von Schmitt

It’s all fun and surf until an Alpaca looses a leg!

This is where all the beer ends up in Carnaval

via Chron.com.  Rio de Janeiro’s mayor’s year-old, zero-tolerance campaign against petty crimes and disorder is on full display at the first Carnival since Rio won its bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

Those who drink too much beer at giant street parties and want to use gutters as toilets – always tolerated in the past – are out of luck. Police have already arrested nearly 100 such lawbreakers. Beaches no longer resemble full-service bazaars with greasy snacks delivered on command under a sprawl of rented umbrellas. Beach football by the sea? After 5 p.m. only please.

And something else is missing. Rio’s world-famous waterfront pickup club for legal prostitutes has closed to make way for a museum. The changes were getting mixed reviews even before the party officially started.

“The plan is doing the impossible: making Rio square,” said Marcus Paulo Reis, a 36-year-old businessman sipping beer at lunch this week in the beachside Arpoador neighborhood. “They’re trying to get rid of the grit that gives Rio its flavor.”

While this all makes me a little uneasy, to see this intrusion on Carnaval and the forced cultural assimilation of an entire city as unique as Rio, I’m fairly confident it won’t last. The laws of physics at times require public urination during Carnaval. And there’s isn’t a politician in Brazil brave enough to mess with football or Carnaval.  - JVS

JVS in Panama in 2006

Global Post has a nice piece online covering low-cost retirement destinations abroad. Some countries you’d expect to appear on the list include Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. But I never would have thought about early retirement in Bulgaria. Not that I’m anywhere old enough or financially able to retire, still it’s fun to dream… Even of Bulgaria.

In search of the next "It" holiday destination

Luxury train travel and China’s budding tourism industry appear in  Travel + Leisure’s Top Travel Trends of 2010. Uruguay is also deservedly mentioned, specifically, José Ignacio, a  ”tiny beach town on the southern coast, poised to become the next Punta del Este.” The article goes on to mention that in the last several years three new hotels have opened with prices ranging from $360 to $750 for doubles. Are you with me on this? Over $700 for a hotel room in a tiny fishing village an hour from Punta del Este…  Is this simply another case of celebrity travel incest? Are supermodels and other famous types following each other like elephants on a catwalk, in search of the next “It” place? It seems so. And depending who you ask, that’s not always a good thing. The Independent online has a great article on the changing face of the next “It” destination in South America.  Read it here.

The historic Hotel del Coronado Hotel

San Diego is the ultimate place to get away from it all, no matter from where you’re coming… even if you call San Diego home. Luxe accommodations, vibrant nightlife, diverse dining and plentiful nature and culture adventures await you in this bustling (yet quaint) seaside oasis. Click here to read what makes  San Diego such a wonderful place to explore, even for San Diegans.

BBC NEWS has reported that ever -increasing acidic seas are fueling extinction fears. Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are acidifying the oceans and threaten a mass extinction of sea life, a top ocean scientist warns. Dr Carol Turley from Plymouth Marine Laboratory says it is impossible to know how marine life will cope, but she fears many species will not survive. Since the Industrial Revolution, CO2 emissions have already turned the sea about 30% more acidic, say researchers. It is more acidic now than it has been for at least 500,000 years, they add. The problem is set to worsen as emissions of the greenhouse gas increase through the 21st Century.

This means that biodiversity will be compromised as mollusks such as snails, clams, oysters and many others will be unable to produce their exoskeletons, that we call seashells. The acidity effects the calcium carbonate deposits that result in the mollusks’ shell being created. The World Bank has recently stated that the global economy will shrink this year for the first time since World War II, and while that’s “bad news” for us humans, it’s possibly “good news” for the environment. I hope that this economic downturn will have us look more closely at our lives and how we consume, and the environmental impacts of this new “world” economy. Just because we can “have it all,” does not mean we really “need it all.”  Save the seashells!

- JVS

Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro

Brazil is a land of contradicitons. Rio de Janeiro, for example, the most beautiful city in the world, is also one of the most violent. Catholocism spread throughout Brazil like Staphylococcus in a gay bathhouse. Yet, defying the Pope’s orders, nowhere in the world is it easier to find a condom. And during no other time of the year are condoms more needed… than Carnival!  As reported on The Huffington Post via the AP, Brazil is set to distribute 65 million condoms for Carnival.

While Carnival doesn’t officially start for another 48 hours, I can already hear many of those little 65 million packets being ripped open to a samba beat.  Oh, how I love it when people disregard the word of the Pope. Makes me want to Lambada.  - JVS

This is an increase of 20 million from what the Brazilian government regularly hands out each month, part of its aggressive anti-HIV and -AIDS efforts praised by the United Nations. Health officials said AIDS cases have tripled among women over the age of 50, about 70 percent of whom do not use condoms that group in the last decade, from 3.7 cases per 100,000 people to 11.6. ”We senior citizens are still sexually active nowadays, so these types of campaigns are very important,” said Ana Leila Goncalves, a 62-year-old grandmother who took part in the event.

Earlier this month, the health ministry reported it would also spend $500,000 this year on 15 million small packets of personal lubricant, which it said helps keep condoms from breaking. Church officials in Brazil, home to the world’s largest Roman Catholic population, have not surprisingly opposed the condom program. Read the full article here.

I couldn’t resist a little Lambada treat. I lived in Brazil during the time this dance was THE CRAZE and despite numerous attempts, I just couldn’t get it, not like these kids anyway. This video is Hillll-arious. Look closely to see how many international laws are broken, like child labor, sex trade, physical abuse.   -JVS

Sure, we complain all summer long about it being so hot, and can’t wait for fall to come so we can don our winter wear. Then, around January 2nd, there’s a collective “gasp” – a realization that winter has just begun. Here are some favorite beachy selections for your mental vision board, reasons enough to start that diet we all keep talking about.

Rio's Beautiful Ipanema Beach, photo credit Christian Knepper

Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 “Tall and tan and young and lovely” – doesn’t only apply to Rio’s women! After decades of the Girl from Ipanema getting all the attention, the boys of Rio are finally getting the recognition they deserve – and adore. Brazilians simply live for the beach, and while you’re sure to find sexy bods anywhere along Brazil’s five-thousand-miles of coastline, Cariocas (Rio’s residents) fill out a sunga (tiny swim trunks) like nobody else I’ve seen. Head to the Farme section of Ipanema (www.ipanema.com) to frolic with Rio’s wealthy and pretty gays, known as “Barbies” – and while there, enjoy the view of Ipanema’s plentiful “Bofes”, the well-built macho types. The vibe is generally friendly and same-sex snuggling is acceptable, but keep in mind, these gay boys are smokin’ hot – and they know it. But who can’t forgive a little attitude with such a view. Safety is always a concern in such a large city, especially in Rio de Janeiro where poverty remains highly visible. Rio’s South Zone (Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon) are generally safe, but avoid wearing flashy jewelry, showing money and walking alone at night. Petty crime can also be found at the beach. So if flying solo, pick a place near other sunbathers and strike up a friendly conversation. You’ll want someone watching over your belongings and cold beer while you play in the water.

A boy from Ipanema, photo credit www.ipanema.com

A couple of Bofes at the beach -photo credit www.ipanema.com

Clifton Beach, Cape Town, South Africa

The affluent suburb of Clifton, outside Cape Town (www.aboutcapetown.com), is home to some of the cleanest and most picturesque beaches in the world. Clifton’s white sand shore and Blue Flag status (www.blueflag.org) has attracted international jet-setting types for years. Yet Americans largely remain unfamiliar with this majestic slice of strand – perhaps due to the 15-hour flight from the Untied States. Sometimes, good things take time! Clifton’s beaches are simply named, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th and are divided by massive boulders. Clifton’s pristine white sands and sparkling-clean waters are juxtaposed by the majestic backdrop of Table Mountain and peppered with the exotic allure of Africa. Expect to find an international assortment of well-heeled bronzed bodies throughout these beaches. South Africa has a surprisingly European attitude towards different lifestyles and a great tolerance, even appreciation, for their gay residents and visitors. 3rd Beach at Clifton is occupied mostly by toned and tanned boys with homosexual tendencies whom you’re sure to run into again later at any one of the dozens of gay bars and cafés in Cape Town.

JVS in Tahiti - please, no comments on the Speedo

Tikehau, Tahiti

No matter on which beach in Tahiti you choose to unfurl your colorful pareu (a traditional sarong), you’ll wish for a partner’s hand to hold. It’s important to note how welcoming Tahiti is to gay visitors. The progressive rule of French law and native Tahitian hospitality makes any of her islands and atolls a romantic and safe choice for same-sex couples. While the larger islands in Tahiti, like Bora Bora and Moorea, gather most of the international attention and brochure coverage, Tahiti’s smaller atolls are perfect destinations for more intimate beachgoers. Tikehau is once such atoll, seemingly floating in isolation somewhere in the vast French Polynesian waters. Little more than a collapsed volcano, with her highest elevation barely entering the double digits, Tikehau’s pink-sand beaches and countless swaying palms encircle a tropical lagoon with such a large and diverse marine life that even Jacques Cousteau was impressed. Over-water bungalows at Tikehau’s lone luxury hotel, the Pearl Beach Resort (www.pearlresorts.com – Tel: 689-50-84-52), feature private decks, outdoor showers and easy access right into the tranquil waters below. There’s nothing more romantic than a midnight dip in temperate waters and a moonlit stroll on a deserted pink-sand beach.

Tikehau's pink-sand beaches are perfect for some isolated romance

- JVS