Chronicles of On The Road Travel

Gaudi Architecture in Brazil's Favelas

Brazil's Favela's have received a lot of press for the violence and crime they portray.  Now there is a new reason for the world to take note: an artist among the inhabitants. Estevao Silva da Conceicao lives in the Paraisopolis favela amidst one of São Paulo's wealthiest neighborhoods, Morumbi. Over twenty years ago Estevao began construction of his 'Casa de Pedra' (house of stone) - creatively designed with household objects and stones covering the walls. The result is a cavernous structure that is not too far off the famous designs of Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi.

Several years ago a passerby, who happened to be an architect, pointed out the similarities to Gaudi's work. Estevao, who had never heard of the famous architect has since had the opportunity to travel to Spain to see Gaudi's work first-hand, and has also had his home featured in Vogue's home style magazine (Brazilian edition). Click here to see photos of Estevao's house of stone. If you're traveling to Brazil, consider taking a tour of a favela to get an unusual perspective and a deeper understanding of Brazil.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Great Photo Slideshow of Buenos Aires

Thanks to Astrid Perkins, who is the Director of Think Argentina, a branding agency in Buenos Aires, for bringing this video to our attention. Enjoy!

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Celebrate Latin America in September

We will be taking a few days off over the upcoming long weekend. If you are in the Bay Area, here are a couple of Latin American-themed events worth checking out as September approaches...

Favela Rising, the award winning documentary about one group that revolutionizes life in the slums of Brazil through hip hop music, will be playing at the Red Poppy Art House on September 1st. (8pm, show is free).

San Francisco's own Brazilian Independence Day Celebration will be taking place on September 9th in Golden Gate Park. Much like it's New York counterpart, this festival will feature live bands, tasty food, arts and crafts, and of course, dancing.

Lulacruza, a duo from Argentina and Columbia, will be making their debut on September 15th at the Red Poppy Art House. Their sound is described as South American instrumentation, found sound objects, and field recordings blended into a vibrant, electronically manipulated aural experience.

Tango No. 9, known for their modern tango nuevo, will be performing pieces from their new album, Radio Valencia, to be released in October. Click here to catch a sneak preview, or see them live on September 21st at the Red Poppy Art House.

For those who are interested in immersing themselves in the Latin American arts, consider one of the Mission Cultural Center's ongoing classes. You can choose from Capoeira, Salsa, Samba Jam, Latin Percussion and much more...

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Soak Up Latin America's Culture in California

Earlier this summer the Museum of Latin American Art celebrated the completion of its new building which will house its expanding collection. In this new facility you will find a 1,000 square-foot gallery, an educational art studio, a film screening room and a research library.

The museum itself has only been around since 1996 and is the only museum in the western United States that exclusively features contemporary Latin American art. The permanent exhibition presents a selection of over 75 works of art reflecting the Latin American aesthetic of the blending of cultures—Indigenous, European and North American. The museum also has a growing events program including salsa classes and a travelers program which offers behind-the-scenes tours of museums, critically acclaimed exhibits, art fairs and biennials, meetings with up-and-coming artists, visits to cutting-edge galleries and architecturally interesting landmarks throughout the United States, Spanish-speaking Caribbean, Central and South America.

Molaa is open Tuesday - Sunday. Friday's are free! It is a great way to take in the Latin American art scene if you can't make your way down to Buenos Aires' MALBA.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

A Great Site for Buying Unique Imports

I found this website while reading the book Eat, Love, Pray, which I wrote about last week. The Author, Elizabeth Gilbert, meets the woman who runs Novica while living in Indonesia. Her work with the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees brought her to developing countries around the world and gave her exposure to some incredible and entrepreneurial artists. In Elizabeth's words, Novica 'supports indigenous artists all over the world by selling their products on the Internet'. I was immediately intrigued, dropped the book, and looked up the website.  It was so excited to find this incredible resource for unique home decor, jewelry, apparel and paintings. You can search the site by items or regions (products are sourced from the Andes, Bali, Brazil, India, Mexico, Thailand and West Africa). What is most interesting is that each product comes with a detailed description of the artist, including their life story and the factors that influenced their artwork. Novica.  is definitely worth checking out if you are the type of person who always returns from a journey wishing you'd bought more local artwork but didn't have the luggage capacity to bring it with you!

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Spanish Harlem Orchestra at Toronto's Luminato

Toronto's Luminato, a festival of arts and creativity involving music, dance, theatre, film, literature and visual arts, launched this past weekend.  The much-awaited opening of the Royal Ontario Museum's Michael Lee-Chin crystal, an ultra-modern addition to the classical façade of Toronto's largest museum and brainchild of Daniel Libeskind, was allegedly attended by an estimated 40,000, for a somewhat deflating free concert and opening ceremonies.  The planners clearly hadn't expected such a large crowd, as people found themselves wandering back and forth behind the stands where a select few managed to score seats, trying to find a way in.

Better planned is the free concert series, Masters of World Music, at Harbourfront Centre.  A great selection of local and international artists are performing at the spacious and accessible open-air stage.  Don't miss Joe Vasconcellos from Chile at 8pm and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra at 9:30pm tonight.  Lila Downs with Mesoamerican sounds and K'naan of Somali Canadian origins for a taste of hip hop hit the stage tomorrow night.   

This article was posted by Veronica Montero

Travel Advice & Recommendations by Local Experts

Discover Peruvian Artwork

This weekend, marks the third annual 'Noche de Arte'  event in Lima, Peru. This three day exhibition was established with the goal of promoting the art and culture of Peru. It provides us with the opportunity to witness the talent of nearly 360 emerging Peruvian artists who will display their paintings, sculptures and photography. The event will be held at Museo de la Nacion, Avenida Javier Prado Este 2465 in San Borja. For more information visit the Noche de Arte website (Spanish only).

Lima, Peru’s capital and the commercial and cultural centre of the country, is a city of contrasts, where you can live like royalty in prestigious clubs and restaurants, while nearby people will be struggling to make ends meet in the slums surrounding the city.  For all its contrasts, travelers should give this city a chance to get introduced to Peru’s vivid culture.  To get the most out of your visit plan to spend at least two days in the City of Kings, not just rush through. While you're there, immerse yourself in the culture by visiting some of Lima's fine museums.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Carnaval in San Francisco

Originally uploaded by Kanaka Pacifica.

It has been a foggy long weekend in the Bay Area, but nothing could stop the annual Carnaval Parade – this year’s was one of the best ever. Held in the Mission neighborhood (which encompasses the area from Cesar Chavez Street to Market Street on the North and South, and from Portrero Street to Guererro Street from East to West) which is home to many Latin American communities in San Francisco. Although it is based on Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval festivities, this event features not only the local samba school, but dance schools and Latin American cultural groups from across the state of California. The fact that they are now living in the US does not seem to have changed their time clock and as usual, the parade started about an hour late, but this year's costumes and performances made the event an entertaining one. Bikini-clad women, stage-shy children and animated men all danced until the sun broke through the clouds in celebration of their vibrant cultures.

The weekend’s not over yet, and I will be heading down to Anaheim to cheer on the Ottawa Senators as they prepare to take home the Stanley Cup for the first time in history. Go Sens Go!

Photos of Bahia: A Cultural Exhibit

If you're in Rio de Janeiro this weekend, be sure to head to the Institute Moreira Salles to check out this exhibit. Fotografias da Bahia is an exhibit of 40 photographs of Bahia taken in the 19th century. British photographer Benjamin R. Mulock arrived in Brazil 20 years after the invention of daguerotype and documented the construction of the railroad, architecture of Salvador and trips to the Bahian countryside.

Instituto Moreira Salles is an oasis of peace, quiet and beauty right in the heart of Rio. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the Brazilian culture through proprietary projects in the areas of photography, literature, cinema, music and visual arts. Enjoy a stroll through the galleries and grounds of this former house in the urban jungle.

While you're there, be sure to check out the music room (acervo musical) where you can sit in a comfy office chair, don high quality headphones and listen to any of approximately 100,000 digitized recordings of Brazilian music dating from the 1800s on up to the mid-1900s.

For more details, and for other events taking place in Rio de Janeiro, visit our calendar of events.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Mayan Textile Exhibit in Chicago

Those of you who haven't had the opportunity to visit Guatemala, or other parts of Latin America, now have the opportunity to see those colourful woven textiles that are the livelihood of so many indigenous people from the region.   

Chicago's National Museum of Mexican Art is featuring the exhibit "Arte Textil Maya" through May 27th. Here you will find an assortement of huipil's, the traditional dress worn by the indigenous cultures of Guatemala and Southern Mexico. One of Guatemala's unique features is its indigenous population, which is a large majority of its 12 million inhabitants, including 23 Mayan groups, each with their own language and dress.

If you are lucky enough to visit Guatemala, be sure to make your way to the town of Todos Santos, Cuchumatanes, near the Mexican border. Locals here wear some of the most stunning traje (traditional dress) in the country. The men's outfits are typified by the brimmed hat with a blue sash, red pants and striped shirts. Be sure to stop in at the Casa Familiar, which is a co-op of weavers. Each item has a name on it, telling you who the woman that produced it was, and the profits go directly to her. Make San Andrés Xecul your next stop, near the town of Quetzaltenango (also known as Xela). Here you will see clumps of brightly coloured materials hanging from rooftops. These households belong to the textile cooperative where the materials are dyed and sold to textile manufacturers in other villages or on market days

Travel Recommendations & Advice From Local Experts