Shock News: Brazil Is Really Big
Saturday night in Puerto Iguazu is properly rocking, busier than every previous evening with queues outside several restaurants and music from numerous bars clashing mid street in a melee of bass lines and choruses which succeed only in drowning each other out. Bon Jovi, Men At Work and Gnarls Barkley merge into a disturbing melange which threatens to confuse and confound the ears. Whether it’s like this every Saturday, or whether it’s especially busy because it’s Easter, we’ll never know.
Our last night in Argentina
And so after our brief 5-day glimpse of Argentina, we head back across the bridge and cast one last look at the pale blue skies and fluffy white clouds that precisely mirror the colours of the nation’s flag uncannily often. It seems a little strange to then catch a local service bus from a small bus station for a fare of £1.74 and go on to finish the journey in a completely different country. But that’s how it rolls around here.
We purposefully stay on the bus until its destination in downtown Foz do Iguaçu for a spot of lunch, and decide fairly quickly that those on line descriptions of “modern” and “uninteresting” may be fairly accurate. It’s also pretty much closed, what with it being Easter Sunday, but a combo shawarma in Cafe Beirut (I kid you not) comes to our aid.
Brazil is big. It covers a greater area than all of the contiguous states of the USA put together, and, what’s more, the entire European Union would comfortably fit into Brazil…..twice. So planning a Brazil trip presents dilemmas, which for us have been exacerbated by our unscheduled month-long interruption. Our shortened trip means lengthy cross country bus journeys are just too time consuming and difficult, and so, to enable us to still visit those major destinations which we really don’t want to miss, domestic flights are a better option. Trouble is, flying everywhere means we’re running the risk of feeling that we’re leapfrogging the country rather travelling it, but it’s the price we’re having to pay for making it to our prioritised sights. Maybe one state at a time, like in America or India, might be a better idea. Still, we’re in it now and it is what it is.
So it’s nearly five hours in the air to get from Iguaçu to Recife via São Paulo and then a taxi ride around the bay to our next destination, Olinda, where our host Leo is waiting outside our airbnb house, keys in hand and welcoming smile on his face. This man radiates warmth as he proudly shows us around our new home, a traditional old dwelling right in the heart of the old town, recently renovated inside. Our introductory conversation, in a mix of Portuguenglish, Google translate and hand gestures, ends up with Leo driving us to an authentic “neighbourhood” restaurant, picking us up afterwards and then giving us a brief driving tour of the old town. What a welcome!
That drive is of course long after dark, so our first full day is all about exploring this quiet and quaint old town. Our home really is in the midst of it – a centuries old traditional house tucked in amongst the cobbled streets and brightly painted low rise houses. The bars and cafes we saw on our tour with Leo last night are now anonymous behind closed wooden shutters and locked doors, indistinguishable from the private homes next door, apart perhaps from a modest beer logo painted on the wall.
It’s quiet. The streets are so steep and the cobbles so uneven that what few cars there are move slowly between the picturesque houses, clusters of people sit in shady corners to escape the raging sun, giving the whole district an air of unshakable stillness. Even the street dogs lay silent in doorways or under trees.
As well as the quaint houses, Olinda old town is bursting with grand buildings, featuring no less than sixteen churches, four museums and three markets in what is only a compact area. From the top of the town the views across the ocean, sweeping towards Recife, Olinda’s big sister, are as rewarding as they are diverse: the quaint charm of Olinda facing the gleaming new city blocks of the bigger neighbour.
There’s an amusing place to seek refuge from the heat and humidity (website says “actual 33, feels like 39”) in Casa dos Bonecos Gigantes. Across so much of the Hispanic world, gigantes costumes form an integral part of major fiestas, and here is where in Olinda the costumes are stored in the weeks between those celebrations – open for a small fee to enable us to go face to face with the oversized mannequin reproductions of the town’s historical and contemporary characters. Each one carries a photograph of the character on which they are based, which really shows how cleverly lifelike these pastiches are, despite their obvious exaggeration.
In a more reverent vein, the interior of the Convento de São Francisco is cool and peaceful, walls adorned throughout with beautifully decorated Portuguese rococo tiling which has stood the test of time and is terrifically well preserved. The convent, for a long period the only dedicated Franciscan complex in Brazil, was originally established in 1565, destroyed by the rampaging Dutch in 1631, then rebuilt via numerous restoration projects over the ensuing three centuries and more. It remains a grand and peaceful place today, its elevated position above the ocean still giving it an impressive and commanding presence.
Occasionally in the old town an official guide will approach us and offer services, but to a man they withdraw when we say we speak English. They can offer Spanish, Italian and French as alternatives to Portuguese, but none of them speak English – surely a twist on the worldwide norm. In truth, they look almost relieved that they have a reason to go back and sit in the shade once more rather than stand talking beneath the harsh rays.
Just when we think we’ve seen the best of the old town, we stumble upon Rua do Amparo, probably the highest scorer on the colour-o-meter so far – an amazing collection of wonderfully decorated houses, some adorned with terrific large scale murals and none matching the colour of its neighbour. The effect of the different tones of the walls married to the artistic murals and cascading bougainvillea and jasmine is nothing short of exquisite.
Local artist Sergio Vilanova calls us into his studio to show off his extensive collection of his own works: there must be at least 200 colourful paintings in here, most of which are somewhere between a child’s imagination and the randomness of Picasso. The most amusing moment comes when Sergio proudly shows us not one of his own works but a photograph on his iPhone – it’s the gigantes puppet in his own image. It seems we’ve met one of those revered local celebrities.
The new town end of Olinda, with its sleek high rise blocks beautifully tiled from ground to sky and its half attractive promenade along the seafront, is pleasant enough, but has nothing on the character and multi coloured appeal of the old town. We’re so pleased that we opted to stay here, especially in one of these old traditional houses, where we can walk to neighbourhood bars in which we’re the only tourists and nobody has a word of English, and yet by only our second visit they remember our choice of drinks and greet us with beaming smiles.
We may be leapfrogging Brazil, but this particular hop has landed well.
40 Comments
Gilda Baxter
Awww I love Olinda, I have spent a wonderful carnival there back in the 80’s. You have given me a trip down memory lane. Looks like the town is looking as charming as I remember it.
I understand about your hesitation to take flights around Brazil, but with such huge distances to cover it would be hard to see many of the highlights in a short time. I do hope you will make it to Fernando de Noronha, a beautiful protected island, just off the coast from Recife.
Phil & Michaela
Amazingly attractive old town, isn’t it! Not sure we’ll be able to get to the island but we’ll see. As for today, we’re trapped indoors while the tropical storm hurls bucketfuls of rain into the streets! All part of the fun of Brazil huh!
Helen Devries
You made the right choice of lodging….the old town looks just lovely. Now I’ll have to look up its history.
Phil & Michaela
Very attractive and photogenic here, as you can see. We’re trapped indoors by the torrential rain today – shades of our first day in Quepos a few years ago!
Helen Devries
Oh no! Hope it clears up soon!
Phil & Michaela
Not yet, 10 hours now with no let up!
Helen Devries
Oh boy!
Monkey's Tale
You really are hopscothcing around. Glad you made it to colourful Olinda.Salvador must be next?
Phil & Michaela
I know, the picture changed when we lost those four weeks Maggie. Now it’s a matter of reaching the main targets in the time which remained. We only have 12 days left till we hit New Orleans so we won’t make it to Salvador either unfortunately
Monkey's Tale
Oh no! Manaus??
Phil & Michaela
Yep. Manaus and the Amazon is next….
Monkey's Tale
Don’t forget to have Vitamina Guarana at the boat launch, for your Amazon trip!!!
Phil & Michaela
That’s an unusual name for a beer…….
Monkey's Tale
🤣🤣🤣
Andrew Petcher
The colours are fabulous. So Portugal and then another coat of paint.
Phil & Michaela
Yes, even more colourful than Mexico, I would say
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
Very colourful! Your home away from looks like it was quite comfortable and such a great location in the old town. I hope your remaining days go well. Cheers.
Phil & Michaela
Although the house is getting some “uninvited guests” in various animal forms! 😂
Travels Through My Lens
Old Town Olinda looks perfectly charming and quaint. I love the vibrant and whimsical colors of the buildings. Enjoy!
Phil & Michaela
Yes, they are special!
Toonsarah
That looks a wonderful place to stay, both the old town in general and your accommodation in particular. And yes, I did find you in the Gigantes museum although it took me a while 🤣
Phil & Michaela
Very picturesque, isn’t it!
leightontravels
So now I’m half tempted to line up three YouTube videos of Bon Jovi, Men At Work and Gnarls Barkley and let them all loose simultaneously. Shudder. Olinda looks very charming… love the colour, the light, the cobbled roads, the seemingly peaceful vibe. Oh, and that sunglasses mural is fantastic and cleverly executed. The Gigantes museum feels equally impressive and creepy. Not sure I could spot Michaela but think I found you.
Phil & Michaela
Ah well. We’re there, but we’re actually wearing the costumes. Remember, these are “Gigantes” for a reason…and when you wear them, the head of the costume is way above your own. Now look again at the full standing Gigantes, and…..half way down the body, you may see two smiling faces…..😂. I love that sunglasses mural, I smile every time I pass it.
leightontravels
Oh my lord yes. You know I actually scanned through these another 2-3 times before I finally saw you both.
Phil & Michaela
😂
Alison
Wow so colourful, what a beautiful town. Hope the rain let’s up and you can explore more. Seems like you’ll be making many acquaintances at the bars 😁
Phil & Michaela
And a few acquaintances in the creature world, too!
grandmisadventures
I love those bright colors of the houses of Olinda! They just seem so bright, happy, and inviting. How fun to get to see the costumes too- such a unique aspect of the city that probably gets overlooked. Even having to leap frog a little bit, you sure landed in a great place 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Yes, it’s a lovely town in an interesting area, Meg
Annie Berger
Never heard of Olinda but was sure impressed with the dramatic colors, the rococo tiling, and the Gigantes Museum. Never did notice you both but looked in earnest. Sorry to hear about the torrential rain – hope that eases soon.
Phil & Michaela
Well if you want to find us in the Gigantes museum, we are actually inside two of the costumes. Remember these costumes are very tall….so find the two where you can see the whole body, then scan downwards….you might just see two faces peeping out…
Annie Berger
Thanks for the tip – I saw you finally! Your acting as reference points really made me realize how truly gigantic the figures were.
Phil & Michaela
They are indeed!
wetanddustyroads
Your accommodation in Olinda is lovely and what colourful houses (and that museum) – love it. The churches are very similar to the ones we have seen in Portugal (also the tiling inside). Oh, and after some investigation, I finally found you and Michaela in the museum – great camouflage!!
Phil & Michaela
The Portuguese influence is clear to see in many places in Brazil. Ha ha well found, those are big costumes!
WanderingCanadians
I must make it to Olinda someday (and not just because my name is Linda)! I love how colourful the old houses are.
Phil & Michaela
Apparently the name came when Portuguese explorers first saw the coast and exclaimed “o! Linda!”, because Linda is Portuguese for “beautiful”…. but you probably know that already!!
Heyjude
Such a colourful place. You’d need to be wearing sunglasses! You certainly are good at finding interesting places. And great disguise btw 😁
Phil & Michaela
Ah you found us 😂. Olinda was a lovely little place, enjoyed our time there