I will never forget my first assignment as a foreign correspondent in Brazil. It was a week-long gig in Rio de Janeiro to cover the city's Carnival. I hadn't heard about the holiday before, so I did some research beforearriving. Apparently, it begins on the Friday 40 days before Easter, and it carries on for five days until Wednesday. Some people say it has roots in the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, when rich and poor people would swap clothes and party hard for days on end. Others argue that this is just empty rhetoric. They say that Carnival truly began when ordinary citizens began marching through Rio playing their drums and tambourines back in the mid-nineteenth century. Either way, everyone can agree on one thing: Carnival is now a big deal. It is one of Brazil's largest cultural events, drawing up to two million tourists to Rio every year.

I was out on the streets on the first Friday of Carnival, armed with my camera and notebook, ready to do some work. Being there was a constant assault on my senses. Brazilian samba music filled the air, coming from all directions and mixing into a chorus of thumping beats. Hundreds of people were singing and dancing. The air smelled like roast chicken, sweat, and occasionally vomit. I wandered for hours on end, from one block party to another. At one point, I think it might have been around three in the morning, someone offered to trade me an alcoholic beverage and a golden feathered headdress for my camera. I'm still not sure why, but I agreed to the swap. It was probably a question of getting swept up in the Carnival spirit. Unfortunately, my boss did not accept this explanation, and I had to pay for a new camera in the end.

It was worth it, though. I still have that golden headdress, as it reminds me of just how spectacular those few days were. The Rio Carnival is something that everyone should add to his or her bucket list. It’s a far better experience than some of the trashy and boring affairs that pass for cultural events where I come from.

我永遠忘不了擔任巴西駐外記者時，第一次出勤的經驗。那次是為了歡慶為期一週的里約熱內盧嘉年華。從沒聽說過此節日的我，在抵達巴西之前做了點功課。嘉年華會在復活節前40天的星期五舉辦，連續進行五天至星期三結束。有些人說里約嘉年華源自古羅馬的農神節，富人與窮人會交換服飾，然後舉辦數日的狂歡派對。有些 人認為此說法憑空無據，嘉年華會的真正起源應該是平民在19 世紀中葉，打鼓與手搖鈴鼓遊行通過里約而來。無論如何，大家的共識都是：嘉年華是一場盛會。這是巴西規模最大的文化活動之一，每年吸引高達200萬名觀光客前來里約。

嘉年華開始的第一天星期五，我在街頭帶著相機和筆記型電腦，準備執行我的任務。身處里約，讓我所有的感官均飽受衝擊。來自四面八方的巴西森巴音樂瀰漫於空氣之中，伴隨著重擊節奏，幾百人高歌手舞足蹈。空氣中還夾雜烤雞、汗水與嘔吐物的氣味。我遊蕩了數小時之久，從某街區的派對續攤到下一個街區。回想起來，好像大約凌晨三點的時候，有人想要用一瓶酒與一支金羽毛頭飾換得我的相機。雖然不太確定為什麼我竟然同意交換，或許是因為受到嘉年華精神的感染吧。不幸的是，我的上司不接受這個說法，我最後必須自掏腰包購買新相機。

　不過我還是覺得很值得。我仍留著那支金色頭飾，因為它讓我回想起當時的壯觀景象。每個人有生之年，一定要來一趟里約嘉年華。參加此節慶的經驗，比我家鄉某些陳腔濫調的文化活動還要精采許多。