Saturday November 28, 2009
We visited another piece of land today, this one with a small house. It sits in a valley next to a screened in vegetable garden, and is surrounded by newly planted fruit trees with a vast view over wetlands and cerrado and the distant mountains. It belongs to a man from Germany who lives with his wife and 3 year old son on a parcel containing 110 hectares, where he has built a large and very beautiful “California style” house on top of the mountain with a 360 degree view over nothing but open valley enclosed in the distance by a ring of mountains. I was quite impressed by the fact that he had walls of glass windows, affording a pretty magnificent view, because here in Brazil you so rarely see glass windows of any size. But I learned that the giant sheets of glass were shipped in from France to be fashioned here into windows. This was a place with an elaborate infrastructure of very good roads, internet capability and solar powered electricity which of course has its appeal, but like many others of its kind, needs a full time security person living by the gate and maintaining the gardens and grounds, a scenario we both tend to shy away from at the moment. Its location was quite good, only 15 km from town, 5 on highway, and 10 on very good dirt road leading through relatively flat and open cerrado, paralleling the road to Seu Jorge.
I enjoyed being in his big open house looking out giant picture windows, with a large fireplace in the sitting area, high ceilings and an open floor plan, but I don’t think this is the vision I imagine for us. Our thoughts keep returning to Vistara’s valley.
Monday November 30, 2009
Sunday morning I left Paul at home, still recuperating from his pre cancer skin treatment and returned with Vistara to her valley. I wanted to have some more time there to see if it is indeed a place I’d like to build my new life. It was just the two of us this day and so I was forced to spend the day communicating only in Portuguese which proved to be no real problem although challenging while driving over roads filled with potholes and speed bumps, which require one’s full attention.
As we drove closer to the land, I learned that the partner who had wanted to sell her half was no longer sure that she did and that the rest of the 18 alqueres (almost 180 acres) that comprised the valley could only be sold in full, not parceled out. This led to a disappointment on my part because we do not have the money to invest in the whole valley as much as we would love to do that. But as the morning went on, my understanding of the conversation led to other possibilities which might allow for either another portion of land not previously being offered where we could perhaps purchase 3 alqueres or even a possibility that if we would purchase a minimum of 5 alqueres at the beginning of the valley, it might be possible to divide the valley there at a natural division. So we stopped the car and walked the land where it might be available in a 5 alquere section. Not a terribly long section because here the land begins at the very top of a steep mountain on one side, opening to the gently sloping and then relatively level valley, gently descending to the river and then level again until the base of the very steep rocky cliffs to the top of the mountain on the far side of the valley. Here the terrain is mata, not cerrado, where the growth is dense and lush floresta. On one side the growth is only three years old where it was cleared by tractor for former pasture. But in three years the trees are already about ten feet tall. On the other side the trees are more mature, providing great shade. Unlike in the other part of the valley where it is cerrado and very rocky with sandy soil, the soil in the mata is deep and richly fertile and will grow anything. One can hear the sound of the water springs emerging in two places high up the rock wall, sending water cascading down the vertical cliff on its way to the river below. We were able to walk through the tall dense forest to the river, but not much beyond to the other side where the growth was too dense to pass. Here in this place it did feel very much like jungle and there was no question I was in the tropics. Although the point in the river we made our way to was not a wide opening with clear water creating a pool to bathe in, this place was a bend where the river took a turn in direction. Further downstream I believe there are places suitable for cool dips on hot days and I would imagine and was also told, there are several places like this along this stretch of the valley.
This 5 alquere section begins just past an area still being farmed and rests just beyond one of a series of gates built to keep the livestock contained. After walking a bit to explore we returned to the car to continue through the valley to the end where the two sides join together to form a sort of cove where Vistara’s own piece of paradise exists. There the grassy fields, nestled under more softly sloping mountains gently roll down to the river at a fork where two rivers meet to form a series of little pools under tiny bubbling cascades. Happy to be out of the heat of the sunny morning, we relaxed in the water watching the butterflies, birds and a monkey climb through the trees and talked more about this place and life as I questioned her about how it was she came to be here. I do so love this valley with its perfect peace and sounds only of nature – the birds singing, the water emerging and rambling over the rocks. I think I’d be content to live out the rest of my life in this place.
After a while the clouds rolled in and we knew it wouldn’t be long before the heavy rains arrived so we made our way back to the car, parked just on the far side where the river lasts crosses the road making it unable to pass further. Driving back through the long narrow valley, I contemplated further a future here as we passed through the change from cerrado to mata to pasture and then through the farm with its cows, horses and chickens, through several gates, some of which needed to be opened and closed and at last off the farm and out to the dirt roads winding their way around the hills and back up onto the highway back to town. Driving back the highway we detoured to stop and visit friends at quite an interesting place, which I’d like to describe. Called “pesce paga,” which means paid fishing or something like that, I’ve seen many such road signs through my travels through this part of Brazil, but never before stopped to visit any. Three ponds stocked with fish, fishing poles for rent and a Pescaria which was a restaurant serving fish, of course. Here under a large circular cone shaped roof with open sides facing out to the ponds, we sat at long wooden tables to have a lunch of fish and beer. When we first arrived Vistara’s friends were not there but their two daughters were preparing fish behind the open bar, regaling any who would listen of the enormous fish someone had just recently caught and which they were preparing to serve. After the first carafe of beer we questioned where our lunch was, much to their surprise as they thought we had simply wanted beer. Another carafe arrived as the afternoon wore on and we awaited the basket of deep fried fish, more delicious than any I’ve ever had. Along with the fish came rains so heavy there was no thought of leaving anytime soon as did the arrival of several carloads of people who all proceeded to join us at the table. Four hours later we left after quite a festive gathering of friends and three generations of family members, an invitation to join in the family meal and plenty more beer; an event I know Paul would very much liked to have taken part in, but would have to suffice in just hearing about.
Home again to Paul and Rocket, a short late afternoon stroll and Sunday night dinner out at a newly discovered restaurant for wood fired oven baked pizza, another week in Brazil came to an end. As we struggled to order drinks, tired from the long day when the Portuguese language becomes just a little more difficult to get your tongue around, the woman at the next table jumped up and came over saying in perfect English, “May I help you?” As do most Brazilians who speak English, she was happy to come to our rescue and offer any help we might need, but this night we were simply tired and really didn’t need to accept her offer. Later when we realized she was the proprietor of the restaurant we had a conversation learning that she and her two sons had recently created this restaurant only 4 months ago as a way to earn a living in a small town where the jobs are limited. They had created a place between their home and a small building next door, under the cover of a roof between the buildings, candle lit in front of a beautiful adobe brick oven, providing the glow of firelight to add even more ambiance to the lovely patio. Soft and lovely music played and two Christmas trees were lit in colored lights adding an even more surreal twist to the atmosphere where Christmas seems so out of place in the warm evening of a tropical night in Brazil. She told us of growing up in Sao Paulo with a Scottish father who sent her to a variety of schools, alternating between an American English school and a Brazilian school, such that her writing skills are completely confused. Yet another meeting of someone from Sao Paulo who has relocated to Alto Paraiso, making a total of 6 for the day; eight if you add in the 2 people who finally moved here from Brasilia after visiting for 30 years.
I’ll leave for now to attend to other pursuits as we begin our 6th week here in the Chapada and head into our fifth month in Brazil.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Rainy season on the high plateau in central Brazil brings yet another grey drizzly morning to the chapada. It’s quite delightful most times, especially since the patterns vary often bringing long sunny days and heavy rains at night providing music to sleep by. But when, like this week, the rain comes in the morning, day after day for several at a time, I can’t help feeling just a little blue and unmotivated. Here life is simple and laundry, for example, is hand washed and hung to dry. The daily rains provide an extra rinse and often it could be days before the clothes finally dry enough to bring in and put away. Two days ago I thought a sunny morning a good opportunity to catch up on the pile of dirty clothes, thinking the sun would last through the day, but today they still sit on the line having their sixth or seventh rinse.
This morning I walked with Paul for a coffee on the way to the gym where he has resumed working out and found a small segment of normality and familiarity in the midst of a surreal and exotic new life. It’s a short walk to the main street from our house, but somewhat disconcerting in places when Rocket joins us, as we walk past a number of fenced and gated yards with barking dogs on the inside wanting to challenge him on the outside. Having a big umbrella seems a good idea in the event we might need to jump in and rescue Rocket from the clutches of a much larger and ferocious dog. It’s happened, but not here. The sky was grey and a light drizzle felt refreshing, but the umbrella wasn’t needed for any purpose this morning.
Rocket and I returned after coffee, leaving Paul to go on his way, while we returned to the daily routines of breakfast clean up and life such as it is. We’re still testing the waters here and finding our place. We haven’t yet gotten involved in any charitable projects though we have a couple on the horizon we are interested in exploring. Our living arrangements still need to be attended to as the house we are renting is not available during the month of January when it was promised to another, so my attention has been on locating another. I have been reluctant to settle in as much as I would have if there was no future date which I knew I’d need to pack up and move again. This gives me an unsettled feeling. Though I know that it is a sign of development to live in the mystery of the unknowing, I still desire some aspects of certainty, at least an ability to project out a few months ahead and know where my bed will be….But I don’t pretend to be enlightened – there were only those few moments after Ayahuasca last January, but they so quickly faded away.
Yesterday I visited a house to rent, only to find upon arriving that the roof was leaking and the owner had decided to stay for a while to attend to its repair and didn’t think it could possibly be done before the 25th when we need to move. But this house was fantastic. High upon a hill overlooking a valley, on the edge of town and just down at the end of my street, this house sits in the middle of thickly forested land, but peeks above the trees to an incredible view. A rooftop terrace out the upstairs bedroom, which unfortunately is the source of the leakage problem, affords an amazing platform for a peaceful vantage point over a large meadow surrounded by hills.
But I do love exploring and considering all these possibilities, even when they are withdrawn at the same time they are presented. My landlady wishes to assure me not to worry, that she will find us something or offer us the small chalet next to this house until the house is free again in February. And I do know there’s no need for concern but with so many really cool houses here, I like the idea of finding a place that suits me even more, where I could settle in and stay until the time comes when we have built our own place outside of town.
As we walked back up the street, she tried to tell me something about the land she wishes to sell to us, but my understanding was poor and I can only guess at understanding that she had found some other people who might like to purchase part of the valley too, making it possible for us to have a smaller piece. Though we think it best to not rush into anything, our hearts are telling us to move soon. It’s hard to wait, though we know we should, especially without the permanent visas yet.
So these thoughts occupy far too much of my thoughts lately as I seek a place to make a new home. How I wish that some of our children or friends would come and share this life with us, find a valley where our own piece of paradise could embrace and nurture us together. Wishes can come true……
So, leaving the outer life behind for a while, some thoughts on the inner life….. We have met several people here who are involved with an instrument called the Human Design System. This has peaked our interest as psychologists and explorers of the inner realms of being. From my small vantage of understanding thus far, I’ve been told the system combines the science of Astrology, the Enneagram, the Kabbalah and the Chakra systems to form a genetic map, used to help understand the individual patterns and tendencies of each individual. As I write this today, we have a formidable teacher and analyst of the system reviewing our “maps” so that he can explain his findings and perhaps, we hope, provide more insights for us. We are eager for the meeting to learn more. Many of you know that we are fond of tools such as these systems for the depth of understanding they provide. The Enneagram, for instance, was instrumental in causing enormous development for me as I uncovered unconscious patterns and tendencies that were causing so much suffering which I have been able to recognize and deconstruct. Not only does it provide deep understanding of the self, but also provides insight into the psyche of others, allowing for an opening of unconditional love to emerge in the place of misunderstanding, resentment and unacceptance. The science of astrology, which has been marginalized and discounted by so many for so long, is an ancient body of wisdom and knowledge and very much used by the elite powers for insights and control. It paints a perfect portrait of cosmic understanding that can be used as well to explain the higher forces affecting us as individuals as it does the collective consciousness, and can also be used as a guide to direct our paths along the course to our fullest potential and purpose. These two systems we are familiar with and hold in the highest regard, while the others with which we know less, we respect as worthwhile bodies of wisdom. Combined, how could it be anything but insightful?
The Polo
Some time back, you may remember me writing about the Open University polo, or meeting place, where we go once or twice a week for conversations with the students to assist in their learning of English and ours of Portuguese. This past Monday night we met a new group of students. Each new student who discovers we are there for this purpose is so happy for the opportunity and greets us with so much love and appreciation, it delights me. There’s something about this reception that has been simmering in my mind for a while. Unable to define what it was that was more than just an eagerness to develop their English skills, late last Monday in conversation with our friend Frieda who set this up, she revealed to me something I’ve been pondering but unable to define. We seem to be bridging a culture gap. These students are graduate students, professional adults in diverse professions: taxi drivers, store proprietors, accountants, legal assistants and more. They are mostly long time residents and natives to this slowly expanding community which was not long ago a tiny village without paved roads. For thirty years, people from the big cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, foreigners from around the world, and others have arrived in this place in pursuit of an alternative community. I feel confident in venturing to say, all seeking a less materialistic and more spiritual way of life. And here there are many paths to the divine or expanded states. Not just followers of Osho or seekers who use ritualistic and shamanic practices, and not all with psychoactive plants, but also followers of Eastern, Western and indigenous religions and spiritual sects. I’ve seen Spiritist centers, churches of several Christian denominations, Buddhist temples and more.
But these two groups of the old and the new have remained somehow separate though living together in the same town. Like everywhere in the US, where you find one neighborhood of Italians, one Black, one Jewish…. Or substitute any other ethnic group; here too there are neighborhoods which emphasize a preponderance of one group verses another. I felt a strong sense of division when I came. It is illustrated somewhat in the Europeans use of eco-communities inside gates, with the shared expense of a security person (always a poor local Brazilian family.) It just feels wrong to me! I came to this country because I love the Brazilian people. Never before have I met so many people like this with such an open heart, fun loving, musical, happy, giving…. I don’t want to be separate from them!
But when a person has so much stuff that they need to protect it and keep it from others, they have to keep fear present in their hearts, and a sense of danger. They must feel a sense of separation, mine from yours, us verses them. But this is part of the reason we as a species are all in this mess to begin with and what we’re all here to learn in our unique and individual way.
So my friend Frieda said to me, “You know, it’s more that you’re doing here than you think. You’re giving them an opening to relate and communicate with the others that they’ve never had.” When she said that, I knew that she was right. It was what I’d been feeling but couldn’t articulate. They tell me, each in turn, how afraid they are to speak English because they don’t want to make a mistake. Many of them want so much to communicate with foreigners who speak English, but their fear of not being articulate, looking stupid or bad in the eyes of others, has kept the separation in place. I think it is the same for many of the foreigners as well. I know that I myself at first felt a reluctance to attempt to speak Portuguese when I know that I was speaking incorrectly, in the wrong tense and even at times in the wrong person. Language is the prime separator. It’s frustrating if you can’t say more than hello, how are you, my name is Mindy and doesn’t make good grounds for a true connection.
This line of questioning is just expanding exponentially. It brings up so many thoughts simultaneously; I don’t know where to start. But I guess you could boil it mostly down to the division between fear and love. What everyone wants is love. But each off us has to first overcome the more prevalent force of fear. Fear of being wrong, fear of looking bad, and fear of being rejected…. Any of those things we associate with the loss of receiving love and repress to avoid suffering. So I was delighted to feel as if I could play a role in bridging a culture gap, bring factions of people together to live more harmoniously. When one group of people is reluctant to interact, for whatever reason, the other has to protect themselves from feeling rejected and hurt by turning the other cheek, so to speak and feigning indifference. So you have people who want to know and love each other but are too afraid of being hurt to overcome the obstacles. Shitty scenario. No wonder so many people were so thrilled at the opportunity to come to the polo one night a week and learn how to communicate, feel accepted and move beyond the limitations of fear to experience love.
I think this place is a training ground for the new consciousness to be born and for all people to go beyond their differences to discover their similarities, a womb for the birth of unconditional love. People are sure coming here to find their peace, however that looks to them.
So I told you earlier about Pesce Paga (not sure I’m spelling it correctly,) but what I didn’t mention was the fact that the family who owns it and the huge farm that it is a part of, are the parents of, the daughters of and the wife of the mayor of our little community. Though I didn’t personally speak with the mayor or his father, I learned that his mother came here from Rio close to thirty years ago and adopted many children, created a school for them and continues to care for many. The paid fishing ponds which they created, which when I first heard of the concept considered an abomination, that someone could profit from what should belong to everyone, actually provide a great recreational activity as well as a source of food for the people who use it at a nominal fee. Considering they have to purchase the fish to stock the pond, how could that be bad? Not two weeks earlier, driving past the farm on our way with a friend to see his land, he shared his opinion that what they doing was harmful to the environment, growing crops for profit that altered the eco system. Hearing his point of view, I judged them uncaring and out only for profit at great expense to the environment. Yet two weeks later, I met them, learning their perspective and can find little fault where I once had before.
Isn’t this true of most situations? Different perspectives- not one right, one wrong – just different sides of the equation. We as human beings are so quick to form an opinion, judge something right or wrong before considering all the angles. So, once again, I remind myself how easily I jump to forming judgments and wish to eliminate that practice from my repertoire. Yes, perhaps eucalyptus groves would be better planted elsewhere and a more eco friendly crop would be a better consideration, but to blanketly judge someone a pox to the environment and out only for profit is as closed minded as the next person who only considers his own benefit. Yikes! I begin to sound like I am preaching morality – sorry!
The Ecology of the Region
Since we veer so close to the topic, I’ll end this version of today’s blog with a little lesson on the ecology of the region.
The Brazilian Cerrado eco region is recognized as the most biologically diverse savannah of the planet, with the presence of various diverse habitats and eco systems and a very rich flora with more than 10,000 catalogued plant species, 4,400 being endemic to the eco region. The Cerrado fauna has 837 bird species, 67 mammal species, 150 amphibian and 120 reptile species, 90 species of termites, 1000 butterfly and 500 bee and hornet species. The Brazilian Cerrado has just over 19.15% original vegetation preserved; 80 % has been occupied by agriculture, pasture and urbanization and 0.85% are protected areas. The Cerrado eco system covers 25% of the Brazilian territory. The Chapada dos Veadeiros has 98% of highland Cerrado (above 1200 meters elevation,) representing the largest continuous tract of preserved Cerrado highlands.
The Brazilian Cerrado eco system is divided into six categories: Campo Limpo- open fields, Campo Sujo- open fields covered with shrubs and small trees, Campo Rupestre- fields with surfacing rock formations, Vereda- humid fields (bordering streams and spring lands,) Mata de Galeria- gallery forests which grow on river and stream embankments and surround water springs, Cerrado ss- typical Cerrado vegetation covering most of the eco region, composed of varied blends of trees, shrubs, herbaceous species of grasses, lichens and mosses.
Reprinted from Guia de Turismo da Chapada dos Veadeiros
Until next time, we wish you all peace and happiness and lives filled with love