It felt like we were on a conveyor belt toward the end of the passage. The closer we got to Brazil, the slower we seemed to go (i.e., 3 knots), and I was concerned that we were going to just miss the Carnival celebration. Fortunately, the wind picked up on the last night, and we were able to sail rather than motor for the last leg. We arrived at Cabenga Yacht Club in Recife on Monday afternoon, and after some awkward gesturing from me and some Spanish-speaking (similar to Portuguese) from Dallas, we finally understood that while there were no slips available, the yacht club staff intended to help us tie up to other yachts.
The marina was full of yachts participating in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), and we have enjoyed catching up with the crew from those boats who we met while in Durban. In particular, Bev and Mo are a really nice English/Iranian-English young couple who are crewing on a large catamaran. After we thoroughly enjoyed a dip in the yacht club pool and a couple of cold Brazilian beers, Mo gave us the run down on the area and invited us to join them for a trip to the Recife Carnival that night.
The Recife Carnival was quite civilized considering the size of the crowd. People of all ages walked through the streets of the city and converged around several stages to hear their favorite bands. It seemed that everyone knew the words to all of the songs, which we found remarkable considering the range of ages of the party-goers. Of course there were stalls of food and drink all along the street, and the grilled chicken or beef on a stick and caipirinha drinks (sugar and lime mixed with cachaca, similar to rum) seemed to be popular items along with the ubiquitous cans of Skol, the local beer.
Recife Carnival Bob and Mo helped us get our first taste of Brazil
What impressed me the most was definitely the people. They were in good spirits, moved through crowded spaces without being aggressive or even the least bit annoyed, and, if they spoke any English at all, attempted to make conversation with us. Moreover, when it started pouring down rain, the party-goers casually moved along the sides of the street in search of shelter or simply danced around, enjoying the relief from the heat.
We returned to the yacht club at a reasonable hour, but I woke up with a headache, probably from the two, sugar-filled caipirinhas. Nevertheless, we set off for the airport to clear in with immigration. The official who stamped our passports also had attended Carnival and had had far less sleep than us! But after a good 15 minutes, he completed the requisite paperwork and bid us adeus. We then managed to get some local money (rials) from the 10th ATM that Dallas tried. Apparently many banks don’t process transactions with international credit cards!
Dallas planned to complete the check-in process that afternoon, so Tracey and I made our way to Recife’s sister city of Olinda to check out their version of Carnival. We had been told that it had more of a community atmosphere, and I would definitely agree. The town itself was lovely with narrow cobble-stone streets and brightly colored buildings, and the throngs of young people in attendance attempted to walk shoulder to shoulder within the primary intersections. Most had some form of costume on, and cartoon characters were well represented. (Oddly, the Flintstones seemed most popular.) Tracey and I decided to get into the act and sported wigs, hers a platinum blond, and mine an afro. Yet again, music seemed to be the main attraction, but rather than coming from bands on a stage, it was from small marching bands parading through the streets with a stream of followers behind. We had a great time walking the streets and taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes, and it was well worth the difficulties involved in finding the correct bus and getting back to the yacht club (a 2-hour process).
Olinda Carnival was more “democratic”, as one Brazilian put it
Olinda’s local artists prepare for months in advance with impressive results
Tracey especially liked her new do
Never too old for Carnival! (photo by Tracey)
Our friends from S/V RDJ just arrived, so there is sure to be more partying in our future…