Noise Makers

First, let me start by wishing you all a very happy and healthy new year! We had a very relaxed get together with some friends last night. It was especially cool because the hosts have an adorable 5 month old little girl, and I got to talk about baby stuff with her mamae. Also, their backyard is filled with all sorts of edible treats. They have lots of fruit- banana, papaya, acerola (like cherries), carambola (star fruit), noni, lichee, grapes, maracuja (passion fruit), and many veggies/herbs- lettuce, spinach, sweet potatoes, basil, erva mate, among others. The host, Gustavo, is extremely knowledgeable about all things natural and works at a reserve with bees. He went around his yard picking leaves off various plants and offering them to us. His mom celebrated with us and made some fried leaves that were delicious!

Not sure what the English translation is for 

this plant, but it's edible when cooked

My hubby and me, 5 months prego

Now, humor me and allow me to vent...

I understand that the New Year is a big deal anywhere. It's totally normal to party with friends, light fireworks, and listen to music. How is it that NYE in a port city in the Amazon is more obnoxious than the combined 6 new years we celebrated in the "city that never sleeps"? 

OK, so maybe it's a cultural thing, but as far as I see it, dumb is dumb. What is the point of waking up Dec. 31 at 9 am to light off fireworks? How is that fun when you can't even see them in the bright sunny sky? You continuously hear fireworks the entire day, morning to night here. It's just dumb to waste them before it's dark outside, not to mention annoying for your neighbors. 

Here is the other factor that made NYE more obnoxious in Manaus than NYC. When we got home from our friends' place, it was a lil after midnight- I get tired fast being prego :) Behind our little villa is an area that used to be an igarape, like an inlet to the Rio. The government removed the shacks that were there and put up free public housing. Normally we have no problem with our neighbors and like watching the kids play and invent games outside. 

Some kids playing in the rain behind our house

Last night, however, introduced us to a side of Manaus that we would rather forget. By one in the morning, people had more or less run out of fireworks. But of course just sitting around and talking outside is no fun. Why not drag your 3 foot tall speakers outside so the entire city can enjoy your celebration? The people behind our house BLASTED music outside until 8 in the morning, I kid you not. When I say blasted, I mean it was louder in our house than we can make our own speakers go. 

I woke up at 4 am and looked outside with complete disbelief that such rude people actually exists. There were only about 7 people still "partying," and did not seem to mind the crappy, distorted sound only feet away from them. Around 4:30 am they switched from such American classics as Summer Lovin' and I Will Survive to all Brazilian music. When Jay went to glare at them through the window at 7:00 am, there were only 4 people still outside, standing right in front of the speakers. By the time they tired of this amusement and went inside (8 am), we were lucky enough to have a carro do som park right outside for another hour. This is a car with its speakers mounted outside on top of the car to allow them to share their music with anyone within a mile radius. How thoughtful. Who doesn't like the sound of extremely loud music on cheap speakers when they wake up? 

Oh, and don't even get me started on the dogs nearby that bark 30 minutes non-stop in front of their apathetic owners...