Brazil: Saudade and Alegria!

Brazil: for so long I had dreamed of this immense country, which I had read about and imagined. Its imposing nature, with beaches and untouched places alongside frantic cities; its cheerful, hospitable people in an environment that is often hostile despite the natural beauty it is immersed in; its overwhelming music with the rhythms of samba in its variations of forrò, pagode, samba de roda, reggae or today's arrocha. Well, in the end I made it and set off thanks to a super-cheap flight; I packed my suitcase excitedly, pulling out my swimsuits, T-shirts and tops, to face the hot temperatures despite the Siberian cold that had been raging in our country for days. Despite the two-and-a-half-hour delay of our flight and our tiredness, the enthusiasm for our trip grew as the hours passed, and it peaked when the plane flew over SALVADOR de Bahia, the destination of our journey.

All the lights that lit it up seemed to spread out like a dress of sequins and glitter that well represented the soul of Brazil. As soon as we landed in Salvador, a warm air welcomed me and my friend, refreshing us after the long hours of waiting and warming our anxious hearts, eager to discover that wonderful city. I had booked accommodation in Itapuà, just 6 km from Salvador airport, given the late hour of arrival. The caretaker of the "Casa Encantada" welcomed us, telling us he would take us to another pousada because the "Casa Encantada", due to unforeseen circumstances, could no longer host us. We trusted him and settled into the Pousada "Itapua Beach" of Elza Oliveira, a very nice lady who welcomed us with a smile despite the late hour of the night. The room was really small, but for one night we made do, in the company of a gecko that greeted us at the door of our room.

The next morning we had breakfast with the tropical fruit we had dreamed of so much, discovering new flavours that would accompany our whole trip: the mamao, a sort of melon transplanted here from India, which we would also enjoy as a smoothie on the hottest days. Itapuà is a place with a long, sandy beach and lively nightspots, but by now little remains of the poetry sung by Vinicius de Moraes, Caetano Veloso and Toquinho (Tarde em Itapoa). So we decided to go and meet the Italian managers of the "Casa Encantada", to find out a bit more about their responsible-tourism project. Loris and Maria welcomed us into their Casa, where a garden with palms and tropical plants reigned, along with hammocks where guests could relax, savouring the serenity of that natural setting. They explained how they had ended up there and the kind of tourism they offer, very far from the "orthodox" one.

But we would only realise this once we "tasted" one of their excursions, which showed us a reality very different from what all the major travel-agency catalogues offer. Together with a honeymoon couple, also guests, Loris took us to a fishing village, Acupe, for a canoe trip on a "rio" that flowed into the Baia de Todos Santos. We experienced something unique, listening to the most unusual sounds coming from the mangroves: the opening of the clams, which made that "tick-tick" mentioned in one of Marisa Monte's songs, the barulinho, which made Anna (my musician friend) cheer. And the search for crabs by our two rowers, who insisted on sinking their bodies under the mangroves to manage to catch two colourful specimens of crab and show them to us, while making us realise the hard work the fishermen face every day to earn their daily crust.

But the toil gives way to the dignity and joy that hovers in the air and on the faces of the people and the children diving into the river, happy to enjoy the richness of that nature, their only gift. It may seem a contradiction that Brazil is a country rich in natural resources that are not exploited, but there are many contradictions pervading such a large country that find no answer. But the smile of the children looking at you, intimidated yet curious, is enough to dissolve any doubt. Watching their little faces while our friend Alberto photographed them with his digital camera, also amusing them by filming their little feet, made us reflect on how simple life can be without all our comforts, which we often cannot do without. Continuing our journey, after a few days we reach Salvador, hosted by Eduardo in an apartment in Barra, a touristy but quiet area, a few metres from the beach.

Our days pass among the alleys of the Pelourinho, the historic centre of the city with all its pastel-coloured houses. The sound of percussion is everywhere; the rhythms of mother Africa are the soundtrack of Bahia. Tuesday evening is the evening when you can enjoy free live concerts in various little streets, and the music of Olodum reigns in this district (Olodum concert only on Tuesdays at the price of 80 reais), whose name comes from the deity Orixas Olodumarè. We got to see the marvellous show of the Didà, a group of 30 wild female percussionists who play and dance, enchanting all passers-by, locals and tourists alike. And if that is not to your taste, nearby there are various venues, all with live music.

And again, if you head towards the beaches you will find plenty of venues for all tastes: we tried some of the biggest, the Aeroclube, in Boca de Rìo, a sort of mega shopping centre, with 3 open-air stages where live bands perform, and a big indoor venue where the biggest concerts are held. We saw the Araketu (one of the most popular groups) for the modest sum of 30 reais, but for me it was a delirium given the crowd acclaiming its idols while pouring rivers of beer to the rhythm of samba. I preferred the forrò concert in an open-air venue on the beach, where a crowd of kids danced the forrò tenderly in each other's arms. By day, instead, we followed the trail of Bahia's greatest writer, Jorge Amado, visiting the museum dedicated to him, where the posters of all the characters from his novels stand out, made even more famous by cinema and played by Sonia Braga and our late Mastroianni.

My curiosity also led me to visit the adjoining Anthropological Museum, with all the Orixa deities and their respective objects of worship, which that day, among other things, had free admission. We go back out and wander among the various craft shops, with musical instruments and colourful canvases that convey the intensity of the colours, the people and the nature of this immense country. But the most intense emotions we experienced were always in the Interior, again in Acupe and in Santo Amaro (the birthplace of Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethania).

In Santo Amaro, we got to see the procession of Nossa Senora da Purificaçao, with the parade of all the Maede Santo, in their long white dresses, some entrusted with the role of pouring scented water from jugs as a sign of purification over the faithful… The celebration continued with the parade of floats carrying groups of singers and musicians, more or less famous, who spurred on the dancers following them, caught up in the frantic rhythms of samba. I would have wanted to stay there forever under the spell of the samba music, and on the return journey to Salvador we could not speak or even open our eyes, so as not to taint the memory of those rhythms.