Vero Peso

Boats full of fish, fruit, and other goods sit on the sand at Vero Peso market.  They come from all over the Amazon region, arrive in darkness, then sit stranded as the tide goes out.  In the afternoon, the water rises and they are back on their way!

Our second morning in Belem called for a visit to the Vero Peso market, a notoriously outrageous marketplace selling everything under the sun.  The name in Portuguese means "see the weight," implying that all trades are done on the spot and approved by both parties.   Vendors hawk potions, dirty men slice fish to your exact specifications, and in the back of the market, the jewel is the largest open-air trade of Acai in the world.

Baskets of Acai are sold to local vendors who then process them in their small shacks.  Acai is a staple food much in demand, so here in the market the price fluctuates as wildly as any stock sold at the New York Stock exchange.  A typical basket will go for between 15 and 20 Reais, or about 8 dollars.

The sellers of Acai are aggressive, using loud voices to convince buyers that theirs is the freshest.  Purchasers taste the berries and rub them against their palm to check quality.  Workers march the berries up from the boats by balancing the baskets on their head.  All in all, it is a wild place filled with much energy and excitement.  Yet despite the overall roar of the market, all of the trading of Acai occurs before the sun comes up.  Sunlight and heat will damage the berries, so purchasers get there before dawn to get the best pick.  Due to the crazy hours, there are a number of teenagers sleeping on the ground, exhausted from their all night journey from a distant island with their Acai.  None of these berries will find their way into Zola products -- the vast majority here go directly to local Acai stores and suppliers.

Lemons are cheap - 30 for 1 Brazilian Dollar, or about 42 cents. 

In "Potion Alley" one could find some outrageous stuff.  I came across this bottle of "Viagra Natural" -- not sure if I trust what's inside!

Acai baskets sit in the pre-dawn light.  But despite how tasty they look - they are still 80% seed and only edible in pulp or juice form!

A handful of Acerola, the Brazilian Cherry.  These little suckers have 80x the vitamin C of Oranges!

Our other purpose in visiting the market was to investigate the other "superfruits" that are making their way into Zola's new functional smoothies.  Here we searched out Acerola, a small red Brazilian cherry loaded with Vitamin C, and Cupuacu - a brown fruit that is member of the Cocoa family and filled with a sweet white interior.  We also came across Graviola, a green spiky fruit that looks like it came from outer space, but according to some scientists may have incredible cancer fighting benefits.  Finally we located Tapareba, or Caja fruit, which is like a small, tangy mango.  It truly felt like we were "FRUIT HUNTERS" on the loose!

The inside of a cupuacu.  The juice from this fruit was one of my favorites down in the Amazon.

Chris displaying a basket of Caja.

Purchasing a bag of Acerola from a local vendor.

While I have been seen many incredible markets during my travels (especially the Fish Market in Catania and the Vacaria in Palermo), this one stands out for its incredible selection of fruit and for its outrageous products.  I also don't think I've ever seen any fish look quite like the ones pulled from the dark, silty river. 

~ J. Twice

Off to Amazonia

Not quite Heston... but this "BEN HUR" manages his boat just fine!

After 3 unforgettable days in Rio, we boarded a flight and made the trip north to "Amazonia."  Our home base for the second week of the trip was to be Belem, a city of around a million people near the mouth of the Amazon River system.  In fact, the city reminded me a little of Catania in the fact that it was similar size, sprawled over a large area, was located on the water, and had a Baroque feel.  I knew my studying of European architecture would come in handy!  Thanks George for all those lessons and churches!

  Before visiting I had assumed there was just the one huge river - AMAZON - but I was drastically underestimating the size of the greater Amazon basin.  The river itself, despite having a average width of 6 to 10km, splits into countless tributaries as it drains over 20% of the world's fresh water in the Atlantic Ocean.  The city of Belem city on the arm of the Para River about 60 km from the Atlantic, but still is the main port on the Amazon and is nicknamed, "Gateway to the Amazon."  

My first view of the river... kinda looked more like a lake to me!

Over the next week, we would be traveling all around the region of Para and through the city of Belem in our attempt to document the world of the Acai berry and other Superfruits used by Zola Acai in their juices and smoothies.  Our first item of business was to hook up with Chris' original Acai supplier, and a man that needs no introduction, Ben-Hur Borges.    

Ben-Hur -- a truly amazing individual.

Ben-Hur could be called the "Godfather" of the Acai business in Belem.  As a forest engineer, he spent much of his youth hacking through the Amazon rainforests with a machete, documenting the countless flora and fauna.  During that time he learned about the Acai Palm, which grows naturally in the rainforest.  "I saw so much Acai," he told me, "I began to think to myself, this could be a good business."  Yeah, now only a $100 Million dollar per year business in the U.S.  He soon began planting Acai Palms on an island he acquired, and helped set up a co-op and processing facility.  His company was one of the first to export Acai, as it must be hand harvested from the tops of the trees and carefully processed into a pulp. 

Chris Cuvelier, president and co-founder of Zola Acai, looking quite calm as he cruises the river.  After four days in Brazil, Chris was settling into a sort of "Acai-Zenlike" state of mind.

We boarded a small boat and made our way across the Para.  The locals call this type of boat a "po-po-po" - which is exactly the sound its small gasoline engine made.  15 minutes later we were safely on Ben-Hur's island.

The vegetation was ridiculously lush... those colors are not enhanced.  (Well, only a little.)

With Acai not currently in season or being processed, our main mission with Ben-Hur was to check out the social project that Chris had initiated with Ben-Hur.  Christened PROJECT ZOLA, portions of every Acai drum sold go back to fund a school on the island, as well as the proceeds from the sale of Project Zola Acai-seed bracelets.  Thanks to the thousands of bracelets sold (and many up in Canada to my former company Booster Juice), Project Zola has been able to essentially fund a complete school for over 100 children!  They have no running water and barely electricity, but they manage due to the generous contributions from Zola customers and from the foresight of Chris & Ben-Hur.

A classroom in the Acaimu School.  What an amazing place to learn!

Chris and Ben-Hur pose in front of the second school that is currently under construction.  With a recent order for 10,000 more bracelets, Project Zola hopes to complete the school in the near future!

After an incredible time on the island, we headed back to Belem where Ben-Hur treated us to Acai the way the locals have it - PURO (pure.)  This means there is no sweetener, which to the North American palette can taste rather bland.  But once you add some sugar (or guarana) and some tapioca, only one word can describe it's taste: BELLAZA!

A little Acai Puro makes a perfect late-afternoon snack.

The city boasts almost 3,000 Acai stands - all marked by cool red signs that say "ACAI."  That is almost 1/3 the amount of Starbucks worldwide!

An old schooner...

... and an even older building.  The city dates back to 1616, but looked a little, shall we say, like   Catania?

While COMPLETELY different than the feeling of Rio, our time in Belem was guaranteed to be as equally unique and eye-opening!

~ J. Twice

Brazilian Faces

The epitome of Brazilian Vitality.

As I journeyed through Brazil, I was struck by the people.  You often hear stereotypes about how beautiful the Brazilian people are, but you really need to experience it first hand to grasp what is meant by the phrase.  For Brazil is a land of sharp contrast -- and for many people living there it is the simple things in life that bring happiness.  There is a certain sparkle in the eyes of the Brazilians, and something that I could see from behind the lens during the many portraits I took of Brazilian people.  Here's a few of my favorites:  

I met this boy on a boat going down the Amazon River, and he especially liked to be photographed.  In fact, one of the bet ways to make Brazilians smile is to take a picture and show it to them.

The face of Project Zola - a social program established to build a school for children in the Amazon region of Belem.

This is Ben-Hur... and no, I'm not joking.

One picture that does not need a caption.

~ J. Twice

Samba School

The traditional Samba Costumes are incredibly elaborate.  Pictured here is a member of Mangueira at the 1998 Carnival, wearing the signature pink and green colors. 

SAMBA is synonymous with Brazil - the music captures the energy and essence of the people.  Every year, the culmination of the samba energy is CARNIVAL - a huge festival celebrated annually in February.  Here massive parties, parades, music, and costumes collide for four nights on the eve Lent.  Unfortunately, we will not be in Rio for Carnival, however we were fortunate enough to experience one of its major elements in the form of a night at its most famous SAMBA SCHOOL, Mangueira.

The street in front of Mangueira was packed with people from all walks of life - with everyone smiling and dancing to the overwhelming street music.  At midnight you could hardly even move it was so busy!  

Mangueira is one of the oldest and most respected Samba schools, dating back to its founding over 80 years ago.  It is located on the border of the North and South Zones of Rio, attracting a very eclectic mix of people.  According to my semi-accurate source Wikipedia, Samba Schools can be defined as:

Samba schools are very large, well-financed organizations that work year round in preparation for Carnival. Parading in the Sambadrome runs over four entire nights and is part of an official competition, divided into seven divisions, in which a single samba school will be declared that year's winner. Blocos deriving from the samba schools also hold street parties in their respective suburbs, through which they parade along with their followers.

Mangueira competes against 15 other favelas in a stiff competition to determine the best school in Rio.  Marcus knew many people there, and thus our safety was assured.  However, nothing could have prepared me for the scene when we arrived around midnight (yes, midnight) to document the energy for our documentary on Zola Acai.  The streets were overflowing with people, giving off a crazy mix of danger and energy.  Despite what Marcus said, you just never know in a crowd that big!     

Bartenders in traditional pink and green.  Each samba school has its own colors, just like a sports team (any relation to the Palermo soccer team?)

Cuv and I sipping 100% Kiwi Juice - so thick you could barely use a straw!

DJ's with huge speakers banged out songs on the rooftops.

Marcus poses with a long-time Manguiera legend.  This is his 154th year at Samba School.

Eventually we were told it was time to go inside, as it was only 2 am, and followed Marcus through the crowd to the door.  The venue for the actual Samba School Practice (which is what we were attending) was in a building the size of a high school gymnasium.  Thousands of people were packed inside, and as we made our way up the stairs you could begin to hear the driving drum beat of 70 drummers in unison.

The inside of Mangueira Samba School.

The drummers were AMAZING!

Please, no guns inside.

Once inside, the energy was literally tangible.  The drums fell and rose in a series of crescendos, and the crowd sang along with two leaders on microphone.  It seemed as if everyone in the crowd knew the words - which were printed on a sheet of paper for those who were "newbies."  It actually reminded me a lot of the Spanish kids I would come across in Europe... incredible!

We finally left around 5 am, the party still in full swing.  By the time we reached the hotel, the sun was rising in the most amazing sunrise you can imagine (which you won't have to because I pictured it below!)  This prompted Chris to look directly at me and say the one word I was thinking: BODY SURFING!  We grabbed our suits and swam in the ocean as the sunrise... a perfect end to a crazy experience!

Sunrise over the Sheraton

~ J. Twice

Favelas

A million dollar view from the top of Rocinha, Rio's most famous Favela.

One often controversial (and overlooked) aspect of Rio is the Favelas, or unauthorized ghettos that cling to the many hillsides of the city.  The word in Portuguese means shanty town, as they are comprised of hundreds of half-finished houses, jumbled masses of brick and cement that offer very little in the ways of sanitation or comfort, yet are what millions of people call home.  The Favelas are run by drug lords, and crime runs rampant - yet no police officers will venture into the area because 1) They will most likely be shot at, and 2) They make such a meager salary that they are probably being supplemented by the drug lords themselves.  The residents pay little to no rent, and don't even technically own their homes for the most part.  HOWEVER, somehow they all survive and seem to thrive in a fascinating corner of civilization.

Neighboring favela Vidigal shines at dusk.  The buildings were eerily similar to those stacked at the Amalfi Coast in Italy, yet this time incomplete.  This shot was taken from my hotel room at the posh Sheraton, illustrating how closely the favelas and upper class areas intertwine.

We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit Rio's largest and most famous favela, Rocinha.  An estimated 250,000 people live in this narrow valley that runs up the mountain away from the richly juxtaposed Leblon Beach.  (In fact, a 2004 report stated that up to 19% of the city's population lived in the favelas.)

Before we embarked, our guide Marcus warned us to keep a very low profile, shooting carefully out our windows and not to do anything to draw attention to ourselves.  This was practically impossible, as who else has a car full of white Americans pointing professional camera equipment out of the windows.  As we wove up the narrow main street - the only one wide enough for cars - you could feel the eyes on you, like never before in my life.  Dozens of children and young adults stood around on each street corner, some with walkie-talkies that Marcus would later tell us informed those above about our presence.  Lucky for us, we were viewed as harmless - and quickly made our way to the top of Rocinha to meet a couple local contacts who were to show us the best view of the favela.   

Zola at the top of the favela.

Buildings stacked like Dominos. 

A birds eye view shows the jumbled nature of construction.

At the top of the favela, we parked our car and were met by a pair of local boys.  They were to guide us on foot deeper into the area.  I couldn't help notice how the duo was exactly the real life version of the main characters from City of Men, an amazing movie about life in the favela shot on location here in Rocinha.  The film was released to worldwide acclaim in 2008, and I had watched it shortly before coming to Rio to get a feel for what to expect.  Now that I was there, it was easy to pick out exact streets and locations from the movie, lending an eery feeling to my visit.  Here's the trailer:

We followed the boys single file through about 200 yards of concrete passageways, passing makeshift stores selling everything from Coke to chickens.  The foul stench of rotting garbage hung in the air, and the air itself seemed heavy and claustrophobic.  Yet the people seemed to all remain upbeat, going about their everyday lives without questioning their surroundings.  It all made me feel very guilty about the materialistic abundance in my life, and I thought to myself what I would do if I were in a similar situation, and hoped that I could be equally as cheerful.  Eventually we made a sharp turn up a set of concrete stairs in an abandoned house, then proceeded steeply up 3 flights to the roof of a building.  When we emerged, the most breathtaking view appeared before us, the distant blue ocean and green hills contrasting with the red brick of the favela.  While they may not be millionaires, at least they have this view!  

No garbage service means the street corners become landfills.

The majority of people in the favela have electricity, but for the most part it is all illegally tapped from the city grid.  In fact, every power pole in the favela has a spider web of about 50 illegally rigged lines running out from it, like this one.

Kids are the light of the favela.

Are we back in Catania driving?

When we had taken our necessary shots, we were led to the car and drove out of the favela.  Ironically this is when our most serious incident occurred, as the police felt it necessary to pull us over at a checkpoint at the bottom of the hill.  (Apparently they too didn't think it normal for a car full of white Americans with professional camera equipment pointed out the window.)  Two squad cars blocked our way, both forward and backwards, while four cops - two with automatic machine guns - walked towards the car.  We were instructed to exit the vehicle, and Chris and I nervously stood while they searched every inch of our vehicle and questioned Marcus.  One of the policemen casually waved his gun in front of us, not really pointing it at us but not really making me feel relaxed either.  Eventually, everything was sorted out and we were on our way, but not before Chris sharing the love of Zola with on of the cops and me snapping this covert picture.  What a start to our adventure!  

Chris shows one of the cops a Zola bottle.  In the background on the right, the machine gun toting guard.  Good times!

~ J. Twice