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Show B Scouts D5 Q Births D5 The Daily Herald Sunday, February 16, 1992 By JOHN KRICH Universal Press Syndicte "Brazil is not a serious country," Charles De Gaulle once declared with Gallic finality. The world's country has mined the wealth of vast frontiers and constructed cities of unmatched experimentation. Yet it is fifth-large- st still known for its highly evolved culture of pleasure. Brazil's Carnival, that annual, orgy in the five days preceding Lent, is proof that no other society gets so serious when it comes to frivolity. state-sanction- But Carnival is more; it is not just frivolity institutionalized but a wide window onto Brazil's color and innocence, kindness and quir- - ; kiness, and splendidly confused mix of races and culture. Evolving rapidly since its emergence in the 1920s, this national pageant pro- vides the fullest expression, through hundreds of local varia- fur loincloths, full war paint and headdress plumage. Miniature bows and arrows click in time with the swaying train. Some of these g warriors can't help stomping in their moccasins before completing their commute. Recife's downtown becomes a giant teepee for these "caboclin-hos,- " or little Indians, who prance past judges' reviewing stands, hop barefoot down the asphalt, preen in their feathers, and compete for prizes for the most native strap-hangin- natti-nes- s. slow pace. First there is the magnificent artifact of colonial Brazil, which has become the showcase for a country of artisans, found by heading 15 minutes north of the city to the Brazilian. ' As such, Carnival remains the suburb of Olinda. Next is the surest guide to Brazil at its most swingers' beachside Brazil in the vibrant. And just as there is far district called Boa Viagem. Centro more to this country than Copaca-ban- a reflects a Brazil modernizing amid Beach or Sugar Loaf, so there the moldering legacies of past n is a Carnival beyond Rio de Janeisplendor. And finally, the luminous and ro's mechanized spectacle of topyet pious world of the Brazilian outback is less samba troupes staged largely for television. When the natives typified in the surrounding want to plunge most deeply into the villages, such as the "action, they head for Recife. Here town of Tracunhaem. beach bunnies and pioneers, IndiAny visit to Recife, during or after the Carnival, should begin in ans and intellectuals play in an unmatched variety of settings. Recife Olinda, which is Portuguese for "How Beautiful!" and as apt a is Brazil in concentrate. Pronounced its name now as it was when it was founded in 1530. Among the name derived from reef in the colonial towns in the naguage of its Dutch founders, Recife is the largest city for more than tion, its hillocks are dotted with a thousand miles in either direction churches and royal palms. One of Brazil's first capitals, this fabled along the big bulge of Brazil's Atlantic coast. For more than 400 speck is now a suburb overlooking the Atlantic, quarantined from years, this steamy magnet of nearly 2 million people has been the modern Recife by a series of unofficial capital of the Northeast causeways. back lands, poor in goods and raiToday, the gentle atmosphere of nfall but rich in folklore and heroic Olinda's perfectly intact colonial core, its sun and beaches, make this spirit.. Where else could I arrive to the country's leading community not exshare a gleaming subway shuttle of artists and craftsmen e with a Amazonian actly the Brazilian Greenwich Viltribe? On Carnival's first evening, lage, more like its Santa Fe. poverty-stricke- : ," make-believ- nearly everybody in sight is getting indigenous, a tribute to an Indian heritage many share. They invent their own fantasies of going native in an abundant rain forest that few urban Brazilians have actually seen. A whole carload of Brazilian braves-for-a-nig- are outfitted in ht papier-mach- Due to its bohemian communi- ty, Olinda's festivities are re- nowned as Brazil's most inventive, casual and freewheeling. College students from all over the nation choose to join in a mass outburst of joy most true to Carnival's roots in childhood innocence. t real-lif- Ky if f" 8 i h1s ft 1 r ji-:- - iz t" 3r - the "Woman of the Morning," and an offspring called the "Child of the Afternoon." Street costumes are equally fanciful. In the pantheon of Olinda mythology are plenty of sheikhs and Scheherazades; Bathshebas and Beelzebubs; shrouded gypsies and fortune-tellerand numerous parodies of topical figures such as Saddam Husseins and George Bushes grappling over barrels of oil. Fortunately, the Pousada das Quatro Contas, "the four corners," a restored mansion recommended for any I, - "- - - blood-drench- 18th-centu- I ....,. 1T- ,,!., f Parodies of topical figures such as George Bush and Sadaam Hussein roam Recife's city streets as a reminder of reality during Carnival's orgy of frivolity. MAY 7 Laughlln -- 11 ,34900 uuBMn wgM..i3gi Tcnjrimh tow ' mmmai WESTER TEMPLE TOUR APRIL v PtSllVAL 1J MESA PAGEANT 83" Jeofcpot.Bko. PORTLAND RO&E Juna 2 UkooHota.....1S3 it a June Vejaa Hemet, Cal.j PLEURE IKV J yk ; .... V xf&sfSSSF MUM , iut mm?? m ' " I I. .... Jm.&j$fo f John Krich photo Maracatu dancers pictured at the rural Tracunhaem Carnival where every troupe ;s named for a lion, though there has never been any such animal in Brazil. Another species of an mai is also prevalent at Carnival outings the Party Animal. Mil ed stay in Olinda, really is at the intersection of the two busiest streets in town, allowing rapid entry and exit from the mobs. Like most accom- MEL modations during Carnival, the Pousada has been booked up months in advance, and my room Our 2 night packages include breakfasts, city tour in a basement annex has windows set almost at street level. What guest dares to sleep during Carnival anyway? A musical wake-u- p call keeps me going all night. Where Rio has the samba, Recife and Olinda share frevo (fray-voo- ), derived from the verb fre-va- r, "to excite." Small, roving frevo bands include the usual insistent snare drummers but are distinguished largely by their brass sections: Wailing trombones cascade up and down like a roller coaster in sound. The proper accompanying step is a kind of clog dance done under miniature umbrellas switched furiously from side to side. Both the use of umbrellas and brass make the frevo a close cousin to another form of expression known as traditional Dixieland jazz. More than any carnival in Brazil, Recife's shows a familial resemblance to the New Orleans Mardi Gras. Olinda's main party really gets rolling on the Saturday morning before Fat Tuesday with the "Galo de Madrugada" a gathering named for a rooster who can't wait for sunrise to crow. By 9 in the morning the temperature is near 100 degrees, amplified by the heat of several hundred thousand along the parade route. The guessing game each year is just how many of Recife's eager populace will cram into the narrow alleys of the colonial center to cheer on the first frevo bands borne on motorized carts. "There is a physical law that two bodies cannot occupy the same space," goes a popular quip, "but that law does not operate in Brazil." (See RECIFE, Page D3) FALDM0T0URS Your all inclusive vacation and accommodations. Book by March 31, 1992. PARIS LONDON EDINBURGH FRANKFURT SALZBURG $135 $138 2 nigh from $134 2 nights from $153 2 nights from $98 First compare the tour, then compare the price. DEEP SOUTH 16days from $1699 2 rughts from 2n,ghBfrom Rales are per person, double occupancy Land only i mm ? n mi 8 36S" "TSAcTcHiuS"! I '579Mj 13-1- Lnug. TOURS w.is,429p'jT ilrjj Tooke Travel of Provo, is an Authorized Ticketing Agent for ALL of the Morris Air Service Airline Tickets and Vacation Packages! Same Low Prices Excellent Service NO EXTRA FEES CALL TOOKE TRAVEL 377-410- 0 You'll find the spirit of the South as we travel from the Mississippi to the Carolinas and from Southern Florida to the Potomac Departing April 1, 1992, this comprehensive tour takes you through the heart of the South to virtually all the significant highlights along the way, including a Mississippi river boat cruise. Cypress Gardens, EPCOT, The Grand Ole Opry, Williamsburg, Washington D.C., Monucello, Sr. Augustine and more April 6. HAWAII April $1000 ra 1,-Sa- Less VixZL sggn.. vf CALIFORNIA COASTAL I 3 j - 4 days from $439 Roundtrip from Los Angeles to San Diego, Catalina and Ensenada. Includes air. 3 U m I ffl SOUTH PACIFIC Mdapfom $1499 Sail from Tahiti to Moorea, Bora Bora, Pago Pago, Fiji, New Zealand 41591 Cruise MEXICO and Australia. Sails 3392 and only. Vallarta. Sails March 15 & 25, 1991 Cruise $795 only. CARIBBEAN 7daysfrom$808 Sail the eastern ports of Nassau, San Juan, Si ' Thomas, Princess Cays. Roundtrip from Ft Lauderdale Departs larch 7, 1992. Cruise only. ' CARIBBEAN $1 159 Rose Parade, and Southern Florida. S?vr For your convenience, iis travel at our local Morris Travel office. . s$c:Q :ssr$RQJ Oakland Los Angeles Restnctions apply. Seattle, Ontario and Oakland require 14 day advance purchase. Additional aties require 7 day advance purchase Book by 2Z2&92. travel by 473092 Saturday rught stay. Blackout dates apply Limited seats Salt Lake City departures HAWAII 10 days from $3175 from U.S. History, Ozark Mountain, South Pacific, - "SvJ w- from 27-3- 1 RENAISSANCE FR0M tjwTi 6 22-Ju- ly 3 23-No- 18-2- 4 y cnuists- Oct 6 16-3- first-cla- ss W. 14-2- $1749 HILL CUMORAH July 1 fcm $1749 from $485 SHAKESPEAREAN July HILLS BLACK k.m $559 August Call for additional 1992 tours including: Europe, Black Hills, Fall Foliage, Eastern An intimate cruise. Only 1 14 guests per ship, all outside suites, open seating restaurant! Sails June 6 lor a special journey between Barcelona to La Rochelle, France. Must book b v March 3 1 . k.k1 5& 24-Nl- CALGARY June per suite 1 1.. 1li.uuuAtjuiiijiu.tuuuill ack from ALASKA June Sail roundtrip from Los Angdes to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Acapulco, Zihuatanejoand Puerto taSS. f 4 :frVu "Til ; ! ; 1( ry - John Krich photo RAMOAIA PAGEANT If v: s; TRAVEL NOTICE I if I tivities by sneaking about Olinda late at night. Over the years, he has been granted a boneca mate called Afro-Americ- an ; mm - And this gathering of tribes is but a taste of coming civic hallucinations, the first of four distinct Carnivals that mirror the four settings readily accessible on any excursion here. All are within Recife's metropolitan area, easily reached by public buses that move in maniacal contrast to the citizens' tions in song and dance, costumes and symbolism, of what it has meant and may yet mean to be "Hay-see-fee- Painted mannequins wave from e masks of balconies, sun gods gleam from the rooftops, and the sides of overflowing "watering holes" are covered with wild, expressionistic murals. The partying seizes the steep cobbled inclines. The straight-backe- d churches are disguised in strung confetti trim. Informal "blocos," or organized groups, some thousand or more celebrants in matching make periodic passes through- town, each bearing Olinda's peculiar bit of carnival whimsy, the boneca. This is a doll, a marionette on a stick instead of strings, that bobs wildly, arms swaying, above the surging crowds. The most renowned of these stock characters is the "Man of Midnight," a dashing mustachioed Lothario in top hat and tuxedo e modeled after a philanderer who accomplished all his extramarital ac- 7n,6hSfrom$1046 mi SECOND PASSENGER SAVES 50)6. Departs hotel stay. 7 nights 92. lndudes air and a from Ft Lauderdale From $1046 after discount pre-crui- 1 roundtrp air Iron $399 roundtrp a Irom $259 week packages from $569 MAZATLAN $379 complete 7 day package. MEXICO CRUISE roundtrp ai Irom $699 7 day. San Diego, Mazattan, Los Cabos, Puerto Vailarta. ORLANDO roundtrp ai Irom $299 7 nights and roundtrp air tram $899 $449 complete package CARIBBEAN CRUISE 'Packages, unless otherwise indicated, include round tup airfare, 7 nights hotel accommodations, and tiansters (where applicable) Based on double oocupancy Fare based Irom Sail Lake International Airport For more information on these and many other vacations tall or stop by any of these Morris Travel locations. OremOlTice 852 South State Spanish Fork Office 1070 North Main y,m r 2520 NnWeryty Ave Rales are pe person, double occupancy and subject to evariabiMy Rates may change wshout notce and may vary by days ol tiavel, season, and duiation Ceitain restnctions apply Cmse rates do not nckide port and Fed departure charges F"iy kMuB'KMl CtTIaI Jtll JjfAaL't Ifl tL lj jseaMPiwSj1' irKua I |