A week on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean is quite an experience. Since we left port in Puerto Rico we had seven straight days of classes on the boat. I think they purposely tried to make life tough by giving us so much reading and homework that we would take classes seriously and not slack off. I have to say, coursework has been more rigorous than expected. Since we are at sea classes come everyday with no ‘weekends’, so everyone was relieved to finally arrive on land again.

So let me tell you what you need to know about Brazil during Carnival: it’s very hot, very crowded, and very fun. I woke up early the day we arrived in port and watched as we docked at sunrise. The main thing I noticed is that it was really humid on deck and it was only seven in the morning. After we went through customs there was a mandatory briefing, which bored everyone to tears; it was more of a class lecture on the problems facing Brazil than any necessary information. When the ship was officially cleared everyone made a mad rush for the gangway. As you can imagine it took forever to get through the line, so a few of my friends and I waited before leaving.

I didn’t have any official Semester At Sea trips planned, so I joined a huge group of about 25 and we all headed to the Mercado Modelo, which was a giant two-story marketplace. Inside were hundreds of booths where merchants sold musical instruments, sundresses, paintings, jewelry, wood carvings, postcards, and all sorts of nick-knacks. I only had 50 Reals (about $25) and since pretty much the whole country is shut down during carnival – including banks – I didn’t want to spend it all before I knew exactly what I wanted to buy. Behind the market was the Lacerda Elevator, which takes passengers from the lower city to the upper city (see photo). Outside of the market were Brazilians practicing Capoiera, which is a form of martial arts that slaves disguised as dancing. Around lunchtime we headed back to the ship in the blistering heat. I felt like my face was melting off. Throughout my whole visit to Brazil, I felt like my body was going to melt into a puddle on the sidewalk, it was so darn hot.

Sunday the 18th I finally got to experience Carnival. Carnival in Bahia (Salvador) attracts about 2 million people each year, and there are several ways to experience it. The main event is a parade down the streets of trio electricos. These are basically giant trucks that have platforms where performers sing and dance. Surrounding each truck is a roped off section that marches down the street accompanying each electrico called blocos. To be part of a bloco you have to pay a fee (ranging from US$50 to $1000) and you get to parade down the street dancing to the music with the truck. Each participant of a bloco has a designated tank top shirt that signifies which bloco you are part of, and is the only way the guards will let you within the ropes. The other way to view Carnival is a camarote. These are giant platform balconies along the streets where you can view all the action. Each camarote is separated by different entrances and like the blocos, only those who paid and have the right shirt are allowed in. Camarotes have kiosks for food and alcohol, bathrooms, and a DJ who plays music in between each trio electricos.

I experienced Carnival from a camarote which happened to be right across from the judging area, so performers really slowed down and tried their hardest to impress the judges. A group of friends and I made our way through the crowd and stood right at the balcony overlooking the festivities. We stood there for hours dancing along with the music and trying to sing along in Portuguese. I tried the local beer called Skol, and ate a bit of Brazilian food. It was amazing being immersed in Brazilian culture and dancing with the locals and just celebrating life and having fun. After five straight hours of partying and dancing at Carnival, it was time to go. I had such a great time but the whole experience was very exhausting. I later bought a CD with music from this year’s Carnival. I still try my best to sing along with the crowd’s favorite songs.

The next day I woke up early and went on the Pria de Forte Semester at Sea trip. We traveled by bus and our first stop took us to a local mangrove. This gave us a wonderful view of beaches, palm trees, and people fishing and boating. Coconut stands lined the sidewalks so you could have a cool coconut milk drink while relaxing on the beach. We continued along the beach and investigated the mangroves. At first it didn’t seem like there was much, but a closer look showed us miniature sand crabs about half an inch across. Later I noticed holes in the sand. I looked down and saw a crab hiding from the gigantic figures walking around. Patiently I sat and watched as the crab emerged from the hole and scurried across the sand. This crab was much bigger, about two inches across (see photo).

Our next stop was the Fort Garcia D’Avila. Unfortunately I didn’t get much information on the history of this site, but the fort itself was spectacular. Baobab trees also surrounded the area (see picture).

Finally we arrived at the Project Tamar marine sea turtle conservation site. We learned about the five species of sea turtles that make their nest along Brazil’s coasts – loggerhead, hawksbill, olive ridley, green, and leatherback. I also got to see some of these turtles up close in viewing tanks. The Tamar Project tracks turtle nesting sites all along the coast. They collect eggs and place them in their own nesting facilities to protect the turtles until they are able to hatch. Some hatchlings are kept at the site, and others are released and studied using a tracking tag system.

After our group had lunch, we had time to wander around the town surrounding the turtle project. A small group of us stopped at a local ice cream shop and I tried ‘coco com abobora’ which is coconut with pumpkin. Needless to say it was very delicious on such a hot sunny day.

The remaining two days I had no scheduled trips planned. I went back to the Mercado Modelo and bought several beaded necklaces, a few magnets, CDs, and a special gift for my dad. (I won’t ruin the surprise for him, but I think he’ll really like it).

A group of us also went to the Church Bonfim. The church is known for its spectacularly gold-leafed ceiling. Unfortunately when we got there the church was closed. Instead we viewed the outside and went into small shops surrounding the church. Another thing this church is known for are these colored ribbons that say ‘lembranca do senhor do Bonfim da Bahia’. I don’t have the exact translation but I imagine this means Church Bonfim of Bahia (Salvador). These ribbons are tied around the fence post surrounding the church. Each ribbon represents three wishes and it is said that when it falls off then your wishes will come true. These ribbons can also be tied around your wrist for the same purpose. My three wishes were 1) good health 2) to be able to provide for my family and 3) to never give up on my dreams.

My last day in Salvador was spent wandering around the market again, and traveling with my School and Society class to watch the Global Nomads Group work at a Candomble house. Candomble is the local religion that was set up by the slaves to disguise their African religious heritage with Christianity. We arrived after a half hour taxi ride and took off our shoes before entering the temple. Global Nomads (refer to previous journal entry) had set up their equipment to videoconference with students from the US and Canada. The theme of this discussion was the roots and practices of Candomble in Brazil. It was very interesting to see the interactions between people from around the world. The US students asked some very probing questions, and the Brazilians were happy to shed some light on their religious practices. After the two hour conference session, we were given a tour of the temple facilities and the ‘priest’ offered us a fried bread dish as well as a red fruit similar to a soft pear.

Today we celebrated the crossing of the equator – Neptune Day! We were woken up early by crewmembers marching up and down the hallway dressed in tin-foil hats and banging on pots and pans. We were directed to the seventh deck by the pool where King Neptune and his wife were waiting for us. To become a shellback we pollywogs had to prove we were worthy. First we had to get fish guts dumped on our heads. Someone said it was supposed to be oatmeal or something, but they smelled and felt fishy to me. Then we had to jump into the pool, kiss a fish, and pay homage to King Neptune by kissing his ring and bowing before him. And after all of this, you were supposed to shave your head. Now I decided not to shave my head, but many students did and some teachers as well. I was surprised the number of girls that did it – I think the latest count was 33. My friend Logan decided to shave her head, and got our Captain Jeremy to do it (see photo). The rest of the day we had off from classes, most of which I spent relaxing and doing a bit of homework. At sunset we had a barbeque on the deck – hamburgers, ribs, chicken, potato salad, and ice cream. It felt so nice to just relax and overlook the water while enjoying a good meal.

I had a great time in Brazil - Carnival was amazing, mingling with locals was fun, food was delicious, and music was lively. Now we are headed to South Africa. I cannot wait until I head off on my safari and see all that I can in Cape Town. Soon I’ll fill you in about my adventures with lions, giraffes and elephants!