An Uncommon Mind
Brazilian Travelogue – Day 4
Wait how did day four get here already? How can this be? I’m having fun but time should not be flying by like this. There’s still do much to do and see.
We spent another morning touring a Brazilian museum. Today it was the Museu Afro Brazil. This museum explores art by and influenced by Africans. Since Brazil is home one of largest populations of people of African descent in the world São Paulo is a great place for such a museum.
We were pretty excited about visiting this museum and it didn’t disappoint. If you make it to São Paulo this is a definite must stop. The art was diverse in it’s expression and encompassed a variety of talent. The section on the slave trade in Brazil was sobering. Unfortunately, our lack of ability to understand Portuguese reared its head again. Everything was written in Portuguese (as we’ve come to expect). So we were at a loss for exactly was being described.
This being Brazil there’s a significant display featuring futebol. There are a lot of Brazilian players of African descent so the focus on Pelé, while not surprising, was a bit annoying.
Four days into this trip we’ve learned to get around fairly well. Getting from point A to point B is now second nature to us. It helps that we go to Fan Fest everyday though. Today was no different. At Fan Fest we also heard more English spoken today than at any point since we arrived. Mainly because a lot of Brits are in town for their game tomorrow.
After our stop at Fan Fest we made our way to Vila Madalena. This is a bar and restaurant district. Our first night in São Paulo we happened on a street party there. Tonight we made friends with three English guys who are in town for the games. Many laughs and even more caprinhas later we agreed to meet up tomorrow after the games for more laughs asd drinks. We also enjoyed a great band that played some jazzy Brazilian music. They were as happy to see my brother and I as we were to see them.
Speaking of games, tomorrow we’re finally going to our game, England vs Uruguay. We didn’t have a particular game we wanted to attend. We didn’t want to follow the US team or really any other team. Our goal was to soak in Brazil, see a good match, and not break the bank. Hopefully that happens tomorrow. I will, of course, let you know how it goes.
Tagged Brazil, Worldcup2014
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January – February
SparksJul 4, 2014 at 12:15 am
Afro Brazillian Jazz they were playing in the bar was dope. It was a four piece band with a saxophone, drums, keyboard and percussionist. After they played the guy playing saxophone came up to us and started talking…in Portuguese. This time we didn’t need an interpreter, it was clear what he was trying to convert. He’s from Salvador which happens to be where the Portuguese shipped the majority of the slaves from Africa during the slave trade. From what I’ve heard it’s one of the most culturally rich and diverse areas of Brazil. People say it is brimming with an infusion of culture from the peoples of West Africa. The saxophone player came over and spoke to us and was so happy to us. He pointed to his hand, rubbed his skin and then pointed to mine and then put his hand over his heart. He was saying we are brothers, we are one. It was beautiful. This was one of those random moments that made this trip so special. We are divided by continents, language, but there is a universal camaraderie and understanding that we thrive and rise that unites the descendants of Africa. Truly heart warming.