Teaching My Way Through Brazil: Market

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Exploring Cuzco

Cuzco and it's gravel roads are not what I expected from the city. A low lying, colorful patching of rooftops, and several markets connect the city. We had a mix up of days for scheduling, so instead of horseback riding the first day we explored the city by foot. We walked towards the Municipal Market, tried chicken on a stick (I chickened out of the heart kabob), and got lost as we trekked our way to Cristo Blanco. We finally climbed our way up through a residential area to find the Jesus statue that overlooks the city. That night we had one of my favorite meals of the trip- a sample platter that included alpaca, guinea pig, trout, quinoa, mandioca, and some other miscellaneous foods. Our hostel that night was only $7 each, so you know it wasn't living the high life. It was in the back of the building with no windows, and the smell was so bad that my dad refused to use our shared bathroom, but I wanted to give my dad the true inexpensive hostel "experience".
That night we had one of my favorite meals of the trip. It was on the second floor of shop in the center square, and we had a view overlooking the square cathedral and fountain. We decided to split the sampler platter, which included trout chicharron, quinoa, fried mandioca, alpaca, guinea pig, and an assortment of other side dishes. Watching my dad's reaction as he ate the guinea pig was priceless. It was a small clump on the plate, which we discovered still had the bones and all. It was incredibly salty. We decided never again for guinea pig. Alpaca was also an adventure- it was so tough and hard to eat. I literally had a hard time cutting it to eat, and it almost flew off my plate in desperate attempts to cut it apart.

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Rio de Janeiro Exploration- Beaches, Municipal Cathedral, Santa Teresa, Forts, and more

June 2nd morning we had a later start, a lazy breakfast, and took a walk along Ipanema beach to Aporador Rock, which is famous for its sunset view. It was a beautiful and sunny day and it had a great view of Ipanema and Copacabana beach down each side. We next took the Metro to Carioca and wandered to the Municipal Cathedral, which is shaped like a Mayan temple. The inside had beautiful stained glass along the four sloping walls, and the center podium had seating around three directions. Next, we walked past the aqueduct to the Lavradio Fair in Santa Teresa. The fair only happens the first Saturday of every month and draws in over 300 vendors. On a side street we saw a live Capoeira performance with music and a crowd gathered to watch the fluid movements of the dance fight.

On our way up the Seleran Stairs we bumped into some Fulbrighters from Gioana in town for the Rio de Janeiro marathon. The stairs were more crowded than I expected, but the tile work was colorful and beautiful. Evidently, the tiles are swapped out with next artwork every so often. Houses lined the infamous step staircase with residents trying to sell pictures imprinted on al materials. We continued on through the hilly Santa Teresa neighborhoods to the Parque das Ruinas. The old refurbished building was a lot more impressive than I expected, and the top of the third floor provided an amazing 360 degree panoramic view.

By one in the evening we headed back towards Copacabana beach, hoping to get in some sunny beach time, but the sun was setting in two-three hours. The water this day was even colder than the first, and I honestly enjoyed Ipanema Beach better than Copacabana- but both were breathtaking with the meeting of city, ocean, and mountains. We relaxed on the beach for an hour and then decided to walk to the end of the beach to the Duque das Caixas (a fort on the hillside). The fort closed at 4:30, and we went up at 4, so we only had a bit of time to admire the view looking down on the city, the Christ Redeemer in the distance, and Pao de Acucar. We walked back to the metro along Copacabana beach. The cobble stone roads, crashing waves, and hazy mountains around sunset were amazing.

That night for dinner, Jake picked a Portuguese restaurant. It looked like a market store out front, but then as you walked in it had bottles of wine lining the walls and about 12 tables arranged. We had bacalao fish, and a famous tradition sandwich with calabresa, filet mignon, eggs, and poutine fries. We looked around markets for cheap wine and chocolate, and Jake snuck my wine into the hostel for me.

To see my adventures, click here to watch this video: