Carnival!

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.