Toni, the Brazilian from Bovec
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It was around ten PM. A short burst of light and a well-known buzz. Are you a morning person? I mean like a sunrise one? said the message on the screen. Six hours later, I rolled out of that cosy bed into the cold, misty morning. “Ready for an adventure?” said Toni Demarco. He had a Canon camera around his neck, a tripod in one hand and snowshoes in the other. I gave him a morning nod, sat in the car, and we went; — chasing the sunrise on the nearby Sorica mountain. In front of you is seven hours of conversation captured in one post, just to give you a glimpse into what Toni believes it means to "follow your dreams.”
Toni Demarco is a Brazilian watersport guide who landed in the Soča Valley. If there is an adventure going on, he is never far. From April till the end of the summer season, you may recognise him as the guy in neoprene giving you “all forward, all back” instructions from the back of the raft. He might be accompanying you on a kayak trip or encourage you to jump from the waterfall when during a canyoning trip in the Valley. And all this time, he is making sure you live to tell the story.
Toni is passionate at what he does. Outside of his seasonal guiding job, he is a full-time adventure seeker, professionally and casually. It is hard to draw a line here. Although he never planned to stay in Slovenia, he fell in love with the valley, the river and with his wife, Ana. Together with their son Ruben, they now live in Tolmin. When he arrived in the emerald valley in 2011 there were just a few rafting companies in Bovec. At the time, few guides from outside of Europe were working in the valley. Therefore he was one of the first to settle down in the tiny town and get a sponsorship visa to work. Culture, people, language, food. Everything was new to him, and he was also a breath of fresh air for the valley.
Rafting on Soča river (photo archiv: Toni Demarco)
Come on, spill the beans over a cup of coffee and a crazy ice cream
For quite a while Toni was the only Brazilian in the valley. “Because of the little pigment in my skin, I was quite an attraction,” he laughed. Used to Brazilian diversity, he was amazed when he found out from the older local people, that he was the first person of colour living in Bovec valley. “On one hand, this was some kind of a privilege because people were curious and interested. But on the other hand, my friends told me that some people used to call me črna ovca (black sheep,)” said Toni who feels that these kinds of remarks come mainly from people’s ignorance and lack of exposure.
Mrzli potok waterfall (photo: Toni Demarco)
Apart from this, Toni hasn’t experienced any significant problems. That is probably because of his open and joyful personality. He noticed that in contrast to Brazilian culture, it takes a bit more time to get closer to Slovenian people. “But that's normal and it did not bother me much, since everything was new for me. All I knew was I needed to do my job well, relax and be who I am. That’s always a good start. From there things evolve naturally,” he explained. Instead of choosing a side and comparing the two homes, Toni brings out the best from both cultures.
Toni together with his family (photo: Toni Demarco)
And if there is something that will soften the Slovenian heart is a person who decided to learn the country’s language! But this is harder than it sounds. As Michael Manske, the host of How to become Slovenian podcast puts it: “Slovenian grammar is like a weapon of mass destruction — very, very deadly.” But Toni took up the challenge, “Still today I can’t speak it correctly. But I can have a conversation and many funny anecdotes. I was mixing the words mešan (mixed) and zmešan (crazy) for a while. So whenever I went to my favourite ice cream place in Bovec, I ordered en zmešan sladoled (one crazy ice cream).”
Another introduction to Slovenian culture is a glass (or more) of something with a decent amount of ethanol. “If you ask me what I find strange in Slovenia, the strong relationship with alcohol is the first thing that comes to my mind,” said Toni, who never drank alcohol before coming to Europe. It was way easier for him to assimilate to the good old Balkan coffee culture. That magic cup of coffee on the main square that gives the time concept a whole new meaning.
Winter walk in the Soča Valley (photo: Toni Demarco)
It all started in Brazil
What brought Toni from Brazil to our small Alpine country? “Oh, deus! Big things happened in my life” said Toni, who lost members of his family pretty early in life. Although he was feeling down at the time, these tragedies pushed him to search for change and purpose. He was 25 and working for the car industry. “It’s not that I did not like the job. I didn't even think about work in that way. But slowly, I started to question myself: why am I at this job? Why am I not doing something that will make me wake up in the morning looking forward to what's coming?” The answer came one Sunday via a national TV programme. Headline: “The Brazilian rafting team from Brotas won the 2007 World championship.”
Rafting team from Brotas (photo archiv: Toni Demarco)
It was then that Toni saw the raft for the first time. This inflatable floating formation was his rescue boat from the dark tunnel he was in. “Two things stuck to my mind: the national team and Brotas.'' He was dedicated. Every weekend after work, he would drive two hours to Brotas City for a tour guide course on the Jacaré Pepira river waves. After only one year, he became a member of the same rafting team he watched on the TV that Sunday morning. He attended many rafting competitions, which brought him to the Netherlands in 2009, where they held a World rafting championship.
It was the first time Toni came to Europe, and it was enough to trigger his wanderlust. He wanted to explore more, live in another country, meet people from different nationalities, learn new languages, and change his life completely.
Slovenia? Why not.
In 2010 he went back to Europe, this time determined to stay. He moved to Ireland to study English. The British national team helped him out and he got an opportunity to work in Nottingham National Watersports Centre. Around the same time he was contacted by his good friend, the captain of the Slovakian woman team. When she heard he was about to sign a contract to work in an artificial course, she said: “Toni are you crazy? You are a nature man, and you are going to work in an artificial course? No, go to Slovenia, it's my favourite place in the world”. Hearing it from a person who competed on the rivers from all over the world, he knew something was up. YouTube. Google. Typing. Words he never heard before: Bovec, Soča River. “What popped out was more than enough to make my mind twist. I instantly fell in love with the river”. Toni applied for jobs in Soča Valley, and the rest is history.
The view from above (photo: Toni Demarco)
Paragliding (photo archive: Toni Demarco)
Is this a “real” job, or it’s just fantasy?
After he arrived in Bovec, Slovenian mecca of adrenaline sports, he kept on looking at the skydivers and paragliders above. It was just a matter of time when he would join the flock. After a careful discussion with his wife, he started paragliding. He also does mountain biking and snowboarding in winter. One can quickly conclude: the man is all over the place! But he takes the “slow food” approach to everything he does.
“I have this thing that every three years I try to learn a new sport. First, it needs to grab my attention, then I try it and see if it works out. When I start, I give myself enough time to improve, to get to know the sport.” he explained.
I guess an adventure guide’s goal is to blur the lines that divide work and free time. Toni is a walking proof for all the non-believers. When we reached the top of the snowy hill at around 7.15 AM, Toni announced:” Isn’t it amazing? Now we have 10 minutes before the sunrise”. He does his homework. Using different photography apps he studies the location. A night before the trip he checks the trail conditions and weather information.
Once the spot he knew exactly where to place his tripod, what lens to use, what compositions to take, and started to play the usual ISO, aperture and shutter speed game. The sun popped out of the clouds, and the lights show began. With a cup of hot coffee, we were standing on the top of a hill not far away from Tolmin, yet in this light, it felt like a different planet. I got it; it’s freedom. Sometimes all you need to do to feel it, is change the time of departure.
Sunrise on Sorica mountain (photo: Toni Demarco)
