Charmed by the Unknown Brazil

"QUANTUM SHOT" #573 Link - article by Akka Ballenger Constantin We welcome our guest travel writer Akka Ballenger Constantin (also a photographer with a gallery on National Geographic). She spent seven years sailing around the world, gathering weird and wonderful material, part of which she shares with us today: The Unknown Brazil: Boca de Valeria, Manaus, Santarem & Parintinis. When in Rome, do like the Romans - they say…but what about Brazil? Here are some notes that may help you find places not (too often) mentioned in the travel guides: A couple of dancers in Santarem, Boi Bumba Festival Surely enough, your typical tourist will linger on the Ipanema Beach, or take active part in the Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval…that is if you can do the Samba like the locals, or if you really want to embarrass yourself publicly, by exposing your elephantine grace. A conscientious tourist will have at least a shot of himself underneath O Cristo Redentor, the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer located on the top of the Corcovado Mountain. A shot together with the gorgeous dancers, on the Sambodromo. One on the beautiful beaches of Santa Catarina…Or perhaps a shot of the lively, rocky nights in Armação dos Búzios, catching up with the richest of the riches… I, on the other hand have none of the above. I am a fortuitous tourist and a natural born traveler. While sailing, my itinerary is always imposed on me, but sometimes it’s for the best. So, what can I tell you about Brazil? Something you haven’t already seen; something you don’t already know? Encontro das Águas - the improbable junction of the waters Sailing the Amazon River into Manaus, we were mesmerised by what the locals call "Encontro das Águas" (the meeting of waters). The junction of Rio Negro and Rio Solimões is a very unique sight. For 6 km, the 2 rivers are running along, without mixing. In more profane but visual terms, think coffee flowing alongside cappuccino, without being able to mix it. There is a simple explanation for what we took for a small miracle: Rio Negro flows at 2 km per hour at a temperature of 22°C, while the Rio Solimões flows between 4 to 6 km per hour at temperature of 28°C. These differences between speed, temperature and density of the two waters are the main cause of this phenomenon. Evening time: view from the Command Bridge, before entering Manaus. Boca de Valeria Leaving Manaus, we keep sailing on the Amazon River. Our next stop: Boca de Valeria: a very small, colourful village, populated by some 60-70 ribeirrinhos. Several cruiseship companies have placed this little village on their itinerary. Located at the "mouth" of the Valeria River, the village offers an encounter of two different cultures. A cruise ship arrival is a great event for the small village located on the mouth of Valeria River. The friendly villagers are always happy to welcome all visitors, eager to make contact and get news from foreign lands. Because of the small space, the visitors are literally poking into the river people’s lives. But they look happy enough to share with us their ways of life: we are being shown their schools, the local market and even the way their houses are made. Typical houses They seem to understand that visits like these sustain the little trade they are able to make by selling souvenirs and exquisite crafts. There are very few inhabitants and they are all very proud of their amazonian heritage. Although modern living is slowly making its way through, they dress up with traditional costumes. Amazonian Family The children however are not yet versed in the art of compromise. Although they have obediently donned up their outfits, their eyes say more than words. They are not used being on display for the large audience and they all look like they would be happier playing, rather than demonstrating their skills. One particular girl attracted the crowds with her beautiful, magnetic eyes. She was demonstrating archery, but her eyes were throwing the real darts. Little Amazonian Warrior: In Boca de Valeria, boats are the equivalent of cars in a busy city: the only way of getting around: Spectacular Boi-Bumbá Festival Parintins is located on Tupinambarana island in the Amazon River. Its name will probably tell you nothing, but Parintins is very famous for a popular folklore festival. Called Boi-Bumbá, the Parintins festival is held each year on the month of June. It is an incredible experience for the audience: the artistic duel of the 2 teams, Boi Caprichoso and Boi Garantido. Boi is the Portuguese word for ox and it is the main character of the story. Each of the teams is presenting the same story in their own fashion: the story of Pai Francisco, who killed one of his Master’s ox, because Mae Catirina (his pregnant wife) was longing to eat beef tongue. Unfortunately, the ox he has killed was the master’s favourite and Pai Francisco is sent to jail, after a priest and a doctor failed to revive the ox. However, the story has a happy ending and thanks to the ritual performed by a pajé (pa-zhe, shaman), the ox is brought back to life. Pai Francisco is forgiven and everything ends in a party that celebrates the Boi's life. Both teams, Caprichoso and Garantido use amazing resources in unfolding the story: apart the musical and theatrical experience, the viewer will be amazed by the grand scale of this artistic confrontation: parade floats, giant puppets, allegoric dances & stories. The "Bumbódramo" is always at its full capacity during this 3-nights event. 35,000 people are following the competition, encouraging & cheering for their favourite team. During each night, the 2 teams are attempting in outdoing each other through their performance incorporating Amazonian folklore, with its exquisite costumes and flamboyant dances. (all images copyright Akka Ballenger Constantin) CONTINUE TO "SPECTACULAR ECUADOR"! -> Permanent Link......+StumbleUpon ...+Facebook Category: Travel,Photography

Dark Roasted Blend on Summer Schedule

DRB Update


Our wonderful readers and espresso enthusiasts!

There will be fewer posts in June, as we are on holidays - traveling, getting new material - will be back to normal schedule in July.

In the meantime, check out our classic archives:

Best of DRB 1 and Best of DRB 2 and various categories for more cool stuff. Even during our partial holidays we will continue to publish new articles, we just can not be stopped :)

Also, don't miss our most recent interview:
Environmental Graffiti: Movers and Shakers - Interview with Avi Abrams

Oh My God! Where is my daily "blend"? -


(original unknown)

UPDATE: This is a (back)door in the St. Martin's Church in Groningen (northern part of the Netherlands) - more images

Read our previous articles, there are... 500 of them! Start here.


(original unknown)

Summer is here: fun, fun, fun -



Keep sending us good tips and materials, we will be checking our email as always.

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Ekranoplans Showcase, Part 2

"QUANTUM SHOT" #572 link - by Avi Abrams Mother Russia: still in love with the "Wing-in-Ground" effect When we prepared Part 1 of Ekranoplan Showcase, we could not fit all the great material on one page, so consider this as an addendum to the fascinating subject of Soviet ekranoplans - a beast born during the Cold War and still employed today by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia. Here is a fantastic picture of how this technology may have looked in a heavily armed edition: (art by Scott Robertson, via, click to enlarge) Ekranoplan "Alekseyev A-90 Orlyonok", photo by Ilya Morozov, via Here is a helpful chart of all ekranoplan models: (image credit: "Science & Vie") Incredible futuristic rendering of a proposed passenger and cargo behemoth: images credit: "TM" magazine, Russia, 1974 "Orlyonok" Ekranoplan - rare view from the inside This particular machine has been explored by good people from Avia Gorizont, with many views of the cargo bay made for military vehicles. There were sightings of a similar ekranoplan still used on Lake Baykal by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia. Ekranoplan "Orlyonok" (left) and the "Astrakhan" concept (right), images via An exclusive look inside this machine shows impressive amount of cargo space and a typical Soviet spartan interior: (images credit: Avia Gorizont) Beriev's Wonder Machines: A Heavy Ekranoplan Concept Be-2500 is a heavy ekranoplan concept that is simply stunning in its design - seemingly random placement of wing surfaces and engines - which looks only as weird as any other model coming out of Beriev Design Bureau. (images via) The "2500" in the model's number refers to aircraft's weight - 2500 tons; it boasts six engines and the ability to cross the Atlantic or the Pacific oceans with a "wing-in-ground" speed of 450 km/h. (images via) I want that for my kid's playground Also something of a weird number, is the Bartini Beriev, VVA-14, which can be observed in a pretty gutted condition on a Russian airfield in Monino: still a curious sight for photographers and explorers - (image credit: Omar Alex Saffe) (image credit: Fyodor Borisov) (images via 1, 2) (image credit: Slava Babayevski) See a lot more images here VVA-14 used WIG effect only during a take-off, so it is not a true "ekranoplan" but rather an "ekrano-plane". However, it enjoyed a decent production run, and Soviet Army even had certain "glamorous" plans for it: "Such a vehicle was initially seen as urgently needed to destroy US Navy Polaris missile submarines" - more info. Ekranoplan + Shuttle These concepts were created in hopes to use the Earth's oceans for space launches: keep in mind that launching close to equator allows for 1.7 - 2 times heavier payload. The Sea-Launch project is already in full swing (facilitating vertical launches), however for the Shuttle-like horizontal launches and landings, Russian engineers propose to use a fleet of heavy ekranoplans: (image by G. F. Petrov, click to enlarge) More glimpses of launching system concepts - some are outrageous, all interesting: Winged "WIG" Curiosities Some variations on "wing-in-ground" effect sometimes led to curious contraptions... Check out this "water wing": looks like a bumpy ride - (image credit: ModernMechanix) Another interesting streamlined variation is the Seagull Boat, 1933: (image credit: ModernMechanix) Compact ekranoplans: among them is a German-made 1977 LippischX-114: Yet another futuristic idea - the Ionocraft Granted, this method of flying has little relation to WIG effect used by ekranoplans, but perhaps it is just as fascinating and just as rarely considered today. One concept proposed by Russians (and seen here in a rare picture from "TM" Soviet technology magazine) would use ionic air propulsion to lift itself and a significant payload off the ground. image via TM Magazine, 1965 This is a strange way to fly, for sure, using high-voltage capacitors and the Biefeld-Brown Effect in the corona wire. Who knows, maybe we'll see the development of such a craft in the future (although it does seem like a hazardous structure in the concept shown above) CONTINUE READING "EKRANOPLANS SHOWCASE" -> Permanent Link......+StumbleUpon ...+Facebook Category: Technology,Best of Russia