The other down under

Brazil is an eclectic mixture of colonial splendour, vibrant wildlife and charming people

It was my husband Sri's 60th birthday,a time to renew wedding vowsand pray for another 60 years of life.I wasn't sure I wanted to go through therituals again, or watch him turn a crabby120, so I suggested a holiday in Brazil.

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Brazil? Our daughter Krithika livesthere with her Brazilian husband,Fabricio and three kids, and I cherisheda secret desire to see an anaconda. Myhusband did not want to risk beingcrushed or swallowed, so it was picturesof beaches with scantily-clad womenthat was the clincher.

We tolerated the obnoxious receptionistsat the Mumbai Brazilian Consulateand stood in an endless line for the yellowfever vaccine, before taking theflight to Sao Paulo. There, we werejoined by Ambika - our offspring fromNew York - ever willing to oblige in apaid-for-by-parents-holiday - and headedto unite with the family in Salvador,Bahia, a former capital of Brazil.

Salvador Surprise

Rainbow-coloured ribbons from theChurch of Bonfim greeted us inSalvador. The church is known for itspowers to cure the infirm and the miracleribbons, fitas, have become a symbolof the state of Bahia, home of thevibrant Afro-Brazilian culture, kept aliveby the descendants of slaves. The bestplace to imbibe it is the historicPelourinho square, where slaves wereonce tied to the posts and whipped.

Instead of the wails of hapless victims,the place resounds with foot-tappingchants by Capoeira artists performingthe martial arts dance that wasforbidden during the slavery era prior to1888. Our in-house talent, Raven andRaiz, joined the dancers in their circularmoves. The spicy sauce accompanied byacaraje, a black-eye-pea vada, fried byBaiyana women in hoop skirts and elaborateheadgear, was irresistible, but wemanaged to avoid the Condomble priestesses'offer to bless us for a price.

The practice of Condomble wasbanned during the pre-abolition period,and masters forced slaves to buildCatholic churches like the ornate Igrejae Convento Sao Francisco. The enormoussilver chandelier hanging overgold baroque carvings makes it one ofthe most decorative examples ofPortuguese-Brazilian architecture. Thiswas in contrast to the living conditionsof the masons and sculptors. Theyshowed their resentment by distortingthe cherubs' faces and angels' figures -the most scandalous piece is a blackChrist-like child in the arms of the whitestatue of Senhora Nossa do Carmo.

The Pelourinho that is located in theupper or Alta Cidade also houses thefirst medical college and other blue andyellow buildings, reminiscent of old Goa.A 70-metre elevator ride lands you inthe lower or Baxia Cidade in front of theold Customs house, where importedslaves awaited auctioning. Today aMercadothrives, selling T-shirts, linen,and other souvenirs decorated with thenational flag. Unlike the furore over ourtricolour on a cricketer's birthday cake,neither the Brazilian flag nor the statueof Christ the Redeemer on the Havaianafootwear has caused any riots as yet.

Salvador is blessed with the bay of allsaints - Baia de Todos os Santos. The1,200 square kilometre harbour with 56lush islands lined with sandy beachesand warm waters was the perfect placeto bum out on a 60th birthday. And sowe honored the sea goddess Yemanjaand Sri with pitchers of caipirina madefrom the sugarcane spirit cachasas,while our grandkids, Raven, Raiz andRayne made the most of the deliciousguava cake with coconut icing.

A wild detour

Most tourists go to the rainforest.Fabricio advised us not to. The Pantanal,where the wildlife walks out of the grass,was the better place. So we grabbed anearly flight on very punctual TAM,which refused to serve vegetarian foodon its domestic sectors but offered SonuNigam belting out Naach nach sade naland Sukvinder Singh singing Aaj merajee kardaas part of the in-flight entertainment.Brazil is two and a half timesthe size of India, so getting aroundrequired a change in the capital Brasilia.This modern city, designed by the legendaryarchitect Oscar Neimeyer, has anairport with a humongous lobby with nowalls or doors separating you from thedriveway. A reminder of what life was inthe pre-terrorism era.

The two-hour drive from the airportat Cuiaba to Pantanal, the heart of thewetland at the edge of the rainforest,was exactly as Fabricio promised. Oncein the country, far from gas stations sellingalcohol fuel at half the price ofpetrol, we drove through waves of multicolouredbutterflies, encountered aTegel (giant lizard) sunbathing on theroad, and found the one metre tall jabirustork looking for baby alligators in anearby pond. At the eco-lodge, PousadaRio do Mutum, our guide Zanie helpedus overcome our fear of alligators. Thecaiman reptiles didn't wag their tails togreet us, but they ignored our presenceand snapped up the fish.

Pantanal is a birdlovers' paradise. Youdon't need binoculars to spot giant kingfishers,ibis, herons, cormorants, parakeets,macaws and toucans. They flutteraround as you sail between the hyacinthson the rivers that drain into thewetland, while the capybara, the largestliving rodent, readily poses for pictures.Much to my disdain and my husband'sdelight the anacondas stayed away.

Water view

Our next stop was Foz do Iguacu, themighty waterfall straddling the IguacuRiver between Argentina and Brazil.The Argentinean side has the major partof the Falls and posters campaign toinclude it in the list of world wonders,but the better view of the powerfulwaters is from the Brazilian side, whichgets most of its power from the dam onthe River Iguacu.

That power failed on our first eveningin Rio as we walked down the mosaicsidewalk of Copacabana beach, plungingthe city and most of Brazil into darknessfor half the night. An intimidating experiencein a city where tourists arewarned to leave even their wristwatchesin the hotel. The next morning PresidentLula da Silva was on TV, defendingBrazil's infrastructural ability to host the2012 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

The power was back when the cablecar took us up 800 metres to Sugar LoafMountain. The view of the city and thebays was spectacular and that of theplayful monkeys who live up there, cute.We were less fortunate with views onthe trolley ride up to see Brazil's bestknownemblem, the statue of Christ theRedeemer. Standing open armed on ahigh peak, the thirty-metre-tall Jesusplayed hide-and-seek at first, finallyshrugging off a cloudy cloak for us to tosnap the touristy photograph at his feet

The sky was clearer on the way down,giving us a glimpse of the favelas. Theseslums, havens of crime and drugs, arebuilt into hillsides and unlike theMumbai slums, often boast of the bestviews of the city and ocean.

Blame it on RIO

The Portuguese built several ornatechurches in Rio, but the contemporaryMetropolitian Church of San Francis isthe most intriguing. Looking like aMayan pyramid, the church is naturallylit during the day through the 60 feethigh stained glass windows and the centralceiling. It is also naturally ventilatedby louvered walls and there is no airconditioning - not an uncommon phenomenonin Brazil.

Although the country lies in the tropics,the greenery and sea breeze keepthe temperatures comfortable, and Riois cooled by the breezes from the bayslining the 37 beaches. Copacabana,Leme and Leblon are great beaches tosprawl out on, as is Ipanema, madefamous by Jobin and Moraes in The Girlfrom Ipanema. The song popularised thebossa nova style of music, but it is thesamba that gets people swinging onboats, cable cars and sidewalks. The RioScenarium, with man-sized puppetshanging from the 19th century ceilingand large antique mirrors reflecting thep