Salvador, Brasil

       As I finally post the first installment about the trip, it is the last day of the World Cup and Germany will take on Argentina for the title they will hold for the next four years.  I can't believe it is over and I am not sure what I will do with myself next week (probably catch up on these and hopefully Infinity On Demand will still offer all the Univision telecasts).  It seems like a perfect time to recap and I will post something every couple days this week.
       Looking back, Salvador was probably my favorite city of the three we visited.  Rio was over the top, Recife a little boring, and the hotels in those two locales were just not nearly as nice and accommodating as the wonderful Mar Brasil Hotel in the Itapua neighborhood and beach area on the northwest of the large city in the state of Bahia.  Although we were situated on the far side of the city from most of the action, a good 30-minute white-knuckle cab ride away (more on that in a future post), it was just our style, a small, locally run hotel along a quiet beach with good food, beautiful decor and ambiance, including a TV in the lobby that played every game, and absolutely exceptional service.  The staff was always available to help, direct us to many great nearby restaurants, help plan travel and make reservations, and when we were not provided an "ocean view" room as promised, they refunded two nights stay!  (Needless to say, this did not set us up well for the general service we would receive the rest of the trip, but it was certainly nice while it lasted.)
      The first night we tried out some local food at a small family restaurant.  The hotel porter actually walked us to and showed us four restaurants in the area, including the "expensive" one, to make sure we were safe and that they were still open.  By the end of the trip we had tried all four and they all had great food, with shall we say "interesting" service according to our "American" standards.  When we awoke the next morning we were treated to a fine buffet of fresh fruits and baked goods, numerous hot dishes, an egg station, cereals, cheeses and meats, yogurt and two types of fresh juice. We were certainly able to start each day with a good breakfast.
           We quickly jumped into World Cup spirit and as we left the hotel to get into our cab for the Germany-Portugal game, we heard a "Ha-lo! Good Morning! Are you going to the stadium?" in a strong German accent from across the street, as an older man with a Germany flag draped across his shoulders as a cape was jogging toward us.  Although it may not be advised to allow a random stranger to join you we both readily welcomed this jovial fellow, who actually spoke great English and fair Portuguese and he gave us a history lesson and tour of the city, asking the cabbie anything he didn't know and passing it along.  It seemed most local Brazilians were favoring the Portuguese as they were quite eager to rib him in stopped traffic as he waved his homeland's pride. We actually still had to walk up over a kilometer to get to the stadium which is situated on a hill in the middle of a bunch of favelas.  There was a strong police presence along the way and the crowd was jovial, taking a lot of pictures of the stadium and area.  When we got inside it beautiful, the Fan Zone has tons of fun activities and free junk, and our seats  ended up being quite good.  This stadium was constructed on the site of the old one, using over 90% of the materials from the old structure.  The game itself was a blast with a huge group of Portuguese behind us to the left and numerous groups of Germans to the right, keeping the chanting and singing going throughout the game.  The Germans really dominated from start to finish, neutralizing the disappointing Christiano Ronaldo and helped by Pepe's stupidity to thrash the Portuguese 4-0.  The game left me very impressed with how well the Germans space themselves and control the ball, and it wasn't the last time during the month that I had that thought. That evening we actually ended up just watching the US-Ghana game back in the hotel lobby, as a nice crowd was gathering when we got back. It was a really great full first day and perfect way to start this trip.
       The next morning we actually were involved in a minor fender-bender while taking a cab to the old town Pelourinho area.  It actually wasn't even the cabby's fault, although he was your typical crazy Brazilian taxi driver: goes ways too fast, brakes at the last second, comes way too close to nearby cars, uses indeterminable number of lanes. Although we had some very interesting cab rides to say the least, this was our only accident of the three weeks.(again, more to come on this topic). We were in stop and go traffic and the guy behind us, who likely was on his phone, lightly bumped into us. Luckily, everyone was fine with minor damage to the cars and we were able to continue on our way.  The entire neighborhood around the Pelourinho, the main plaza in the Alta (high section) of the Old Town that used to serve as one of the world's largest slave auctions, was decked out beautifully with the trademark yellow and green national colors. It was here that I first noticed how many people were wearing the familiar Brasil jersey, more often than not number 10, and how many places were adorned with streamers, flags or other decorations.  As the city was also setting up for their Sao Joa festivities, there was a lot of general activity, including Capoeira (dance/martial arts) and Oludum drumming performances in the public areas.  There is a very old tramway that takes you between the Alta and Baixa (lower) parts of the old city.  I got my Mexico Havaiana flip-flops down below before we went to the Fan Fest for the much anticipated Brasil-Mexico match-up.
        When we got to the Salvador Fan Fest area out at the coastal point and Farol da Barra, we immediately spotted and were drawn toward four guys in Mexican jerseys sitting below the Lighthouse there and went over to join them.  It was refreshing to hear and speak Spanish, even more so than the English I had spoken.  Our crowd grew and grew with a lot of verde jerseys, Lucha Libre masks, Mexican flags decorating a diverse crowd of fans including your typical rowdy diehard male fans, numerous young couples, two different teenage boys taking their birthday trips with their padres, and one young man who had saved four years to take his grandparents to Brasil (he even had sandwiches in his backpack for them and his grandma was one of the rowdiest fans).  After watching the first of Belgium's late game heriocs on the big screen and before the Mexico-Brasil clash started, we went in search of some food and stumbled upon what would become a "staple" of the trip-"bowl of meat" as we liked to call it, or a simple churrasco/grill stand that simply cooks kebabs of meat and then serves them in a small bowl with not much more than maybe some "farofa" or manioc root powder that really only adds a little texture.  It is simple perfection and filled us up for the intense match-up that was to come.
       The seemingly large Fan Fest area filled up quickly and watching this Mexico-Brasil game in that electric environment was almost like being at the game (it is described in further detail in a previous post "Salvador Fan Fest").  I like to think that from above the crowd looked like a Brazilian flag with our group of Mexican fans a green circle in the middle surrounded by vast yellow all around.  After the intense and exciting 0-0 draw (Americanos just don't get this!) the attitude in the Mexican group was that of celebrating a win. Getting out of the Fan Fest was another story as the entrance/exit was very narrow (another example of brilliant efficiency here) and anxious and slow-going as waves of people inched the crowd slowly forward.  Luckily, the Brasileiros were generally calm, certainly patient and good-natured, joking with us as we all were pushed and pulled along, often body to body and face to face, excruciatingly slowly toward the exit.  We finally got out of the sweaty hoard and hailed a taxi back to the hotel.  All in all, this ended up being one of our favorite days of the trip.
       Although it was a little cold and windy, with huge waves, we spent quite a bit of time walking up and down, as well as sitting on the beach, and also relaxed by the pool.  It was just a very pleasant and comfortable place to be.  One afternoon we were interviewed by a local TV sports reporter who was fishing for someone to sing "The Girl from Ipanema" but he couldn't get anyone to bite. The last night in Salvador, we went to Mistura, the "expensive" restaurant the porter had pointed the first night, as I realized it was one that I had written down after having seen it mentioned numerous times in my reading as "the best seafood in Salvador".  It was quite nice and had impressive large screen TVs that appear to be large paintings but then can convert and show a soccer game when needed, which is often in Brasil.  It was a nice way to end with a great meal but definitely sad to be leaving Salvador early the next morning.

Reacclimating to UnitedStatesian life

Wow-I have been back almost a week now and have been trying to imagine what Brasil looks and sounds like today after the devastating loss suffered by A seleceao yesterday.  The one striking image that sticks with me is bright yellow and green, everywhere you looked.  Many streets were completely decorated, with yellow and green streamers across the streets, along with Brasileira flags in most storefronts, hanging from every building and even adorning the front side mirrors on many cars.  Seemingly everyone, literally 40% or more at any given time, 75%+ on game days, dressed in the traditional yellow Brasil jerseys-the kids, the adults, seniors, waiters, shop and boutique workers.  Most places had a TV going anytime any game was one-IN many of the taxis and some even built into the dash, at the local pharmacy, grocery store or salon, at the gas station, and of course anywhere, even the smallest cart or kiosk, that serves any type of food or drink.  When Brasil was actually playing the normally busy streets were eerily quiet except for the outbursts at overflowing restaurants and bars. (The government and many business actually shut down early, by law, on Brasil game days.) No matter what languages, combinations or lack thereof, we were constantly talking futebol/futbol/football/soccer with someone.  I had stated numerous times that Germany was very good and would be difficult for Brasil under any circumstances, but especially so without Thiago Silva (Neymar as well, but the captain centerback is much more crucial to how the team flows) I  hope that Brasileiro spirit and passion is still prevalent today.

Overall. our trip was amazing, wonderful, trying at times, but a fabulous experience. Unfortunately, with a busy schedule and one-computer lobby "business centers" at all of our hotels it was very difficult to post during the trip outside of Twitter, and then only when I had Wifi and/or some sort of internet connection. The previous post in this blog gave my impressions of Salvador and the Mexico-Brasil game we viewed at the Fan Fest.  Therefore, over the next week or so, I will post a few recaps and summaries of the places we visited, the games we witnessed, interesting multinational people we met and other interesting tidbits of Brazilian culture and language (i.e. "Does Spanish really help?" and...the taxis).  I'll start with something about Salvador tomorrow.

For an extra Brasil tidbit, check out my other blog about Birds of Prey, usually local raptors for me, but the latest post touched on some birding in Salvador: http://bcraptorwatch.blogspot.com/

Salvador Fan Fest

We have arrived in beautiful Salvador, Brasil and are staying at a wonderful hotel in the Itapua area.  Yesterday was a great day as we woke up basking in the glory of the USA win over Ghana and headed to the Pelourinho in the old part of the city.  It was totally decked out for the Cup, as most of the country is, in the  yellow and green of Brasil. After exploring, checking out the cathedral, watching some Capoeira and some Oludum (sp?) drumming, and doing a little shopping, we grabbed another cab down to the Fan Fest.  When we got there it was relatively quiet, with a few hundred people sitting around, watching the Belgium-Algeria match on the GIGANTIC screen.  The two Algerians went ballistic when their team took an early lead on a PK.We quickly found a small group of four Mexicans and joined them.  Anytime we saw another verde or rojo we called them over and our group quickly grew.  By kickoff of the Brasil-Mexico clash we were numbering 40 or so, but that number continued to increase as the game went on and I believe there were over a hundred by games end.  The entire area was standing room only for the match and felt as if we were in the actual stadium.  Our group, especially with some very cool Lucha Libre masks, was the subjuect of countless photo and even video requests from fans and media alike.We sang all the songs and chants (got to clarify some of the words before Croatia) and had a really great Puuuu-Tooooo! for all of Julio Cesar´s goal kicks.  It was an absolutely electrifying environment and I can´t wait for the Croatia game in person next week.

The game itself was a classic, hard-fought 0-0 draw between two hungry teams.  Brasil started out much stronger as Mexico appeared to be very amped for the game.  Memo Ochoa stopped an early shot (one of many on the day) and El Tri started to settle down.  Miguel Herrera´s strategy was aggressive, tackling hard and makingit difficult for Neymar, Oscar or anyone else to do a whole lot in the middle of the field. While some of the Mexican stars like Miguel Layun and Orribe Perralta were quiet throughout most of the match, others like Gallito Vasquez and Andres Guardado had excellent games.  Captain Rafa Marquez played very well, marking Neymar often and pushing upfield on offense.  Keeper Ochoa was phenomenal and earned millions of dollars for hisnext contract with the performance, as well as relegating an outstanding Jesus Corona to the bench for the forseeable future-I think even Senora Corona would agree here. Twitter exploded with references and tributes to him and his is now known worldwide. As I expected, Mexico ripped numerous long rockets but could not keep them on goal, narrowing missing left, right and over the crossbar numerous times.  Even late in the game, they kept pushing for the win, refusing to sit back and settle for a draw.  All three substitutions were offensive minded. When the game ended in a tie, we celebrated a well-earned point as if it was a win.  When we got back to the hotel the game was being replayed on TV and I got to relive it following it on my twitter timeline. This now sets Mexico up to advance with a tie or win against the Croats. That game should blow this one away in terms of excitement.

It's here!

The last week or so has flown by very fast and our departure day is finally here!  The first two days of the 2014 World Cup have been fantastic, full of goals, controversy (stress and pronounce as you please) and most importantly, a Mexico win and three points! The team played very well and the game was well attended by Mexicans and the Croatia game should be quite a party. The energy and atmosphere at the stadiums, and the Fan Fest sites that have been shown, have appeared and sounded phenomenal and I can't wait to be there.  I had planned on writing a little more before I left but this is the last tidbit from the States (I will expound on my experience with Portuguese upon my return). We won't actually arrive until tomorrow after three flights (Denver-Houston, Houston-Rio, Rio-Salvador).  I have some more soccer mags and many books on the Kindle to read on many hours of airport and plane ahead of me.  Although we will miss a few games today and tomorrow (we'll see parts of some before we go and at airport bars), we come home on the off days after the knockout games, before the quarterfinals. We kick off the trip with a bang on Monday with the Germany-Portugal match up at the same beautiful venue in which the Netherlands crushed Espana 5-1 Friday. I am hoping to find some American Outlaw or other Unitedstatesian fans at that game (I'll be wearing my USA shirt) to join after the match to view the Ghana game in a bar somewhere, or maybe we will able to make it out to the Fan Fest.  We have a couple of days to explore Salvador.  We will certainly spend one day in the Pelourinho, the old section of town that includes the markets, many of the historical slave sites and many other points of interest. The other day will likely be spent exploring the beaches to the north of the city, along the Linha Verde (Praia do Forte, Arembepe).  We will definitely sample the local food, especially the regional specialty acaraje and moqueca de peixe.  Salvador is supposed to have some really great ice cream as well. Unfortunately, when we leave, we have a 6:20 AM flight, but we will arrive in Recife with the whole day to chill on the beach.  I will post more from the Cup!  Vamos Mexico!  Go USA!

Less than two weeks!

I actually can't believe how fast time is flying now as school is basically over and we are preparing to leave. I am getting so damn excited, especially after watching a bunch of friendlies this week. Most everything is in place. Most importantly, the dogs are set to be watched at home by our dog walker and spend a little time at their kennel; we have all of our documents with copies ready to go and are just putting together the last details.  I made a few last purchases this weekend, buying one of those awesome Mexico pregame windbreakers they have been wearing, as well as a simple white USA soccer T-shirt, then I finally upgraded to an iPhone5 today so that hopefully I can keep up with the world as well as update our trip, dependent on local internet services.  Since we have a tight turnaround in Rio to catch our flight to Salvador, and for traveling ease in general, we are going with just a carry-on and small backpack each, so we have to pack smartly and we have already begun to set everything out, debating what will make our final suitcase roster. My cheap polyester Spain jersey has been cut due to terrible breath-ability.  We have to bring enough toiletries for the 18 days (which are super expensive in Brasil) in one zip-lock bag, so that should be interesting. I also have to decide what I am going to read and download a few more books as it looks like we won't be bringing many real ones. Otherwise, it is just amping up and soaking in every piece of information on Brasil or the Cup.

USA and El Tri: I was surprised but not necessarily shocked that Landon Donovan was left off the USA 23, but like most, I still think he could have been an asset off the bench. There has been more than enough analysis of this so time to move on with the guys who have tickets to Brasil.  The USA still looked shaky in a win over Azerbaijan but they have yet to field their actual starting eleven, and with the cuts of Parkhurst and Goodson, it is unclear who the four starting four defenders will be and how they will line up. Dempsey was held out as a precautionary measure with a tight groin, but he should be fine.  Against Turkey the team showed some offensive prowess but was shoddy defensively and was lucky to only give up one goal. It is unlikely Ghana, Germany or Portugal will be as soft finishing.  The three youngsters-Brooks and Yedlin in back and phenom Green on the wing-but none of them really impressed. And I never thought I would say or write this (although maybe I did once before), but Kyle Beckerman just might be a better option over Jermaine Jones in the midfield. I also wouldn't mind seeing Diskerud play from the outset instead of Zusi.  Altidore had his best game in a while, but is still stuck in a finishing funk and needed to be subbed late as he was visibly tired. They have one more friendly against Nigeria and then a closed door scrimmage with Belgium in Brasil before they take on Ghana on June 16.

 

Even with the awful injury to Luis Montes, I still like Mexico's chances of beating Cameroon and Croatia and advancing to the knockout rounds.  Fortunately, Marco Fabian is playing very well and is hardly a step down from Chapo Montes, if at all.  Javier Aquino (the expected replacement) will add some speed and creativity on the wing off the bench.  After a slow start, the team generally played very well against Ecuador, a much stronger and more physical team than they had previously faced but they more than held their own won, dominating possession and winning quite easily 3-1, even after watching their teammate go down.  There is still some uncertainty in the midfield, but I expect them to settle on using Gallito Vasquez as the defensive guy in the middle, with  Hector Herrera and Marco Fabian flanking him (even though only a month ago I would have steadfastly held that Gullit Pena would be starting, but his play has fallen off some of late). However, I also like Andres Guardado coming off the bench into that defensive mid role to provide some offensive push if they are down late in a game. Up front I think it will be Gio alongside Oribe, with Chicharito becoming the super sub.  Captain Rafa Marquez also hurt his foot, but it is expected he will be fine for Cameroon.  Mexico has a few guys who like to take big shots from outside the box and this Brazuca ball seems to be to their liking.  I think we will see a lot of long rocket goals in this World Cup. El Tri has two more friendlies against Bosnia Herezgovina and Portugal before they head to Brasil to prepare for Cameroon.

Next up will be a couple of posts on language and hopefully a preview of the three cities we are going to visit.

Tickets! Tickets! Tickets!

Usually when my dog freaks out and starts barking bloody murder, there is no one even there, but he thought he might have seen or maybe heard something go by out front, and I thought this time was no different.  I was home for a quick Thursday lunch walk and was getting ready to head back to school when he went ape.  I figured no one was really at the door and went to pull him away and shut him up when I saw there was indeed a bright yellow uniform walking up the drive.  It didn't register at first but as I squeezed out the door and she asked, "Where ya goin?" but I instantly realized that this package was the last key component to the trip: the actual freaking tickets to the games!  I actually "whooped" in the poor woman's face (also setting off the dog again).  I signed for them and literally ran inside to open them up, (and open I did over the next few minutes , as each and every single ticket-not even a pair to the same game could be placed together-came in a separate envelope with its own separate two-page letter-what a waste of paper).  I set them all out on the table and texted the picture to my wife at work, as well as a few friends.  They looked real nice and I am not shy about showing the picture to people. We might just keep those Bosnia-Iran tickets as a souvenir.

That evening, we checked out exactly where our seats are for each game and they all look great.  The Recife stadium looks amazing and with only 42,ooo seats, every section has fantastic sightlines.  Our closest to the field seats might actually be the ones at the Marakana in Rio.

Lastly, to top it off, the next day our vouchers for our FIFA hotels came as well. I guess we better start packing! 

Gooooooooooooooooolllllllll!

At least it finally felt that way. If you are a Unitedstatesian and you have not applied for your visa yet you had better get on it yesterday as it is a total clusterfu...at the Brasilian consulates.  For us it was over a six week ordeal of waiting and wondering.  About a month after we had originally sent in our documentation, and still a few weeks after we corrected our screw-ups, Monday, April 21, and we still had not heard anything about the visa.  So I called Rachid at Travisa again, and he of course had some bad news that he hadn’t been able to notify us about yet.  The consulate had updated requirements yet again for the World Cup Visa to include having to show actual tickets, since FIFA announced that tickets were starting to be delivered (although currently only available for pickup in Brasil).  Are you freaking kidding me?!  So, now we would have to wait until our tickets arrived and send them down to Houston as well?!  Don’t they realize that we will be spending a ton of money in their country?!  I asked him to please at least to confirm if we could just send one game set of tickets, instead of all of them. 

When he called back 10 minutes later, I assumed it was to tell me that, indeed, I would need to send them all of my tickets.  However, I was elated when he said he had good news this time and that my Visa was good to go and Amy’s would be soon (not sure why they were not together)!  Yes!  I rushed off to an appointment and told Amy there.  

Too good to be true though. When I got home, there was an email from Rachid saying that for some reason Amy’s had not gone through yet (^&Y$*$!) and that she would n0w need to supply actual tickets in order to receive her visa. I still never understood why her stuff was submitted separately.  This was becoming a total nightmare joke, basically so that the consulate and country can make less than $200 (the difference between the cost of a regular tourist Visa and a special World Cup Visa).  We decided to just plunk down the extra $165 and get her a regular tourist visa.  It was still a full week later before we finally got the notification email that both visas were completed and in the mail.  However, I still refused to post this until we had the actual visas in hand and had checked everything for correctness.  

When my dog Jorge freaks out barking bloody murder because he thought he might have heard something from the direction of the front door, I usually get pissed off, but when I caught a flash of the “FedEx” logo driving out of view when I got near the door, a big smile came across my face.  Wednesday, April 30, 2014, 3:42 P.M. I opened the door, leaned down, picked up the thin package and ripped it open before I had even closed the door.  Incredibly, everything appeared to be in order, even though Amy's is dated a full EIGHT days later than mine.  Needless to say Travisa did not get a stellar survey evaluation from us-I only wish I could give the Brasilian consulate some constructive feedback as well .

Therefore, by the posting of this piece I am confirming, repeat I am confirming, that all systems are GO!  All we have left to do is pack! (And a lot more on that to come.)