What to espect from Carnival?

[xchris]

I'm still trying in making space between days into my job calendar, to be able to come back to Brazil in late february til the first days of march.

 

Well, I always used to have holydays during low season, and now I just imagine the difficulties I'm facing, i.e. crowded aeroports and difficulties to book a fly going to Salvador and back, hotels full etc...

 

But above all, are the sauna open during the peak four-six days of Carnival? And are the boys working there or they desappear to go partying somewhere around?

 

My friend Carlos invited me to stay in his apt. with him, but I think there will be increasing difficulties also moving from S.Teresa to Copacabana. Are the taxi working, or buses, or i have to espect a huge melting crowd everywhere with imaginable lack of services around?

 

Ciao

CHRIS

[trilingual]

Most services, including the saunas, will operate during Carnival. There will be huge crowds along the Carnival parade routes, which may cause buses to be re-routed during those periods, but there will be bus and taxi service. Things will be nearly normal in other parts of town away from the parades. Flights and hotels will be full: it's always the peak period of the year, and this year Brazil is enjoying its biggest and busiest tourist season in a very long time (it's too expensive for Brazilians to go abroad, so they're traveling at home and packing all the hotels, resorts, etc.). Make your reservations as soon as possible to get the flights and hotels you want. Carnival events themselves will be crowded and frenzied, but it's so easy to get caught up in the excitement that you're certain to have fun!

[Guest Deweywop]

Trilingual, have you been to Carnavale in other places in Brazil and got any word for us hopefuls? I've long been intrigued by the Bahia carnavale but have heard that it's now even bigger than Rio's. I've also heard about Olinda, Ouro Preto, and Florianopolis (where all the men supposedly go in drag!). I think I would save the hectic and commercialized Rio Carnavale for later when I'm much richer.

[Guest Ernani]

*** << I've long been intrigued by the Bahia carnavale but have heard that it's now even bigger than Rio's. I've also heard about Olinda, Ouro Preto, and Florianopolis (where all the men supposedly go in drag!). I think I would save the hectic and commercialized Rio Carnavale for later when I'm much richer.>>

 

........ Well, I lived in Bahia for 1 year and in Florianopolis (Blumenau) for 2 years, and I can tell you that you can´t compare these cities very much. It depends on what you´re looking for.

Carnival in Olinda and Ouro Preto are very straight, in a rithm other than samba. My friends liked Carnival there, but, they like women.

Florianopolis is a lot of fun, but, don´t you think prices down there are cheaper than in Rio, this time of the year and it´s in a smaller scale than in Rio.

Bahia has a great Carnival, but I don´t like the bands there, with mechanic music played in a truck ( this is my taste ).

If you´re gay, I strongly recommend Rio wich has the hottest gay men in Brazil, and you can find parties everywhere, not mentioning that here there is the biggest parade in the world ( Sambódromo ), just like a dream. And, once you´re in Rio, you´ll realize that altough it has the biggest party in the world, it won´t be so hetic, for the bands will be playing in different parts of the town, so you can avoid (why avoid if you can experience so much fun ?) the crowds.

If you stay in Santa Tereza ( close to where I live ) you can watch "Bloco das Carmelitas" and notice it is not as hetic as you think.

I am sure you´ll have lots of fun in Brazil ( especially Rio ) and will want to come back again.

[xchris]

Thanks friends, Tri and Ernani, for your details that I appreciated a lot.

 

Just a thing. As I'm not so used to common sentences in english, as I use just normal basic english, can you please explain to me what means the word "hetic" in that context?

 

I hope to visit Carnival in Rio so to describe the feeling to all the others that can appreciate such an important event, as seen by italian eyes...

 

And I hope to give you all a sign of my friendshipness by cooking a good Spaghetti soon.

 

Grazie

CHRIS

[Guest Ernani]

Your English is so good that I thought you were born in a english-speaking country. Well, "hectic" means too crowded, too noisy, not calm... this is my Brazilian explanation. Can someone give a better description.

If you stay in Santa Tereza, give me a call, for it´s close to where I live.

Don´t forget to bring the spagetthi.

[Guest Gringo]

hectic

 

adj : marked by intense agitation or emotion; "worked at a feverish pace" [syn: feverish]

 

 

Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University

[+ Axiom2001]

Ernai, you explained the word "hectic" very well to fellow poster and cyberfriend xChris. Your meaning was very easy to understand! I thank you as a teacher of the language and as a friend of this forum.

[Guest Ernani]

Axiom and Gringo, if you need any explanation in Portuguese just ask me.

By the way, you still didn´t tell me wich is going to be your costume during Carnival in Rio.;-)

[xchris]

Grazie for the lesson of high school english. I wish I could have the same help to improve my poor french, spanish and arabic!

 

I still learn from the internet and from my travel. I love to communicate, as people is my first pleasure, knowing culture, habits and social history. That is why usually sex for me is a part of the pleasure of knowing friends better. And this is why sometimes I find myself involved more in friendship and respect than in plane fun.

 

And why I will cook spaghetti for you, too, Ernani. I hope to call you soon from S.Tereza. This would mean that my friendship with Carlos is improving better and better.

 

What do you know about S.Tereza? Is it a safe neighborhood, has is some local shop? Should I feel somehow protect and at home living there, or it is difficult for a stranger to be accepted by the locals around?

 

Ciao

CHRIS

[Guest Deweywop]

To me, the Santa Teresa neighborhood felt like a relaxed hill-top town in the midst of a 10-million person city. How much quainter can you get? You go there on the Bonde (sounds kind of like bungee), a rickety cable car that departs from behind the massive Petrobras building in Rio Centro (the building looks like a planetary-sized air conditioning unit). The cable car goes across an arched aqueduct, then climbs up leafy, twisty, narrow streets. Flocks of schoolchildren jump on to entertain the tourists with their antics and far-too-dangerous daredevilry on the open cars. But don't worry. The kids seem rather harmless and leave others alone. There are a few art galleries, an excellent craft shop, and a few small restaurants in "downtown" Santa Teresa, which is a tiny square that I missed twice on the ride. But don't worry. I just went to the end of the cable car line and walked back down, enjoying the views of mountains, city, and favela all around. This is how I imagined Rio to be like 50 years ago. (How I wish I could have seen Copacabana 100 years ago when it was largely inaccessible to the city.)

 

Sta Teresa is probably my favorite area of Rio, but I'd want to figure out a fast access to the far more happening Copacabana and Ipanema. The amazing thing about Rio is how much more of it there is than the rightly famous high-rise backed beaches.

[+ Axiom2001]

>Axiom and Gringo, if you need any explanation in Portuguese

>just ask me.

>By the way, you still didn´t tell me wich is going to be your

>costume during Carnival in Rio.;-)

 

 

 

Ernani-- my friend and I plan to go to GALA GAY on Tues. 04/04/03. I'd like for you to suggest a simple costume for me.

Please email me. Obrigado! Axiom