Only in Parajuru.....

Acorda Parajuru! Acorda Parajuru! (wake up, wake up Parajuru!)

I roll over and look at my research assistant and then at my watch. It's 4 AM. It's sunday morning, and my research assistant and I are in Parajuru, a beach town to the east of Fortaleza. We have had an unusual 24 hours, made only stranger by our early morning wake up call.

Let me start from the beginning, my research assistant and I caught an early morning bus to Parajuru to do research for the weekend. We didn't have a place to spend the night, or know anyone in Parajuru, but in Ceara, it's normal to turn up in a beach town for the weekend and find a place to stay once you are there. We weren't 100% sure where to get off the bus either, and so as we neared our destination, we struck up a conversation with a young guy who we had overheard tell the bus driver he was going to Parajuru. It turns out luck was on our side, and this school teacher from Parajuru turned out to be our hero for the day.

When we got to Parajuru, he helped us find a place to stay, took us to lunch, helped us do research, brought us dinner from his parents restaurant and took us out at night. All throughout the day he kept saying, "Only in Parajuru"......

So "Only in Parajuru...."

1) would we have to walk for 30 minutes in thick mud, getting extremely dirty, at the end of doing research (watch this video of my research assistant trying to cross this stream in the mangrove mud.....)

2) would we find 3 seahorses, including the first juvenile seahorse with filaments I've see in Ceara

3) would we find out that Parajuru has a night club and go and visit it.....

4) would we see the town blind man, standing outside the nightclub at 1 AM, snapping his fingers and dancing

5) would we have tapioca and grilled chicken brought to us for free, courtesy of the Professor's family restaurant

5) would we eat homemade ice cream at the house of the Professor

6) would I have a black cat sneeze consistently on my ankles while I ate dinner

7) would we see 12 baby kittens on the side of the road

8) would we walk 4 km after getting muddy doing research because the professor's cell phone died and we had no way to call a ride

9) would the muddy muddy mangrove areas be known as the lover's lane of Parajuru...that's right guys if you want to take your lady to a secret spot for a little smooch, nothing sets the atmosphere like mudy muddy mangroves.....

10) would my research assistant and I sit on the back of a moto taxi together to get to and from our research site....the second time covered in mud.....

11) be awakened at 4 AM by the equivalent of the town crier, yelling in Portuguese, Wake up Parajuru! Wake up!

12) would we meet so many people with names I can't pronounce.....like Azaiel...Drvonka (drah-vonka?), pedoroda (pay-door-o-da)....or at least I think those were the names....

13) see a german mother and her two young teenage daughters dancing with the same young gentlemen at the Parajuru club.....

14) would we play a game at a restaurant, with the rules written on the table, which led to the Professor singing at the top of his voice a song about how much he loved Jesus, me trying to dance like Michael Jackson, and my research assistant giving a 43 second stare to someone at another table. (yes the rules of the game were quite strange....kind of like truth or dare but not really....)

15) would we make plans to meet the professor, at the same time, on the same bus, next month, to visit Parajuru....

Iguassu Falls Brazil

Iguassu Falls is such a special place that it deserves its own blog. And the pictures were just that amazing that I"m breaking it up into pictures from the Brazil side of the Falls and pictures from the Argentinian side of the falls. Iguassu Falls as I said in the previous blog is located on the border of Argentina and Brazil. The falls are on both sides of the river that divides the two countries so some of the falls are in Argentina and some are in Brazil.

We stayed at a hotel in the National Park on the Brazil side of the Falls. This is the only hotel in the National Park and a truly amazing place. Because we were staying in the park we were able to see sunsets over the falls, sunrises and hit the walking trails before any other tourists were in the park.

view from the sunset tower at the hotel....

We arrived late in the afternoon at Iguassu Falls and decided to take a jetboat ride underneath the falls. Mom was a little nervous about this, Dad was really excited and Lindsay was excited but worried about being cold. We first had to walk down to the river on a trail through the woods. Along the way we caught glimpses of the first of many waterfalls to come. Here is a tranquil small waterfall we saw along the way.

At the end of the trail, we boarded a floating dock where we donned our life vests and prepared for our wet and wild ride through the falls.

While on the boat, we caught glimpses of amazing vistas and waterfalls. These waterfalls shown below are called the three muskateers. We actually went in and underneath the falls.

As we approached, the mist grew thick, the spray grew more intense and we could barely see another boat just coming out of the falls.

In the end, Dad loved the experience, Lindsay liked it but was cold and I'm pretty sure Mom didn't like it. But it was an exciting day and a great way to experience the falls first hand!

Our second day at the falls we took advantage of staying in the National Park and got up early to walk the trails before the tourists were allowed in. We were greatly rewarded by our efforts as we saw rainbow after rainbow, marvelous vistas and almost no one else on the trails.

My parents thought this waterfall below, looked like the virgin mary. what do you think?

The highlight for sure was walking to the platform that was built out over the falls. There was practically a 360 degree view of waterfalls all around you. check it out here.

It was really amazing to feel and see the mist from the falls in the air.....

and of course there was a rainbow.....

Lindsay and Dad foolishly pretending to fall into the falls.....

one of many family photos taken at the falls.....

aww mother and daughter.....

That was the highlight reel of photos for the Brazilian side of the falls......photos from the Argentinian side of the Falls coming soon.....

Diving Buzios

Diving in Buzios was cold. Very cold. Even with two wetsuits and a hood it was cold. The dive itself wasn't that great and my dive buddy wasn't quite up to snuff, but I finally got my little underwater camera working (without it leaking). So I was able to take a few photos.

The highlight of the dive: seeing Hippocampus erectus, the other species of seahorse found here in Brazil. And boy was it HUGE!! So much bigger and fatter than my little longsnout seahorse I study up in northeastern Brazil.

This is a big 'ole male seahorse. Here is where I found him. And then here he is swimming. I also saw a female and a smaller male of the same species.

This is the female, quite a big 'ole gal.

And I also took some photos of the other creatures found under the water. Two starfish.......

a pipefish.....related to a seahorse....

a flying gurnard....this little guy was really interesting. He has these wings, with the blue tips that he uses to kind of glide underwater from place to place. The front part of his pectoral fins he uses kind of like hands to dig in the rubble looking for food. Fascinating!

a flounder....

a seafan......

a moray eel watching a fish from his hiding spot....

and once again my favorite!

Mom and Dad in Brazil

Yes that's right. My parents came to visit me in Brazil. After 7 long months of reading and hearing horror stories about Brazil, and listening to me complain about the hardships of living here, they swallowed their fear and trepidation, and boarded a plane for Rio de Janeiro! My dad had the impossible task of trying to organize our family vacation to include things that every family member would enjoy. The final itinerary: Rio de Janeiro, Iguassu Falls and Buzios. And I have to say he did an excellent job planning the trip. It was a fun-filled, great Brazilian experience for all.

The trip started off in Rio. I had never been to Rio. All I knew about Rio was that it had awful slums called Favelas, that it could be dangerous, that many Fulbrighters were in Rio and that it had the famous Copacabana beach, which is featured in the most amazing Barry Manilow song ever "Her name was Lola...." But other than that I didn't know much about it. Everyone had always told me, Rio is so beautiful and I thought yeah, right. But after having been there with my family, I must admit I was wrong. Rio is indeed beautiful, a city between the sea and the jungle.

Highlights of the family trip from Rio included seeing the statue, Jesus Cristo Redentor, {who knew it was on a mountain overlooking Rio and that you can see it from many locations when the sky is clear?...... ok so perhaps the answer to this question is that many people know....obviously I was not one of those people.} going to the top of Sugarloaf (famous place with Gondala and great views), and eating at the Churrasqueria with my parents.

My dad, in his frivolity at discovering Brazil's all you can eat meathouse (churrasqueria) and enjoying a delicious bottle of Tannat (Uruguay's best wine) decided to make friends with the waiter and was brought back into the kitchen for a special tour!

With a successful and enjoyable time in Rio behind us, the family flew off to Iguassu Falls on the border of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. I will write another blog about Iguassu because it was that awesome, but needless to say it was amazing.

Finally we finished off our vacation in Buzios, a trendy little beach town about 3 hours up the coast from Rio. Buzios was made famous because of some actress....I still don't quite know the full story except that her name was Bridgette Bardot and she was a heart throb...... Anyway here is her picture, you can judge for yourself......

........fun filled adventures in Buzios, included a ladies night in the Jacuzzi with champagne, a cold scuba dive where I saw the biggest seahorse ever, and THAI food!! Or at least those were the highlights for me, for Buzios, my parents would probably say a lovely little town on the water with great restaurants, great views and great shopping (oops sorry Dad, did I let the cat out of the bag that Mom and I did lots of shopping while there?)

Ladies Night in Buzios

I had a blast trying to teach my parents some portuguese.....my dad could almost never remember the word for check......(hint: it's CONTA dad..) almost like he was purposefully trying not to know.....sadly he never could get me to pick up the check. My mom learned that acai (a type of fruit) is now her favorite type of juice, ata (pronounced ah-ta) is a deliciously sweet fruit, and that otimo is indeed a fun word to say. It was a great Brazilian family vacation with memories to last a lifetime!

5 AM Couscous

I have a new neighbor in Prainha, a baker named Ismar. He moved in with his family while I was traveling at the end of June. Over the last month or so I’ve gotten to know him and his family. He has a three year old son, who is quite cute and at times mischevious; I often see him running naked in the street with Ismar or his wife chasing after him. Ismar’s bakery, which is right underneath my apartment, is my normal place to go and get a quick breakfast. To my delight they normally have tapioca, which his wife informed me she wakes up at 4:00 AM to make fresh every day.

I got invited one day to make tapioca with her, and after moaning when the alarm went off at 4, I stumbled downstairs and had a delightful time learning how to make tapioca and watching Ismar bake the day’s first bread. During this first tapioca session, Ismar asked if I had ever tried couscous. And with his accent and the fact that it was 4:30 in the morning, I didn’t quite understand, and said I wasn’t sure if I had ever tried couscous. To which Ismar’s reply was oh, come tomorrow morning at 5 AM and I will make you couscous. I inwardly groaned, another morning of getting up ridiculously early. UGH. These days were one of a precious few I got to spend in Prainha and the best time for sleeping is between 4 am and 8 am when there’s a slight morning chill and the streets are pretty quiet. However, in not wanting to appear rude or ruin my new budding friendship with the baker and his wife I enthusiastically said great! I can’t wait for couscous at 5 AM!

As the next morning rolled around and my alarm went off, I cursed myself for having accepted his offer. I went downstairs and helped the wife with the tapioca. I got upgraded from observer to participant and I got to flip the tapioca, kind of like how you flip pancakes. After Ismar got the day’s first bread baking, he turned to me with a grin and said now for the couscous. When we had talked couscous the day before I thought he had talked of couscous with garlic and butter and I was somehow dreaming of the best couscous I had ever had…..I was to be much disappointed. Ismar took out a little packet of couscous made from corn. Hmm…I thought to myself this looks more like the couscous my roommate in Joao Pessoa used to eat platefuls of, that looked bland and disgusting. I began to dread having to try my 5 am couscous. Ismar showed me how much water to put in the pot, a special couscous pot, and how much couscous to put in. He then said that eating couscous for breakfast is a normal thing for some Brazilians, like eating tapioca and coffee (which is delicious by the way). Then 10 minutes later, Ismar stirs the couscous and pronounces it ready. He gives me a quick little taste from the pot, so I can know the consistency of “ready” couscous. My initial reaction with that first bite, yuck! This is like putting dry, rough flour in my mouth. Ismar’s wife puts a large heaping amount into a bowl for me and asks if I want it with butter or with milk. I have no idea which choice would make this 5 AM couscous more appealing, so I say that I’ll have it however she’s having it. She gives me a big grin and says ok with milk! She pours milk all over my big bowl of couscous kind of like how we add milk to cereal, so that there is more milk then couscous. I take a few tentative bites, trying not to grimace as I eat it. Ismar’s wife is perceptive and says I don’t have to eat it if I don’t like it. I say the proverbial, oh this is interesting to try to buy myself some more time before having to fess up that I am not a fan, not at 5 AM and probably not at any other time either.

Ismar’s wife says she likes to dump her coffee in with the milk and the couscous. She does as she says and now she has what looks to be a plate of scrambled eggs swimming in chocolate milk. Not knowing what to do, but thinking the couscous couldn’t taste any worse, I also add my coffee into my couscous and milk. Now this didn’t fix the texture problem, but it did make the taste more tolerable. I sat and chatted with Ismar’s wife while we ate couscous soaked in milk and coffee at 5 am and we agreed that the next time we do breakfast, I’ll do the cooking :)

The Female Bicycle Ride

I have taken many interesting modes of transportation to arrive at study sites. I have arrived on foot, such as walking from a pousada to a river, where I have moved around by my own two fins. I have gone by fishermen’s boat, one of which had a motor, many of which have only had long sticks to push the boat. I have gone by my trusty Kayak, which I have named Furioso. Furioso has done me some good, but he has a hole, encountered on the first day of use, and therefore slowly leaks air, until about every 30 minutes I have to re-inflate part of him. I have traveled by taxi to get to study sites and by bus. But by far, one of the most unique ways I have gone is by the Brazilian Bicycle.

(Colin with Furioso my Kayak)

So I’m in Cumbe, a small little mangrove community of mostly fishermen, which is on the Rio Jaguaribe. I am staying with an environmentalist and school teacher named Joao Luis, and on our first day leaving his house heading out to do research, he asks, do you know how to ride a bicycle? Me thinking this is a strange question, says of course. I’m wondering if it is uncommon for women to ride bicycles here, perhaps this is a strange brazilian cultural thing I have yet to encounter. He grabs his bike on the way out of his house and down the dirt road. We stop at his sister’s place and I think oh we must be picking up a bike for me to ride. Because clearly there is one bike and two of us. However, he just stops to switch bikes, trade the one he has for a bike with a little rectangle metal piece on the back. You know, like if you had a backpack or a crate you could use bungee cords and strap the thing you had to carry onto the back of the bike. However, once we hit the street, he says hop on the back and let’s go to the mangroves.

So just to clarify, his definition of knowing how to ride a bike, was really asking if I could sit on the back of the bike, on the metal rack, and balance myself, my backpack of field supplies and my fins while he pedaled us to the field site. Now this is very tricky. Picture a bumpy dirt road, filled with potholes, trash, and poorly constructed speed bumps. Now picture a rusty old bike with tires that are far from full. Are you also picturing a couple of spots on the road where there is soft sand? So the bike kind of swerves? And to add an extra challenge I am not sitting facing the same direction as Joao Luis, I am not sitting like I am a second passenger on a motor cycle. Oh no. I am sitting facing the side, with my legs awkwardly crossed trying to keep myself from falling off the bike, trying to keep my feet from touching the ground, or the pedals or the wheels of the bike, while Joao pedals us slowly up and down this pot-holey road with spots of soft sand, to the mangroves. Now after hearing this story, if a Brazilian were to ask you, do you know how to ride a bike? What would your response be?