It is currently raining, and since I am not sure what the Internet situation will be like in Rio, I wanted to let you all know that today we will be travelling from Recife to Rio for a few days and then back to Canada on Saturday for arrival on Sunday, in time for work on Monday, have to pay for this trip somehow.
Ciao
Wednesday, 21 February 2007
It's already Tuesday (Day 11)
Well, it all had to end eventually, today is our last full day in Recife, before flying to Rio for tomorrow. This was basically a wind-down, do whatever you wanted to kind of day. Colin and Amy decided that they needed one more beach day, which they were able to fulfil by taking a taxi to Itamaraca for the day.
Mark wanted to make sure he was able to visit all the friends he had made the last few times he was in town, so he stayed back to barbeque. And me, well I will probably regret not spending another day at the beach when I get back to Ottawa, I just wanted to chill a little, make sure I had as much loot as my suitcase could carry, (just carrying on the old world tradition of pillaging Brazil).
And Karen the brave soul, went to Olinda for a final kick at Carnival, Mark and myself were going to join her, but a "It is nuts here", made us reconsider our earlier thought of joining her and Andrea's family in Olinda.
Finally, we once again dined at the sushi bar before trying to give the artisans one more crack at our money. It was win, win again.
Mark wanted to make sure he was able to visit all the friends he had made the last few times he was in town, so he stayed back to barbeque. And me, well I will probably regret not spending another day at the beach when I get back to Ottawa, I just wanted to chill a little, make sure I had as much loot as my suitcase could carry, (just carrying on the old world tradition of pillaging Brazil).
And Karen the brave soul, went to Olinda for a final kick at Carnival, Mark and myself were going to join her, but a "It is nuts here", made us reconsider our earlier thought of joining her and Andrea's family in Olinda.
Finally, we once again dined at the sushi bar before trying to give the artisans one more crack at our money. It was win, win again.
Tuesday, 20 February 2007
When not trying to have fun, you have it (Day 10)
Another trip into the interior. This time, instead of overwhelming our poor brazilian hosts with "Gringos", who speak no portuguese, there was only myself to worry about. In this case, Karen, Mark and myself went with a large group of Brazilian tourists into the interiour to see a carnival of Maracatu groups. This entire day was one of pleasant surprises, from experiencing the full-on Brazilian driving experience, (two solid yellow lines mean two vehicles can pass each other at the same time, especially if one is a motorcycle). This was a trip to see how some of the non-city Brazilians live, and it was a great experience. I think we Canadians, (I wanted to use Germans, when not giving in to the local shakedown crew, but our sense of national pride would not allow it), provided as much entertainment to the Brazilians as they did for us, or at least a direct subsidy to "Skol" in a few cases.
I sure hope that this festival does not grow faster than their capacity to handle the crowds. There was space to sit, the timing of the groups was a nice change from the day before, and more importantly the streets were clean, you could find a garbage can to throw away your trash. Although, it was mentioned that the street cleaners appeared to be men dressed as women, hmmmm. This raised a few questions, because there did seem to be a large percentage of men dressed as women. Ok, some were obviously drag queens, but a few were old men in ratty old dresses. A Statcan study for next year on the "% of straight Brazilian men who dress as women", let me start my proposal right now. Could this be the "lost shakespearan actors" tribe we have been searching for.
After grabbing something to eat and drink in the shade, us Canadians were able to "out-carnival" the hosts as we were the last of our party to leave. This was a wise decision as we stopped in Tracunhaem to view some local artisans. We viewed a couple of shops and were able to purchase an item or two, as well as take a few pictures.
On way back to home base, Karen figured that to really experience Brazil, we needed to see all economic ranges of the Brazilian people. From those living in the Favela's (should be safe it was daylight), upper lower class living, and the lower middle class (apartment complexes). A tour of the bio-waste facility was also necessary, and a Brazilian police take-down (don't take a picture). Eventually we arrived back at the apartment, where everyone was pretty tired, so it was a quick trip to a nice restaurant for "fish stew" and a shrimp casserole. After this full day, everyone kind of decided to relax, finish reading, catch up on emails or plan an intinerary for the next day.
I sure hope that this festival does not grow faster than their capacity to handle the crowds. There was space to sit, the timing of the groups was a nice change from the day before, and more importantly the streets were clean, you could find a garbage can to throw away your trash. Although, it was mentioned that the street cleaners appeared to be men dressed as women, hmmmm. This raised a few questions, because there did seem to be a large percentage of men dressed as women. Ok, some were obviously drag queens, but a few were old men in ratty old dresses. A Statcan study for next year on the "% of straight Brazilian men who dress as women", let me start my proposal right now. Could this be the "lost shakespearan actors" tribe we have been searching for.
After grabbing something to eat and drink in the shade, us Canadians were able to "out-carnival" the hosts as we were the last of our party to leave. This was a wise decision as we stopped in Tracunhaem to view some local artisans. We viewed a couple of shops and were able to purchase an item or two, as well as take a few pictures.
On way back to home base, Karen figured that to really experience Brazil, we needed to see all economic ranges of the Brazilian people. From those living in the Favela's (should be safe it was daylight), upper lower class living, and the lower middle class (apartment complexes). A tour of the bio-waste facility was also necessary, and a Brazilian police take-down (don't take a picture). Eventually we arrived back at the apartment, where everyone was pretty tired, so it was a quick trip to a nice restaurant for "fish stew" and a shrimp casserole. After this full day, everyone kind of decided to relax, finish reading, catch up on emails or plan an intinerary for the next day.
Monday, 19 February 2007
Photos are nice, memories better (Day 9)
The day started off fairly early, (who would have thought it was the Canadians slowing down the Brazilian), we decided that we should try to experience as many different flavours of Carnival as possible. With the help of Andrea (0ne of Karen's many Brazilian friends), we took the group to Bezerros to see the papangu's (Brazilian Mummers).
This was a nice outing from the city along a four lane highway that had some CIDA links, (enviromental studies). Why do I mention the highway, well unfortunatly I believe (and supported by others) that the carnival in Bezerros has grown a little too quickly. It was interesting to experience a local Carnival, but the lack of shade, seating and places to eat cut short our time in this potentially quaint little village. After watching a parades and not seeing any big congregation of Papangu's we decided that we had had enough, and called it quits. Since we were all starving, we decided to stop at the King of Coxinhas for a totally loaded hamburger (fried eggs, bacon, hotdog, ....)
After a somewhat tiring day in the sun, there were not many takers for another trip to Old Recife (Antigo) for more of the same, crowds, drumming, dancing, eating, drinking. I have to say that this was a highlight of the trip. The 3 Manitobans, scratch that "Dauphinite's, and our Brazilian hosts (Karen and Andrea), braved the crowds once more to see some of the shows and try to experience the crush of a full on Carnival Mosh pit. We succeeded, after the traffic jam, questionable parking location and walk into the site, we stopped to watch a few of the indigineous groups prepare for their entrance, think beaded bikinis, and giant beaded and feather headdresses. It was quite entertaining.
After actually watching a few performances on a secondary stage, we made our way to the main stage. Along the way, we decided that the best approach was to follow in a drumming group, as they will clear the way, and we will just go with the crowd. WRONG, I think the only safe spot, would have been to carry a drum, and even then. Well after a few minutes of "Where did they go", Brad spotted the girls about 25 feet in front of us, when he turned to tell me he saw them, they disappeared. After a few more tense moments, we spotted them beside a tree and made our way towards them, across three lines of opposing people, and at least one in our own direction. I guess two tall, Canadian males are pretty easy to spot in Brazil, as the were waving towards us. I think being able to speak the language would have lessoned my tension, but as they say, "No blood, no foul".
We finally arrived at the main stage, where the Maracatu's were performing. Since we were going to see them the next day, we were not that concerned, but it was good for Brad and Gillian to see them as they figured that it may not be possible to go with us. On a positive note, even though there were some dissenters regarding the necessity for so many groups of this type, the announcer stated that every group deserved a chance to show their culture and many of them had worked quite hard all year long for their 15 minutes of fame.
This was a nice outing from the city along a four lane highway that had some CIDA links, (enviromental studies). Why do I mention the highway, well unfortunatly I believe (and supported by others) that the carnival in Bezerros has grown a little too quickly. It was interesting to experience a local Carnival, but the lack of shade, seating and places to eat cut short our time in this potentially quaint little village. After watching a parades and not seeing any big congregation of Papangu's we decided that we had had enough, and called it quits. Since we were all starving, we decided to stop at the King of Coxinhas for a totally loaded hamburger (fried eggs, bacon, hotdog, ....)
After a somewhat tiring day in the sun, there were not many takers for another trip to Old Recife (Antigo) for more of the same, crowds, drumming, dancing, eating, drinking. I have to say that this was a highlight of the trip. The 3 Manitobans, scratch that "Dauphinite's, and our Brazilian hosts (Karen and Andrea), braved the crowds once more to see some of the shows and try to experience the crush of a full on Carnival Mosh pit. We succeeded, after the traffic jam, questionable parking location and walk into the site, we stopped to watch a few of the indigineous groups prepare for their entrance, think beaded bikinis, and giant beaded and feather headdresses. It was quite entertaining.
After actually watching a few performances on a secondary stage, we made our way to the main stage. Along the way, we decided that the best approach was to follow in a drumming group, as they will clear the way, and we will just go with the crowd. WRONG, I think the only safe spot, would have been to carry a drum, and even then. Well after a few minutes of "Where did they go", Brad spotted the girls about 25 feet in front of us, when he turned to tell me he saw them, they disappeared. After a few more tense moments, we spotted them beside a tree and made our way towards them, across three lines of opposing people, and at least one in our own direction. I guess two tall, Canadian males are pretty easy to spot in Brazil, as the were waving towards us. I think being able to speak the language would have lessoned my tension, but as they say, "No blood, no foul".
We finally arrived at the main stage, where the Maracatu's were performing. Since we were going to see them the next day, we were not that concerned, but it was good for Brad and Gillian to see them as they figured that it may not be possible to go with us. On a positive note, even though there were some dissenters regarding the necessity for so many groups of this type, the announcer stated that every group deserved a chance to show their culture and many of them had worked quite hard all year long for their 15 minutes of fame.
Carnival begins, The group prepares for pain (Day 8)
The day started off a little later then the day before, I guess all the bloco's were heading to old recife to get their spot in the million person mosh pit. Us Canadians decided that it was probably a better idea to not attempt this right off the bat. So while two intrepid members went scuba diving, the rest of the gang met up with some of Karen's Brazilian friends (to be added later) to head into Olinda (7 hill, 10,000 churches and only 150,000 people).
We were warned to leave just about everything behind, fortuately, we were a little more brave and decided to at least bring a camera, sunscreen, money and purell. Even though we took a few photos and videos, there is no good way to describe the sensation to those who have never moshed in the baking sun at a good summer festival. This would probably be a close approximation of the experience, but remember Brazilians have a smaller personal space.
I am sure glad that we were all keeping our heads, a beer or two in the heat was enough to replenish some salt and fluid, but it was necessary to keep up the water intake, (at least 2 litres on my side). Near the end, within sight of the exit, there was one drink that was local to residents of Olinda, so we decided to try it. It was at this time, I was really glad to not have drunk more beer or capis, as I am sure this was for the Olinda Taxi's and not the population. In few words home brew without the smoothing effect of javex. I also believe we found the next NASCAR racing champion, just the right amount of braking, applied with the right amount of gas. Lesson: If in a hurry, take an Olinda cab.
Our trusty divers, learned a valuable lesson: Take seasickness pills, before diving on the ocean and keep the sunscreen very close.
That night we all went into Old recife for some more Carnival, had some supper and followed one of the Maracatu bands into the centre stage area. After some impromptu dance lessons, Amy and Colin were showing off their moves to the locals. I think they may have impressed a few, since we had a couple of wandering dancers join the group, "For an old guy, he sure boogie's" and "That is capoera dancing, not frevo". Amy and Colin's dance instructors were not impressed.
We were warned to leave just about everything behind, fortuately, we were a little more brave and decided to at least bring a camera, sunscreen, money and purell. Even though we took a few photos and videos, there is no good way to describe the sensation to those who have never moshed in the baking sun at a good summer festival. This would probably be a close approximation of the experience, but remember Brazilians have a smaller personal space.
I am sure glad that we were all keeping our heads, a beer or two in the heat was enough to replenish some salt and fluid, but it was necessary to keep up the water intake, (at least 2 litres on my side). Near the end, within sight of the exit, there was one drink that was local to residents of Olinda, so we decided to try it. It was at this time, I was really glad to not have drunk more beer or capis, as I am sure this was for the Olinda Taxi's and not the population. In few words home brew without the smoothing effect of javex. I also believe we found the next NASCAR racing champion, just the right amount of braking, applied with the right amount of gas. Lesson: If in a hurry, take an Olinda cab.
Our trusty divers, learned a valuable lesson: Take seasickness pills, before diving on the ocean and keep the sunscreen very close.
That night we all went into Old recife for some more Carnival, had some supper and followed one of the Maracatu bands into the centre stage area. After some impromptu dance lessons, Amy and Colin were showing off their moves to the locals. I think they may have impressed a few, since we had a couple of wandering dancers join the group, "For an old guy, he sure boogie's" and "That is capoera dancing, not frevo". Amy and Colin's dance instructors were not impressed.
Saturday, 17 February 2007
The sun will kill you (Day 7)
Ok, unfortunately, I somehow picked up too much sun, so the events of this day would not be very interesting as I spent just about the entire day in my air conditioned room. While the rest of gang visited the studio (and met) of a famous Brazilian artist and then a wood carving print shop.
Amy and Colin then tried their hand in negociating with the beach vendors, (see day 5), before going out to dinner before heading to Olinda for an evening pre-carnival celebration where I hear capi's are $R1.5. Unfortunatley, I was unable to join them for the trip to Olinda, and I was going to skip dinner, but it was a "Death by Meat", place so I took one for the team.
(TBC)
Amy and Colin then tried their hand in negociating with the beach vendors, (see day 5), before going out to dinner before heading to Olinda for an evening pre-carnival celebration where I hear capi's are $R1.5. Unfortunatley, I was unable to join them for the trip to Olinda, and I was going to skip dinner, but it was a "Death by Meat", place so I took one for the team.
(TBC)
Quality control is not the same in Brazil (Day 6)
Since our last visit to the centrum was a focused, goal orientated event (municipal ball costumes). It was necessary to return for another run at the local vendors. Fortunately, for us our trusty translator was able to haggle us some good deals or at least not their first price. However, before this more money was needed, and since Amy wanted a complete pedicure / manicure, we dropped her off while we went for money (the AC in the bank, makes me think we should do this everyday), and pick up some groceries for breakfast.
If anyone is coming to Brazil and they like peanut butter, you may want to bring your own as it is one of these things which are very hard to find, and / or expensive $R 30 for an old jar of skippy. Also bring lots of sunscreen, as the cost is more expensive than the peanut butter $R35 for a medium sized tube.
From my limited exposure, I think the primary rule of negotiating with street vendors is to not take the first offer, and be prepared to walk away. On many occassions, I think we were able to drop the price by 5-10% immediately and eventually 20-25%. I should have followed this when buying my generico ray bans for $R8 or $C 4. They did not last the entire day.
After this direct subsidy to the education of a street vendors child, we were prepared for a little more shopping first for some knock-off soccer jersy's ($R20), and other stuff that will be a surprise to people back home (how did they get that through customs). Anyway, we had a blast Mark was able to practice his Portuguese, we were able to spend money, the Brazilians were able to take our money. It was basically a win-win-win situation for everyone.
After this we had another evening of gaming with Flavio, who unfortunately was not able to bring home the Canada-Brazil board game cup. Some of you may be wondering if the Canadians played fair in the third and final match, (3 Canadians vs 1 Brazilian). I have to say yes, since we had not played this game before and it was in German, so all things were equal.
If anyone is coming to Brazil and they like peanut butter, you may want to bring your own as it is one of these things which are very hard to find, and / or expensive $R 30 for an old jar of skippy. Also bring lots of sunscreen, as the cost is more expensive than the peanut butter $R35 for a medium sized tube.
From my limited exposure, I think the primary rule of negotiating with street vendors is to not take the first offer, and be prepared to walk away. On many occassions, I think we were able to drop the price by 5-10% immediately and eventually 20-25%. I should have followed this when buying my generico ray bans for $R8 or $C 4. They did not last the entire day.
After this direct subsidy to the education of a street vendors child, we were prepared for a little more shopping first for some knock-off soccer jersy's ($R20), and other stuff that will be a surprise to people back home (how did they get that through customs). Anyway, we had a blast Mark was able to practice his Portuguese, we were able to spend money, the Brazilians were able to take our money. It was basically a win-win-win situation for everyone.
After this we had another evening of gaming with Flavio, who unfortunately was not able to bring home the Canada-Brazil board game cup. Some of you may be wondering if the Canadians played fair in the third and final match, (3 Canadians vs 1 Brazilian). I have to say yes, since we had not played this game before and it was in German, so all things were equal.
Thursday, 15 February 2007
Brazil Day 5 - $19.00 for 4 bottles of water? or You wanted those flowers ACTUALLY delivered on the day you requested? Mark goes postal!
Well, what an eventfull day. (In some ways, not so much!)
Amy, Cim, Mark and I rented a cab for the day, quite inexpensive to do actually, and went to Porto de Galinhas for some snokeling and shopping. It's a small sea-side resort type town. It's well known for it'sWhen we arrived, unfortunately, the sky was clouding over and it looked like rain. As per all beaches we were set up with lawn chairs, with an umbrella and some drinks.
(TBC)
Amy, Cim, Mark and I rented a cab for the day, quite inexpensive to do actually, and went to Porto de Galinhas for some snokeling and shopping. It's a small sea-side resort type town. It's well known for it'sWhen we arrived, unfortunately, the sky was clouding over and it looked like rain. As per all beaches we were set up with lawn chairs, with an umbrella and some drinks.
(TBC)
Tuesday, 13 February 2007
There are two 5 o'clocks in Brazil also (Day 4)
Well the day started in a better position than the day before, the view from the balcony's is excellent. Especially when the sun is breaking the horizon, and it has not filled up with people trying to sell you anything you could possibly want or ever need.
After waiting around for some other movement in the group, Colin and me decided that it was probably a good idea to try and work off some capi's and barbeque meat, so a 8km return run / walk down the beach (ok way more walking), was necessary, and since at some time you need to pull the plug on sunscreen, none was applied. We will see if this was a wise decision tomorrow morning.
Once again we had a healthy breakfast with fresh pineapple and mango, great bread and a parmesean type cheese spread, excellent. We then realized that we were all running rapidly out of money, so off to find an international ATM, were we could pick up the cash necessary for food and drinks. After this short walk, it felt like the shower we had was a waste of time, but I now realize that two or three showers (cool) is the best way to deal with the heat. Finally we took the 910 bus to Olinda of the 7 hills and 10,000 churches, (ok not that many but walking from one to another and trying to not look like tourists, (pulling out a map did not help), so that we would not be approached by the unofficial Olinda tour guides for their 5 real tour.
Fortunately, we found the two we absolutely had to see inside of, and managed to do it without formally hiring a guide. I would probably have worried more if we had a guide as some of the alleyways to the churches were a little suspect and I am sure would have set off all kinds of alarms. We will see on Saturday how different the town is when carnival kicks off. Finally after all this excitement of riding a local bus, conversing with the military, and charming the locals, we needed a touch of home. For this we called Flavio, a fellow gamer Mark had met during his first visit to Recife, for a night of gaming. I am happy to say that the Canadians managed to hold the Brazilian team (of one) to a 1 - 1 draw.
After waiting around for some other movement in the group, Colin and me decided that it was probably a good idea to try and work off some capi's and barbeque meat, so a 8km return run / walk down the beach (ok way more walking), was necessary, and since at some time you need to pull the plug on sunscreen, none was applied. We will see if this was a wise decision tomorrow morning.
Once again we had a healthy breakfast with fresh pineapple and mango, great bread and a parmesean type cheese spread, excellent. We then realized that we were all running rapidly out of money, so off to find an international ATM, were we could pick up the cash necessary for food and drinks. After this short walk, it felt like the shower we had was a waste of time, but I now realize that two or three showers (cool) is the best way to deal with the heat. Finally we took the 910 bus to Olinda of the 7 hills and 10,000 churches, (ok not that many but walking from one to another and trying to not look like tourists, (pulling out a map did not help), so that we would not be approached by the unofficial Olinda tour guides for their 5 real tour.
Fortunately, we found the two we absolutely had to see inside of, and managed to do it without formally hiring a guide. I would probably have worried more if we had a guide as some of the alleyways to the churches were a little suspect and I am sure would have set off all kinds of alarms. We will see on Saturday how different the town is when carnival kicks off. Finally after all this excitement of riding a local bus, conversing with the military, and charming the locals, we needed a touch of home. For this we called Flavio, a fellow gamer Mark had met during his first visit to Recife, for a night of gaming. I am happy to say that the Canadians managed to hold the Brazilian team (of one) to a 1 - 1 draw.
Monday, 12 February 2007
Rest and Recovery (Day 3)
After a full on attack on the beach with Sungas blazing, and a full on attempt to tire out the meat on sword waiters, the crew was ready for a R&R day. It started out a little rougher for some of the gang, (won't mention names but you don't have to get too far past the "B" names to find them).
Fortunately, there were individuals who did not try to drink the bar dry and were able to pull themselves together to make coffee and more importantly go out for breakfast food. After a great breakfast on the balcony, we figured that it was necessary to spend some time on the beach, sunning, (of course this meant applying lots of sunscreen, sure glad yoga has improved my flexibility, allowing me to reach all parts of my back), relaxing and deciding on our next move. No more Julio, only Mario
By the time we returned from the beach and showered it was too late to head to Olinda by bus, so we decided to take a catamaran tour of Recife, which gave us another view of the old city and some parks with interesting sculptures. After the tour, we waited around for Karen to join us (and give us a ride) for supper. Of course, by this time we were quite hungry, so a little plate of fried manioc root did not do the trick, and we really wanted to eat somewhat more healthy, so it was back to the "Death by Meat" place. They all remembered us from the night before and I think I saw the manager call in extra staff, fortunately for our systems, we stayed on the patio and took advantage of the sushi, (which happens to be a very common local dish) and the beverage of choice ................. WATER
Fortunately, there were individuals who did not try to drink the bar dry and were able to pull themselves together to make coffee and more importantly go out for breakfast food. After a great breakfast on the balcony, we figured that it was necessary to spend some time on the beach, sunning, (of course this meant applying lots of sunscreen, sure glad yoga has improved my flexibility, allowing me to reach all parts of my back), relaxing and deciding on our next move. No more Julio, only Mario
By the time we returned from the beach and showered it was too late to head to Olinda by bus, so we decided to take a catamaran tour of Recife, which gave us another view of the old city and some parks with interesting sculptures. After the tour, we waited around for Karen to join us (and give us a ride) for supper. Of course, by this time we were quite hungry, so a little plate of fried manioc root did not do the trick, and we really wanted to eat somewhat more healthy, so it was back to the "Death by Meat" place. They all remembered us from the night before and I think I saw the manager call in extra staff, fortunately for our systems, we stayed on the patio and took advantage of the sushi, (which happens to be a very common local dish) and the beverage of choice ................. WATER
It's only day 2!!!
After a extremely late night, trying to party like Brazilians the Canadians, (or at least these Canadians) had an extremely slow start. Some political discussion over coffee's was followed by our first trip together to the beach. We had to wear the sunga's, I am not sure who was more appalled; the Brazilians who were probably blinded by the glare, or our companions. I do suspect that we may have contributed to any new laws regarding sale of sunga's to foreigners.
Who would have thought that you could buy quart sized beers, hard boiled quail eggs and grilled cheese on stick rolled in oregano, (my new favourite food, ummm) on the beach. We also tried out the new suits in the water, and yes they did stay on, and were actually quite comfortable. It was a good time to get in the water, as our chairs were in the shade so the sunscreen washed off by the water was not as necessary to protect our colourless skin.
We then followed this mini-excursion with a trip to the "Death by Meat" restaurant, where I suspect the object of the waiters circulating the restaurant with their swords of meat was to keep us away from the salads located centrally. Once again there were many capi's consumed, (notice the trend), and this time we did not have the excuse of having travelled for the past 24 hours to explain our enthousiam for this local beverage. However, it was Colin's birthday, so that may have helped.
Finally since we all needed to walk a little more we decided to check out a little market, where there were many bargains to be had, some items were purchased, and I think we may not have been overcharged too much because of our obvious "touristness". The walk home did us some good and it was nice to feel the cool breeze of the Atlantic at night without the glaring sun. Which goes down at 5:30pm, but it also rises at 5:30am, so there is not much sleeping in.
Who would have thought that you could buy quart sized beers, hard boiled quail eggs and grilled cheese on stick rolled in oregano, (my new favourite food, ummm) on the beach. We also tried out the new suits in the water, and yes they did stay on, and were actually quite comfortable. It was a good time to get in the water, as our chairs were in the shade so the sunscreen washed off by the water was not as necessary to protect our colourless skin.
We then followed this mini-excursion with a trip to the "Death by Meat" restaurant, where I suspect the object of the waiters circulating the restaurant with their swords of meat was to keep us away from the salads located centrally. Once again there were many capi's consumed, (notice the trend), and this time we did not have the excuse of having travelled for the past 24 hours to explain our enthousiam for this local beverage. However, it was Colin's birthday, so that may have helped.
Finally since we all needed to walk a little more we decided to check out a little market, where there were many bargains to be had, some items were purchased, and I think we may not have been overcharged too much because of our obvious "touristness". The walk home did us some good and it was nice to feel the cool breeze of the Atlantic at night without the glaring sun. Which goes down at 5:30pm, but it also rises at 5:30am, so there is not much sleeping in.
Sunday, 11 February 2007
Feed them to the Sharks (Day 1)
After a brief sleep, we needed to find costumes for our trip to the 43rd Recife municipal ball, (coincidence that this is almost the same age as some of our group, hmmmm). It was thought that our best bet was the Centrum. When I asked what this was, it was described as kind of a "Market Scene in an Indian Jones movie with fewer (not none) gun fights" Fortunately for our loved ones, there were no gun fights, but I don't think many tourists go here as it seemed that "rubbing the shoulder of pale female's" is good luck. Or maybe they were checking to see if it was make-up.
After picking up accroutments for our costumes, we needed a brief break in this shopping frenzy so off to another mall for some AC, food and a place to get out of the crowds. For about $12 each we had excellent meals, and an alcoholic beverage. We were gouged, but then what would you expect in a mall sit down restaurant, ($C 1.50 per beer).
After this brief respite, it was off to another mall (closer to what we North Americans expect) to pick up some essentials, 1) Beach flops, 2) Sunga's 3) groceries for supper (we were eating in), and maybe check out some prices. I forgot to mention that our first outing (without the two Portuguese speakers) was across the street to the beach. Where we sort of stuck out like tourists, pasty white skin, long shorts, and leather sandals. After a few minutes and being approached every few feet by someone who wanted us to sit on their section of the beach and let them provide us with beer, we figured we may not stick out so much if we were wearing more Brazilian swimwear, and maybe not having tan lines that start at the knees. Fortunately, for all of you, I have sent a link to work collegues and family and none of them want to see me in a Sunga, so I will not be posting one, but there is a comparison picture of sunga and normal summer shorts on the photo page.
We then returned to our 10-star accomodation, each floor only holds one apartment, (4 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 2 living-rooms and 2 maids quarters). We all needed a beverage, and some food, after cooking a late dinner (for us 7:30pm), we started to get ready for the ball, (no Cinderalla slippers on this group), and even though we left at 10:13, we were not the last to arrive. In fact, I am sure there were more people arriving when we left at 3:30am, (at intermission), there may still be people there right now, you never know. You know you are in a civilized country when you can order a litre of booze to your table and it is the price of mix that controls how much you drink (it might have been cheaper to mix rum with beer, but I don't want to think of the hang-over that would create).
After picking up accroutments for our costumes, we needed a brief break in this shopping frenzy so off to another mall for some AC, food and a place to get out of the crowds. For about $12 each we had excellent meals, and an alcoholic beverage. We were gouged, but then what would you expect in a mall sit down restaurant, ($C 1.50 per beer).
After this brief respite, it was off to another mall (closer to what we North Americans expect) to pick up some essentials, 1) Beach flops, 2) Sunga's 3) groceries for supper (we were eating in), and maybe check out some prices. I forgot to mention that our first outing (without the two Portuguese speakers) was across the street to the beach. Where we sort of stuck out like tourists, pasty white skin, long shorts, and leather sandals. After a few minutes and being approached every few feet by someone who wanted us to sit on their section of the beach and let them provide us with beer, we figured we may not stick out so much if we were wearing more Brazilian swimwear, and maybe not having tan lines that start at the knees. Fortunately, for all of you, I have sent a link to work collegues and family and none of them want to see me in a Sunga, so I will not be posting one, but there is a comparison picture of sunga and normal summer shorts on the photo page.
We then returned to our 10-star accomodation, each floor only holds one apartment, (4 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 2 living-rooms and 2 maids quarters). We all needed a beverage, and some food, after cooking a late dinner (for us 7:30pm), we started to get ready for the ball, (no Cinderalla slippers on this group), and even though we left at 10:13, we were not the last to arrive. In fact, I am sure there were more people arriving when we left at 3:30am, (at intermission), there may still be people there right now, you never know. You know you are in a civilized country when you can order a litre of booze to your table and it is the price of mix that controls how much you drink (it might have been cheaper to mix rum with beer, but I don't want to think of the hang-over that would create).
Saturday, 10 February 2007
Recife via San Paulo via Toronto
We left the chilly capital of Canada at 7pm, where the temperature was approximately -13 celsius, and less than 24 hours later (15 hours approximately), we were in San Paulo where the temperature was only 21 degrees. After a 4 hour layover, and a 3 hour flight we arrived in Recife where the temperature was a cool 30 degrees with a humidity of approximately 70 percent.
An interesting fact not told to us until San Paulo was that the Brazilian toilet system was not designed for paper, and you did not flush the tickets, but rather put them in a basket located in each stall. Sure wish I knew this earlier.
An interesting fact not told to us until San Paulo was that the Brazilian toilet system was not designed for paper, and you did not flush the tickets, but rather put them in a basket located in each stall. Sure wish I knew this earlier.
Brazil for Carnival
Ok, for those of you left in the chilly (ok COLD) Canadian winter, this is a daily summary of the events as I remember.
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