By Tamashin
Here is part 4 of Tamashin‘s article about Joćo Pessoa. To read the previous parts click the relevant links at the end of the article.
Billboards around the city advertised concerts on the beaches, parks and theatres. I thought this was just for Christmas and New Year but my new found friends confirmed that the events were a regular feature throughout the year. This was confirmed when I was given a leaflet of future events.
One night I heard some opera being performed on the beach stage in Tambau. I thought I would lend support to the other six or seven people there. I was very pleasantly surprised to see the beach as full as the previous nights "Forro" concert. The following evening I watched the excellent "Quinteto da Paraiba" a violin/cello/drum combo which set the stage alight with some electrifying music. Forro will never be the same. I was an instant convert to their music.
There was a downside though. The following week "Cidade Negra" would be playing live but we would be on our way home to Minas, so I would never hear "Onde voce mora?" played live.
What about when things go wrong and you need a hospital. Well, JP seemed very well catered for and several of the public hospitals I saw were in very modern buildings though I didn't have occasion to use them. On one of the streets just off Tambau, the busiest beach, there was a very large public clinic.
We did pay attention to Unimeds very large hospital as we are members of their medical plan. My wife and children used the hospital twice and had no complaints about the service or conditions. It looked to be quite new or was that because it was well looked after? I couldn't compare it to The British NHS because its such a long time since I used that service.
We also looked at several schools, previously researched on the internet, notably PIO X , PIO XI and GEO. These turned out to be quite famous and were well known even in our small Minas town and by friends in Sao Paulo.
We spoke with teachers, parents and pupils. Obviously, no one is going to say "our school is rubbish" but we were encouraged by the variety of well kept facilities and answers to our many questions. There was a point of concern regarding the educational year structure which is a year behind Minas Gerais. This would mean our eldest daughter having to go in a class where she would be ahead of the other students. She is also bilingual. We have been told that she will have to sit a placement exam which should resolve the situation.
We were very impressed by the number, quality and variety of restaurants. JP is a capital city after all so it was to be expected but you could find a place to fit your budget and lifestyle.
We found American, French, Italian, Chinese, Indian and Japanese restaurants as well as those specialising in local cuisine. Perhaps the most famous was Mangai which boasts 40 local dishes, including the famous sun dried meat. You eat in an area surrounded by local paraphernalia, though there is a separate part which is fully air conditioned. It caters for children and has a little park. However, there are others too numerous to mention and all the ones we tried served generous portions.
As in all cities the quality varied and our most expensive meal definitely wasn't the best. Certainly, there were numerous Japanese bars and restaurants and we were very impressed with a sushi bar in one of the big shopping malls. We tried a "nobs and swells" restaurant away from the sea front and though it was frequented by the glitterati the food was only as good as the shopping malls. I remember looking at the photos of famous models adorning the walls. One caught my eye so I said to the waiter "isn't that.?" but the waiter interrupted me and said "yes it is, she's a regular". When he left, my wife asked who the model was but I couldn't tell her because the waiter had interrupted me. Its very annoying when that happens.
The music varied from place to place too. Someone tinkling a grand piano in one place, in another a guitar, yet another a band with the music varying from forro to pop. Some places even had karaoke.
Without a doubt, if you like sea food you will love JP. It is there in abundance. I tried many fish that I had never heard of until my visit.
Final part next week...
Tamashin is a retired civil engineer who first came to Brazil in 1993 to help build a community centre for street children in Rio. He now lives in Minas Gerais with his Brazilian wife and children.
Previous articles by Tamashin:
Around Brazil: Joćo Pessoa Part 3
Around Brazil: Joćo Pessoa Part 2
Around Brazil: Joćo Pessoa Part 1
Brazil: The Great North Road Part 6
Brazil: The Great North Road Part 5
Brazil: The Great North Road Part 4
Brazil: The Great North Road Part 3
Brazil: The Great North Road Part 2
Brazil: The Great North Road Part 1
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