Blue Bottles in Maceió, Alagoas

After our excursion to Porto de Galinhas, my family and I visited Maceió, the largest city in Alagoas. The word maceió originated with indigenous tribes in Brazil. It refers to natural flows of water that emanate from soil and either end up in the sea or pool into lakes. Alagoas refers to the lakes, or lagoas, that are abundant in the city and the state as a result (http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/Maceio).

During our one full day in Maceió, we headed over to Praia do Francês, a beach which I explored with my sister and cousin. Where the waves ended and left trails of beige foam, we noticed small air-filled sacs with thin threadlike tentacles drying in the sun. These were Atlantic Portuguese men-of-war (Physalia physalis), known as blue bottles in Australia (Physalia utriculus) (Australian Museum, 2010; National Geographic Society). Most were blue, but we also saw a few larger ones with pink and purple hues. The length of their gas-filled bladders, or pneumatophores,  ranged from a couple to about 15 centimeters. My Brazilian cousin called them caravelas, after the caravel, a 15th century sailing ship used by Portuguese adventurers.

A purple Portuguese man-of-war with ~10-cm float and ~75-cm long tentacles

The Portuguese man-of-war resembles a jellyfish, or agua viva (“live water”). While they are both cnidarians, or animals with stinging cells called cnidocytes, there are fundamental distinctions between these two organisms:

	True Jellyfish	Man-of-War
Class	Scyphozoa	Hydrozoa
Lifestyle	Individual	Colonial (individuals called zooids)
Technical Term	Medusa or Polyp (two major life stages)	Siphonophore

 

We probably ran into at least 50 caravelas during our walk along the strand. The nematocysts, or stinging organelles, can remain very potent even after the detachment of tentacles or the death of a Portuguese man-of-war (Auerbach, 1997). Despite the potential danger presented by the colorful stinging strands, we waded into the water with other bathers, keeping a lookout for any sails.

Stranded blue bottle

Holding a bitter message

Popped it right open

Sources:

Auerbach, PS. (1997). "Envenomation from jellyfish and related species". J Emerg Nurs 23 (6): 555–565.

Australian Museum. (February 24, 2010.) “Animal Species: Blue Bottle.” Australian Museum. Retrieved August 23, 2013. From http://australianmuseum.net.au/Bluebottle

National Geographic Society. (1996-2013). “Portuguese Man-of-War.” National Geographic. Retrieved August 23, 2013. From http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/portuguese-man-of-war

Porto de Galinhas, Pernambuco

Porto de Galinhas, or “Port of Chickens,” is a city in Pernambuco famous for its natural oceanic pools. It is difficult to walk more than five minutes along the sand or city streets without someone offering a tourist package. I spent a couple days with my family enjoying the beaches, scenery, and seafood in this coastal area.

Buggy rides are a common way to get around the bumpy roads and muddy trails to access popular spots for swimming. After a morning ride through a shady forest path, we arrived at a secluded beach with very calm, warm waters. A few steps into pristine tranquility, and I had already spotted a hermit crab, snails, and fish darting around. I also briefly saw what looked like an amphipod disappearing into the sand.

We named the hermit crab “Olive(r).”

A buggy on the beach

After about an hour, we headed over to an estuary where boatmen provide ecotours as part of Project Hippocampus, named after the seahorse genus. We stepped onto a jangada, a small man-powered fishing boat, and drifted past mangroves to some rocks closer to the sea. That area serves as a nursery and habitat for many marine animals. A guide from one of the stationed jangadas showed me where to look for the featured organisms. Wearing a snorkel mask, I held onto a sunken branch and pulled my way along it. A meter down, a crimson seahorse clung to some foliage. This was a very fulfilling experience for me because I had yet to see these elusive creatures in the wild. 

Patient sentinel

Wrapped around a leafy post

Hovering at ease

Here is a link to more information about the project: 

http://www.portodegalinhas360.com.br/meio-ambiente/ecoturismo/?lang=en

For lunch, we went to a nearby outdoor restaurant and tried a couple traditional dishes. The peixada is a standard broth of fish, eggs, and vegetables. We especially enjoyed a more modern dish of grilled fish, potatoes, mango, and a special mango sauce.

Peixada

 Mango dish

In the evening, we went for a walk around town, politely telling guides that we had already had our buggy tour. I enjoyed documenting the different chicken statues that evoked the panda ones exhibited almost a decade earlier in Washington, D.C. (http://www.jophan.org/pandamania). Here are some of the sculptures and other chicken-themed items:

Chicken phone booth

Scuba chicken

Traditional chicken designs, chicks, and a more modern “space chicken”

Chicken souvenirs, a very common sight in Pernambuco

The buggy and boat tours were a great way to explore Porto de Galinhas. There are many other opportunities available for visitors, including several scuba diving sites. While I was short on time to dive in Brazil, below is a link for anyone looking for dive sites in Porto de Galinhas:

http://scubadivingbrazil.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/suba-diving-in-porto-de-galinhas

  

On that note, I had a fantastic diving experience when I got certified in Cozumel, Mexico, back in July. I intend to blog about it sometime in the future, once I have finished my travels in Brazil. Até logo!

Brazil: Art and Poverty on the Streets

Brazilians in both urban and rural areas tend to display a raw, spontaneous creativity. This usually reflects the national culture or more regional concepts. I have collected various scenes from both road and street excursions in Pernambuco.

While many societies tend to look down upon graffiti, it is an art form that not only appears in most Brazilian cities, but also seems to be embraced, or at least tolerated. Some of the painters are very talented. Here are some glimpses of a 750-meter stretch of wall on the outskirts of the coastal Recife skyscrapers.

Images of faces with the Brazilian Flag

The writing says: “Chegou sua vez Brasil...Vamos juntos fazer história!”

“Your turn has come Brazil…Let’s make history together!”

Each component of the flag symbolizes one of the country’s strengths:

·     Green represents Brazil’s productive pastures and fertile forests.

·     Yellow represents monetary wealth.

·     The blue globe in the middle has 27 stars representing the states and federal district.

·     The white band reads: “ORDEM E PROGRESSO,” or “Order and Progress.”

(http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/countrys/samerica/brazil.htm)

During the recent protests, the media reappropriated the message of the flag and changed it to “Ordem em Progresso,” or “Order in Progress.” I saw posts on Facebook accompanied by images such as:

(Image: http://www.webcitizen.com.br/newsletter/marco_civil/images/marco_civil.jpg)

It was rather clever.

Below are some more snapshots of the wall:

An abstract representation of the Brazilian flag colors

Soccer players pop up in several locations.

  The snail with the houses on its back is cute.

“Copa Favela” – “Cup of the slums”

“Paz” – “Peace”

“Amor” – “Love”

Despite Brazil’s wealth in culture, history, and natural resources, the socioeconomic divide is still very large. I have seen joggers donning new sportswear on one side of the road and a one-legged man crawling on the other. The poor do what they can to eke out a living.

A young man and woman washing cars

A small boy decorating a side mirror with flower petals, and our embellished car 

Despite the destitution, many show quite a bit of skill and ambition. During an evening walk in Porto de Galinhas, two young men approached us. One gave me a flower he had fashioned out of a palm leaf. Then, his friend asked me if I wanted to see “minha arte.” I responded in Portuguese that I would.

He pulled out a case with a few colors of oil paint and selected a ceramic tile out of the three he had. Using his fingers, some paint, and an etching tool, he produced a beautiful image in less than five minutes. I bought it from him – he asked for very little money, “Enquanto eu não estou famoso” – “While I’m not famous.”

Making palms into art and art into a palm

Creativity

Ironic sterility

Two sides of one coin