Everything was “Tudo Bem” “All good”... Soon we learnt to just accept it and go with the flow.
THE PLACE OF HAPPINESS 38
The Place of Happiness TEXT: MAYAN SMITH-GOBAT PHOTOS: FRANK KRETSCHMANN
Fear surged through my veins, my muscles tense as coiled springs, ready to explode at the slightest touch, yet relaxing was vital - I desperately fought to slow my breathing and calm my mind. Tenuously clinging to the dead vertical face like one of the many small succulents which covered the wall, obscuring the holds. I was six hundred metres above the ground, with the last bolt out of sight, at least ten metres below my feet, and still unable see anything above. Scenarios flashed through my mind; we had just heard that a member of the only other party to repeat this route had broken his leg during a fall… “Best not to think… Just concentrate and focus on the next move… You will be fine… One move at a time… Don’t think about anything else!” This was the inner dialogue constantly running on repeat through my brain. I kept climbing, yet there was still no trace of the next bolt and I was nearly out of rope. Finally, the angle eased a little and a fin of rock appeared. Pulling up onto this “thank God” rail I saw the anchor merely a few metres away! On clipping the chains I breathed a sigh of relief, yelling “On belay Ben!” into the void below. As my body relaxed for the first time in what felt like hours, a surge of relief flooded through my veins and then slowly dissolved into a feeling of contented happiness that radiated from within.
N
PEDRA RISCADA
S
BRAZIL
The Journey
A day after arriving in Brazil, Ben and I found ourselves headed north, moving slowly from the insanely busy streets of Rio to remote countryside. At first, driving felt like a death wish… Trucks roared past, constantly threatening to run us off the road, motorbikes zigzagged wildly through the thick, quickly-moving, constantly-honking traffic. This seemed to be the only road rule consistently adhered to in Brazil, and it was a trip of extremes from gruesome accidents to beautiful serene country. Our moods were constantly swinging between amazement and sheer terror. Brazil has its own sense of time, everything seemed to take at least twice as long as expected. The 850-km drive took us nearly eighteen hours. After this epic drive, arriving at the small village of Sao Jose do Divino late at night was like a breath of fresh air. Beer flowed freely and we were immediately welcomed by everyone in town like part of the family. We all let out a sigh of relief, experiencing an incredible feeling of content at being immersed in this relaxed and friendly culture where everyone seemed content to live on next to nothing and just enjoy every day.. Everything was “Tudo Bem” - “all good”… Soon we learnt to just accept it and go with the flow. Waking up the next morning to a loudspeaker blaring, supposedly football news, we found that Sao Jose was surrounded by a crazy amount of granite domes rising out of the lush green farmland all around. There is amazing potential everywhere, yet for this trip our goal was Stefan Glowacz’s route “The Place of Happiness”, a stunning 850-metre white arête on Pedra Riscada, the most prominent granite dome and definitely “the line” to climb!
