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Time: Tuesday, November 2, 2011
In Portuguese, the word “saudade” is unique in that there is no direct equivalent of this word in English. However, the renowned, extremely accurate Wikipedia attempts to explain saudade in the following way:
“Saudade describes a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing for something or someone that one loves and which is apart. It often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return.”
As I spend my last afternoon in São Paulo packing for my bittersweet return trip home to the United States (and trying to figure out how I can smuggle back four bottles of cachaça) – I am starting to understand what this saudade feeling is all about.
I am going to miss Brazil.
But, before I leave, here are some final, brief reflections from my some travels around this ridiculous country:
Rio de Janeiro
Back in September, I was fortunate enough to return to Rio de Janeiro. Unlike my first trip to Rio, when the city was covered in a rainy, foggy mist – this time I had perfect weather. And when the sun is shining, that’s when the city really comes alive.
The Beaches
The beaches in Rio are absurd. Located only a block away from the hotels, restaurants and office buildings of the city, the sandy beaches seem to stretch on forever. Each praia is more beautiful (and famous) than the next: Copocabana, Ipanema, Leblon. How anyone is able to get any work done in this city with the ocean so close – I’ll never know.
Grabbing a coconut and a $3 lounge chair, I chose to go to the beach at Ipanema’s Posto #9. Each “posto” (or lifeguard stand) attracts a different type of crowd. For example, Posto #10 is for people who want to play beach sports, Posto #3 is for the local “Cariocas,” and Posto #9 attracts the young and hip. So I wouldn’t say I chose Posto #9 as much as it chose me.
On the beach, weaving through the crowds of sunbathers wearing as little as possible, are countless amounts of venders. Selling everything from ice cream to cheese to Arabian food, these guys shout out their wares at the chagrin of anyone trying to take a nap ("Açai Açai,” "Queeiiijjooo," "Árabe"). And the more entrepreneurial ones use a megaphone. So if you were expecting to lounge on the beach and read a book – don’t go to Ipanema.
Also on the beach are people playing futevôlei. This sport, which was created in Rio, is essentially volleyball played only with your feet. Leave it to the Brazilians try to turn every sport into soccer.
The Mountains
Cristo who?
Okay sure, Corcovado Hill and Cristo Redentor are all well and good. And yes, the Christ the Redeemer statue is definitely something to be seen. But if you’re looking for the best view of Rio de Janeiro, go to Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf Mountain). It kicks Cristo’s ass.
Taking the precarious cable cars up to either of the two peaks of Pão de Açucar, you’re rewarded with a spectacular view of Rio’s sandy beaches, towering mountains and lush forests. If you want, you can also shop at a Havaianas store or an H Stern jewelers (they are EVERYWHERE).
The Nightlife
Rio has plenty of bars and nightclubs to choose from, but if you’re looking for a little more grit and grime in your life, then look no further than Lapa.
Each night in Rio’s Lapa district, under the arches of the aqueduct known as the Arcos da Lapa, is a street party that lasts until sunrise. Buy a beer or a caipirinha from one of the venders and drink with the locals in Lapa’s many narrow alleyways. Or join one of the spontaneous dance parties.
Just try to avoid bumping into any of the little kids. They will steal your shit.
Florianópolis
South of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, in the state of Santa Catarina, lies the beautiful island of Florianópolis.
In a 2009 article, the New York Times described Florianópolis in the following way:
“[Florianópolis] is a mixture of St. Tropez and Ibiza but without the attitude and without the prices… Here you have the combination of Sunset Strip-style and Ibiza-style night life mixed in with the Brazilian proclivity for relaxing and having fun.”
In late-October, I spent one long, gorgeous weekend sunbathing, swimming and drinking on the beaches of Florianópolis. Unfortunately, because it was “off-season,” all the clubs were closed – so I can’t really attest to the “Ibiza-style nightlife.”
But I can say that the beaches were amazing, the water was clear and we saw a penguin. I could go on and describe the weekend in more detail, but it would just sound like bragging. All you need to know is that I came back with a nice tan and a peeling, sun-burnt back.
If you’re looking to buy one of the gorgeous, luxurious mansions on the beaches of Florianopolis, it will cost you roughly four million reais. So I’m secretly hoping that Brazil’s economy collapses and the real depreciates against the dollar, because as soon as that happens, I’ll be snatching up mansions left and right.
São Paulo
Okay fine. São Paulo is a huge, sprawling and ugly concrete jungle. It’s crowded, its traffic is terrible and when it comes to weather, it’s known as the “Land of Drizzle.”
But this is home.
I was fortunate enough to live in Sao Paulo for the past three months. And the city showed me a great time – for that I am eternally grateful.
So while I’ll definitely have fond memories of my time spent vacationing in Rio de Janeiro and Florianopolis, when I start getting that longing feeling, that yearning desire, that feeling of saudade – it will be for São Paulo.
Até logo, São Paulo.
Until later.
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