Today is one of those days I just didn't feel very adventurous and I also didn't feel a lot like constantly saying "não falo Portuguese" so I mostly just stayed in the room. I decided, though, not to wait on the maid and left soon after David and went to the pool on the roof with some reading so the maid would clean the room early. While up there, a young college man came in and started a conversation and I had the use that magic phrase. As with most people here, he immediately assumed Espanha. I said não, English. He started to say he speaks a little English but after about two words said, "não falo English." I had my duo language dictionary and we managed to find out that he lives in São Paulo and I live in Kentucky. He asked if I visited São Paulo and I said we drove through on the way to the beach (praia) which I pronounced wrong and he corrected me but I still can't get the pronounciation right. He asked if we had beaches in Kentucky. I said just rivers (rios) and lakes (lagos). He immediately assumed Great Lakes but I said não, only five great lakes but many states have many many lagos. He wished me a good time in Brazil and I said "obrigada" and then I told him I could do "obrigada" "por favor" "onde" (where) and "quanto é" (how much). That brought a laugh and that is universal.
Back in the room, the maid had finished but was still on the floor. I had left a bag of laundry and wanted to be sure she understood. I would have been better off assuming she understood. She brought me another laundry bag. And then called her supervisor to bring me another bag. And then I get a call from the laundry room from someone who only spoke Portuguese. Still not sure about the status of my (actually David's) clothes, I went to the lobby and luckily got THE person who speaks some English. Apparently we are okay. We will see tomorrow if David gets his clothes back. For me, I just rinsed my stuff in the sink. I refuse to pay someone R$4 to wash one pair of my panties.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
A Day at the Beach
The weather could not have been better for our excursion to the beach. Fernando, who works for the parent company and will soon relocate to Louisville, volunteered to be our guide for the day. His wife, Anna who is 8 months pregnant, also came along. Fernando and Anna picked the three of us up at the hotel just after 8:00 a.m. for the two hour ride to the beach.
Just after we drove past São Paulo, we stopped at a rest stop similar to those we have in the States on toll roads. It had a gas station and a restaurant, and most importantly, a restroom (remember, Anna is 8 months pregnant). This restaurant was a Frango Assada (roasted chicken) and they are all over. The one unusual aspect of each of these rest stops is that as you go in the entrance door, someone hands you a bar coded card. You can visit the restaurant or shop or use the bathroom. No money is collected until you exit and then the cashier will take your bar coded card and if you ate at the restaurant, for example, that charge would be on the card. You then pay. Only the cashier at the exit (saída) door takes money. That certainly sounds a lot more sanitary than someone cooking or serving also handling currency.
São Paulo and points inland are actually in the mountains and the mountains go right down to the seashore. As we drove out of São Paulo, we descended rapidly. The highway Fernando chose was not the fastest but one with great views. It was also the highway the trucks are to use so we saw the runaway truck lanes (caminhões área de escape) and many switchbacks.
Fernando drove us to his parent's condo, right on the beach at Guarujá with spectacular views of the ocean, islands, cargo ships, and of course the beach. We relaxed for a while, enjoying the view and occasionally David, Rena & Fernando talking some "shop talk" and then we went to the beach.
None of us put on a swim suit although I did put on my swim suit tank. Fernando had already arranged for beach chairs to be waiting for us so we kicked off our shoes at the chairs and walked in the surf. The water was very warm on our feet. We walked the entire length of the beach with Fernando and Anna always giving us a little info here and there. As we started our walk back, Fernando stopped at a vendor selling coconut water and ordered each of us a coconut opened (with a machete) and with straws. I'm sure we won't forget that drink. Later when we got back to our chairs, Fernando sent for milho (corn) and we ate corn on the cob, served in the shucks, as we watched a few people play a game of keep the ball in the air (best as I can describe). No one actually wins as both or all three or all four players just hit the ball back in forth with a paddle. Ferndando says the ball is like a racket ball so there is a real incentive not to get hit by the ball.
One thing we did notice about the beach is there are all kinds, shapes, and ages of people and mostly none of them are self-conscious of showing their bodies. David was starting to feel sorry those for those poor girls that couldn't afford an entire bathing suit. We saw some extremely good looking people also in the skimpy suits and if I can I will try to "PhotoShop" my head onto one of those bodies when we get home.
After our time at the beach and a little more rest at the condo, Fernando drove us to a restaurant. We let Fernando know what we liked and we all agreed on shrimp so he ordered a Hungarian shrimp dish and a garlic shrimp dish. This was all served family style. The three dishes of shrimp was almost too much for the five of us to eat. The garlic shrimp were gigantic; maybe as much as six inches long. And the Hungarian shrimp was simply delicious. We all agreed it was probably the best shrimp we had ever eaten.
Next we drove around the town of Guarujá. Fernando took us up a mountain road with views of the city and the ocean. He also drove us through a gated community. He had to stop at the guard station to identify himself via a driver's license. This place was unbelievable. These are the types of houses you would see in "Architecture Digest." The houses are huge with lots of glass but not a one of them had a view. Go figure. Also, the sign just before the guard station let everyone know that the administrators were "always in defense of well being and of our paradise."
Next it was a stop at the public beach for shopping and something Anna had been looking forward to all day - Acaí (ah-sah-EE). There is no direct English translation because it is an Amazonian fruit. It is served as a pulp and has the texture of yogurt and with sliced bananas and granola. It is extremely rich and filling. I did notice on the granola that the package contained 14% of the daily fiber requirements and since it is made entirely from fruit, we convinced ourselves it was healthy. :)
About the shopping - - I had assumed from what I had read earlier that clothing and shoes would be cheap in Brazil. That is far from the case. As we were strolling through the mini-Mall by the public beach, I noticed a pair of Adias for about R$39.90. I said "that's not bad" but Anna pointed to the sign and showed me that above the $R39.90 was a 10x so the shoes were about R$390.00 or roughly US$200.00 and the 10x means the store will finance the purchase for you. Rena had been shopping on Saturday with friends and noticed small appliances like microwaves that we can get in the U.S. for about $70.00 would cost a Brazilian about what those above mentioned Adias cost. To top all of that, wages are extremely meager here. About the only staple that is cheap is food.
Soon we went back to the condo, gathered up our belongings and took a last few pictures of the beach. It took us two hours to get to the beach but as we started to leave, it started to rain. Fernando got on the faster of the two highways. This one, instead of switchbacks, has tunnels. Fernando couldn't remember but he thought there were twelve in all. As it got later, traffic got heavier. We started to see several accidents, mostly the small motorcycles we had seen weaving in and out and between lanes of traffic. Then the over head signage (like a TriMark sign) said an accident on the other highway had it closed completely so all traffic was diverted to our highway. Bottom line, it took us four and a half hours to get back to Jundiaí, compared to the two hours to get from Jundiaí to the beach and that was taking the "slower" scenic highway.
Well, today David and Rena are off to their seminar and I am here at the hotel. I am about to venture out for a bite as it is past noon and I haven't seen the maid. I think she must be reluctant to come into the room with me here even though I left the tag on the door for the room to be made-up.
Just after we drove past São Paulo, we stopped at a rest stop similar to those we have in the States on toll roads. It had a gas station and a restaurant, and most importantly, a restroom (remember, Anna is 8 months pregnant). This restaurant was a Frango Assada (roasted chicken) and they are all over. The one unusual aspect of each of these rest stops is that as you go in the entrance door, someone hands you a bar coded card. You can visit the restaurant or shop or use the bathroom. No money is collected until you exit and then the cashier will take your bar coded card and if you ate at the restaurant, for example, that charge would be on the card. You then pay. Only the cashier at the exit (saída) door takes money. That certainly sounds a lot more sanitary than someone cooking or serving also handling currency.
São Paulo and points inland are actually in the mountains and the mountains go right down to the seashore. As we drove out of São Paulo, we descended rapidly. The highway Fernando chose was not the fastest but one with great views. It was also the highway the trucks are to use so we saw the runaway truck lanes (caminhões área de escape) and many switchbacks.
Fernando drove us to his parent's condo, right on the beach at Guarujá with spectacular views of the ocean, islands, cargo ships, and of course the beach. We relaxed for a while, enjoying the view and occasionally David, Rena & Fernando talking some "shop talk" and then we went to the beach.
None of us put on a swim suit although I did put on my swim suit tank. Fernando had already arranged for beach chairs to be waiting for us so we kicked off our shoes at the chairs and walked in the surf. The water was very warm on our feet. We walked the entire length of the beach with Fernando and Anna always giving us a little info here and there. As we started our walk back, Fernando stopped at a vendor selling coconut water and ordered each of us a coconut opened (with a machete) and with straws. I'm sure we won't forget that drink. Later when we got back to our chairs, Fernando sent for milho (corn) and we ate corn on the cob, served in the shucks, as we watched a few people play a game of keep the ball in the air (best as I can describe). No one actually wins as both or all three or all four players just hit the ball back in forth with a paddle. Ferndando says the ball is like a racket ball so there is a real incentive not to get hit by the ball.
One thing we did notice about the beach is there are all kinds, shapes, and ages of people and mostly none of them are self-conscious of showing their bodies. David was starting to feel sorry those for those poor girls that couldn't afford an entire bathing suit. We saw some extremely good looking people also in the skimpy suits and if I can I will try to "PhotoShop" my head onto one of those bodies when we get home.
After our time at the beach and a little more rest at the condo, Fernando drove us to a restaurant. We let Fernando know what we liked and we all agreed on shrimp so he ordered a Hungarian shrimp dish and a garlic shrimp dish. This was all served family style. The three dishes of shrimp was almost too much for the five of us to eat. The garlic shrimp were gigantic; maybe as much as six inches long. And the Hungarian shrimp was simply delicious. We all agreed it was probably the best shrimp we had ever eaten.
Next we drove around the town of Guarujá. Fernando took us up a mountain road with views of the city and the ocean. He also drove us through a gated community. He had to stop at the guard station to identify himself via a driver's license. This place was unbelievable. These are the types of houses you would see in "Architecture Digest." The houses are huge with lots of glass but not a one of them had a view. Go figure. Also, the sign just before the guard station let everyone know that the administrators were "always in defense of well being and of our paradise."
Next it was a stop at the public beach for shopping and something Anna had been looking forward to all day - Acaí (ah-sah-EE). There is no direct English translation because it is an Amazonian fruit. It is served as a pulp and has the texture of yogurt and with sliced bananas and granola. It is extremely rich and filling. I did notice on the granola that the package contained 14% of the daily fiber requirements and since it is made entirely from fruit, we convinced ourselves it was healthy. :)
About the shopping - - I had assumed from what I had read earlier that clothing and shoes would be cheap in Brazil. That is far from the case. As we were strolling through the mini-Mall by the public beach, I noticed a pair of Adias for about R$39.90. I said "that's not bad" but Anna pointed to the sign and showed me that above the $R39.90 was a 10x so the shoes were about R$390.00 or roughly US$200.00 and the 10x means the store will finance the purchase for you. Rena had been shopping on Saturday with friends and noticed small appliances like microwaves that we can get in the U.S. for about $70.00 would cost a Brazilian about what those above mentioned Adias cost. To top all of that, wages are extremely meager here. About the only staple that is cheap is food.
Soon we went back to the condo, gathered up our belongings and took a last few pictures of the beach. It took us two hours to get to the beach but as we started to leave, it started to rain. Fernando got on the faster of the two highways. This one, instead of switchbacks, has tunnels. Fernando couldn't remember but he thought there were twelve in all. As it got later, traffic got heavier. We started to see several accidents, mostly the small motorcycles we had seen weaving in and out and between lanes of traffic. Then the over head signage (like a TriMark sign) said an accident on the other highway had it closed completely so all traffic was diverted to our highway. Bottom line, it took us four and a half hours to get back to Jundiaí, compared to the two hours to get from Jundiaí to the beach and that was taking the "slower" scenic highway.
Well, today David and Rena are off to their seminar and I am here at the hotel. I am about to venture out for a bite as it is past noon and I haven't seen the maid. I think she must be reluctant to come into the room with me here even though I left the tag on the door for the room to be made-up.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
We Explore the Streets near our Hotel
David and I set out soon after breakfast for a couple of errands and to get a feel for the area we were in. I had done a "google map" for several square blocks but since we don't have a printer, I drew the map. Our first stop was at a "farmacia" since David forgot razors and he didn't want to spend the entire time here shaving with Lady Bics. We were assured that most people we would be dealing with would speak English but we are finding that far from accurate. Hardly anyone aside from those David & Rena's company and the front desk people at the hotel speak much English and most people speak no English. We get by with the guide book of phrases and hand gestures. For instance for the razors, David pantomimed shaving and we get "ah, barba." When it is time to pay, most vendors have a small calculator and just type in the amount and we pay it.
Our next errand was to find a bank to get Reais. American dollars are not readily accepted and there is always a foreign transaction fee for using bank cards. However, we found out you get an excellent exchange rate using the ATM machine and no exchange fees. The problem was trying to find a bank that first took our Plus network card and second finding a bank where we could read the ATM machines, i.e., English (gestures wouldn't work). Just a few blocks from our hotel is just such a bank. Once we put the card in, we were asked what language.
It is hot and humid in Jundiai today. After just about an hour and a half of walking, we were sweaty. So it was back to our hotel. We have a rooftop pool in an atrium so we went for a dip. The water was wonderful. There were no towels but the young lady already there, when we asked her in our broken Portuguese and small words in English, understood we wanted towels. She arranged for housekeeping to bring us two towels to the pool.
After the swim and cool down, we went out again for lunch and exploring in a different direction. We found a street vendor selling hot dogs. Four hot dogs and two diet cokes cost us R$7 which is about US$3.80. We then walked to the overpass of Avenida Jundiai where it crosses Avenida 9th de Julho. Most pictures you see posted on the Internet that feature Jundiai will show this intersection. A park is just on the other side of this intersection. We soon discovered we had passed our area of comfort when we entered the park. We were immediately approached by a panhandler. There was even evidence of people living in the park (bed rolls among the bushes and flowers). We took a couple of pictures and were approached by yet another panhandler as we left the park. With both panhandlers we just keep repeating "nao nao" and keep walking away. We won't be going back to the park.
For our evening meal, we went to a very small restaurant we had passed on our morning walk. No one at the restaurant spoke any English and the menu did not have English "sub-titles" we have seen at other places. Some how the waiter understood us and we ordered "chicken with salad" which turned out quite well. I would describe what we had as most like a salad with grilled chicken ("frango").
One thing that is hard for us to get used to is not tipping. We have been told many times that tipping is not expected or necessary. In fact, most meals at restaurants already have a 10% "tip" already added to the bill. Some how that doesn't seem quite enough and we find ourselves, out of habit I'm sure, leaving something on the table, and especially for this waiter who did not understand most of what we were asking but managed to bring something just right.
Our next errand was to find a bank to get Reais. American dollars are not readily accepted and there is always a foreign transaction fee for using bank cards. However, we found out you get an excellent exchange rate using the ATM machine and no exchange fees. The problem was trying to find a bank that first took our Plus network card and second finding a bank where we could read the ATM machines, i.e., English (gestures wouldn't work). Just a few blocks from our hotel is just such a bank. Once we put the card in, we were asked what language.
It is hot and humid in Jundiai today. After just about an hour and a half of walking, we were sweaty. So it was back to our hotel. We have a rooftop pool in an atrium so we went for a dip. The water was wonderful. There were no towels but the young lady already there, when we asked her in our broken Portuguese and small words in English, understood we wanted towels. She arranged for housekeeping to bring us two towels to the pool.
After the swim and cool down, we went out again for lunch and exploring in a different direction. We found a street vendor selling hot dogs. Four hot dogs and two diet cokes cost us R$7 which is about US$3.80. We then walked to the overpass of Avenida Jundiai where it crosses Avenida 9th de Julho. Most pictures you see posted on the Internet that feature Jundiai will show this intersection. A park is just on the other side of this intersection. We soon discovered we had passed our area of comfort when we entered the park. We were immediately approached by a panhandler. There was even evidence of people living in the park (bed rolls among the bushes and flowers). We took a couple of pictures and were approached by yet another panhandler as we left the park. With both panhandlers we just keep repeating "nao nao" and keep walking away. We won't be going back to the park.
For our evening meal, we went to a very small restaurant we had passed on our morning walk. No one at the restaurant spoke any English and the menu did not have English "sub-titles" we have seen at other places. Some how the waiter understood us and we ordered "chicken with salad" which turned out quite well. I would describe what we had as most like a salad with grilled chicken ("frango").
One thing that is hard for us to get used to is not tipping. We have been told many times that tipping is not expected or necessary. In fact, most meals at restaurants already have a 10% "tip" already added to the bill. Some how that doesn't seem quite enough and we find ourselves, out of habit I'm sure, leaving something on the table, and especially for this waiter who did not understand most of what we were asking but managed to bring something just right.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Our First Day in the Southern Hemisphere
The flights were sooooooo long. I never imagined it would take 2 1/2 hours to fly to Houston from Louisville but when you are in a SMALL plane, it does. We were crammed in like sardines and with not a seat to spare. When we landed in Houston, we had just an hour between flights. To top that, we landed at terminal B and were leaving from terminal E. Thank goodness for the shuttle train. After that we found yet another long walk to our gate. The three of us, David, me, and his boss Rena were moving along at a pretty fast clip when one of those big airport golf carts came along and took us to our gate. We had just enough time to each go to the restroom before they started loading the plane.
Then came the extremely long flight of 10 hours from Houston to Sao Paulo. Even though we didn't leave Houston until nearly 10:00 p.m., we were still served dinner; lasagna for the three of us. After that, the lights were lowered and most of the plane tried to sleep as best we could. Not long after the lights were dimmed than David decided he couldn't sleep in the aisle seat because every time someone walked down the aisle, they bumped him. So we traded seats; no small feat in a plane. About an hour before we landed in Sao Paulo, we were served breakfast.
One really neat thing about our flight was the overhead monitors would constantly update our position, air speed, outside temperature, altitude, and estimated time of arrival. During breaks in sleep, it was fun to watch.
Customs in Sao Paulo went well. None of us had any problems and we were sent on our way, but only after spending well over an hour in line. We retrieved our bags from the carousel and met our driver Marcos.
Marcos was very helpful including insisting on pushing my baggage cart out to the front of the terminal; David and Rena had to push their own carts. David I could understand but as far as making Rena push her cart, I'm thinking that after that airplane ride, I was really showing my age and Marcos was just helping out the "poor old woman."
Marcos crammed our suitcases into his smallish Chevrolet and we headed to Jundiai. Marcos didn't speak much English and Rena was having trouble getting her cell phone to work. Marcos couldn't help so he called someone he knew who could and handed his cell phone to Rena. Rena was able to touch base with her family back in Kentucky.
Marcos drove us to our hotel in Jundiai where we checked in and rested a bit. My idea of rest was to make David lay down while I unpacked and put everything away. One of David and Rena's coworkers here in Jundiai met us later in the lobby and took us to lunch. It was a buffet so we got to experience a lot of different kinds of Brazilian food. David has discovered egg plant! He had two different dishes made with egg plant and enjoyed them both. Those of you who know David know that he would never order egg plant on purpose in the States.
Our hotel is nice. It is different that what we are used to. For one thing, it took us just a little while to realize we had to activate our room lights by putting our door card in a slot by the door. We were still unpacking our carry-ons, though, when the lights went out. About that time, the bellhop brought up the rest of our bags. I asked him, about the lights going out but he didn't speak hardly any English so through some pantomime and a few words of Portuguese, I finally conveyed the problem by telling him the lights went black. The light bulb came on both literally and figuratively. He said "card" and I handed him mine and then he made me understand that the card had to stay in the slot for the lights to stay on. I then asked how the air conditioning worked by telling him I wanted it cold since I know "frio". He was able to show me how to work the remote controlled thermostat. He also figured out I wanted to be able to open the door to the balcony. When I tell you he doesn't speak much English, for most of you that would be saying you don't speak much Portuguese. Finally, when we couldn't get hooked up the Internet, I carried my laptop down to the lobby and asked if they knew if I was doing anything wrong. The front desk crew, who speak pretty good English, couldn't help me and said they would send someone up. Guess who - our very friendly and helpful bellhop. Unfortunately, this was too much of a communications gap. David evidently figured it out and we are now in touch with the world.
David has called it a night. It is just 8:30 at home but 10:30 here. I guess his body clock has made the switch and I should also. More later.
Then came the extremely long flight of 10 hours from Houston to Sao Paulo. Even though we didn't leave Houston until nearly 10:00 p.m., we were still served dinner; lasagna for the three of us. After that, the lights were lowered and most of the plane tried to sleep as best we could. Not long after the lights were dimmed than David decided he couldn't sleep in the aisle seat because every time someone walked down the aisle, they bumped him. So we traded seats; no small feat in a plane. About an hour before we landed in Sao Paulo, we were served breakfast.
One really neat thing about our flight was the overhead monitors would constantly update our position, air speed, outside temperature, altitude, and estimated time of arrival. During breaks in sleep, it was fun to watch.
Customs in Sao Paulo went well. None of us had any problems and we were sent on our way, but only after spending well over an hour in line. We retrieved our bags from the carousel and met our driver Marcos.
Marcos was very helpful including insisting on pushing my baggage cart out to the front of the terminal; David and Rena had to push their own carts. David I could understand but as far as making Rena push her cart, I'm thinking that after that airplane ride, I was really showing my age and Marcos was just helping out the "poor old woman."
Marcos crammed our suitcases into his smallish Chevrolet and we headed to Jundiai. Marcos didn't speak much English and Rena was having trouble getting her cell phone to work. Marcos couldn't help so he called someone he knew who could and handed his cell phone to Rena. Rena was able to touch base with her family back in Kentucky.
Marcos drove us to our hotel in Jundiai where we checked in and rested a bit. My idea of rest was to make David lay down while I unpacked and put everything away. One of David and Rena's coworkers here in Jundiai met us later in the lobby and took us to lunch. It was a buffet so we got to experience a lot of different kinds of Brazilian food. David has discovered egg plant! He had two different dishes made with egg plant and enjoyed them both. Those of you who know David know that he would never order egg plant on purpose in the States.
Our hotel is nice. It is different that what we are used to. For one thing, it took us just a little while to realize we had to activate our room lights by putting our door card in a slot by the door. We were still unpacking our carry-ons, though, when the lights went out. About that time, the bellhop brought up the rest of our bags. I asked him, about the lights going out but he didn't speak hardly any English so through some pantomime and a few words of Portuguese, I finally conveyed the problem by telling him the lights went black. The light bulb came on both literally and figuratively. He said "card" and I handed him mine and then he made me understand that the card had to stay in the slot for the lights to stay on. I then asked how the air conditioning worked by telling him I wanted it cold since I know "frio". He was able to show me how to work the remote controlled thermostat. He also figured out I wanted to be able to open the door to the balcony. When I tell you he doesn't speak much English, for most of you that would be saying you don't speak much Portuguese. Finally, when we couldn't get hooked up the Internet, I carried my laptop down to the lobby and asked if they knew if I was doing anything wrong. The front desk crew, who speak pretty good English, couldn't help me and said they would send someone up. Guess who - our very friendly and helpful bellhop. Unfortunately, this was too much of a communications gap. David evidently figured it out and we are now in touch with the world.
David has called it a night. It is just 8:30 at home but 10:30 here. I guess his body clock has made the switch and I should also. More later.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
Doing Research on Brazil
We are getting so excited about our upcoming trip to Brazil. We have a Berlitz CD of Portuguese and are practicing key phrases. We know that most of the people we will be dealing with on a regular basis will speak English but it will feel good to at least know the basics of how to ask "how much" "where" etc.
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