BRAZIL CARNIVAL

A tourist and a participant in Brazil’s Carnival

She dreamed of being a bejeweled samba dancer at the annual party. So how did she end up in a frumpy white suit and tricorn hat?

A tourist and a participant in Brazil’s Carnival – latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/travel/printedition/la-trw-brazilsambaschool7-2010feb07,0,3895637.storyReporting from Rio De Janeiro – It was near midnight and the rain-drenched streets had already stained my white satin slippers. A Napoleon-style hat, adorned with golden beads and white plumage, was perched precariously atop my head. Stepping delicately in my soggy shoes, I gripped my ruffled lace pant legs to keep them from dragging on the wet cobblestones.

“Qual escola de samba?” people called out in Portuguese as a crescendo of cheers echoed over the stadium walls. “Império da Tijuca!” we answered, shouting back the name of our samba school.

From their plastic chairs, squeezed between the beer coolers and hot dog vendors, those who couldn’t afford tickets to Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival competition packed Avenida Presidente Vargas to enjoy the camaraderie outside the Sambadrome. They stared with amusement as our group of gringos, sweating inside our polyester costumes, hurried past.