From nature’s world of cactus, we have sisal. It is part of the cactus family of agave (Agave sisalana).
It’s not only used to make sisal rugs, but also other products such as hats, bags, cat scratch post, and much more.
The leaves have very pointy looking tips. They also produce flowers too. Photo from Wikipedia.
The plants are grown in large plantations in such places as Brazil. Sisal prefer tropical warm climate and is drought tolerate. They are propagated from bulbils or rhizomes from mature plants. They take about 3 to 5 years to mature and can produced leaves for up to 8 years. And like hemp, chemical fertilizer is not used in growing sisal. So that is a plus for sisal farmers.
The top 3 sisal producing countries are Brazil, Tanzania, and China. Other countries that produce and export sisal include South Africa and Kenya.
In sisal production, the leaves are dried, then brushed with a machine, and finally pressed into bales to be exported. Pretty simple but I’m sure is hard work!
Read the rest of this entry »
I first learned about jaboticaba from The Fruit Hunter. It’s probably one of the most interesting, if not unusual fruit I’ve ever knew is in existence.
Brazil would be a fruit lovers dream destination as it’s known for it’s many variety of unique fruits, especially the Acai berries. Jaboticaba is probably loaded with vitamins just by looking at the dark purplish color of the skin.
This reminds me of modern art where someone decides to place each giant grape along the tree trunks. Image source: Wikipedia/Jabuticaba
According to the California Rare Fruit Growers, this fruit is from the same species as camu-camu. It can also be grown successfully from Florida to Hawaii. Some are also grown in southern California and also as far north as the San Jose and San Francisco Bay areas. The plant grows well as a container specimen.
The fruit is described as tasting very similar to Muscadine grapes. But the skin contains tannin so it makes your lips pucker. The real treat is probably the sweet flesh. It’s described as being delicious eaten out-of-hand. And it can be made into jellies, jams and wine.
Read the rest of this entry »
Since the World Cup is going on at the moment, it reminded me of a neat film I saw a few years ago. La Gran Final or The Great Match is by Spanish filmmaker Gerardo Olivares.
The film follows three different tribes from around the world: Mongolian nomads, the Tuareg of the Sahara (Niger’s Tenere desert), and the Indios of the Amazon (Brazil). They are all excited about watching the 2002 World Cup between Germany and Brazil. The adventure begins when they try to figure out a way to get to the nearest television set.
It’s a simple film which makes you laugh along with the characters. It also reminds you how much we have in common, despite our different way of living.
I think Olivares also wanted to show how globalization and the information age has reached even the most isolated people in the world. It’s also made me realize how much technology is a part of our life. It truly makes you feel like it’s a small world after all.
Read the rest of this entry »
I thought the Kapok tree was a pretty interesting flowering tree until I came across the Flamboyant tree. Although there is no cotton to cultivate from the blooms (unlike the Kapok tree). The dried seeds of the Flamboyant flowers are used to make a musical instrument called the maracas.
I love this photo from Brazil, taken by Flávio Cruvinel Brandão via Flickr. The yellow variety is in the background and you can see more of the red Flamboyant tree’s flowering in front.
The tree is also called Peacock Flower, Flame of the Forest, and Royal Poinciana. The color of the flowers range in vibrant yellow, orange to red.
The Flamboyant tree (scientific name - Delonix regia) is a threaten native tree from Madagascar. Though vulnerable in the wild, the tree is successfully grown today in many tropical areas as ornamental trees. They are also commonly found growing in the Caribbean, Argentina and Brazil.
Read the rest of this entry »
I came upon some interesting fruit trees at the International Rare Fruit Orchard in San Jose, Ca. The place had a good variety of rare fruits, from Jujube to Brazilian guavas. You are allow to taste the fruits, but not allow to take any home with you. Unfortunately many of the fruits were not ready for picking yet.
Of those ready for picking were these Suriname Cherry. Suriname was once part of the Dutch colonies and located on the top northeast tip of South America, near French Guiana and Brazil. According to The Fruit Hunter, Brazil has the richest varieties of rare fruits on the globe.
Read the rest of this entry »
Central Station is a movie made in 1998 from Brazil. Winner of Best Picture at the Berlin Film Festival. Winner of Best Foreign Language Film at Golden Globe. Directed by Walter Salles and written by Marcos Bernstein and João Emanuel Carneiro. It is one of my all time favorite movie and I thought I should make note of it here. I think this film is worth watching and remembering. I just wish there were more films like this is in production these days. 
Despite the fact that it is 10 years old doesn’t even take away from it. The story itself is timeless. The story begins in the busy central bus station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s very interesting to see the diversity of the people living in the city. Each one of them has their own story, but this movie is the story of a boy in search of a father he has never known. In a twist of fate, his mother dies in a bus accident and a retired school teacher working at the bus station becomes his only friend. The retired teacher then agrees to help the boy find his father in the outskirt of the country. And that is where the real journey begins.
There is a magical chemistry between the young boy and the retired teacher. The casting was perfect and the director did a great job. I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone, so get the DVD and watch this movie for yourself. But there is a bitter-sweet ending, and I think that is what makes it unforgettable.
Here is a trailer on Youtube. And nice soundtrack too.
