itamambuca and feliz ano novo

oi todos, i hope the closing of 2010 was wonderful and satisfying.

while most of you were in freezing conditions, surrounded by snow and ice, i spent the better half of the last two weeks in my favorite place in são paulo; itamambuca. i had been there briefly the last time i was in ubatuba with sandra, but this time i was really able to explore and feel the energy that emanates from that wonderful place.

helio and i left interlogos on the morning of december 26th, 2010 at 6am to catch a bus and then another bus to then take the subway to meet his friend ju where she picked us up on the outskirts of the city and we began our trip to ubatuba. i slept for most of the way while the two of them talked and listened to brasilian samba music. we got to itamambuca with hardly any traffic, which was a miracle, dropped our things off at the house where ju was renting and ran to the beach. we laid in the hot hot sun for a couple of hours, cooling off in the not so cool ocean water and walking the length of the beach and back. when it started to rain we packed up our things and went back to the house to meet the people who live there.

the beautiful house made entirely of old salvaged materials. the outside a dark brown with pastel colors lining the frames of the many doors and windows. the roof is constructed of orange scales that were crafted a hundred years ago by brasilian slaves. they would take the clay and mold it over their thighs. because of the moisture and frequent rain, there are plants and moss growing on the roof covering it's surface entirely. this unique beach pad is inhabited, year round, by a family of 3 and their ever changing travelers that rent out the back house where we were staying. pri (24 and speaks no english), le (her husband, 36, and speaks no english) and ruda (pronounced "who-duh", 5 and also speaks no english) have lived in this house for the past 8 years. pri's sister, dani, and her namorado ale had just moved in the same day we arrived. in april pri, le and ruda will move to france for one year while dani and ale stay in the house to look after it and continue to rent it to travelers.





for most of the time ale was constructing this incredible pyramid made of bamboo and plastic tubing. three poles in the shape of a tepee make up the center, in the middle, the star of david lays horizontally and above it a smaller triangle. once it was constructed we all took turns playing and climbing and stretching on this playground for adults. the master of the playground was ale himself, snaking through the holes, hanging upside down, twisting and maneuvering his body like some kind of avatar. it was amazing to watch.



the days went by, everyone got a bit closer, feeling more and more comfortable with each other's energies. every day we would wake up around 8 am when ruda started his day, le would make us this incredible indian style bread with olive oil or, as i preferred, peanut butter and banana. after breakfast we would make the short walk to the beach and soak in the sun or go on adventures.

one day we explored the waterfall of itamambuca, this one being very different than my previous encounters with falling water. we walked to the end of the beach and took a left across the river and climbed up a giant deep red rock. past the rock was a long grey stone wall, it reminded me of the great wall of china, which then reminded me of talia. we walked along this wall as if we were standing on a tight-rope, one foot in front of the other, slowly, not to knock off the few passing people on their way out. after the wall we began to climb the slight incline of rocks and pebbles, stepping in cold water puddles and feeling the slime of the algae between our toes. some parts were tougher than others, our entire bodies needed to get to the next step. we came to the waterfall... if they hadn't pointed it out to me, i would have missed it completely. it was nothing more than a tiny stream of water falling into a basin sized pool. we took turns sitting beneath it, feeling it's strength massage our shoulders. the water was cold and refreshing, peeling away the salt crystals that clung to our skin from our previous date with the ocean. we climbed a bit further then headed back. the way down was a lot more difficult.

another day we went surfing! my first time on a surf board, and it was incredible. pri, le, ale, helio, ruda, and i all ran into the warm calm waters with short boards in hand. we paddled out into the ocean, farther than i have ever been before. le told me that the first step was to learn how to sit on the board. i pulled myself to the middle and wiggled trying to find my balance, i never did. time after time after time, i sat upright and tipped over. sometimes i would fall to the side, flipping upside down with my feet in the air, gripping to the side of the board. other times the board would fly out from under me throwing me backwards or forwards into the water. i tried again and again as le and ale laughed while they caught waves into shore. finally le came to me and said that he learned how to stand on the board before he could ever sit on it, then motioned for me to catch the next coming wave. i layed on my belly, pushing the water back with my hands, intention set on this wave... it rolled right under me. "de novo!" he yelled. again, i paddled fiercely, but missed it. de novo, de novo, de novo! until finally i got one. speeding over the white water, watching the land get closer and closer by the second. my heart was flying and my whole face was smiling. i stayed on the board until i got to the sand, cheering when i stood up, and everyone yelling along with me. i went right back out into the water. this time le told me to try to stand up on the next one. we waited and waited, no waves were coming. we waded in the water for 20 minutes, more or less, until i got another. i rode it into the shore, not attempting to stand at this point. we waited more and more, and boy was i exhausted. we called it a day and headed back to the house, with our salt clogged heads, for showers and dinner.


a few days into our vacation helio and i went to toninhas, another beach town about 30 minutes south of itamambuca. here we stayed with helio's friend thadeo and his namorada, renata. it was fun to hang out with them in their brand new, undecorated, condo on the top floor which overlooked the ocean. renata and i bonded in a second. she could not speak any english so i was forced to speak portuguese. this was easier than i thought because speaking with pri, le and ruda had already given me a heads up. we would lay on the roof deck tanning while i drew on thadeo's surfboard, go grocery shopping or get a brasilian wax (her, not i), all the while with english to portugese dictionary in hand.





the plan was to stay in toninhas for the new years but after having such an amazing time in itamambuca, i decided to spend mine there. on the morning of december 31st i caught a bus all by my grownup self and met sandra in downtown ubatuba. from there she drove all of us, her daughters and i, to itamambuca. her mother has a house there so we stopped for lunch and a quick swim in the ocean before she dropped me off at pri's. i ran to the beach to surprise ju and meet her two friends, evelyn and michelley. we stayed at the beach all day walking up and down the shore looking for "gorgeous" the tall muscular brasilian gato that ju had fallen in love with. later, we headed home to make new years eve dinner. i prepared integral rice with quinoa and japanese pumpking and zuchini. ale was in the other kitchen preparing the feast of a life time. for the past 5 years he has worked as a sushi chef, so for dinner he made about 12 different rolls (one of them with cucumber for me) and a plate of tempura. for dessert, dani made a parfait with chocolate and black cherries. we all sat around eating and laughing and blowing up balloons.


at 11:55pm we, once again, made that short walk to the beach, but this time it was something special. the red dirt road was filled with people walking toward the beach, everyone holding candles and singing the traditional "feliz ano novo" song. when we got to the sands, there was hardly anywhere to stand. the beach was pack with a thousand people wearing white and singing while popping open champagne bottles and kissing each other on the face. at midnight exactly the show began. fireworks in every direction, stretching along the length of the beach. fireworks in front of you, fireworks above you and fireworks behind you. everyone jumping and laughing and screaming "FELIZ ANO NOVO!!!" little kids with their parents running into the ocean to jump the traditional 7 waves while they made their wishes for the new year. then, in one second, the beach was empty. everyone had left to start their night of partying. we walked along the beach trying to find the perfect one. dani, ale and i, looking for an electronic party and ju, michelley and evelyn looking for "gorgeous". we stopped at a circle crowed around a single guitar player and his friend on the tambourine. you could hardly hear them playing but everyone knew the song, so we stayed to scream along. luckily, standing right next to ju was "gorgeous", she was set for the night. dani, ale and i continued to walk, but nothing was going on. we decided to go back home and listen to our own electronic music, and we did just that. the night could not have been more perfect, excitingly sussa (tranquil). around 3:30am helio surprised us, but at that time i was ready for bed. i fell asleep on a yoga mat outside while everyone took turns on the pyramid. at around 5am i made my way to the couch in the living room.



the next day everyone was tired and most of them hung over. thankfully, it rained the entire day. we were forced to stay inside and sleep and eat and watch movies, how horrible..ly perfect. i decided to stay in itamambuca for the rest of the vacation, instead of going back to toninhas. we all got along so well at the house that i felt there was no need to leave. two days before i left sandra invited me to come to her house before driving us home to são paulo. that morning, while i waited for her arrival, pri, evelyn and the new traveler from guatamala, and i sat on the back deck playing with lua's new puppies. 20 days before, she had given birth to 9 puppies of every color. needless to say i fell in love with one of them. the only chocolate, and the runt of the bunch. i watched him as the other played and jumped and sang for their mom, but he was different... he was sussa. i stood there watching them play until i noticed him sniffing his way over to me. he smelled my foot, gave me a single kiss and sat on my toe. and that's when it happened. he chose me and i chose him. i picked him up and brought him over to the deck where he napped in my lap for a few minutes. now, im not sure if you are aware, but at the age of 20 days, the puppies have no vision. they come equipped with a set of deep blue opaque eyes and if you move your hand in front of their face, they are completely unaware. at one point i got up to help out another puppy and as soon as i left he snooped around trying to follow my scent. when i stepped back on the porch, he sat down. i decided to give him a name.... quase (pronounced qua-zee), which means "almost" in portuguese. mainly because i love the sound, but also because he is the smallest... and because i almost brought him home with me. pri had noticed our love for each other and offered to mail him to me in bahia as soon as his is old enough. that is something i will have to sit on for a while.


sandra came to get me and we headed back to ubatuba. for the next couple of days i hung out with her family, making food, watching nickelodeon and walking around the town. one evening we went to praia vermelha and had a picnic. i walked to the end of the beach and took tons of pictures of the beautiful rocks that lined the shore.



on thursday morning at 3:30am we left her house and drove back to são paulo. we arrived at her mother's (other) house around 7am and slept until 1pm. after lunch and a shower sandra and i got a ride to the subway where we traveled and transferred and traveled some more until we parted ways. i continued on to interlogos where my tia angela picked me up with vovo around 7pm. when we got home she had waiting for me every single dish of hers that i love. palmito crepes, japanese pumpking, cooked bananas, mango and portuguese rolls. i had the feast of a life time and then passed out.

today, my last day in são paulo, tia and tio took me out to lunch at a sushi restaurant then brought me to the mall where tia bought me a pair of shorts and tio bought me a pair of amazing turquoise shoes. i simply walked past the store and said "wow those are cool!" and he bought them. what a treat. and now i write to you, instead of packing my enormous bag, feeling saudade for my family here and for my life in the united states, but mostly excited for the new chapter that begins tomorrow afternoon.