And then there it was - my big farewell party from Brazil which coincide more or less by sheer good fortune with CARNIVAL ;)....but not in Rio, Salvador or Recife where the whole world invade these days (13. -16.2.) - No, the secret place to be for Carnival in the South of Brazil is called Laguna in the State of Santa Catharina. 360days of the year a further sleepy average medium-sized city at the beach without anything outstanding to mention, but during these 5days the city gets more than crowed with over 1 Million people from all over the South of Brazil - so a real native Carnival where foreign people are rarely seen.
So, how a typical street carnival look like?
You start with a proper breakfast/lunch when you wake up, about 2 p.m with some toast and cheese and ketchup, muesli, crackers, spaghetti or whatever you find to kill the last alcohol in your blood from last night. Then you have a quick shower and start with your first beer in the new day before having a small rest as the beach. Back at 4 or 5 p.m. you finish your stroll in the supermarket buying sufficient fresh supplies for the following night - with most essentials beer, red bull, vodka or other tough spirits, lots of ice cubes and to recover the German hangover the next morning, of course, a glass of pickles, because sour makes you funny we use to say ;).
Before starting with a second round of alcohol at this day you better prepare your stomach well with some hot dogs for example...But be careful of a new culture shock - for Brazilians (Gabi and his brother Dani) and Germans (Sebastian and Patrick) hot dogs might not be the same and can court everyone's resentment in the kitchen when it comes to the preparation:
- Brazilian style: Bread, filled with a pre-cooked tomate sauce with sausage slices, onion and corn, topped with some pickles and grated cheese and finally some potato chips sticks on top.
- German Style: Put a warm sausage inside a breads with some ketchup and mustard with some roasted onions and a pickle.
For digestion we started with a second round of beer after dinner sitting in the frontyard of our bungalow playing some guitar and watching and chatting with people who went by. About 7 p.m. you get yourself ready, put the rest of the alcohol plus ice in a cold box with and displace your party in a friend's house before you finally end up at the main street about 22 p.m..So, officially at this point the real party starts. Big trucks with bands and people dancing on top pass by on the street which you can follow or you make a stop at one of the cars with their huge loudspeaker in their trunks playing predominantly Baile-funk and Hip Hop. And in keeping with the saying "as dirtier the music as better the party", you get a slight idea during Carnival where their fame as the "hottest" country comes from. The women tend to wear less clothes and dancing in a non-ambiguous way and if you count Carnival as exceptional circumstances you can easily get kissed several times a day if you don't mind - but don't bother the poor guys with small talk - so, they never win the personal trophy of the most kissed man at night. To stay easy-going and not annoyed by so many people you keep yourself on certain level with at best "red-bull beer" - because since it's quite hot at night, it doesn't make you so dizzy. Or you try a "Kapeta", which got sold an every corner - a typical Brazilian Mix-Cocktail out of vodka, sweet condensed milk and some fruit juice. So actually this street festival is more a big drinking bout without any obligation to dress up yourself - only at Carnival Sunday traditionally the guys dress up as women and are excited to show up with their feminine side, although Brazilians in their normal life don't tend to be that tolerant with gays. So you can keep going dancing, drinking and meeting new people all night long til sunrise to accompany the last trucks at home.
As a final summary can be said, of course, it wasn't the typical Brazilian Carnival as known from the media - f.e.like Rio where the big Samba schools made their procession the entire night through a Sambadromo and you attend only as an spectator, but although different the street carnival in Laguna was really great being are in the thick of the spectacle with Brazilian friends having lots of fun. And to close my post with THE tourist Thai slogan "Same-Same, but different" - I think one Carnival in Brazil wasn't enough to get a complete impression of what a real Brazilian Carnival is like....so Rio, Salvador or Recife.....count on me for a next time!!!!