like the last few years of political turmoil has started to wear them out. The country has so much to offer, and the people deserve a chance to get on and shine without the black cloud of political corruption and scandal looming overhead. They are a culture that loves their soap operas, but their daily news bulletin has literally turned into a soap opera itself. Brazil is a place of drastic inequalities, and the politicians are so busy looking after their own interests, they are not getting on with their job of moving the country forward. The politics of Brazil are so complicated and I do not feel qualified to say much more than I have already said, but suffice to say it just doesn’t seem fair.
These views are mostly from my knowledge of Rio, where the situation is particularly bad as the state of Rio de Janeiro is bankrupt and unable to pay salaries to state employees. Unfortunately they are still reeling from the impact of the Olympics on the city.
Outside of Rio, I spent time travelling some roads less traveled through the north of Brazil from Fortaleza to the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park where I saw endless beauty in rolling sand dunes, aqua blue lagoons, deserted beaches, sunrises and sunsets. I stayed in smaller towns where tourism is simple but it’s the main source of earning a living and I met many genuine, humble people. I watched the sunset every day, and many sunrises as well. It is truly a privilege to have the time to do this on a daily basis.
I also went to Salvador, Bahia which played a significant part in the history of the Brazilian slave trade, and this legacy lives on in the culture, religion and music. A highlight was stumbling across the various celebrations in the streets for Bahian Independence Day on July 2nd. When you’re sandwiched in a heaving crowd of buxom Brazilians moving their tightly clad bodies to the beats of live music – samba, pagode and axé – drinking beer and celebrating their independence, you can’t help but smile and join in.
The culture of Brazil is addictive, and whether I’m on the streets, beaches or mountains, I love feeling it running through my blood. And I like to think it will always be in my blood. But now it’s time to leave again and move on to discover new cultures and places that I have not seen before.
The world is calling, and I must go. Next stop, Africa!
