chocolate trees

I suppose I should put an end to this neglect-the-blog spree I seem to be on- it's been two months already. And in case you are were unaware, I am indeed back in California, facing a beauteous yet chicken-skinned winter, spending loads of time with the padres and friends and Redwood trees and rocky coastline. But I am getting ahead of myself, for last I wrote of was my arrival in Bahia, northeastern Brazil, embarking on an experience that was to involve smelly earth and jungly energy. I was en route to Fazenda Pura Vida.............

19 novembro 2008

and alas, here I am. sprawled out on the deck of my own little nook, looking out over river, waterfall and jungle...this land is blessed. i arrived yesterday afternoon, with brief directions from alex's email scribbled on scrap- 'bus: itacare-ubaitaba (or local bus to taboquinha). 20 mins after taboquinha, just after agua fria. ask for fazenda peri. the kids on road can deliver you across river.' simple enough. i jumped on the local, "more native" bus as felipsters advised. twelve men. three women. country folks, hardworking, weathered faces, gentle glances and honest smiles. the homem behind me was a problem though. he wreaked of booze and fancied the gringa on the bus, shouting sweet nothings down my ear and patting my head every so often. lovely. everything else went fine though, accompanied to the river crossing from agua fria by three teenage boys and transported across the rio de contas in dugout canoe by the almighty vera. i was welcomed beautifully by alex and bruno and vera and more...sat down for cacao (or "cocoa") fruit tasting (had never seen the bright yellow fruit before,) tea time, and story sharing................

The stories we shared were many that month I spent on the farm. The lives of both Alex and Bruno, what brought them each individually to this plot of land and all that came before- the juiciness novels are made of. Bruno, Pura Vida co-creator (with Elin, Swedish lady back in England who essentially brought me here via her spirited emails and who I was unfortunately unable to meet,) French Caribbean stallion, worked as a skipper most of his life sailing the world over and over again. He was brought to Brazil years back by some natural fondness, an obsession you might call it, for all things Brazil. And so it was that a few years back Pura Vida was born. And Alexandra- a South African beauty who has always fancied the life of pirates. A free spirit, artistically talented and good with words. She was led to the farm a year ago by some mysterious need to be there, not sure as to how long she would stay or to where she would go from there. Four months later she and Bruno left that farm as lovers.

There are three families that live on the farm year round, and Bruno (plus those who find themselves drawn for one reason or another to that neck of the jungle) is there six months out of the year- November-April ish. So I, arriving on the farm as he and Alex did, was an early bird as most visitors/helpers come round late December and on. So it was just Bruno, Alex and I on the farm, plus those incredible families just short scoots away. My first time in Brazil, while living and working in the favela ("slum"), movement was constant, so many children, neverending street drama, dust and noise, unbearable heat, a body of water we weren't allowed to enter...And there at the farm, an entirely different Brazil was living out its existence. A peaceful one where horses run the trail below, the same familiar faces of the farmers passing by each day on their way to work the cacao, the river below ceaselessly calling to cool us off. Living so closely with the land, according to the seasons. No electricity- candle-lit mealtimes, journaltimes, conversationtimes..............
...there is nothing quite like living in tune with nature, in touch with the light of day, with the seasons. there was talk of bringing electricity to this side of the river- "...but that would only take away from...(pause)....this..." bruno said looking around the candlelit table, the forces of black jungle in full throttle, unaffected by we humans. it seems as if lights and such would intrude on the peaceful groove of pura vida, on the lull of this natural setting. as the sun wakes up each day, so do we, and as the skies fade into darkness, so do our energy levels. by 7:30pm i am one big yawn....

....just finished a delightful lunch of curried lentils, mango and plantain- accompanied by lemongrass + ginger tea. all of this set before bruno, alex and i, perched on the veranda- prayer flags, hammock, pregnant dog janeshka, drying swimsuits, endless green, the only sounds to be heard being the chirp-chirp of bird and the gush-gush of waterfall. (sigh.) this place, these people, this life...toe-tingling beautiful, heart-filling bountiful, never take me from this place remarkable.

21 Novembro 2008

yesterday was a day of drizzle. hooray for watery skies! it has been a whopping three months since it rained last- these poor soils, plants and trees are parchy parched. the rain called for lazy day. i wrote. read. played school with the kiddies. drew. played house with the girls. ate loads of bananas. drank scrumptious teas. swam. read by candlelight. dined on a lentil-veggie concoction involving curry, coconut milk and peanuts. drank maracuja (passionfruit) + ginger juice w/ a splash of a french orange liquour. and listened to stories of past pura vida visitors. delightful day of lazy.

Focusing on the slow and the good. A concept that I was able to experience fully while at the farm, a concept that I packed in my luggage and hauled on home to the States, a concept I hope to live out for the rest of my life. From lighting the rocket stove for meal prep to washing clothes in the river, things were taken back a few steps, down a few knotches, and away from the hustled wam-bam pace so many live by. All of this giving way to living mindfully, more aware of what it is that you are doing and how it is that you are doing it. Existing in the now------striving for it always.

smile, breathe, + go slowly. ~thich nhat hanh

So what exactly did I do on the farm? Well...each day took on its own form, completely void of pressures and deadlines. There were those days when I woke up and thought, all I want to do today is read. And so I read, of treehouses and healing plants and chocolate making. There were other days when I thought, I want to hang out with the kids and perhaps paint that way-too-white wall. And so I danced and schooled with the youngsters and spent the rest of my day painting a series of plants on the outside of my dwelling. And then there were days when I wanted to dig my hands in dirt, scatter seeds, and collect plants from the river below. And so I dug, scattered, and collected. As I previously mentioned, I was an early bird and arrived at the farm as Bruno did, so there was much restoring and tidying to be done, getting the farm back up and running. The big projects I had read about pre-arrival usually come a bit down the road when the children are on summer break and when there are a handful of folks on the farm to head up creative workshops surrounding education, arts, and sustainibility. No doubt in my mind that I will return one day to see all of this....... :)

13 dezembro 2008

again, 4:45 am. up and feeling good. i seriously got in bed at 6:45 pm, read a wincy bit, and was out cold. i am really enjoying this "schedule"- not sure how i'm gonna deal back in buenos aires those few days- ehhh- not gonna think about it...a city with a pace that is so opposite to that of here- farm, jungle, rural bahia. and it's going to be gruesomely hot and cementy. ay meu deus. dreading it already. with only two more days at the farm, these thoughts of 'what's next' are coming up more frequently. i suppose it's best though, to prepare my mind, emotions, etc. for the big cambio de rutina ("change in routine")...i also must remind myself that although i will be parting from this place physically, i will be taking with me a beauteous bundle of new practices and ideas. the spirit of pura vida shall continue residing in me no doubt, and certainly i will do my best to hold tight to this calm, this halcyon i have been bathing in here. this past month- and especially this past week, i have been experiencing such a light, airy, sweep-you-off-your-feet happiness. filled. leveled. tuned. balanced........i feel great. my contentment is thick. my gratitude sheer. i have never felt less burdened by myself or by the world.

14 dezembro 2008

ay meu deus. i can hardly believe that a month has passed us by- tomorrow i cross the mighty contas and bus it to the coast- hoping to then catch a bus to rio de janeiro. and so the journey will begin....so thankful for my time here on the farm. it's really been a sort of retreat, tranquility at its finest. surely when there are more people the vibe takes on a different dimension- i am hopeful to make it back one day, perhaps experience pura vida filled with fellow wanderlusters. it was nice though, being way out here with only alex and bruno. loads of time to myself, my carefree days molding themselves according to my own personal whim. painting. reading. river-ing. writing. tea-timing. restoring. banana-ing. creating. planting. hammock-ing. breathing ....................................... this month has treated me with such loveliness. day in and day out, in awe. this setting alone- the rio contas and the surrounding mata- how can it be that her waters only become more and more stunning? and the animal kingdom that reigns? such an excitingly savage force. my fondness for this natural realm has geysered, becoming something i am not so sure i can describe................................i have made friends with the overhead swooping bats at night and am greeted each morn by that fleeting hummingbird. i've come face to face with a shimmery emerald fly, an exotic grasshopper of sorts, and a few frogs of monstrous proportion. i crossed paths with a lengthy black snake striped with yellow, observed a praying mantis lifting up his prayers, dined with glow worms and battled it out with bedtime visiting cockroaches (not so keen on those creatures, i think it might be their spastic pace- it's quite unsettling you know.) the orchestra, made up of insects, jungle and waterfall, will surely be missed...it's what opened each day and brought each day to a close...it never got old. constant companions, these miniscule yet ever complex pieces of god's creation. stunningly diverse and charged, we got along well.

If you would like to check out more pics, hit this up:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012308&l=86353&id=1159364209

en route.

After leaving a hustled and stuffy Buenos Aires a little over a week ago, I have safely made it back to the tropics. Bem-vindo a la Bahiaaaaa! The journey north was unrushed and nicely spread out, allowing for some good doses of breathing time in between the three separate 20-25 hour bus hauls (really not so bad I swear!) I spent a day in awe of the falls at Iguazu, peddled & bronzed my way around Rio, and a few days ago landed myself back in the mellow beach town of Itacare...

I had heard mixed reviews on Iguazu Falls, so I was eager to encounter her waters first hand. And I must say, they were crazy beautiful.

In Rio, I stayed with Gabriela (fellow couchsurfer) at her apartment in the neighborhood of Botafogo. Spent a relaxed four days making smoothies, peddling around the city, and playing storytime with my loverly host.

Here in Itacare I am staying with couchsurfer Felipe ("Felipsters"), sleeping under a mosquito net on his dreamy little plot of land- a few of the trees to be found: banana, jackfruit, cashew, coconut, mango & avocado! Consuming loads of acai and coconut, hitching to new stretches of sand, and loving being in my swimsuit and knarled beach hair from sun up to sun down.

It really feels good to be back in Brazil. And I must say, it's nice to be back in the land of the tight, the short, and the barely there...my spandex are no longer the source of strange looks and sooo not fitting in. Hallelujah! :)

& back to brazil she blows.

Now it doesn't make sense, of this I am aware. Heading to the far northeast of a country I have already been to when in a little over a month and a half I am to fly out of Santiago, Chile...in other words, I am not going in the right direction yet rather moving ridiculously far from it, all the while enduring days of bus and spending loads of money I am not so sure I should be spending. So why does she do it? You might ask. Hmmm...it goes something like this:

A few months back I started looking into possible opportunities for post-Buenos Aires, pre-California, came across a posting on helpx.net for a project called "Abracadabra" in Northeastern Brazil, shot them an email about my interest in coming to join them come November, but received an email back saying that unfortunately they weren't going to be on the farm until January. And so my search continued. I had remembered reading about a "neighboring farm" of Abracadabra, and it just so happened they too had a link. And so I came to learn of the non-profit called PURAVIDA. I wrote Elin, the lady in charge, fell in love with her spirit, and soon thereafter became increasingly intrigued and enthusiastic about their mission and vision. All I kept thinking was, "I want to be a part of this community!" and "I have to do this"- thoughts that are still on the forefront of my mind today. In brief...PURAVIDA is based on a cacao farm on the coast of Bahia, their primary focus being sustainable living, permaculture, and the creation of art and educational outlets for the local community. I am not entirely sure as to what exactly I will be doing, but I am ready and rearin' to jump right in to whatever projects they have going, get my hands dirty, and perhaps swing a machete or two...
(Oh, and a small world connection I must share: While Col and I were in Itacare, Bahia in March- just an hour or so from the farm, we became addicted to the cacao truffles traced with flavors like lime and chili that we found at the popular Middle Eastern joint...turns out those pieces of goodness were crafted by the loving hands of fazenda Puravida! Insane, right?)
For a more detailed look at PURAVIDA, check out their blog: http://puravidaonline.wordpress.com/about-the-ngo/ and take a peek at the photos that only lured me in farther: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22395023@N08/

And so it's happening.

Tomorrow I leave Buenos Aires and head north, breaking up the journey with a few days in both Iguazu and Rio. And then off to the cacao farm I gooooo...

Interesting how I came to South America with a plan to see the whole of the continent and I've only covered Brazil and Argentina (and not even all of them). Truth is, this landmass is far too large to take on in one full swoop, and I am certainly not comfortable with spending a few nights in each capital city just to say I've been there and done that. Traveling slowly is something I've come to appreciate and returning to places we've already been is a concept I am just now grasping. I find myself constantly falling in love with places and peoples, forced to tear myself away when the departure date comes round. I have to continually remind myself that despite all that has yet to be experienced in this world, in this life...that it's okay to go back.

I left because I couldn't stop moving. I couldn't stop searching for the perfect place. That's the thing about travelers. We always have to see what's over the next hill. But someone once wrote that to leave is to die a little. So I came back to the place I left. And immediately I found my heart beating alive...I understood it was the waves that had pulled me back...waves like this never stop rolling in a person, just beneath one's awareness. The sea has a way of slipping us back to our beginnings, soothing a rusty place inside of us, to remind us of something. Like a secret trance, a forgotten calling.

From "Light on a Moonless Night" by Laurie Gough

un quilombo.

After a few weeks of Mother Nature at her finest, I was faced with the quilombo ("madness, messiness, craziness") of city once again. And as summer hit Buenos Aires while I was away, things are now hot, feeling more cramped, and ehhh. Nice to be wearing flip flops again, but I don't know if I could survive a summer here....the lack of ocean and forest offering refuge from the scorching cement and exhaust poses a problem (or at least for me it does). Being in Patagonia, cleansing the aura :) after so much city...I was thinking more clearly, breathing more clearly, and simply being more clearly. Much needed peace and calm, no doubt. Those intimate towns with such a plethora of natural wonder carry a unique spirit. Strangers smiling as they pass you by, an "hola" or "buenas" always at hand...the dirt and grass and rivers and mountains- I could go on forever. Reminded me of how much more at peace I feel, how much more "home" I feel when surrounded by all of that. I certainly know that wherever it may be that I settle in life, accessible bodies of water, a mountain or two, and good doses of fresh air are a must...

smandes: days of picnic & park.

Took the four hour Siete Lagos route (above) from the hustled Bariloche to the laid back town of San Martin de los Andes. And despite the small size of "Smandes", I got lucky and connected with a couchsurfer by the name of Ruby, a super chill father of two who briefly showed me the house, gave me a key, and said, "Make yourself comfortable!" and then after that I hardly ever saw the guy. I came and went as I pleased, spending the majority of my two days lounging in grassy parks, napping, reading, and having delightful picnics in the sunshine.

Made a few friends on the path while hiking up to a Mapuche community nestled in the low mountains of Smandes.

bariloche: rocks, lakes, & familia.

After tearing myself away from El Bolson, off to Bariloche it was with me, aka the "Switzerland of Argentina". As the primary destination for Lake District goers, Bariloche is touristy, but rightfully so...the landscape is remarkable. I stayed with couchsurfer Diego and family, making my Bariloche experience seem not too terribly touristy which was nice. I cannot express how great it felt to sit down with an actual family (mama included!) to share mellow mealtimes and conversation.

I ate far too much chocolate while in Bariloche (Argentina's chocolate capital), pulling the usual go into every single chocolate shop and wait till they give you a tester scheme. Finally gave in and actually bought a few...dark chocolate w/almonds, milk chocolate + dulce de leche & almonds, chocolate w/coconut, and white chocolate with figs.

Happened upon a street of colorful walls.

Only 10 minutes walk from Diego's house, Playa Bonita (on Lago Nahuel Haupi) made for glorious afternoons of relax.

Cascada de los Duendes

Lago Gutierrez

View from the Cerro Campanario

Diego & good friend Juancho

Not only did Diego play tour guide for a day, taking me to the prime viewpoints, lakes and falls throughout the area, he also invited me along to go rock climbing with him and his buddies (he actually works as an outdoor adventure guide, leading treks all over Patagonia- I was in good hands). But, I'm not gonna lie, I was saying prayers the night before. Had never really had much of a desire to climb- I think the whole concept of being strapped in a harness, hanging off cliffs by a few ropes scared the crap out of me...but obviously I wasn't going to turn this one down.

Los nenes de la roca.

I think I found myself a new sport...I LOVED it!!!! Such a thrill.