‘Bom Dias’ da Brasil, parte 1
January 16-20, Brazil — We were originally going to five Brazilian ports until the first one, Recife, was cancelled — which is why, at the moment, we expect to globe trot to 43 ports, not the original 44. An engine problem slowed us to only 12 knots, not the standard 18-20. We were losing ground (so to speak) and couldn’t keep on schedule, so we skipped Recife, where I had been scheduled to ‘explore the area’s creative and distinctive craftsmanship.’ Sorry to miss that. Ship’s speed has been cranked back up (rumors of a part, and repairmen, flown in from Germany), and we all hope the problem’s been fixed and we’ll keep to the program from here on out.
Brazil in a nutshell...
• Brazil is as large as the continental U.S.
• The Amazon River is called ‘the lungs of the Earth.’ But ‘slash-and-burn’ and deforestation are ruining the rainforests.
• Portuguese explorer Pedro Álveres Cabral ‘discovered’ Brazil in 1500. ‘Discovered’ is politically incorrect since the country existed long before he arrived (he was looking for India) and claimed it for Portugal.
• Next came the French, who established Rio de Janeiro in 1555 and were in control until 1567, when the Portuguese drove them out. Then came the Dutch, who established the city of Recife (my missed port), until the Portuguese drove them out. Paraguay took a stab at it in the Paraguayan War of 1864-1870. In need of soldiers, Paraguayan boys aged 9-15 (some say as young as 6) were disguised as adults — with painted-on mustaches and beards. Our lecturer said that 90% — !!! — of the Paraguayan population was destroyed in that 6-year war.
• In 1695 began the Gold Rush. In 1729, the Diamond Rush. The indigenous people were enslaved to work the mines. Europe wanted all this treasure in part to finance continuous wars on the Continent.
• The Portuguese were considered less brutal towards the indigenous tribes than the Spanish conquistadors. Nonetheless, they used 1,000 trained dogs to attack the natives.
• In 1807, in order to escape Napoleon’s armies, Portugal’s King Dom Pedro IV fled Europe and brought 15,000 of his nearest and dearest courtiers to Brazil, where he was named Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil. This made Salvador the second largest city in the Portuguese Empire, after Lisbon.
• 1825: Brazil fought an internal war to break from Portugal... it was King Pedro II who declared their independence. He reigned until 1891.
• Slavery was legally abolished in the 1830s but continued another 50+ years.
• Skip ahead a couple centuries to 1964 when a bloodless coup d’état put an end to the reign of 4 successive dictators. By 1984, democracy had returned — but keep your eye on the nightly news.
Salvador da Bahia was our first stop. This well-coiffed young woman proffered pareos portside. A UNESCO Heritage Site since 1985, it is the country’s third largest city.
In 1549, when Portuguese explorer Thomé de Souza landed here, it was made the first capital. In 1763, when Salvador’s sugar cane industry weakened, the seat of government was moved to Rio. In 1960 the brand new city of Brasilia was constructed as their new capital.
The old Upper City is high up on an escarpment, connected to the sea level port by the 191-foot Lacerda Elevator built in 1869 (above). Today it carries around 1 million people a month. Those 65 or older — regardless of nationality — ascend and descend for free.
Off the elevator in the plaza named Largo do Pelourinho. The city has not done a good job matching new buildings to old.
The baroque Cathedral of Sao Francisco, constructed 1686-1750, has a police station located right outside its front door. Why? Because the walls and ceilings of the church are gilded with several tons of gold. Not to mention the blue-and-white tiles that one sees all around Portugal.
The Sao Francisco Convent is also very fancy. I mean, Baroque.
One of the other colorful plazas... it’s a hilly district.
Yes, a bit of ‘Requalificaçao Urbana’ would not be amiss.
He sells sandalwood by the seashore... smelled wonderful.
The Mercado Modello was too noisy and crowded for me!
Our restaurants manager (and resident ladies’ man) Gami and one of the ubiquitous local ladies. To the rest of us, the ladies said: ‘Photo? One dollah.’ Damned if I can figure out how she ties her headwear: Tonight’s Brazilian dress-up night and I cannot recreate it! #
