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Big trouble in Ipanema

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People who’ve never been to Rio often have quite extreme notions of what life here must be like. Some assume it’s a never-ending beach holiday, others think we are constantly ducking bullets and running from armed thieves. The reality for most is more prosaic – bad traffic on the way to the office, work 10am-7pm, bad traffic on the way home. No beaches, no samba, no guns and no fatalities.

Of course that’s not to say that good and bad things don’t happen here. Yesterday on Ipanema beach something quite shocking occurred. As is often the case, there are various versions of exactly what happened, but it seems to go something like this: A large group of Guardas Municipais (Municipal Guards) moved onto the beach. Some reports say that they were there to remove a pitbull dog that had been brought onto the beach – other reports say that they were there to stop a group of kids playing Altinha (in England we call this keepy-uppy) which apparently is not permitted on the beach before 5pm.

briga entre banhistas e guardas municipais

Beach mayhem. source

 

Whatever the exact reason for their presence, the atmosphere quickly turned sour.

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Reasons to visit Bahia #1: The Beaches

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Phew – I’m back from a lovely relaxing trip to Bahia and have finally found some time to catch up. What a nice time I had – Bahia has so many great things worth mentioning. How about I start off by showing you some of the beaches? Bahia is renowned for its long stretches of golden coastline and after 6 months working without a break, I was ready to spend some serious time relaxing and enjoying the simple pleasures of sun, sand and sea.

Since coming to Rio I have become accustomed to the crowded beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, but in Bahia I reacquainted myself with the concept of the deserted beach:

Beaches of Bahia

Those 3 people in the distance were my travel-mates. This beach (Algodões on the Maraú Peninsula) was the best of the whole trip and we were pretty much the only people there.

 

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How to avoid looking like a gringo

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The word gringo is an interesting one. It exists in both Spanish and Portuguese and generally means foreigner. In some places it refers specifically to someone from the US, but in Brazil it basically means any foreigner. That said, it isn’t an exact science – someone from say, Japan, for instance can be called a gringo (gringa for a female), but in general the term fits better for Europeans and North Americans.

The origins of the word are also open to some discussion. Several Brazilians have told me that the term evolved from the English expression Green Go (this being either a call for foreign armies, generally dressed in green, to leave the country, or an observation that when foreigners arrived in the Amazon, the green (trees and other valuables) was taken away.

The reality is far more likely to be that it came from the Spanish word for Greek, Griego – someone speaking a language that isn’t understood. As in “it’s all Greek to me”.

 

gringo shirt

It’s like you’re walking around with a sign that says gringo…

 

But what is the real meaning behind this word? Should you be offended if someone calls you a gringo? Is it a sign of falta de respeito (lack of respect)?

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Aaaaaaaaaaaah(bacaxí)!

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When it comes to learning languages, there are enough similarities between Spanish and Portuguese that I’m never really impressed when a native Spanish speaker tells me they speak Portuguese (or vice versa). My attitude tends to be “big deal – compared to English, they’re practically the same language anyway”. But when there are so many similarities, I do rather sympathise when a Portuguese word comes along that is just nothing like its Spanish counterpart.

Take this prickly customer:

I love pineapple! You know the French almost call this fruit bananas... (they say "Ananas").

 

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Friday Beach Quiz

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I know what suckers you guys are for quizzes, puzzles and other chances to prove how clever you are (don’t even bother denying it). Well, it’s Friday, so I will indulge you. See if you can spot what the following three images have in common (there are many correct answers, but I can only accept the answer I have written down on my answer cards):

Ipanema last weekend…

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