Saules beieskant / Relentless pursuit of sun

´Gimtajame mieste mane vadina keistuoliu, cia visi tokie, todel as kaip ir normalus´- maniakiska sypsena teigini patvirtina Paolo, Angoloje uzauges portugalas, keliaujantis jau desimt metu, paskutinius kelis sezonus bandantis prasisukti Jericoacoara. Miestelis siaures rytuose - nedidukas, vos keli tukstanciai gyventoju ir kruva turistu.


Atkeliauti is Rio teko pakeisti du lektuvus, vaziuoti sesias valandas autobusu, o paskutine atkarpa kratytis dideliame keturatyje per kopas ar pajuriu jau nakti (kelyje vis isdygdavo karviu ar asiliuku burys).

Jericoacoara elektra pasieke vos pries kelis metus, taciau laidai buvo istiesti po zeme.

Miestelyje tvarka saugo trys policininkai, kuriems dirbti virsvalandziu netenka. Super saugu, nes bendruomene vietini ar atvykeli vagiuka/chuligana greitai issiaiskina, draugiskai pamusa ir deportuoja is kurorto. Gyvenom centrinej gatvej, salia aiksteje berniukas kioske pardavinejo gardziuosius x-tudo burgerius bei alu, todel sia vieta pavadine savo localu lankem kiekviena vakara.

Kaip ir visur daug restoranu, suvenyru parduotuviu, turizmo agenturu, bet viskas pateikta pakankamai stilingai ir idomiai.


Kaip tik dabar prasideda kite surfing sezonas ir Jericoacoara dviems menesiems tampa geriausia pasaulyje vieta uzssimti siuo sportu. Susirenka kitesurfing elitas, vaikinukai, kuriems dideles kompanijos moka uz vejo vaikymasi. Papludimiai platus, vejas negailestingas, kepina saulute, aplink kopos. Diena pamatysi simpatiskas sportininku merginas, o vakare gatves slifuoja vietines moteriskos lyties atstoves, juodaodziu ir indenu misinys, placiais klubais (dideliu seimu rezultatas), placiais peciais (darbo plantacijose genai) ir riebalais papildomais (bulkuciu laimejimas).

Mano ir Robkes megstamiausia Jericoacoara bendruomene - rastamanai, pardavinejantys visokius sudukus ir konkuruojantys sukuosenu kietumu. Numeris vienas - mazasis rastamanas, nuolat besisypsantis bei kartajontis ya man, animacinio peliuko veidu ir didziule rastos kepure ant miniatiurines galvos.


´In my town they call me crazy, here everybody is like that so I´m normal´ - the portugese guy Paolo who travelling for 10 years now and last few staying in Jericoacoara followed the sentence with freaky smile. The seaside village in northeast of Brazil is quite small, the electricity reached Jericoacoara only few years back. In order to get there we had to change two planes, take a bus and for last two hours go by 4x4 huge jeep through the dunes.

The hostel was on the main street, few metres from small kiosk where you could get tasty x-tudo burgers and beer, we called it our local and visited it every night. Jericoacoara has three policemen but they don´t do much, if somebody causing any trouble locals will beat them up and kick out from the village for long time. It´s very safe at any time.


The kite surfing season started and Jericoacoara for two months will be the best place in the world to catch the wind. All professionals kite surfers who get paid for doing it are now there. Locals are quite ugly I would say, mix between indian and black, extra fat all around in most cases. The good thing was the sun all the time and strong wind. The best community is the rasta one, they sell handcrafts and all that. Favourite one - little rastaman, really funny guy smiling all the time with huge rasta hat on the head.


Pirma diena pagaude saule valanda ir neblogai nudege (ekvatorius prie pat ir eidamas mini ant seselio galvos), kitas dvi dienas saules pamatyti nepavyko, nes pjovem. Atsikelus i vakara i local, alaus, po dvylikos i papludimi, prikimsta kiosku pardavinejanciu caipirinha, ir vieninteliu klubu, siulanciu sokine sudmuzike. Paryciais visas veiksmas keliasi i forró kluba (siaures rytu nacionaline muzika), taip naktine Jericoacoara banda ir keliauja iki saules pasitikimo.
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Paskutine diena siaip ne taip sugebejom nuvaziuoti i eskursija apziureti smelynuose issidrebusiu gelo vandens ezeru.






We got some tan on the first day, sun is so strong, it took just an hour to get red. Next two days was party time, beer in local till midnight, after to the beach where caipirinha is the drink and the shit dance music is the choise in only one club. Finally in early hours forró club (local folk music) and the sunrise.

Somehow the last we managed to go to lagoons in the dunes.





Sekmadieni istustejusioj centrineje aiksteje del 100 reais prizo varzesi vietiniai daininkai. Rengini stebejo visas kaimas - trys policininkai, rastamanu burys (dreduotieji bande jegas dainu konkurse, suvilioti aukso puodo), pro sali praslinkdavo Paolo, salia daininku ant scenos soko isprotejusi mergina, panasi i Gavrosa (nuolat sokusi ant scenos forró klube). Pagrindine gatve nuskubejo karve, zalmarges paryciais atvaro buriais esti is siuksliadeziu, ta pati daro ir asiliukai, bet dabar ne sezonas. Sedint locale, nugara gaivino vejas, pedos varte smeli, berniukas atnese dar pora alaus, gyvenimas grazus ar ne? (cia Robke taip nuostabiai saulelydi papleskino).

I didn´t like that local music much but this tune they kept playing in seafood restaurant is amazing. Btw sorry for my english cause I am writing it in a hurry.

Obrigado Botafogo

Rio de Janeiro neisivaizduojamas be saules kaip Trakai be kibinu ar Dublinas be narkomanu. Deja, beveik visa viesnages laika saule slepesi uz debesu, o lietus karts nuo karto taskydavo be gailescio. I Brazilija pagaudyti saules ir pakeliauti kartu pora savaiciu atvyko draugas Robertas aka Robke is Dublino, sugebejes pramiegoti originalu skrydi is Madrido ir pasirodes diena veliau.

Apsistojome vidurines klases rajone Botafogo, jaukiame hostelyje, kurio dauguma lankytoju sudare brazilai. As, nesulaukes Robkes, pirma diena praslankiojau kaiminysteje, prasieidamas vietiniu papludimiu. Hostelyje kiekviena vakara ´mama Ciolia´ ruosdavo gardzia vakariene, pietums ant kampo geltuojancios uzkandines padavejas patardavo koki patiekala pasirinkti. Brazilija - brangiausia salis Pietu Amerikoje, ypac didieji miestai, todel prabangiai ilsetis kainuoja nemazai rubliu. Botafogo - geras rajonas su medumi kvepianciomis gatvemis, minimaliu kiekiu turistu, todel gali pamatyti kaip verda kasdieninis gyvenimas Rio.



Vakare atvykus Robkei, sovem aplankyti samba klubo, ant kurio scenos grojo krepsinio komandos dydzio grupe, o sokejai-lankytojai kraipe klubus. Grizus i hosteli, su brazilu kompanija iki paryciu zaidem zaidima kortomis, kurio esme isgerti kuo dazniau. Robke issitrauke buteli degtines, snapse visi ragavo nesusiraukdami.

Rio de Janeiro is the city to enjoy best when the sun is shining. Unfortunately all the time I spent there the sun showed up only few times and it rained a lot. My friend Robert aka Robbie from Dublin came to visit Brazil and travel together for couple of weeks.

He managed to miss original flight in Madrid and arrived next day. The hostel we stayed in was in middle class Botafogo neighborhood.


First day I walked around the hood, nice place, not many tourists around so you can see daily life of Rio. Brazil is the most expensive country in South America, specially big cities. The breakfast and dinner was served in hostel was tasty and simple, for lunch the waiter of the local bar on the corner would recommend good and cheap food. The hostel was full of brazilians and couple of days we were only foreigners there. When Robbie arrived we went to samba club with live band on the stage and hip shaking on the floor. Back to hostel, drinking game with brazilians, bottle of vodka Robbie brought from Ireland, early morning in Rio.

Sau Paulo brazilai gasdino pavojais Rio de Janeiro, pasak ju, centras pilnas bomzu, favelu gyventoju, ieskanciu lengvo grobio. Nerade pirkti automatu, ejom apziureti centro ginkluoti tik fotoaparatu. San Paulo gyventojai perdejo arba mums tiesiog ´nepasiseke´ - judrus, purvinokas centras neatrode pavojingas kaip ir superdidelis turgus, siulantis ivairiausiu suduku, galinga katedra ar senus laikus menanti architektura, isikibusi i paranke pilkiems daugiaauksciams.






Apsiniaukes dangus pradejo dalinti lietaus lasus, mes bandeme vaziuoti i Santa Teresa rajona, taciau autobuso vairuotojas islaipino prie Corcovado kalvos. Virsuneje dunkso zymioji Kristaus statula. Kylant i kalva tramvajumi, matomumas mazejo geometrine progresija, atsidurus virsuneje migloje buvo sunku iziureti net ir 40 metu aukscio Kristaus figura. Krapnojantis lietus neleido likti ilgiau, o liutis vakare priverte sedeti hostelyje beziurint filmus apie Brazilija.

Brazilian guys in Sao Paulo kept telling me that Rio is dangerous place full of homeless and favelas´ finest looking to mug a tourist. I wouldn´t agree, the downtown of Rio was busy, little bit dirty but safe. Old buildings next to high rise apartment blocks, enormous cathedral, huge market where you can buy some shit.






The rain was getting stronger, we wanting to go to Santa Teresa neighborhood by accident ended up next to Corcovado hill, home to famous statue of Christ. Going up to the hill by tram the visibility was getting worse every second. On the top the only thing you could see was the statue surrounded by thick fog. Awfull forced us to go back very soon and stay in hostel watching brazilian movies.

Kita diena Santa Teresa pasiekem antikvariniu tramvajumi, is ten atgal i centra kulniavome pesciomis. Tipo menininku rajonas su simpatiskais, ryskiomis spalvomis ir detalemis papuostais namukais, vergu prakaitu pastatytomis senomis pilaitemis ir uz nugaros marguojanciomis favelomis. Nakti i si rajona taksi net nevaziuoja, bet ir diena nesiryzom lysti giliau i salutines gatveles.





Bevalgant pietus pasirode tingine saule, pazadejusi giedresni dangu. Nulekus metro iki Pão de Açúcar kalvos, prisikabino dusmanas Antonio, isiules dar karta aplankyti Kristaus statula. Si karta po kojomis atsivere visas Rio vaizdas - smeleti papludimiai, zalieji rajonai.


Antonio garsiai, labai garsiai dalinosi gimtosios provincijos muzika, svilpavo kiekvienai pakeliui sutiktai merginai ir patare be baimes aplankyti salia musu esancia favela (po to kiti brazilai primygtinai prase to nedaryti). Grizus i Pão de Açúcar kilom budele aukstyn, Rio pasipuose ziburiais, Robkes gimtadienio proga ragavom caipirinhas. Telefoninio pokalbio metu jubilijatas tiksliai apibudino veiksma - ´lakam samagona ir megaujames Kristumi´.



Vakare susitikus su kaimyne is Dublino Egele, kuri Brazilijoje lanko draugus, pratesem caipirinha ragavima. Po simto metu taip ilgai snekejau lietuviskai (Saltoje sutikau viena mergina ir pora vaikinuku Iguazu, su kuriais persimetem keliais zodziais).

Santa Teresa neighborhood is kind of arty one, colourful houses, colonial mansions and favelas on the hills around. At night taxi driver wouldn´t go there and at day we didn´t go deep to side streets.





The sun showed up , we took a metro to Sugar Loaf hill, where taxi driver Antonio convinced us to visit Christ statue again. This time the view was great - sunny beaches and green neighborhoods.


Back to Sugar Loaf , tram to the top, darkness and zillions of light popping in the city below. Robbie celebrated his birthday and we had few caipirinhas while enjoying the view.



Caipirinha was the drink of the night when we met my neighbor from Dublin Egle visiting her friends in Brazil. I haven´t spoke lithuanian for a long time.

Nors saule ir nepasirode paskutine diena, popiete praleidom papludimiuose, nes juos aplankyti Rio privaloma. Zmoniu pakranteje, krapnojant lietui, ilsejosi mazai, jokiu atviru bikini ir kitu grozybiu ne zenklo. Taciau pardaveju ir kitu ikyriu tipu netruko. Prazingsniave Copacabana, uzsukant i forta patikrinti Brazilijos kariniu pajegu pasiruosima, uzsukom i prabangu Ipanema papludimi.



Ponai ir ponios gere sampana, o gelbetojai nuobodziaudami krapste ausis. Svieciant saulei, Rio papludimiai nusluostytu nosi bet kuriam kitam miestui. Tuo galesiu isitikinti grizes karnavalo metu.

Sun didn´t show the last day but anyways we went to check the beach cause you can´t miss it. Light rain and no bikinis around just annoying sellers everywhere. Longest beach Copacabana guarded by fort and poshy Ipanema beach. I guess when it´s raining the story is like that but if you can buy some sun credits in advance Rio would be the best city for beach life.



Sauletas Rio bombarduotu bossa nova medaus bombomis.