Capoeira

The last day in Brazil was AMAZING. I got up early and went with two kids who I had gotten to know on the trip, Grant and Tom, and then a dancer who I had met in one of my classes, Izzy, and also one of Grant’s friends, Amy, and went to take a Capoeira class. I had done all the research for it, and we were able to stop by the local tourist office to get directions to the school. It was pretty much a private lesson for the five of us for an hour. We only had to pay 15 reals for the class (which is about 9 dollars). There was a Semester at Sea (SAS) trip that went to visit a Capoeira school and they had to pay over $50 and definitely didn’t get the experience we did. Our teacher didn’t speak English, but the nice thing about dance is that you can watch and mimic. It was so much fun, and Tom took a lot of pictures so I will try to get some of his and post them. I am SOOOO sore from that class. My butt and thighs have NEVER hurt this badly after a class before, but it’s kind of awesome in the sadistic-dancer way. It was totally worth it, and afterwards we went to Bahia Café to get some acai. Acai is a fruit, and it’s usually made into a creamy, slushy type of yogurt with bananas or mangos with granola on top. It’s really good for you, packed with tons of antioxidants, and supposedly great to eat after working out. It was delicious. I then spent the rest of the day walking around Salvador picking up souvenirs and checking out the local markets. I got some Capoeira pants, and they’re so comfortable.
My overall impression of Brazil can be summed up as the following: Carnaval—crazy and I’m glad I got to experience it once; Salvador—a bit of sketchy town that I have no desire to return to; Capoeira—kick-ass and tiring to do; Iguacu Falls—absolutely amazing, spectacular, and beautiful; The Igaucu trip—so much fun because I met tons of really great kids and we all had a blast; Brazil—an amazing experience, but I was ready to leave by the end of the five days. Next stop: Cape Town.