A few interesting things about Brazil

I've been in Brazil for 11 days now and it has definitely lived up to expectations. There are a few interesting unexpected things I've learned though:
1) children/their parents can decide a time slot for children to be at school. School is not an all day affair. There are 3 time slots lasting 4-5 hours each- early morning, midday and late afternoon. From 16 years old, you can start working. And being able to choose the time slot that suits you to go to school, work and school are not mutually exclusive.

2) open bar parties are a common phenomenon in Brazil. This means that a night club will charge something like R$40 for entrance and you can drink as much as you like; or if you prefer, you could pay R$25 for entrance and then pay for each drink. It's a no brainer (unless you're a teetotaler) since a can of beer costs R$8-10 in a night club in Rio.

3) Brazilians really DO love their Havaianas. I knew they were a Brazilian thing, but I didn't know just how common they were. I've never seen so many Havaianas in one place before. And they're cheap, you can buy them at the local green grocer on every corner, at street stalls and also in the specialty stores in fancy malls.

4) everyone knows that Brazilians love a good party, and the Brazilians I've met outside of Brazil have all confirmed this for me. What surprised me is how genuinely warm Brazilians are. Especially in Belo Horizonte, which is a smaller town. But even in busy Rio de Janeiro - people are polite, they greet, they are helpful if you ask for directions, they talk to each other on the bus or subway.
What stood out for me was during a bus ride in Belo Horizonte: A blind man got on, and obviously everyone made room for him and gave him a seat. But when he got off the bus, two strangers walking by on the side walk noticed him. They were walking in opposite directions, so they didn't even know each other, but they both stopped to make sure he was alright and that he made it up onto the sidewalk. He was fine and they didn't need to help him, but they both stopped without even thinking about it.

5) in Brazil, there's a zero tolerance policy for drinking and driving. If you're driving, you're not even allowed one drink. And if you're caught having had even one drink, there's no points system and phaffing around. You go to jail, you go directly to jail, you do not pass BEGIN, you do not collect R200. Since most Brazilians drive faster than I'm used to as a South African, it's very reassuring to know that most of them wouldn't risk drinking and driving. I'm not sure what their road accident statistics are like though.

6) Brazilians do not like cuticles! This was a painful lesson. I went for a mani and pedi and instead of just pushing my cuticles back, the lady cut them OFF! While it looks fine, I prefer to not to loose blood during my grooming. I don't think I'll be cutting off my cuticles in the future.

Unfortunately I can't post pictures at the moment, but I will do so as soon as I can. I have two more days in lovely Brazil, and then back to South Africa for a little while.

The Caribbean Does Not Inspire Me




Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman

   


Labadee, Haiti

  While I know it may sound nigh on blasphemy to some, I don't particularly like the Caribbean. Let me elaborate: It is everything you'd imagine- perfect beaches, lots of rum, lots of dancing, lots of sea food. But there's something that just feels... wrong to me.
I haven't yet figured it out completely. It's not all of the Caribbean that feels that way, mainly the ex British colonies; which haven't had much development since the British left.
It kinda feels to me, as if these naturally beautiful islands and islanders are still being exploited.

Maybe I'm not seeing clearly. I am only spending a few hours at a time on each island and arriving by cruise ship. And arriving by cruise ship is probably the worst way to see these islands. Most of the time, you step off the ship into a "duty-free" shopping area filled with shops like Diamonds International, Tanzanite International, Colombian Emeralds, Sunglass Hut, and other such mindless shops, scattered in between by some very touristy bars/cafes/fast food joints. 

On some of the islands, St Kitts in particular comes to mind, the islanders push back and try to exploit in turn- A short taxi ride in St Kitts costs US$20 and there is no negotiation. In fact, things can get ugly if you try to negotiate. Over on St Kitts' sister island, Nevis (which many British tourists still frequent) a short taxi ride costs US$50.
The one time I visited Nevis, the taxi driver became angry, because we turned down his offer to do a bit of extra sight seeing for US$75. I got the feeling that he thought we were trying to cheat him. I felt he was the one committing daylight robbery.

All other things aside, truth be told, the Caribbean is often not so different from home for me- lush green foliage, rolling hills, tropical climate, tropical fruit and warm seas. And don't forget- I also come from an ex British colony. So it's nothing to get too excited about, at all. Add to that, the fact that every two weeks I'm back in the same place with an absolute maximum of 8 hours to explore. You can imagine that my options for new scenery and new discoveries become quite limited within 6 weeks. So I just get plain BORED!!

Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad I've seen the Caribbean and not paid the exorbitant prices many people pay just to get to the Caribbean. And the beaches are beautiful, as you can see from the pictures. But there are only a few places in the Caribbean I can say I'd possibly pay money to visit again, after having had a sneak preview.
They are:
1) Puerto Rico- you don't walk into a fake duty free shopping area as you exit the ship in San Juan. Instead, you enter El Viejo San Juan (Old San Juan), and you can walk to the 16th century forts built by the Spaniards to defend the city.



El Morro fort, San Juan

    2) Mexico- not strictly the Caribbean, but one of the stops we make is the island of Cozumel. I've also been to Puerto Vallarta and I can definitely say I'd love to see more of Mexico.

3)Haiti- I must admit that I've only seen the little section of Haiti rented by the cruise ship company I work for and only ventured very briefly beyond that area. But Haiti has this colourful untamed feel and I'd love to spend more time there.

4) Jamaica- although it meets all the criteria for places I don't like in the Caribbean, Jamaica has a good feeling to it, even with the poverty. Given the chance I'd go back and explore some more.

And finally- 5) Cuba- this is on my bucket list, I've never been, and it's in the Caribbean. I definitely want to go before it becomes too popular with American cruise ships!

For now, I'm trying to maintain perspective and remember how lucky I am to be where I am.

The Kingdom of Naples

Before Italy was Italy, there was the kingdom of Naples (Neapolis, Napoli, Naples). It was often grouped with Sicily as one of the "Two Sicilies" and was fought over and ruled by both the French and the Spanish. And even after Italy became Italy, the heir to the throne of Italy was called The Prince of Naples. Which is to say, that Naples has a rich history and has long been important, geographically and culturally, in Europe.

In the Naples of today, that may be easily forgotten as you avoid piles of dog shit on the streets (even on the steps of the Cathedral of Naples), step over the fake bags illegal immigrants try to sell, and feel uncomfortable sitting on a park bench with empty beer bottles rolling around beneath your feet.

Regardless, I love Naples. I love that they've turned the old palaces into museums, which house priceless relics and art works. But from the outside of the building, it would be difficult to guess at its history or its current function.
I love that you find the best food down the smallest allies and an entire pizza costs 3 euro.
I love that there is no order to their streets, grids didn't come into the equation when the city was built.
And as you dodge the steaming piles and the vespas and the water flung out of the fish monger's shop onto the street and you're trying to spot the palazzo/museum; you have to be careful not to turn down the wrong street and you must be sure to hold onto your bag and watch your pockets. Which is to say, that Naples today is so vibrant!

No real pavement...

 In fact, I may even go so far as to say, Naples and surrounds are the perfect travel destination. Note that I did not say tourist destination, because if you're only looking for luxury and perfection, it's better to avoid Naples. But if you're a traveler and don't mind an adrenaline rush every time you cross the street (you never know if the cars will actually stop until the very last minute, even at a traffic light or pedestrian crossing) you will definitely love Naples.

If you'd like to escape the hustle and bustle for a day, you can take a ferry to the island of Capri, which is just across the Bay of Naples. Capri has been immortalised in movies and literature. These days you need a lot of money to stay there. Only Sophia Loren and Salvatore Ferragamo can afford villas there and one of the most expensive hotels in the world can be found on the island. But it doesn't cost too much to go there for the day and the ferry ride only takes about 50 minutes- you can get back to reality before dark.

The cliffs of Capri

There's no shortage of ruins and excavations around Naples- Mount Vesuvius looms in the background. Apparently there are five excavation sites you can visit by train from Naples. I've only been to two: Pompeii and Herculaneum. Both were ancient Roman cities destroyed by the famous eruption of Vesuvius in 69AD. Both used to be right on the coast, as evidenced by boat houses and boats which were found, but today the sea is far away.

Mount Vesuvius behind Pompeii

 Pompeii was nearer to the volcano and was covered (and preserved) by lava. The excavated area is large and you could easily spend a week walking around and still not see everything.
What I found most interesting was the evidence of sexual practices during the time. Prostitution thrived, with secret messages hidden around the city giving directions to the whore house. Inside there were frescoes of different positions and preferences. Apparently you chose the one which most appealed, before you were shown to the appropriate room.

A phallus carved into the stones on the road, points the direction

Erotic frescoes

Preserved in lava: pottery and an entire corpse

Herculaneum was further away from the mountain, so it was covered by the hot mud which slid down toward the sea in the wake of the eruption. The mud was a better preservative medium than lava. Although the excavated area is much smaller, the ruins are in much better condition than Pompeii.

Excavations of Herculaneum with the modern town of Ercolano on top, Mount Vesuvius behind with traces of snow

Even though it was a freezing cold day, I enjoyed Herculaneum much more. It could be a combination of the lack of crowds, the smaller size and the better conditions of the ruins. Also, I enjoyed it because I did it on my own and not as part of a tour group.
Ercolano is only a 20 minute train ride from the centre of Naples. Then a short walk from the train station, takes you back more than 2000 years in time!

A bar counter- drinks were kept in and served from the urns built into the counter. The owner often lived adjacent to his shop or bar, part of the house can be seen behind.

This bar/cafe had a second level, and you can see how deep the urns were

Mosaic floor in the female change room of a bath house

My favourite house: a well preserved mosaic on the dining room wall

Of course you have to eat pizza in Napoli. And you have to have pizza covered in lots of buffalo mozzarella- when you bite into it, the oil runs down your chin and arm. In Naples even the little ladies eat an entire pizza to themselves. Your pizza is not cut into neat triangles for you. You use a knife and fork and cut it for yourself, into whatever shape you like.

Pizza for one, bigger than the plate!

I also had a chance to visit the old Royal Palace which overlooks the bay, and to spend a few hours in Sorrento.
Unfortunately I didn't get to see the Caravaggio paintings which I know are in the city. Many places close at 14h00; some open again at 15h30, some don't.
I also didn't get a chance to go to Amalfi and I would like to climb up Mount Vesuvius and look over the rim.

Seems like Naples is going to be added to my list of places I have to come back to one day...

Inclement weather

I've never used the word inclement to describe the weather before, but the Free Online Dictionary defines it as: 1) stormy (weather); 2) no clemency, unmerciful.
Today, for the first time since I've started sailing, we weren't able to get into our scheduled port 'due to inclement weather' as per the ship's official daily staff newsletter.
When I woke up this morning, I felt like I was inside a washing machine- water hitting up against my porthole and sloshing around. When I turned on the navigation channel, I did wonder why the ship was facing away from land instead of toward it, if we were meant to be arriving in port at 7h00. Turns out we're having an unexpected day at sea today.

Yesterday we were in Venice for the last time. It was COLD. And for the first time I realized how many mountains surround Venice. Usually it's too hazy to see them. But now that it's colder and the air is crisper and the snow caps are in place, they can be seen quite clearly on the horizon.

In the morning, the temperature was 4 degrees celcius. By the time I went out it was about 9 degrees. A little chilly for a Durbanite! I was just so glad it wasn't raining.

The streets were so much emptier than usual, most tourists have left already. In San Marco square there were no queues or crowds. It felt a little strange, but quite pleasant. 
Our Ukranian nurse believes you must throw a coin into the water in a city or any place where you hope to come back one day. I think you're supposed to throw it over your shoulder into the water. I haven't been throwing any coins away, I like to think I'm not superstitious. But I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get to see Venice again one day.

My Current Favourite City

I suppose I'm a fickle traveler. When I gushed to my friend, Hashanti, about Rome: "I have to come back here one day, it's AMAZING!"
She laughed and said: You say that about every city!

Which, I think may be true... But now I've fallen in love with Florence, or Firenze. 

I'm not sure if it's the multicoloured marble of the cathedral...

Or the view of the city from the hill...

Or the fact that people like Michelangelo, Dante, Galileo Galilei and even Carlo Collodi (or Lorenzini; author of The Adventures of Pinocchio) frequented the city, but it just felt magical to me.

Other cities which I've fallen in love with and thought were the most AMAZING have been:

Rome

Istanbul

Istanbul is still on my top 5 list, definitely! Along with Paris.

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Near the Louvre, Paris

I've also enjoyed getting to know the waterways and alleyways of Venice. So glad I've gotten to spend some time in this beautiful city.

Santa Maria della Salute Church, Venice

But for now, Florence is my favourite. Amo Firenze!

Piazza della Signoria

Catching up

Kotor, Montenegro

 Since my last post, almost 2.5 years ago, I've started traveling more regularly, as part of my job. Which sounds fantastic.
If you had asked me 2.5 years ago if I wanted to get paid to travel, I would've told you: That sounds like a dream. Actually, it still sounds like a dream. But while I am traveling and getting paid, it's not quite the dream job. I'm  a cruise ship doctor...

I'm going to try to share my thoughts about the job and about cruise ships; but mostly I want to focus on the travel and the new places I'm seeing. Best of all, I'm spending very little money to see these places.
So while I haven't yet achieved the dream, I have very little to complain about.

Here's to dreaming!

Weekend Wonderings

Went for a long walk, early on a winter's morning.

The air was fresh and it was warm enough to break a sweat.

But too cold to swim. Started way up at the top of the kloof, looking down at this pool. Came all the way down and stopped at this pool, then turned around and climbed all the way back up. Just over 2.5 hours, start to finish, with plenty of stops to take in the scenery.

Is there a better way to start a Saturday morning? And is there a better place to spend winter than in KZN?