You make me feel like dancing, I want to dance the night away…
There is NOTHING better than Carnival. I am certain of it. I don’t mean just parties. My NOTHING also stretches to rollercoasters, duvets, sunsets and all of life’s great pleasures. NOTHING is better than Carnival. Not even the craziest parties held at the peak of Mount Crazy at Fun’O’Clock could rival Carnival in Salvador.
At this time of year, Brazilians kiss more than English people shake hands and with about as much conviction. Kissing at Carnival really is just like saying a merry hello and everyone is saying hello to everyone! I mean, come on, they have to do 40 days of no kissing after this, so now is not the time to be coy.
Indiscriminate smooching aside, Carnival also throws some serious music into the mix. Hot favourites in Salvador are Samba and Samba-Reggae. I found that there are 3 different ways to enjoy this musical medley.
THE WAY: PART ONE
First up is to join one of the ‘blocos.’ The blocos are roped off areas manned by hundreds of sentries, which move slowly around a ‘trio.’ The trio is the nucleus of the action, a huge lorry cum float loaded up with a booming sound system and a band playing on top. After paying to join a particular bloco (not dissimilar to buying a mobile gig ticket) you are given an ‘abada’ (a costume, usually a t-shirt) which is your golden ticket to being inside the ropes. In my humble opinion, this is where the most fun is. Parading alongside the music, through the streets with thousands of like-minded people, all dressed in ripped up abadas is one of the high points of my whole English life.
HINTS AND TIPS:
The abadas are valuable. Not everyone at Carnival can afford to be inside the ropes. There are tales of people trying to remove t-shirts from your dancing form (although I didn’t experience this). Keep away from the edges of the rope! The people manning the rope are there for your protection but are only paid 10BRL a day, so don’t think of them as your personal bodyguard.
THE WAY: PART TWO
Welcome to the high life. So to speak. Another way to enjoy Carnival is from the ‘Camarotes.’ Camarotes are like fancy nightclubs with terraces overlooking the action and are filled with lovely food, free gifts and perks such as hairdressers and masseuses. They do not come cheap but once inside (with another ‘abada’ of course) everything is free and you can watch the Carnival go past from a higher vantage point. There are shed loads of Camarotes but our favourites were ‘Espresso 2222’ and ‘Nana Banana.’
HINTS AND TIPS
Do some research into Camarotes before you choose one as they are all highly individual. Espresso 2222 is a glamorous affair for the rich and famous, Nana Banana has its own beach and some such as Salvador 2008 are a much larger scale party zone.
THE WAY: PART THREE
Consider this the danger option but as with most danger, here fun lies. Option three is to head out into the streets solo and become a ‘pipoca’ (meaning ‘popcorn’- how nice!). Pipocas are folk without abadas for the blocos or cash to splash on camarotes. If you understood that sentence then you’ve been reading carefully. Very well done. I digress. Being a pipoca means freedom to roam the streets watching any trio and jumping alongside them, as well as mixing it up with Brazilian street vendors and traders. However, during an event, which sees over 2 million people pour into Salvador this does not come without risk. Do not take a single valuable into the crowds with you. Not even hats.
Alongside this fiesta of street fun ye can also find find ‘barracas,’ mini tents with music that sell drinks (mostly caipirinhas) and create tens of thousands of mini parties, which crop up around the city.
HINS AND TIPS
When heading into the mix remember it is only safe inside the ropes and you aren’t there so be aware of any shady looking characters and avoid any signs of aggression (I did see a few scuffles going on from the camarote one night). I went into the mix a few times and found everyone to be really friendly but this is not always the case.
If you need to carry money then stuff it into a bra or buy one of those geeky tourist money holders that strap around your chest. Consider your pockets as glowing with neon ‘entrance’ signs. Leave nothing in them. Even lipgloss will go.
***
No matter which way you choose to enjoy Carnival (or as I found, try them all!) it’s a place you will find yourself dancing with strangers, dancing in the streets and dancing on bars and by dancing I mean having the time of your life. The music is great, the people are wild and the atmosphere is amazing.
If this all sounds like more fun than a bag of chipmunks wearing taffeta then you’re right. I am already having withdrawal symptoms and writing this has made me feel outrageously sad that I have to wait another year for Carnival!
In fact must stop writing about this. Extremely depressed. Having flashbacks of Fat Boy Slim gliding past our camarote. No Carnival for one whole year. Can almost taste the caipirinhas. No more Carnival. Is it dark in here or is it just me….
S.Prentice signing out.
Monday, 18 February 2008
China Shanghai Event Blog
There are times in life that you find yourself in a forest. Not a metaphorical one. I’m not depressed. I mean an actual forest. Imagine trees and darkness, bird sounds, the whole foresty works.
It’s not THAT often that the forest is indoors. Not very often at all in fact. You don’t really come across members of indie bands in forests either. Or freshly prepared fruity drinks. Or a wishing tree filled with pleas to ‘be able to fly’ or ‘ be a fairy.’
However I do tend to find that recently anything can happen, hence I found myself sat in this very forest on a frosty Shanghai night, huddled in a furry parka and sipping vodka on ice.
I had not stumbled across this winter wonderland via a wardrobe or one-way ticket back to Moscow. I was in fact at the second Smirnoff Global Experience event at the Shanghai Sculpture Centre, a vast space guarded outside by twisty pieces of metal and gigantic steel cars.
After working my way through said Birch Tree forest I fell straight into a crowd of happy revellers all heading towards the giant Smirnoff stage with the steely intent of a budget zombie film. Their enthusiasm became clear when I saw Tom Middleton, Sasha and Hard-Fi limbering up for a night of original performances including drum battles and performances with local artists.
I had to tear myself away to film the different features including a ‘Tini’ bar with four different martinis to test, a DIY drinks bar with over 1300 different combinations of drinks to choose from and a Smirnoff Ice blizzard complete with fresh snowfall on request.
Covered in a thin film of snow and still wearing my jacket I managed to get to the front of the crowd to support English indie band Hard-Fi who were facing stiff competition from the Shanxi drummers, a local Chinese speciality. The drummers were playing along to Hard Fi’s hit ‘Hard to Beat. When I interviewed the band earlier in the day their drummer confessed to fearing being outdone but he somehow managed to be heard over the intense Shanxi beat fest. The combination of the huge Chinese drums and Hard Fi’s guitar strummery really worked and even Monsieur Hip Hop, Ben Robinson was to be found shaking his butt like you never did see at the front of the crowd.
After Tom Middleton came back on to play out the night to the baying crowd we slipped off to see Sasha at the after party at The Wall - a trendy underground den complete with hanging chairs and secret rooms.
This was the final straw for my overexcited little brain and I had to take myself off to bed dreaming of basil martinis and magical forests and of course…the next Smirnoff event.
It’s not THAT often that the forest is indoors. Not very often at all in fact. You don’t really come across members of indie bands in forests either. Or freshly prepared fruity drinks. Or a wishing tree filled with pleas to ‘be able to fly’ or ‘ be a fairy.’
However I do tend to find that recently anything can happen, hence I found myself sat in this very forest on a frosty Shanghai night, huddled in a furry parka and sipping vodka on ice.
I had not stumbled across this winter wonderland via a wardrobe or one-way ticket back to Moscow. I was in fact at the second Smirnoff Global Experience event at the Shanghai Sculpture Centre, a vast space guarded outside by twisty pieces of metal and gigantic steel cars.
After working my way through said Birch Tree forest I fell straight into a crowd of happy revellers all heading towards the giant Smirnoff stage with the steely intent of a budget zombie film. Their enthusiasm became clear when I saw Tom Middleton, Sasha and Hard-Fi limbering up for a night of original performances including drum battles and performances with local artists.
I had to tear myself away to film the different features including a ‘Tini’ bar with four different martinis to test, a DIY drinks bar with over 1300 different combinations of drinks to choose from and a Smirnoff Ice blizzard complete with fresh snowfall on request.
Covered in a thin film of snow and still wearing my jacket I managed to get to the front of the crowd to support English indie band Hard-Fi who were facing stiff competition from the Shanxi drummers, a local Chinese speciality. The drummers were playing along to Hard Fi’s hit ‘Hard to Beat. When I interviewed the band earlier in the day their drummer confessed to fearing being outdone but he somehow managed to be heard over the intense Shanxi beat fest. The combination of the huge Chinese drums and Hard Fi’s guitar strummery really worked and even Monsieur Hip Hop, Ben Robinson was to be found shaking his butt like you never did see at the front of the crowd.
After Tom Middleton came back on to play out the night to the baying crowd we slipped off to see Sasha at the after party at The Wall - a trendy underground den complete with hanging chairs and secret rooms.
This was the final straw for my overexcited little brain and I had to take myself off to bed dreaming of basil martinis and magical forests and of course…the next Smirnoff event.
China 1- Arrival in China
‘Turning Shanghainese, I think I’m turning Shanghainese.’
What do the following things have in common?
Danish pastries
China
Vodka with Ginger Beer
The answer is this. They had never really occurred to me.
If my inclination to explore things were measured in piles of marshmallows, the things in the above list wouldn’t have amassed enough to sprinkle on a hot chocolate. Not because they’re not great. I just hadn’t gotten around to considering them… YET! Once these things came to me (rather than I to them) the marshmallow count started reaching colossal levels. Mountains of marshmallows. A veritable sugar avalanche.
So to speak.
In layman’s terms I had no idea I would love China until I tried it. Same goes for sticky pastry and gingery vodka, but I digress.
Since jetting into Shanghai (after a long, drooly sleep aboard a plane of course) and having a good sniff around, I love the place!
Wandering amongst the thatchy rooves, leafy gardens and shoals of koi carp in the old town, I fell in love.
Also, this sounds so obvious but China really LOOKS different to anything I have ever seen. The streets are crowded with colourful stalls selling ‘Smelly Tofu’ (their name not mine), Chairman Mao memorabilia and ranges of exotic medicines (‘Breast Nuts’ being my personal favourite, although the science behind them seemed a little shakey).
Just being in Shanghai is exciting! Everything is big, colourful and bright. Even the rivers are lined with neon lighting. I mean neon rivers! Rivers of Neon! I feel like I’m on a particularly well-lit film set.
We are leaving my new best city friend for a few days to see another Chinese city, Cheng Du, but like a lovesick frog d’amour I shall return for more ramblings VERY soon.
What do the following things have in common?
Danish pastries
China
Vodka with Ginger Beer
The answer is this. They had never really occurred to me.
If my inclination to explore things were measured in piles of marshmallows, the things in the above list wouldn’t have amassed enough to sprinkle on a hot chocolate. Not because they’re not great. I just hadn’t gotten around to considering them… YET! Once these things came to me (rather than I to them) the marshmallow count started reaching colossal levels. Mountains of marshmallows. A veritable sugar avalanche.
So to speak.
In layman’s terms I had no idea I would love China until I tried it. Same goes for sticky pastry and gingery vodka, but I digress.
Since jetting into Shanghai (after a long, drooly sleep aboard a plane of course) and having a good sniff around, I love the place!
Wandering amongst the thatchy rooves, leafy gardens and shoals of koi carp in the old town, I fell in love.
Also, this sounds so obvious but China really LOOKS different to anything I have ever seen. The streets are crowded with colourful stalls selling ‘Smelly Tofu’ (their name not mine), Chairman Mao memorabilia and ranges of exotic medicines (‘Breast Nuts’ being my personal favourite, although the science behind them seemed a little shakey).
Just being in Shanghai is exciting! Everything is big, colourful and bright. Even the rivers are lined with neon lighting. I mean neon rivers! Rivers of Neon! I feel like I’m on a particularly well-lit film set.
We are leaving my new best city friend for a few days to see another Chinese city, Cheng Du, but like a lovesick frog d’amour I shall return for more ramblings VERY soon.
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