Other Musical Journeys

No extended trip to Brazil is complete without making multiple side trips across the country. I was fortunate to meet tons of adventurous travelers being home-based at my Rio hotel. They gave me lots of tips. Side trips by bus and plane were taken to Sao Paolo, Brasilia, Manaus, Belem, Recife, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre and Curitiba. I often had my guitar with me and music opened a lot of doors and hearts with Brazilians along the way. My most memorable journey was to Jericoacoara, at that time a remote, deserted fishing village just south of the Equator in the northeast of Brazil (toggle thru slide show button on upper right at this link: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/3628788). It was one of the most spectacular beaches I had ever seen. There were no roads, bus service, running water or electricity at that time. The only access was by 4-wheel drive, walking or taking a burro for 12 kilometers from the nearest town across dunes and lagoons. I rented a burro and made the crossing at night packed down with food, jugs of wine, my hammock, mosquito net and guitar. I arrived at the sleepy village of 200 people around 3:00am and was greeted by the “mayor,” who was still drinking at a bar with his fishing buddies, accompanied by a dozen pigs sleeping on the floor. I played music and sang with them until sunrise and had a blast as the only gringo there for an entire week.