travel by joseph schmitt
With Carnaval 2010 less than a year away, it’s time to start making plans
for the craziest week of your life. We North Americans have an impres-
sion, often a vague idea of what Carnaval in Brazil is all about, but there’s v
al
more to Carnaval than just a thinly-veiled excuse for naughty behavior,
extreme all-night revelry, occasional tasteful nudity and abundant public
urination. Carnaval in Brazil’s third largest city, Salvador, is a populist affair
in a region of the world where music is a mainstay of life.
C
arna
Day after day, night after night, nearly 3 million revelers take to the
streets along two major routes, referred to as circuitos. The Circuito Dodô
proceeds down Avenida Oceânica in the Barra/Ondina neighborhoods,
virtually hugging the tropical Atlantic coastline while the Circuito Osmar in
Br
a
zil
(the longer and larger of the two) traverses Salvador’s historic Campo
Grande neighborhood. At the center of these Carnaval routes are roving
parties called blocos, each organized around a musical act with corporate
sponsorship.
Think of a bloco as a roving nightclub on the street. In lieu of wristbands
or hand stamps, color-coded t-shirts called abadás allow entrance into
the party that is otherwise roped off by workers maintaining a taught Where to stay:
hold on a thick cord as burly bouncers within the bloco kick out any Motels in Brazil are for sexual rendezvous, most costing
party crashers. The most popular bloco with the gay community is called around 30 USD a night (or so I hear), with classy amenities
Os Mascarados, where participants often dress in drag or off-color cos- like round beds and personal lubricants. While affordable
tumes. The headliner for Os Mascarados is Margarete Menezes, a native of accommodations can be found throughout the city, prices
Salvador and one of Brazil’s most popular singers, hugely adored by the during Carnaval increase significantly. One property to con-
gay community. sider, should your budget allow, is the high-concept Cocoon
At the center of these massive blocos (where admittance can easily set Hotel (www.hotel-cocoon.com), a super-hip locale which
you back 100-plus USD) is the true heart of contemporary Carnaval in Sal- touts itself as the first-of-its-kind, spaceship hotel. The Bahia
vador – the Trio Elétrico. These modified multi-story semi-trailers produce Othon Palace Hotel (www.othonhotels.com) is another
100,000 watts of musical power, topped with a large stage where Brazil’s high-end property, overlooking the beautiful Ondina Beach.
biggest names perform along with dancers and musicians. The mere sight At the Bahia Othon you’ll also find a popular camarote
of one of these mobile monster discothèques would bring Burning Man adjacent the hotel, perfect for those who don’t want to
crowds to their knees in honor. At night, when the crowds really begin to venture too far into the deep end of Carnaval. Affordable
swell, Trio Elétricos pass by slowly every 45 minutes – sometimes taking and convenient pousadas (bed and breakfasts) like Papaya
over four hours to complete their journey down the circuit. Verde (www.pousadapapayaverde.com) can be found in the
Another interesting aspect of Carnaval in Salvador is the super-deluxe gay-friendly Barra neighborhood. Most hotels and pousadas
V.I.P. nightclubs that line the circuits, called camarotes. Within these cov- don’t allow you to bring guests to your room, but the front
eted hotspots you’ll find food stalls, bars, massage areas, medical centers, desk will surely direct you to a nearby motel.
chill-out rooms and DJs spinning Axé music for the crowds between visits
from the Trio Elétricos. Each of these camarotes have their own abadás for
entry and while these V.I.P. nightclubs offer sanctuary from the party on
the street, they can be as pricy as a bloco.
You can also freestyle your way through Carnaval, like the majority of
locals, without buying admittance into the camarotes or blocos. You’ll
find thousands of makeshift bars along the circuits serving tasty treats,
cold beer and refreshing caipirinhas. It can be difficult to meet people
in Salvador who speak more than a few English phrases but music is the
language of Carnaval, so making friends is as easy as wearing a smile and
shaking your hips. It can’t be stressed enough how thick the crowds are,
especially at night. It can take hours to maneuver just a few city blocks. In
the Campo Grande neighborhood, along the Circuito Osmar, check out
Beco das Artistas, a narrow alley loaded with bars frequented by the gay
chmitt
community. Near the start of the Circuito Dodô in Barra is Off Club (offclub.
y b
y Joesph S
com.br), Salvador’s best gay dance club. These are gay-friendly areas you
phot
ograph
can use as anchors to avoid being swept out into the sea of humanity.
You can find Joseph Schmitt’s travel and lifestyle blog at
www.vonschmitt.com.
80 RAGE monthly | MARCH 2009
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