Carnaval adventure in Ouro Preto

Spectacular Ouro Preto

Each year in Brazil Carnaval comes around and takes many cities by storm. Communities come alive with pride and tradition. Musicians hit the streets. Youth enjoy the sanctioned excuse to drink. Drag queens (and their wannabe secret admirers) dust off colorful aging separates and concoct new fabulous outfits. And most of all, in places like Rio, businesses and politicians alike roll out the red carpet for visiting tourists seeking an over-the-top bucket list party extravaganza, preferably in English.

The main event in Rio.

Rio’s Carnaval scene has been evolving over the years. The world famous Carnaval parade has continued to expand while still staying anchored in neighborhood pride and local competitive determination. The neighborhood street party (or bloco) scene has seen a serious resurgence of late with this year’s calendar sporting more than 500 separate events all over the city. This year in particular it appeared that restaurants were test driving their spiffy new English language dinner menus as a prelude to the upcoming World Cup crush.

It’s all good.

Praça Tiradentes in Ouro Preto.

This time around Luiz and I found ourselves seeking an out of town alternative to Rio’s big event after learning that many among our group of friends with which we typically take in the big parade at the Sambadrome were going either to the States to do some shopping or to visit family in distant cities. So we returned to Ouro Preto (OP).

Ouro Preto, an historic, colonial, mountain town of less than 80,000 people, is rather famous nowadays for its raucous city-wide Carnaval celebration. The party starts in earnest on Saturday and continues every night through Tuesday. The local municipality sponsors several live music stages throughout the historic district offering a variety of musical styles for every taste. Every night the streets are PACKED with people coming out to let loose for a while and just have some fun.

A big driver behind the crowds is the fact that Ouro Preto is a significant university town. In 1969 two highly respected and long standing institutions: the School of Pharmacy of Ouro Preto, founded in 1839, and School of Mines of Ouro Preto, founded in 1876, were merged to form the Federal University of Ouro Preto.  Today it is one of the most respected universities in the state and the country. And that university comes with A LOT of college kids ready to party.

To further froth up the mix, there are a good number of “Republicas” (much like fraternity houses) throughout the city occupying large residential buildings which get a temporary make-over for Carnaval to host thousands of visiting young people. Some of these Republicas have begun to sponsor their own ticketed weekend events complete with serious sound systems and endless flowing alcohol. If the drunken college scene really turns you off you may want to reconsider your plans for Carnaval in Ouro Preto. There are definitely ways to steer clear (mostly) of the worst of it, but the reality is that the city-wide event is most definitely geared toward this scene.

The view from Carlinhos and Du's sala window.

At any rate, we went to spend some time with our good friends Carlinhos and Du, who live in OP. They’ve got a big apartment with an even bigger view – and it is nowhere near a raucous Republica. They were (again) hosting a crowd from Belo Horizontes. To our delight, Luiz and I rated a bedroom and real bed, in contrast to so many others sleeping on inflatable mattresses on the floors of other bedrooms and a living room. Lucky us.

The weekend was filed with bountiful Minas breakfasts, noisy group chatter, afternoon cooking marathons, naps, costume changes and repeated visits into the heart of the seemingly non-stop street party surrounding us.

Here are some highlights. The photos are from trips to the street while there was still sunlight. Things definitely cranked up later into the night, but my camera ceases to record events once the sun goes down.

When we weren't in the streets we were usually cooking. I brought some ingredients so Carlos and I could prepare fresh corn tortillas and a full on Mexican taco spread with refried beans and guacamole. Big hit. On another night it was chicken with Thai red curry sauce. And just to push it a bit further, I showed Carlos how to whip up a batch of homemade tofu and walked his niece and nephew through a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

After 10 days camping out at Carlos and Du's we said our farewells and returned to Niterói. Another Carnaval well played.

Gay Pride in Rio - 2012

We took a pass on the Gay Pride Parade in Rio this year. (We have gone to 30+ parades over the years.)

Luiz is working the artesan booth in our local grand park on the weekends.

It was a spectacular day.

They say there were 700,000 people and 15 Trio Electricoes.

The theme this year was "The heart does not have prejudice."

The city reports that the Gay Pride Parade is the third largest celebration in Rio, after Carnaval and New Years Eve.

Rio Carnaval - how to

There's nothing like Carnaval to get your juices flowing.

Just getting tickets is a feat in itself. Like a Lady GaGa concert, the tickets for the whole event sell out in minutes. We worked two phones on re-dial and were able to score 16 tickets. Yes!

But getting tickets is just the start of the adventure. Now you have to navigate Rio streets, parking, subway, walking - whatever. The streets near the Sambadromo are PACKED with vendors offering everyting from beer, to food, to Johnnie Walker shots, to hot dogs, to ice.

If you go to Carnaval in the Sambadromo (and you are not in a luxury box) then come prepared. Bring your food and drink. You will be there for at least 8 hours.

The Sambadromo is clean and safe - so there is no inconvenience or danger involved. But the food for sale inside the stadium is "Bob's" - which is a lousy McDonald's knock off. And it is always cold. Vendors walk around selling drinks (ice tea, soda, beer) but the drinks are usually warm. Urgh!

The best approach is to be self-sufficient. Bring your sandwiches, birng your drinks, bring LOTS of ice. Oh - and bring a rain coat. It always rains...

It is general seating, so you have to arrive early and stake out your territory. Hold firm!

We love it. Our group is usually about 12 people. What a party!

This year we have a few extra tickets. Let me know if you want any.

Rio Carnaval tickets for sale - they sold out in 11 minutes

Luiz and I had our game plan. We had our phones pre-programmed for direct redial for the sector we were trying to get tickets for. All of our friends were coordinating when and where we would view Carnaval this year.

All work stopped at businesses at 9:00 while employees dialed the numbers for Carnaval tickets, hoping to hit the lottery.

We were a part of the frenzy. We worked two phones. As usual, I came up empty... But my super lucky husband hit it rich twice! So we will have a free Carnaval this year - and will sell the rest of the tickets to cover our costs and pad our pockets.

Let me know if you need a ticket.

Viva Brazil!

I love Brazil. I love Brazilians and their zest for life. And I love Brazilian parties.

Yesterday Luiz and I went to the 75^th birthday party of the husband of a classmate of his. (I said 80 years on Facebook, but that was in error.) Luiz, with his instantly-endearing personality, and his voluptuous colleague Elvira were asked to be Masters of Ceremonies for the party. They sure knew how to work a microphone.

The party was at a salon de festa in Rio and it was a non-stop pleasure extravaganza.

We arrived at 12:30, the stated time the party was to start. So, of course, we were about an hour early… Even the hostess and her husband, the person of honor, were not even there yet. The musicians were doing their sound check and the waiters had not yet moved into working mode. But good for us, we could choose the perfect table (directly in front of a big oscillating fan).

The birthday boy (retired military brass) had asked people not to bring presents, but rather a kilogram of dried foods which he would then donate to a local charity. Nice touch, I thought. (By the end of the evening, the table with the food donations nearly collapsed from the weight of the items brought by his friends.)

So, as is typical for a Brazilian party of this type, the waiters began to serve beer and sodas, plus passed appetizers. I nursed a beer, but I was really holding out for the fine scotch (here referred to as whisky) that was surely to flow once the man himself arrived.

As the room filled with more than 200 people, the guest of honor and his wife arrived. The photographer and videographer got to work. Absolutely every person was greeted, kissed or hugged, and appreciated for being present by the star couple. Live music filled the background.

Before long we enjoyed the first of three performances by a professional dancer and her very cute partner. Beautiful.

Luiz and Elvira, along with the musicians, kept the party on track for a couple hours until it came time to open the buffet.

The food was plentiful and delicious, although I had just a bite or two. The children at our table (we had pulled three tables together) loved the raviolis and cheese sauce.

The prideful couple shared a featured dance and invited everyone to join them on the dance floor. We’re talking real dancing here – none of this hugging with a swaying back and forth from one foot to the other. Dancing.

The scotch was flowing by now…

After another dance performance two totally decked out pastistas came in to the sounds of a pounding samba refrain. We’re talking big, beautiful women wearing only a few strings of clothing and a lot of feathers – shaking their booties!  Luiz commented: “There’s nothing like some feathers, some glitter and a naked butt to shake up a party.” The birthday boy paraded around with his two new best friends, taking pictures with all his military buddies.

Much later, after the third dance performance we sang happy birthday, the cake was cut, and finally, take-away party favors were distributed (sweets in beautiful boxes), the signal that it was polite to leave now, if you so desired.

We stayed a bit longer. Luiz and Elvira had their responsibilities with the microphone.

I enjoyed meeting Elvira’s young daughter Adriana, an obstetrician and gynecologist. She had great stories to tell and her iPhone was filled with photos of the many babies she has delivered (she said she delivers one or two every day). Wonderful energy.

Finally we said our goodbyes and thank yous to the hostess and the man of the hour. Great party.

Oh – one more thing - in attendance, sitting at the table next to us, was a 106 year old man. Very sharp. People kept coming to his table and paying respect and offering their admiration. Also, there was a (unrelated) 103 year old woman at the party – who looked 80 (as if I know what that “looks” like). A moment was taken to honor both of these individuals. Very touching.

All in all – what a great party and celebration of life! Viva Brazil!

Gay Pride Parade 2011 in Rio de Janeiro

Luiz and I had originally planned to host a brunch on Sunday morning to gather our gay and lesbian friends and then all go over to Copacabana for the big parade (well, more like a street party). But to our frustration many of our queer friends (now all in our 50s) are not into these sorts of public events and big crowds (SO old school!)

Our friend Carlos in Fort Lauderdale, FL helped to forward some very cool rainbow chains (thank you Carlos!) which we were going to deck out our friends with – but alas, it was just Luiz and I – so we decided to take the beads with us to the event and sell them on the street. They were a hit! In less than two hours we had sold 34 of the 36 chains we had (keeping two for ourselves). We got R$10 a piece for them.

Anyway, the Parade was a gas, the weather was perfect AND we were able to meet up with Rachel and her band of merrymakers.

There were easily 11 trio-electricos, many outrageous drag queens, LOTS of straight people – and my favorite: yummy eye candy.

As is often our plan, Luiz and I stopped by the Chinese restaurant along Avenida Atlântica, east of the Copacabana Palace Hotel for dinner. (Friends in San Francisco, close your eyes, the price for a simple Hunan Chicken dish with fried rice, and two sodas: R$50.00 – OUCH – and they charged us R$1.00 for the Styrofoam box for taking home the leftovers!) 

On a more serious note – the theme of the many LGBT pride events across Brazil is to abolish homophobia, both through cultural campaigns and via the legislative process. Much progress has been made, and of course there is more to do.  But the level of political discourse at these events is impressive.

Miss Gay Brazil 2011

Great night last night. Luiz and I went to the Miss Gay Brazil pageant hosted at the Unidos da Tijuca samba school quadra. LOADS of queer guys.

I felt like the paparazzi, catching all the grrlz in their finest. But they LOVE the camera!  Hahaha

The show was great. I especially loved the intermission (between the regional costume portion and the evening gown portion of the pageant) that drummed the hell out of the place and featured super cute near naked boyz dancing and gesticulating all up in our face.  You go boyz! (I was too entranced to remember to take photos.)

Here’s a little look-see into the event from the photos I took..

Oh – and somehow we didn’t leave until nearly 5:00 a.m.  Plus the bus taking us home was PACKED and we had to stand. At nearly 5:00 in the morning!  Brazilians love their parties.

Oh - and I should mention that Miss Santa Catarina took home the honor.

Gay Pride week in Rio

Note the text in the flag.

This Sunday is the Gay Pride event in Niterói. Luiz has invited a bunch of friends over for a lunchtime party, then we will join the street party in progress, just a few blocks away.

Gay Day in Rio is set for Sunday, October 9th in Copacabana. Mark your calendar. Here is the official program:

Official Program and Events| Rio de Janeiro Gay Pride 2011

Date: October 9, 2011.
Meeting Point : at 1 PM (13:00 hs.)
Posto 6 - Forte de Copacabana / Sofitel Hotel

This year, October is the month of LGBT Pride. Though the march is the most important event, a full week of activities is promoted by the Arco-Iris, the nonprofit organization that organizes the parade.

All dates are yet to be confirmed by Arco-Iris.

The official program of the 16th LGBT Pride Parade in Rio de Janeiro is yet to be released.
Considering last year's calendar, the events for 2011 are most likely to be as follows:

Date: October 4, at 7 PM
Venue: Teatro Carlos Gomes - Centro
Opening show of the 16th. LGBT Pride Parade-Rio 2011

Date: October 4 to 9
Location: Galeria do Centro Cultural Sergio Porto - Humaitá
Exhibition in 2009: "Our history, our strength, our voice: 15 years of LGBT Pride Parade-Rio"

Date: October 7 and 8, 2 PM - 10 PM
Location: Castelinho Flamengo
Movies Shows Metaphors of Diversity

Date: October 8, from 11:30 PM
Local: Cine Ideal - Downtown Rio
Ideal National Pride

Date: October 11 to 4 - 7 PM
Venue: Teatro Gláucio Gil - Copacabana
Self-Portraits - shows Resgate da Cultura Transformista do Rio

Date: October 1 4, 3 PM to 10 PM
Location: Castelinho Flamengo and other sites to confirm

Cycle Arco-Iris Thinking LGBT Citizenship and
State Seminar on AIDS and LGBT Health

Date: October 5 and 6 - 7 PM
Location: Sala Baden Powell - Copacabana
Voices of Diversity - musical show with LGBT singers

Date: October 7 - 9 PM
Local: Cine Ideal - Center
Official Opening Celebration and Party - 15th LGBT Pride Parade Rio - 2011

Date: October 7 - 8 PM
Venue: Teatro João Caetano - Downtown
8th Arco-Iris Awards for Human Rights

Date: October 8, from 10 AM to 10 PM
Location: Terreirão Samba and Centro de Artes Calouste Gulbenkian - Downtown (to be confirmed)
Culture Fair Arco-iris LGBT
Lesbifest - Festival of Culture and Diversity among lesbians and bisexual women

Date: October 8, at 10 PM
Location: Night Club 1140 - Praça Seca - Jacarepaguá
Pre-Parade Party

Date: October 9, 9 AM to 6 PM
Location: Copacabana, Posto 6
Action Pride, Citizenship and Human Rights (stalls and information services for the general population)

Date: October 9, at 1 PM
Location: Copacabana, Posto 6
16th LGBT Pride Parade-Rio 2011

Date: October 9, at 10 PM
Location: Le Boy - Copacabana
Closing Party of the 16th LGBT Pride Parade - Rio 2011

Keep checking here for final details.

Dyke March in Rio - Mark your calendar

Mark your calendars – this year’s Dyke March in Rio is scheduled for Sunday, August 28th, in Copacabana.

The annual LGBT Pride March is set for Saturday, September 10th, also in Copacabana.

This video has lesbian and bi women speaking to the newly elected female president insisting on equality.

Come join the action to raise visibility for Lesbians.

Be there or be square.

Gay Pride in São Paulo

June 26^th is Gay Day in San Francisco.  750,000 or so people will pack Market Street and the Civic Center to celebrate all things LGBTQQI. It is the highlight of the year and is the second largest public event in California, after the Rose Bowl parade.  Oh the memories.

Luiz and I lived within a quick, downhill walk of the Civic Center so each year we would host a Gay Day Brunch where friends would gather, fuel up on a good breakfast buffet (and cocktails), put the finishing touches on their special apparel (you can never over-accessorize on Gay Day) and strategic makeup, and then spill out onto the street to take in a full, long day of joyfulness.

This year, June 26^th is also the 15th annual Gay Day parade in São Paulo. While we won’t be attending, we love following the festivities online.  The event in São Paulo is the largest LGBT party on the planet.  This year they could well host 3 million participants. THAT’S a PARTY!

The theme of the event this year is “Love each other, end homophobia.”

For fun, the organizers have come up with the idea of getting everyone on the street dancing with each other, a sort of debutante ball. The organizers are preparing a waltz in the center of the city. They have provided a remix version of the Blue Danube waltz to each of the 17 tri-electricos that will be keeping the crowd in high gear. Whenever the Blue Danube waltz is played, everyone is encouraged to dance with whoever is next to them.  FUN!

Gay people are so clever.

Thanks to the Inside São Paulo team for posting about this on their terrific blog about all things São Paulo.  Check them out.

Time for a Blogger Meet-Up in Rio

On the very exciting occasion of Danielle and Alexandre visiting Rio/Niterói, I’m proposing another Blogger Meet-Up.  Mark your calendar: Saturday, July 16^th. Time and location tbd, leave a comment if you have a fun suggestion.

The first time we got together, well over a year ago, several of us met at a kiosk on Ipanema beach.  Cold beer, small plates of bar food, and lots of English conversation.  Nice!

The next time we met was on Itaipú beach in Niterói. Sun, sunscreen, beer and food – and lots of English conversation. Sweet!

For our next meet-up should we venture into an interesting neighborhood in Rio?  The historic district just north of Praça XV is visually stunning, rich in historic buildings, churches and museums and has LOTS of barzinhos and restaurants.  People could arrive early and walk around, then we could meet at a particular watering hole.  Or we could wander the area together.

Or how about Jardim Botânico?  It’s a very peaceful place to walk and take in the smell of green (and Danielle could point out the interesting birds). There’s not really an interesting place to sit and enjoy a drink and lunch. The snack bar in the park is pretty lame, food-wise.  But there are appropriate places in the adjoining neighborhood.  That could be fun.

I suppose a return to the beach is never a mistake, especially for folks like Danielle, who will be in town on a rare visit.

So what do you think?  Again – mark your calendar. Plan on joining us. We’ll work out the details in the coming weeks.  And wherever we decide, it will be accessible by bus or Metro.

Oh, and light a candle in an appeal to the weather spirits that things WARM UP!

UPDATE: Luiz reminded me that he is prepared to provide a walking tour of the historic Praça XV area (where Rio began) and describe the history, archetecture, etc.  Very chic... It would be a couple hours, including a lunch stop. Totally flexible. Something to consider.

Some things ARE the same in Brazil and the US

Not my cake.  Photo from the scrumptious food blog "Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice"
http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/2010/05/carrot-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting.html

You know how you think: “I’ll make the cake for our birthday party.  It will save us some money.  Bakery cakes can be so expensive.” At least, that’s what I think (unless there is a COSTCO nearby).

Well, I just ran the numbers.  I’m making a regular 9”x 13” pan cake that I will flip over and slice in two across the middle to make two layers, and then frost.  Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Check this out.

Flour:                               R$2.00

Butter:                                 5.60
Carrots:                                3.00
Eggs:                                       .80
Pineapple:                           3.50
Brown sugar:                      1.50
Milk:                                       .60
Cream Cheese:                20.00
Yogurt:                                1.20
Confectioners' sugar:        4.00
Etc.:                                      1.00

That comes to R$43.20, give or take, plus my time (and love for my guests).  So I guess the thought still applies here in Niterói – even if the cream cheese is R$20.

Stay tuned for the recipe and some pics.

Surviving a hangover

Ever have one of those parties that picks you up all night, but then slams you down the next morning?  All night raucous parties are pretty routine here.  It seems every weekend its someone’s birthday or anniversary or reunion with out of town family, or it’s just a night to party with friends.

Among our circle of friends the parties run past 2:00 am pretty regularly, and well on to 4:00 am on occasion.  When the beer runs out someone passes the hat and either calls for a delivery of another few cases, or hops in a car and makes a beer run to the neighborhood barzinho.

Eventually we call it quits, often sleeping at the house where the party was.

The next morning a few people light up the stove and start cooking off eggs while someone else makes a bakery run for some fresh bread. And of course, someone walks around offering ENGOV and a glass of water to those with a hangover.

Have you tried this stuff?  People swear by it.  It’s an anti-hangover pill sold in every pharmacy.  You are supposed to take one pill before you start to party, then another one when you wake up the next morning (although many of my friends will pop a pill before going to bed – for good measure, I suppose).

According to one of those “Ask me anything” websites, ENGOVE contains mostly asprin for your headache, with some antacid to calm your stomach, some antihistamine to reduce nausea and vomiting, and caffeine to combat lethargy.

So ENGOV is designed to fight the symptoms of a hangover, but it does not actually prevent a hangover.  But it clearly seems to work.