Back in Texas
Sunday, Mar. 13 (Part II)
I went back out about 3:30. I stopped at a cyber cafe and was glad to see that yesterday's effort had posted to the blog. I posted another update before leaving.
As soon as I walked out, I was approached by a beggar. He was only the first of about five of them today. It is not as easy to pass as a native here as it was in South America. But I believe that there are more beggars here and that the number of incidents is greater because of that, too.
I walked to Alameda Park, but it, too, was overrun with people. I returned to a small plaza near my hotel. I sat and read.
I went to another small place by my hotel for an early evening snack. I ordered five tacos al carbon. They were mini-tacos. The meat had first been cooked on an upright rotating spit like those used for shawarmas. It was sliced off and cooked again on a griddle with tomatoes and onions. I was given a red salsa and lime slices to flavor the tacos. The marinade on the meat gave them a slightly sweet taste, so I salted them, too. They were a perfect light dinner.
I walked to Wal-Mart thinking I might buy something sweet there. It was more crowded than the parks! I just returned to the room for the night.
Walking: 18,447 steps (15,529 aerobic steps), 647 calories, 12.17 km (7.3 miles)
Monday, Mar. 14
I awoke early and decided to rush so I could get to San Miguel before lunch. I was glad to see it was dry. Clouds had been forming when I returned to the hotel last night.
I left the hotel at 6:35, arrived at the bus terminal at 7:10, and was able to catch a bus leaving for San Miguel at 7:20! I had expected the subway to be an easy ride that early, but it was crowded with people who must have had to be at work at 7:00. I was also surprised that they inspected my carry-on luggage for the bus and gave me a pat down body search. That hadn't been done anywhere else I took buses, although I seem to recall that my bags were scanned somewhere.
The bus was not nearly the quality of the buses in South America. It was an old bus without a toilet. The upholstery smelled of smoke. And of course, there was no TV, no blankets, no pillows, no food service, and no on-board coffee and purified water--all things that are fairly standard in South America where I have been traveling.
We got to San Miguel at 11:30. I got off the bus at a traffic circle I recognized as being not too far from Pegasos B&B that Vivian runs. That allowed me to walk there. If I had stayed on the bus until we got to the terminal, it would have taken me further and further away and I would have had to take a taxi.
A block from Pegasos, I stopped at a small restaurant where Wes and I ate in August. I had pork with green salsa. It came with rice, beans, zucchini, and tortillas. It was delicious.
Vivian greeted me and put me in a room. She repeated that I was welcome to stay until Thursday and return with her tour group. I told her I was tired and ready to go home. I bought a ticket for the bus tonight and told her we could just leave my luggage behind the counter. She insisted that I take the room so I could nap, watch TV, etc.
First, I went to town. I found a barber shop and got my hair cut. Then I sat on the square and read. I finished Devil in the White City (3 stars out of 4) on the bus this morning, so I started reading Three Junes by Julia Glass.
There were clouds and thunder around 4:30, so Ireturned to the room and watched TV. At 5:30, after a brief heavy rainfall had occurred, I ate a ham torta at a nearby shop. It is now 6:45 and the bus will arrive at any moment for our 7:00 p.m. departure for Texas.
Walking: 14,887 steps (7976 aerobic steps), 546 calories, 9.79 km (6 miles)
Tuesday, Mar. 15
It was a long, tiring bus trip. We stopped in Dolores Hidalgo and also in San Luis Potosi to pick up more passengers. The only vacant seat on the bus was the one beside me, and I bet that Vivian told them not to sell that seat so that I would be more comfortable. If so, it was very kind and generous of her.
Each of those stops to pick up passengers ate up time. Then we went through Monterrey so we could drop of people at the U.S. consulate there (presumably for getting paperwork done before they could travel further northward. Anyway, going through, rather than around, Monterrey ate up more time. We also went through Nuevo Laredo to a drop-off point rather than going directly to the bridge. Crossing an international bridge took a lot of time, too. Most Mexicans had visas or green cards, but a few had to stand in line to get visitor's permits. Furthermore, all the luggage plus the bus had to be x-rayed before we could reload and depart. They have a new van with and up-and-over arm that moves down the line of buses x-raying them to see if there is anything (drugs, explosives, illegal plants, etc.) hidden. Then we had another stop in Cotulla to buy gasoline, and it takes quite a while to fill a bus tank that will run for 14 hours before needing a refill! We finally arrived in San Antonio at 12:15 p.m.--17 hours after departing San Miguel.
San Antonio is not a normal stop for the bus. They just pull off the expressway, let passengers off, and then pull back onto the expressway when someone is coming here. They do this at one particular ramp that is easy for them to use. It is in the south side of town where most Mexicans coming to San Antonio on this bus would be staying or living. Vivian had arranged for a friend of the bus driver to be there to pick me up and drive me downtown where it would be easy for me to catch a bus heading further northward to where I live. I was surprised to find it rather cold here. I was traveling with summer clothing. I had only a thin windbreaker over my shortslieve shirt I was wearing. It was better than nothing, though. I managed to arrive at the condo at 1:15 and immediately turned on the heat.
It has been a nice 3 months of traveling, but I was ready to be home. Of course, there are the memories of the loss of Arne this past year associated with being home, but there are also the comforts of having a wider variety of clothes to wear, being able to do laundry easily, having as much time as I want on the computer, etc. And there are the things that NEED to be done--preparing my paperwork for income tax reporting, continuing to organize and improve the condo, etc.
I will be hear about 5 months. In mid-August, I set out on the next part of my trip this year. I will go to San Francisco for 3 days, to Korea for about 5 days, to Bangkok for about 6 days, to Myanmar (Burma) for a month, and then head to Kerala in India to volunteer for the rest of the year at St. Joseph's Academy. I won't be making blog entries again (except maybe a combined spending update for this past part of the trip) until August when I leave again. Those of you who like to follow my travels should put a note on your calendars to start checking the blog again in late August. By then, there should be an entry or two.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Back in Texas
Sunday, Mar. 13 (Part II)
I went back out about 3:30. I stopped at a cyber cafe and was glad to see that yesterday's effort had posted to the blog. I posted another update before leaving.
As soon as I walked out, I was approached by a beggar. He was only the first of about five of them today. It is not as easy to pass as a native here as it was in South America. But I believe that there are more beggars here and that the number of incidents is greater because of that, too.
I walked to Alameda Park, but it, too, was overrun with people. I returned to a small plaza near my hotel. I sat and read.
I went to another small place by my hotel for an early evening snack. I ordered five tacos al carbon. They were mini-tacos. The meat had first been cooked on an upright rotating spit like those used for shawarmas. It was sliced off and cooked again on a griddle with tomatoes and onions. I was given a red salsa and lime slices to flavor the tacos. The marinade on the meat gave them a slightly sweet taste, so I salted them, too. They were a perfect light dinner.
I walked to Wal-Mart thinking I might buy something sweet there. It was more crowded than the parks! I just returned to the room for the night.
Walking: 18,447 steps (15,529 aerobic steps), 647 calories, 12.17 km (7.3 miles)
Monday, Mar. 14
I awoke early and decided to rush so I could get to San Miguel before lunch. I was glad to see it was dry. Clouds had been forming when I returned to the hotel last night.
I left the hotel at 6:35, arrived at the bus terminal at 7:10, and was able to catch a bus leaving for San Miguel at 7:20! I had expected the subway to be an easy ride that early, but it was crowded with people who must have had to be at work at 7:00. I was also surprised that they inspected my carry-on luggage for the bus and gave me a pat down body search. That hadn't been done anywhere else I took buses, although I seem to recall that my bags were scanned somewhere.
The bus was not nearly the quality of the buses in South America. It was an old bus without a toilet. The upholstery smelled of smoke. And of course, there was no TV, no blankets, no pillows, no food service, and no on-board coffee and purified water--all things that are fairly standard in South America where I have been traveling.
We got to San Miguel at 11:30. I got off the bus at a traffic circle I recognized as being not too far from Pegasos B&B that Vivian runs. That allowed me to walk there. If I had stayed on the bus until we got to the terminal, it would have taken me further and further away and I would have had to take a taxi.
A block from Pegasos, I stopped at a small restaurant where Wes and I ate in August. I had pork with green salsa. It came with rice, beans, zucchini, and tortillas. It was delicious.
Vivian greeted me and put me in a room. She repeated that I was welcome to stay until Thursday and return with her tour group. I told her I was tired and ready to go home. I bought a ticket for the bus tonight and told her we could just leave my luggage behind the counter. She insisted that I take the room so I could nap, watch TV, etc.
First, I went to town. I found a barber shop and got my hair cut. Then I sat on the square and read. I finished Devil in the White City (3 stars out of 4) on the bus this morning, so I started reading Three Junes by Julia Glass.
There were clouds and thunder around 4:30, so Ireturned to the room and watched TV. At 5:30, after a brief heavy rainfall had occurred, I ate a ham torta at a nearby shop. It is now 6:45 and the bus will arrive at any moment for our 7:00 p.m. departure for Texas.
Walking: 14,887 steps (7976 aerobic steps), 546 calories, 9.79 km (6 miles)
Tuesday, Mar. 15
It was a long, tiring bus trip. We stopped in Dolores Hidalgo and also in San Luis Potosi to pick up more passengers. The only vacant seat on the bus was the one beside me, and I bet that Vivian told them not to sell that seat so that I would be more comfortable. If so, it was very kind and generous of her.
Each of those stops to pick up passengers ate up time. Then we went through Monterrey so we could drop of people at the U.S. consulate there (presumably for getting paperwork done before they could travel further northward. Anyway, going through, rather than around, Monterrey ate up more time. We also went through Nuevo Laredo to a drop-off point rather than going directly to the bridge. Crossing an international bridge took a lot of time, too. Most Mexicans had visas or green cards, but a few had to stand in line to get visitor's permits. Furthermore, all the luggage plus the bus had to be x-rayed before we could reload and depart. They have a new van with and up-and-over arm that moves down the line of buses x-raying them to see if there is anything (drugs, explosives, illegal plants, etc.) hidden. Then we had another stop in Cotulla to buy gasoline, and it takes quite a while to fill a bus tank that will run for 14 hours before needing a refill! We finally arrived in San Antonio at 12:15 p.m.--17 hours after departing San Miguel.
San Antonio is not a normal stop for the bus. They just pull off the expressway, let passengers off, and then pull back onto the expressway when someone is coming here. They do this at one particular ramp that is easy for them to use. It is in the south side of town where most Mexicans coming to San Antonio on this bus would be staying or living. Vivian had arranged for a friend of the bus driver to be there to pick me up and drive me downtown where it would be easy for me to catch a bus heading further northward to where I live. I was surprised to find it rather cold here. I was traveling with summer clothing. I had only a thin windbreaker over my shortslieve shirt I was wearing. It was better than nothing, though. I managed to arrive at the condo at 1:15 and immediately turned on the heat.
It has been a nice 3 months of traveling, but I was ready to be home. Of course, there are the memories of the loss of Arne this past year associated with being home, but there are also the comforts of having a wider variety of clothes to wear, being able to do laundry easily, having as much time as I want on the computer, etc. And there are the things that NEED to be done--preparing my paperwork for income tax reporting, continuing to organize and improve the condo, etc.
I will be hear about 5 months. In mid-August, I set out on the next part of my trip this year. I will go to San Francisco for 3 days, to Korea for about 5 days, to Bangkok for about 6 days, to Myanmar (Burma) for a month, and then head to Kerala in India to volunteer for the rest of the year at St. Joseph's Academy. I won't be making blog entries again (except maybe a combined spending update for this past part of the trip) until August when I leave again. Those of you who like to follow my travels should put a note on your calendars to start checking the blog again in late August. By then, there should be an entry or two.
Sunday, Mar. 13 (Part II)
I went back out about 3:30. I stopped at a cyber cafe and was glad to see that yesterday's effort had posted to the blog. I posted another update before leaving.
As soon as I walked out, I was approached by a beggar. He was only the first of about five of them today. It is not as easy to pass as a native here as it was in South America. But I believe that there are more beggars here and that the number of incidents is greater because of that, too.
I walked to Alameda Park, but it, too, was overrun with people. I returned to a small plaza near my hotel. I sat and read.
I went to another small place by my hotel for an early evening snack. I ordered five tacos al carbon. They were mini-tacos. The meat had first been cooked on an upright rotating spit like those used for shawarmas. It was sliced off and cooked again on a griddle with tomatoes and onions. I was given a red salsa and lime slices to flavor the tacos. The marinade on the meat gave them a slightly sweet taste, so I salted them, too. They were a perfect light dinner.
I walked to Wal-Mart thinking I might buy something sweet there. It was more crowded than the parks! I just returned to the room for the night.
Walking: 18,447 steps (15,529 aerobic steps), 647 calories, 12.17 km (7.3 miles)
Monday, Mar. 14
I awoke early and decided to rush so I could get to San Miguel before lunch. I was glad to see it was dry. Clouds had been forming when I returned to the hotel last night.
I left the hotel at 6:35, arrived at the bus terminal at 7:10, and was able to catch a bus leaving for San Miguel at 7:20! I had expected the subway to be an easy ride that early, but it was crowded with people who must have had to be at work at 7:00. I was also surprised that they inspected my carry-on luggage for the bus and gave me a pat down body search. That hadn't been done anywhere else I took buses, although I seem to recall that my bags were scanned somewhere.
The bus was not nearly the quality of the buses in South America. It was an old bus without a toilet. The upholstery smelled of smoke. And of course, there was no TV, no blankets, no pillows, no food service, and no on-board coffee and purified water--all things that are fairly standard in South America where I have been traveling.
We got to San Miguel at 11:30. I got off the bus at a traffic circle I recognized as being not too far from Pegasos B&B that Vivian runs. That allowed me to walk there. If I had stayed on the bus until we got to the terminal, it would have taken me further and further away and I would have had to take a taxi.
A block from Pegasos, I stopped at a small restaurant where Wes and I ate in August. I had pork with green salsa. It came with rice, beans, zucchini, and tortillas. It was delicious.
Vivian greeted me and put me in a room. She repeated that I was welcome to stay until Thursday and return with her tour group. I told her I was tired and ready to go home. I bought a ticket for the bus tonight and told her we could just leave my luggage behind the counter. She insisted that I take the room so I could nap, watch TV, etc.
First, I went to town. I found a barber shop and got my hair cut. Then I sat on the square and read. I finished Devil in the White City (3 stars out of 4) on the bus this morning, so I started reading Three Junes by Julia Glass.
There were clouds and thunder around 4:30, so Ireturned to the room and watched TV. At 5:30, after a brief heavy rainfall had occurred, I ate a ham torta at a nearby shop. It is now 6:45 and the bus will arrive at any moment for our 7:00 p.m. departure for Texas.
Walking: 14,887 steps (7976 aerobic steps), 546 calories, 9.79 km (6 miles)
Tuesday, Mar. 15
It was a long, tiring bus trip. We stopped in Dolores Hidalgo and also in San Luis Potosi to pick up more passengers. The only vacant seat on the bus was the one beside me, and I bet that Vivian told them not to sell that seat so that I would be more comfortable. If so, it was very kind and generous of her.
Each of those stops to pick up passengers ate up time. Then we went through Monterrey so we could drop of people at the U.S. consulate there (presumably for getting paperwork done before they could travel further northward. Anyway, going through, rather than around, Monterrey ate up more time. We also went through Nuevo Laredo to a drop-off point rather than going directly to the bridge. Crossing an international bridge took a lot of time, too. Most Mexicans had visas or green cards, but a few had to stand in line to get visitor's permits. Furthermore, all the luggage plus the bus had to be x-rayed before we could reload and depart. They have a new van with and up-and-over arm that moves down the line of buses x-raying them to see if there is anything (drugs, explosives, illegal plants, etc.) hidden. Then we had another stop in Cotulla to buy gasoline, and it takes quite a while to fill a bus tank that will run for 14 hours before needing a refill! We finally arrived in San Antonio at 12:15 p.m.--17 hours after departing San Miguel.
San Antonio is not a normal stop for the bus. They just pull off the expressway, let passengers off, and then pull back onto the expressway when someone is coming here. They do this at one particular ramp that is easy for them to use. It is in the south side of town where most Mexicans coming to San Antonio on this bus would be staying or living. Vivian had arranged for a friend of the bus driver to be there to pick me up and drive me downtown where it would be easy for me to catch a bus heading further northward to where I live. I was surprised to find it rather cold here. I was traveling with summer clothing. I had only a thin windbreaker over my shortslieve shirt I was wearing. It was better than nothing, though. I managed to arrive at the condo at 1:15 and immediately turned on the heat.
It has been a nice 3 months of traveling, but I was ready to be home. Of course, there are the memories of the loss of Arne this past year associated with being home, but there are also the comforts of having a wider variety of clothes to wear, being able to do laundry easily, having as much time as I want on the computer, etc. And there are the things that NEED to be done--preparing my paperwork for income tax reporting, continuing to organize and improve the condo, etc.
I will be hear about 5 months. In mid-August, I set out on the next part of my trip this year. I will go to San Francisco for 3 days, to Korea for about 5 days, to Bangkok for about 6 days, to Myanmar (Burma) for a month, and then head to Kerala in India to volunteer for the rest of the year at St. Joseph's Academy. I won't be making blog entries again (except maybe a combined spending update for this past part of the trip) until August when I leave again. Those of you who like to follow my travels should put a note on your calendars to start checking the blog again in late August. By then, there should be an entry or two.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Leaving for San Miguel de Allende on Monday
Saturday, Mar. 12 (Part II)
I took the metro to the bus station and found what I expected. It is cheaper and easier for me to go to San Miguel de Allende and return to San Antonio from there than it is to try to go from here. From here, I must take a 15-hour bus trip to Nuevo Laredo which costs $75. I must wait about 2 hours for the next bus to San Antonio from there, and it will take 4 hours and cost another $18. I can take a 4-hour bus from here to San Miguel for about $15. Then I can take a 12-hour bus from there to San Antonio (same bus all the way) for $70. It{s 21 hours of continuous travel for $93 versus 4 hours and 12 hours broken with a stay in one of Mexico´s prettiest cities and a cost of only $85. I returned to my hotel and paid for two more nights. I will go to San Miguel on Monday and will either take the bus from there that night or return Thursday night with the tour group from the company that Wes and I used to go there in August. Vivian, the owner of both the tour company and the bus serivce, has said I can be her guest there and return with the tour group if I want.
_______
After napping, I went out exploring the neighborhood. It is much nicer than I had thought. PRI, one of the major political parties here, has its headquarters across the street. There are some very nice restaurants in the next block, there are quite a few other hotels, and there is a major local shopping street. There are two art museums within 4 blocks with one being in a former train station, and there is a Wal-Mart Supercenter about 8 blocks away.
I decided to also walk to the Zona Rosa, a fancy inner-city neighborhood that is popular with tourists. It is well landscaped and has stylish shops and restaurants and many expensive hotels. I found a restaurant (La Fonda del Refugio) where I have eaten many times that is considered one of the best in the city, but it was too early to eat. It was interesting to note that Londres is now the nicest street in the quarter; I seem to remember that Hamburgo was the main street 20 years ago.
I went to two cyber cafes on my way to the Zona Rosa. The first had filthy keyboards; you could both feel and see the accumulated grit on it. I had trouble opening and using programs there. I finally got into my e-mail and dealt with it, but I couldn´t get Blogger to work. It kept terminating when I tried to compose. The second shop was better, but you had to pay in advance for a designated time. I bought 30 minutes and had trouble posting to Blogger. It was in the process of posting when my 30 minutes was up and the computer shut off. I hope it posted; otherwise, I will have to retype everything. (A check a day later showed that it posted!!)
I returned to Las Delicias del Oaxaca, a very nice restaurant in my neighborhood for dinner. Before I ordered they served me a small drink and appetizer. The latter was an empanada filled with a spicy mixture and topped with black refried beans and grated white cheese. The drink was tequila-based, but I do not know what it was. It was different from a margarita. The rim of the glass had both pepper and salt for a very hot effect that left my throat stinging at one time. It was tasty and was pretty with an ice cube that seemed to have a drop of grenadine or something in it to give it a red color.
I ordered the 3-course menu of the day. The first course was a shimp caldo (soup). It was very spicy and tasty. The shrimp were small and dark. The next course was rice--simple, but nice. They brought two salsas, one red and one green, to the table, so I put those on corn tortillas to eat with the rice. The last course was a chicken thigh in a green sauce. It was tasy, but not hot. I added some of the green salsa to perk it up. A bowl of black beans was served on the side. It was an excellent meal, and I was stuffed.
A strange thing happened as I was paying. A man in street clothes smelling of alcohol came to my table. He spoke limited English, but he invited me to join him and his brother for the evening. I was surprised that the restaurant would allow someone like that to approach a customer. It turned out, however, that his brother is the owner of the restaurant. I lied and said I had just arrived after a 9-hour flight from Sao Paulo and was too tired to stay up any longer. Actually, I was really tired and returned to my hotel a block away.
Walking: 33,363 steps (24,293 aerobic steps), 1174 calories, 22 km (13 miles)
Sunday, Mar. 13 (Part I)
This was a city of noise this morning. There were large political rallies. Car horns were honking, speeches were given over loud speakers, crowds chanted, etc. One of the main rally points was the Monument to the Revolution which is only 3-4 blocks from my hotel. From what I could tell, opposing groups were there. They were separated by riot police, but each was trying to drown the other out with a louder sound.
I walked to Chapultepec Park thinking an afternoon in the park would be relaxing. it was such a crowded mess of people, however, that I took the metro back to my neighborhood.
I ate lunch in a restaurant where I had seen them making homemade corn tortillas yesterday. I had a soup that was broth with chunks of potato, a plate of rice, and green enchiladas. The soup was rather simple, but I perked it up with some lime juice and by putting some of the rice in it. The enchiladas were great. It was 3 of their homemade tortillas filled with chicken, topped by sour cream and shredded white cheese, and served on a bed of spicy green sauce. With a Sprite and jello as dessert, the meal cost less than $3!
Saturday, Mar. 12 (Part II)
I took the metro to the bus station and found what I expected. It is cheaper and easier for me to go to San Miguel de Allende and return to San Antonio from there than it is to try to go from here. From here, I must take a 15-hour bus trip to Nuevo Laredo which costs $75. I must wait about 2 hours for the next bus to San Antonio from there, and it will take 4 hours and cost another $18. I can take a 4-hour bus from here to San Miguel for about $15. Then I can take a 12-hour bus from there to San Antonio (same bus all the way) for $70. It{s 21 hours of continuous travel for $93 versus 4 hours and 12 hours broken with a stay in one of Mexico´s prettiest cities and a cost of only $85. I returned to my hotel and paid for two more nights. I will go to San Miguel on Monday and will either take the bus from there that night or return Thursday night with the tour group from the company that Wes and I used to go there in August. Vivian, the owner of both the tour company and the bus serivce, has said I can be her guest there and return with the tour group if I want.
_______
After napping, I went out exploring the neighborhood. It is much nicer than I had thought. PRI, one of the major political parties here, has its headquarters across the street. There are some very nice restaurants in the next block, there are quite a few other hotels, and there is a major local shopping street. There are two art museums within 4 blocks with one being in a former train station, and there is a Wal-Mart Supercenter about 8 blocks away.
I decided to also walk to the Zona Rosa, a fancy inner-city neighborhood that is popular with tourists. It is well landscaped and has stylish shops and restaurants and many expensive hotels. I found a restaurant (La Fonda del Refugio) where I have eaten many times that is considered one of the best in the city, but it was too early to eat. It was interesting to note that Londres is now the nicest street in the quarter; I seem to remember that Hamburgo was the main street 20 years ago.
I went to two cyber cafes on my way to the Zona Rosa. The first had filthy keyboards; you could both feel and see the accumulated grit on it. I had trouble opening and using programs there. I finally got into my e-mail and dealt with it, but I couldn´t get Blogger to work. It kept terminating when I tried to compose. The second shop was better, but you had to pay in advance for a designated time. I bought 30 minutes and had trouble posting to Blogger. It was in the process of posting when my 30 minutes was up and the computer shut off. I hope it posted; otherwise, I will have to retype everything. (A check a day later showed that it posted!!)
I returned to Las Delicias del Oaxaca, a very nice restaurant in my neighborhood for dinner. Before I ordered they served me a small drink and appetizer. The latter was an empanada filled with a spicy mixture and topped with black refried beans and grated white cheese. The drink was tequila-based, but I do not know what it was. It was different from a margarita. The rim of the glass had both pepper and salt for a very hot effect that left my throat stinging at one time. It was tasty and was pretty with an ice cube that seemed to have a drop of grenadine or something in it to give it a red color.
I ordered the 3-course menu of the day. The first course was a shimp caldo (soup). It was very spicy and tasty. The shrimp were small and dark. The next course was rice--simple, but nice. They brought two salsas, one red and one green, to the table, so I put those on corn tortillas to eat with the rice. The last course was a chicken thigh in a green sauce. It was tasy, but not hot. I added some of the green salsa to perk it up. A bowl of black beans was served on the side. It was an excellent meal, and I was stuffed.
A strange thing happened as I was paying. A man in street clothes smelling of alcohol came to my table. He spoke limited English, but he invited me to join him and his brother for the evening. I was surprised that the restaurant would allow someone like that to approach a customer. It turned out, however, that his brother is the owner of the restaurant. I lied and said I had just arrived after a 9-hour flight from Sao Paulo and was too tired to stay up any longer. Actually, I was really tired and returned to my hotel a block away.
Walking: 33,363 steps (24,293 aerobic steps), 1174 calories, 22 km (13 miles)
Sunday, Mar. 13 (Part I)
This was a city of noise this morning. There were large political rallies. Car horns were honking, speeches were given over loud speakers, crowds chanted, etc. One of the main rally points was the Monument to the Revolution which is only 3-4 blocks from my hotel. From what I could tell, opposing groups were there. They were separated by riot police, but each was trying to drown the other out with a louder sound.
I walked to Chapultepec Park thinking an afternoon in the park would be relaxing. it was such a crowded mess of people, however, that I took the metro back to my neighborhood.
I ate lunch in a restaurant where I had seen them making homemade corn tortillas yesterday. I had a soup that was broth with chunks of potato, a plate of rice, and green enchiladas. The soup was rather simple, but I perked it up with some lime juice and by putting some of the rice in it. The enchiladas were great. It was 3 of their homemade tortillas filled with chicken, topped by sour cream and shredded white cheese, and served on a bed of spicy green sauce. With a Sprite and jello as dessert, the meal cost less than $3!
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Mexico City
Thursday, Mar. 10 (Part II)
I returned to the hotel after stopping at a cyber cafe. I finished reading History of the Kelly Gang (3 stars out of 4). Then I watched Pride and Prejudice on TV.
I went out briefly to get a snack for dinner (one meat and one chicken empanada). Then I set the alarm and packed for tomorrow morning`s departure.
Friday, Mar. 11
It´s 8:20 and I am checked in and at the gate. My flight isn´t juntil 1º0:30, so everything has gone smoothly. I awoke at 5:15, fifteen minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Walking to the airport bus stop took only 21 minutes since the sidewalks and the streets were so empty at 6:00 a.m. The bus arrived early and departed right on time. The only surprise of the day was an increased cost for the ubs. It had been 21 Rais when I arrived in January, and I had that sav ed in bills to give the driver. Now it is 24 Raid, and I had to give him a big bill instead of the exact change.
_______
It was a 9-hour flight to Mexico City. The plane was configured to provide minimal space for passengers. It was a 777 with a 3-3-3 seat arrangement. Usually, airlines use a 2-3-2 or a 2-4-2 arrangement for this type of plane. The passenger´s seat in front of me gave only a little space between the back of it and my body when he reclined it. I made it here fine, though.
I slept part of the way because of getting up early. I watched one of the movies--Bridget Jones 2. But mostly I read. I began The Deveil in the White City by Erik Larson and read half of it. it is about the Chicago world´s fair in the late 1800s and also about a serial killer in the city at that time.
Immigration and customs took another hour. Then I found an ATM and the tourist booth where the people were very helpful. When I asked for a city map and they didn´t have one, a woman from the booth went inside the building and got one from another place.
I caught the metro to a hotel that was recommended on the Internet by Roughguide. I had to change trains twice to get there. Then when I found the hotel, it was closed and the doors chained. I had the names of two other nearby hotels, but when I turned the corner, I passed one that looked okay. I got a room for about $12. It has TV, but the only channel in English is one with hordcore porn!
I didn't go out. I had eaten twice on the plane and wasn´t hungry. I needed some bottled water, but I was too tired to go searching for it. I just flossed my teeth and skipped brushing them.
Spending Update:
I spent another 14 days (through this morning) in Brazil and spent $470.67 for a daily average of $33.62 and a monthly rate ofr $1008.60. That is higher than other parts of this trip for two reasons: 1) I stayed in more expensive places than normal in Curitiba and Sao Paulo (6 nights total), and 2) I had more bus trips that were also more expensive for the distances involved than I had during most of the trip. Going to Rio and back added quite a bit in bus expenses.
Saturday, Mar. 12 (Part I)
Yesterday, I was in two of the biggest cities of the world. Sao Paulo and Mexico City both have between 20 and 30 million people. It is almost an unbelievable number. Of course, like any city, a person exists only in 1-2 parts of it where he lives, works, and shops. So neither place feels any larger than a city 1/10 its size.
I awoke this morning at 4:45. I should have taken a melatonin last night to help me sleep better and adjust to the time zone changes. I went to bed about 9:30, so I slept about 8 hours, however. Furthermore, I had trouble trying to sleep longer because my nose is stuffy--an allergic reaction to something in the air.
Something else I wanted to mention about yesterday is that the volcanoes were visible as we flew into town and even after we were on the ground. It is unusual for Mexico City to have such clear air. It was still somehat hazy, but rarely have I been here and been able to see the volcanoes from the city.
I am a little concerned about safety here. In South America, I found myself feeling safe everywhere I went. But I have had bad experiences in Mexico bgefore. Arne and I had our pockets picked 20 years ago. I had things taken from my room here once. And there are many reports of tourists being taken to allies by taxi drivers where they are robbed and left stranded (or worse, killed). Once a day has passed, I may feel differently. I will walk or take the metro to travel about town. I am alone, so no one will hear me speaking to know I am a foreigner. I will lock my luggage and chain it together and to a built-in wall unit in the room. I will feel much better if all goes well today.
_______
I have been thinking about Mexican food for at least a week. My experiences in South America have convinced me that the experts are right who say that Mexican food is a distinctive cuisine. I now appreciate even more its flavors and its use of spices. Since I got up early, I decided that a good Mexican breakfast would be my first meal. I left the hotel at 7:00 looking for a local place.
What I learned, among other things, is that Mexicans here in the Federal District are not morning people on Saturdays. Restaurants didn´t open until 9:00! I found a few street stands selling tacos and fruits, but I walked and walked without finding a restaurant. All the walking did remind me of a couple of things, however: 1) Mexico City is a more impressive city than I recalled. It has nice old buildings and varied neighborhoods. 2) The architecture of massive buildings here is far more inspired by that of the Indians rather than by European styles than I remembered. I also noticed the great difference in the looks of Mexicans versus Brazilians and Argentines. Mexicans are smaller and seem to have far more Indian characteristics. In general, I think the Argentines and Brazilians are more attractive.
I finally got my breakfast at 9:30. I had scrambled eggs ala Mexicana (with a red chile sauce over them, black refried beans sprinkled with white Mexican cheese, toasted, sliced bolillo bread, a fruit plate, and tea. It was tasty, but it wasn´t enough. I was just too hungry, so I headed over a couple of blocks to the Ideal Bakery.
The Ideal is an institution in Mexico City. When I passed it around 7:30, business owners were pulling up to collect stacks of big boxes of pastries and cakes. When I returned, I was one of many buying sweet breads for breakfast. Like most Mexican bakeries, the customer picks up a large tray and a set of tongs. Instead of having a counter or two of pastries, however, the Ideal has rooms of pastries. It is like a pastry department store. I wandered around the tab les in one room making selections. Then I went down some steps to another room and selected more. I found a third room, but I had to resist the desire for more. I then took my tray to the packaging room where a lady wrote the total on a slip of paper. I took the slip to a cashier and paid. When I returned with my receipt, the woman had wrapped each individual pastry in plastic, and had placed them all in a plastic bag, nd had tied the top of the bag with a string.
As soon as I left the store the string was removed and I was eating my goodies. I had a sweet bread seasoned with spices and filled with candied pineapple, a doughnut topped with white glaze and sprinkled with lots of coconut and a few chocolate chips, and a layered dough pastry with a sugar and ndut filling and a sugar glaze with chopped nuts. They all were good, but it was far too much--especially for someone who hasn´t been eating sweets for more than two months.
Thursday, Mar. 10 (Part II)
I returned to the hotel after stopping at a cyber cafe. I finished reading History of the Kelly Gang (3 stars out of 4). Then I watched Pride and Prejudice on TV.
I went out briefly to get a snack for dinner (one meat and one chicken empanada). Then I set the alarm and packed for tomorrow morning`s departure.
Friday, Mar. 11
It´s 8:20 and I am checked in and at the gate. My flight isn´t juntil 1º0:30, so everything has gone smoothly. I awoke at 5:15, fifteen minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Walking to the airport bus stop took only 21 minutes since the sidewalks and the streets were so empty at 6:00 a.m. The bus arrived early and departed right on time. The only surprise of the day was an increased cost for the ubs. It had been 21 Rais when I arrived in January, and I had that sav ed in bills to give the driver. Now it is 24 Raid, and I had to give him a big bill instead of the exact change.
_______
It was a 9-hour flight to Mexico City. The plane was configured to provide minimal space for passengers. It was a 777 with a 3-3-3 seat arrangement. Usually, airlines use a 2-3-2 or a 2-4-2 arrangement for this type of plane. The passenger´s seat in front of me gave only a little space between the back of it and my body when he reclined it. I made it here fine, though.
I slept part of the way because of getting up early. I watched one of the movies--Bridget Jones 2. But mostly I read. I began The Deveil in the White City by Erik Larson and read half of it. it is about the Chicago world´s fair in the late 1800s and also about a serial killer in the city at that time.
Immigration and customs took another hour. Then I found an ATM and the tourist booth where the people were very helpful. When I asked for a city map and they didn´t have one, a woman from the booth went inside the building and got one from another place.
I caught the metro to a hotel that was recommended on the Internet by Roughguide. I had to change trains twice to get there. Then when I found the hotel, it was closed and the doors chained. I had the names of two other nearby hotels, but when I turned the corner, I passed one that looked okay. I got a room for about $12. It has TV, but the only channel in English is one with hordcore porn!
I didn't go out. I had eaten twice on the plane and wasn´t hungry. I needed some bottled water, but I was too tired to go searching for it. I just flossed my teeth and skipped brushing them.
Spending Update:
I spent another 14 days (through this morning) in Brazil and spent $470.67 for a daily average of $33.62 and a monthly rate ofr $1008.60. That is higher than other parts of this trip for two reasons: 1) I stayed in more expensive places than normal in Curitiba and Sao Paulo (6 nights total), and 2) I had more bus trips that were also more expensive for the distances involved than I had during most of the trip. Going to Rio and back added quite a bit in bus expenses.
Saturday, Mar. 12 (Part I)
Yesterday, I was in two of the biggest cities of the world. Sao Paulo and Mexico City both have between 20 and 30 million people. It is almost an unbelievable number. Of course, like any city, a person exists only in 1-2 parts of it where he lives, works, and shops. So neither place feels any larger than a city 1/10 its size.
I awoke this morning at 4:45. I should have taken a melatonin last night to help me sleep better and adjust to the time zone changes. I went to bed about 9:30, so I slept about 8 hours, however. Furthermore, I had trouble trying to sleep longer because my nose is stuffy--an allergic reaction to something in the air.
Something else I wanted to mention about yesterday is that the volcanoes were visible as we flew into town and even after we were on the ground. It is unusual for Mexico City to have such clear air. It was still somehat hazy, but rarely have I been here and been able to see the volcanoes from the city.
I am a little concerned about safety here. In South America, I found myself feeling safe everywhere I went. But I have had bad experiences in Mexico bgefore. Arne and I had our pockets picked 20 years ago. I had things taken from my room here once. And there are many reports of tourists being taken to allies by taxi drivers where they are robbed and left stranded (or worse, killed). Once a day has passed, I may feel differently. I will walk or take the metro to travel about town. I am alone, so no one will hear me speaking to know I am a foreigner. I will lock my luggage and chain it together and to a built-in wall unit in the room. I will feel much better if all goes well today.
_______
I have been thinking about Mexican food for at least a week. My experiences in South America have convinced me that the experts are right who say that Mexican food is a distinctive cuisine. I now appreciate even more its flavors and its use of spices. Since I got up early, I decided that a good Mexican breakfast would be my first meal. I left the hotel at 7:00 looking for a local place.
What I learned, among other things, is that Mexicans here in the Federal District are not morning people on Saturdays. Restaurants didn´t open until 9:00! I found a few street stands selling tacos and fruits, but I walked and walked without finding a restaurant. All the walking did remind me of a couple of things, however: 1) Mexico City is a more impressive city than I recalled. It has nice old buildings and varied neighborhoods. 2) The architecture of massive buildings here is far more inspired by that of the Indians rather than by European styles than I remembered. I also noticed the great difference in the looks of Mexicans versus Brazilians and Argentines. Mexicans are smaller and seem to have far more Indian characteristics. In general, I think the Argentines and Brazilians are more attractive.
I finally got my breakfast at 9:30. I had scrambled eggs ala Mexicana (with a red chile sauce over them, black refried beans sprinkled with white Mexican cheese, toasted, sliced bolillo bread, a fruit plate, and tea. It was tasty, but it wasn´t enough. I was just too hungry, so I headed over a couple of blocks to the Ideal Bakery.
The Ideal is an institution in Mexico City. When I passed it around 7:30, business owners were pulling up to collect stacks of big boxes of pastries and cakes. When I returned, I was one of many buying sweet breads for breakfast. Like most Mexican bakeries, the customer picks up a large tray and a set of tongs. Instead of having a counter or two of pastries, however, the Ideal has rooms of pastries. It is like a pastry department store. I wandered around the tab les in one room making selections. Then I went down some steps to another room and selected more. I found a third room, but I had to resist the desire for more. I then took my tray to the packaging room where a lady wrote the total on a slip of paper. I took the slip to a cashier and paid. When I returned with my receipt, the woman had wrapped each individual pastry in plastic, and had placed them all in a plastic bag, nd had tied the top of the bag with a string.
As soon as I left the store the string was removed and I was eating my goodies. I had a sweet bread seasoned with spices and filled with candied pineapple, a doughnut topped with white glaze and sprinkled with lots of coconut and a few chocolate chips, and a layered dough pastry with a sugar and ndut filling and a sugar glaze with chopped nuts. They all were good, but it was far too much--especially for someone who hasn´t been eating sweets for more than two months.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Starting My Return to Texas
Tuesday, Mar. 8
Ib invited me to the apartment he shares with Adilsin (spelling?) for lunch today at 2:00. I felt lazy all morning, because I had not slept well last night. It had been so hot for me. The fan kept me cool, but the part of my body touching the bed was too warm. I don´t think I got to sleep until 1:00 or 1:30 a.m. So I stayed here and rested until almost time for lunch.
I stopped on my way to their apartment to buy flowers. I found some very nice ones that looked beautiful on their dining table.
Adilsin is a college professor in theater education. He speaks Portuguese, Spanish and French, but his English is limited. Ib helped the two of us communicate with each other.
They have a maid who comes two times per week. She cooks food to last them between her visits. She was there and cooked the meal we had today. It was delicious and represented the food of Minas Gerais. We had carne seco (sun-dried beef that is cooked in a sauce), black beans sprinkled with manioc flour, rice, fried potatoes, fried manioc (a root vegetable), baked pureed pumpkin and a vegetable tart. Later, we had caramelized shredded coconut for dessert and also fruits (goiaba and grapes). It was a wonderful meal.
We took photos and visited, but Adilsin had to leave at 4:00 for classes he teaches. Then Ib and I visited another 45 minutes before he, too had to plan for classes he had scheduled with students tonight.
I could see that Ib was sad to see me leave. No one he knows comes to visit anymore. After one trip here, it is so far and so expensive that people tend not to return. Unfortunately, he has not made many friends here, and his ability to see them is limited by the long hours he works. I am not sure if I will come here next year, so it may be two or three years before I will be back.
I went from their apartment to Modern Music, astore with almost any CD anyone could possibly want. It turns into a bar at 5:30 p.m. each evening with live music. Tonight, it was a trio—harp, bas, and guitar. Maria Helena has a CD by them. They play new-age sounding instrumental versions of popular Brazilian songs. I wasn´t comfortable being there alone, so after listening for 30 minutes or so, I took a final walk down Copacabana Beach.
Maria Helena, Lenise, and I visited at the apartment. But Lenise had class, and Maria Helena had to see her boy friend Paulo. I watched the news and packed.
Walking: 11,116 steps (7291 aerobic steps), 505 calories, 8 km (4.8 miles)
Wednesday, Mar. 9
It´s been a long, tiring day. I didn´t sleep well again last night due to the heat and itching. My skin has gotten dry in the last few days. Then I got up at 6:30 to start my journey.
I caught a bus at 7:15 for the bus station, got there at 8:10, and caught a bus leaving for São Paulo at 8:10. It was a 6-hour trip to here. Then I took the metro to Paraiso Station.
I got an e-mail saying the place where I stayed in January did not have a private room available; it had only dormitory beds. I am staying, therefore, at a Formula 1 Hotel this time. It is a chain owned by Accor, the same group that owns Motel 6 and Mercure Hotels. Formula 1 began in France as motels, but they are highrise hotels here. It is designed to make it easy for up to 3 people to share a room with the shower, toilet, and sink in separate compartments and a bunk bed built crosswise over the head of a double bed. It has air conditioning, TV, and a double-glazed and tinted window as well as a built-in pull-down metal shutter to block out light.
After checking into the hotel, I decided to make a test run to see how long it would take me to walk to the nearest bus stop for the airport bus. It took 22 minutes, so I will leave the hotel about 35 minutes early on Friday morning. I could take the metro for 1 stop and maybe cut 10-12 minutes off the trip, but I won´t do that unless something happens to slow me down at the hotel that morning.
There are several Arabic restaurants near the hotel. All I had eaten today was the snack package (chips, juice, and 3 small candies) given to us by the bus company. I went to Arabic Chic, a popular restaurant down the street, and had their Damascus plate—checken kebab, shredded chicken on rice, tabouli salad, humus, and pita bread.
I was so tired that I went to bed at 9:15. I had tried to finish reading the final 10-12 pages of the novel I am currently reading, but I just couldn´t. I slept well for 10 hours!
Walking: 11,329 steps (7318 aerobic), 487 calories, 7.7 km (4.6 miles)
Thursday, Mar. 10 (Part I)
I chose not to pay for breakfast at my hotel. I will leave tomorrow before it is served, and the menu seemed limited—bread, butter, jam, juice, and coffee. Then, as I reviewed my guidebook, I recalled the special place at the market called Hocca Bar. The lines were so long by 11:00 a.m. when I was there that I decided to go there today for an early lunch.
I walked all the way from my hotel—about 4 metro stops and another distance equal to half a metro stop (about 4.5 km or a little more than 2.5 miles according to my pedometer). As I came, I happened upon a celebration at the main fire station. There was a band, a flag corps, displays of all their trucks and other vehicles, and displays of specialty items—boat rescue equipment, fire protection equipment, equipment for lowering injured people, the rescue dogs, etc. It was fun to see, and it was nice to hear the band.
When I arrived at the market, I realized something special is happening here, too. There were many policement outside, and there were many men in dark suits with walkie-talkies. They were placed at each aisle. They look like secret service men, so probably the President or a foreign official is coming here sometime today.
I broke the rules at Hocca Bar without knowing it. You are supposed to order and pay at the cashier station before being seated. She gives you a slip to give to the waiter. I just took a seat. I asked the waiter what was best, but he implied it all was good. A man several seats down the bar said he spoke English, so I explained that I had seen most people ordering a sandwich there before. He and a lady beside me gave the same response—Mortebela. So that is what I had. It is in a small French loaf about 10 cm by 20 cm (4 inches by 8 inches). It is thick with luncheon meat that has been fried on a griddle (about 2.5 cm or 1 inch of meat). There are two slices of mozzarella cheese and a layer of sun-dried tomatoes. They had picante sauce which the waited indicated is normally used on it, so I squirted that onto the sandwich. It was delicious. And it and a can of cola cost only 7 Raid ($2.70)! By the time I finished, I could see the normal procedure there—line up to order and pay at the cashier station, then stand behind a stood where someone is eating until they finish. It reminded me of how people do at the Neiman-Marcus snack bar at Northpark in Dallas, except there you just stand behind someone waiting for a seat and do not order and pay in advance.
Tuesday, Mar. 8
Ib invited me to the apartment he shares with Adilsin (spelling?) for lunch today at 2:00. I felt lazy all morning, because I had not slept well last night. It had been so hot for me. The fan kept me cool, but the part of my body touching the bed was too warm. I don´t think I got to sleep until 1:00 or 1:30 a.m. So I stayed here and rested until almost time for lunch.
I stopped on my way to their apartment to buy flowers. I found some very nice ones that looked beautiful on their dining table.
Adilsin is a college professor in theater education. He speaks Portuguese, Spanish and French, but his English is limited. Ib helped the two of us communicate with each other.
They have a maid who comes two times per week. She cooks food to last them between her visits. She was there and cooked the meal we had today. It was delicious and represented the food of Minas Gerais. We had carne seco (sun-dried beef that is cooked in a sauce), black beans sprinkled with manioc flour, rice, fried potatoes, fried manioc (a root vegetable), baked pureed pumpkin and a vegetable tart. Later, we had caramelized shredded coconut for dessert and also fruits (goiaba and grapes). It was a wonderful meal.
We took photos and visited, but Adilsin had to leave at 4:00 for classes he teaches. Then Ib and I visited another 45 minutes before he, too had to plan for classes he had scheduled with students tonight.
I could see that Ib was sad to see me leave. No one he knows comes to visit anymore. After one trip here, it is so far and so expensive that people tend not to return. Unfortunately, he has not made many friends here, and his ability to see them is limited by the long hours he works. I am not sure if I will come here next year, so it may be two or three years before I will be back.
I went from their apartment to Modern Music, astore with almost any CD anyone could possibly want. It turns into a bar at 5:30 p.m. each evening with live music. Tonight, it was a trio—harp, bas, and guitar. Maria Helena has a CD by them. They play new-age sounding instrumental versions of popular Brazilian songs. I wasn´t comfortable being there alone, so after listening for 30 minutes or so, I took a final walk down Copacabana Beach.
Maria Helena, Lenise, and I visited at the apartment. But Lenise had class, and Maria Helena had to see her boy friend Paulo. I watched the news and packed.
Walking: 11,116 steps (7291 aerobic steps), 505 calories, 8 km (4.8 miles)
Wednesday, Mar. 9
It´s been a long, tiring day. I didn´t sleep well again last night due to the heat and itching. My skin has gotten dry in the last few days. Then I got up at 6:30 to start my journey.
I caught a bus at 7:15 for the bus station, got there at 8:10, and caught a bus leaving for São Paulo at 8:10. It was a 6-hour trip to here. Then I took the metro to Paraiso Station.
I got an e-mail saying the place where I stayed in January did not have a private room available; it had only dormitory beds. I am staying, therefore, at a Formula 1 Hotel this time. It is a chain owned by Accor, the same group that owns Motel 6 and Mercure Hotels. Formula 1 began in France as motels, but they are highrise hotels here. It is designed to make it easy for up to 3 people to share a room with the shower, toilet, and sink in separate compartments and a bunk bed built crosswise over the head of a double bed. It has air conditioning, TV, and a double-glazed and tinted window as well as a built-in pull-down metal shutter to block out light.
After checking into the hotel, I decided to make a test run to see how long it would take me to walk to the nearest bus stop for the airport bus. It took 22 minutes, so I will leave the hotel about 35 minutes early on Friday morning. I could take the metro for 1 stop and maybe cut 10-12 minutes off the trip, but I won´t do that unless something happens to slow me down at the hotel that morning.
There are several Arabic restaurants near the hotel. All I had eaten today was the snack package (chips, juice, and 3 small candies) given to us by the bus company. I went to Arabic Chic, a popular restaurant down the street, and had their Damascus plate—checken kebab, shredded chicken on rice, tabouli salad, humus, and pita bread.
I was so tired that I went to bed at 9:15. I had tried to finish reading the final 10-12 pages of the novel I am currently reading, but I just couldn´t. I slept well for 10 hours!
Walking: 11,329 steps (7318 aerobic), 487 calories, 7.7 km (4.6 miles)
Thursday, Mar. 10 (Part I)
I chose not to pay for breakfast at my hotel. I will leave tomorrow before it is served, and the menu seemed limited—bread, butter, jam, juice, and coffee. Then, as I reviewed my guidebook, I recalled the special place at the market called Hocca Bar. The lines were so long by 11:00 a.m. when I was there that I decided to go there today for an early lunch.
I walked all the way from my hotel—about 4 metro stops and another distance equal to half a metro stop (about 4.5 km or a little more than 2.5 miles according to my pedometer). As I came, I happened upon a celebration at the main fire station. There was a band, a flag corps, displays of all their trucks and other vehicles, and displays of specialty items—boat rescue equipment, fire protection equipment, equipment for lowering injured people, the rescue dogs, etc. It was fun to see, and it was nice to hear the band.
When I arrived at the market, I realized something special is happening here, too. There were many policement outside, and there were many men in dark suits with walkie-talkies. They were placed at each aisle. They look like secret service men, so probably the President or a foreign official is coming here sometime today.
I broke the rules at Hocca Bar without knowing it. You are supposed to order and pay at the cashier station before being seated. She gives you a slip to give to the waiter. I just took a seat. I asked the waiter what was best, but he implied it all was good. A man several seats down the bar said he spoke English, so I explained that I had seen most people ordering a sandwich there before. He and a lady beside me gave the same response—Mortebela. So that is what I had. It is in a small French loaf about 10 cm by 20 cm (4 inches by 8 inches). It is thick with luncheon meat that has been fried on a griddle (about 2.5 cm or 1 inch of meat). There are two slices of mozzarella cheese and a layer of sun-dried tomatoes. They had picante sauce which the waited indicated is normally used on it, so I squirted that onto the sandwich. It was delicious. And it and a can of cola cost only 7 Raid ($2.70)! By the time I finished, I could see the normal procedure there—line up to order and pay at the cashier station, then stand behind a stood where someone is eating until they finish. It reminded me of how people do at the Neiman-Marcus snack bar at Northpark in Dallas, except there you just stand behind someone waiting for a seat and do not order and pay in advance.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Days with Friends
Sunday, Mar. 6
I was tired from being up late last night, but I got up at 9:00. I read for two hours until Maria Helena and Linese got up. We had breakfast, then I went to the beaches.
I walked down Copacabana Beach and then Ipanema Beach. I watched people. They were everywhere--on the beaches, on the sidewalks, on the half of the street which is closed except for pedestrians on Sundays. The sad thing to see is the size of so many bodies today. When I came here the first time 7-8 years ago, it was noticeable how slender and pretty the bodies were. Now, it is more obvious how many bellies are protruding over the swimsuits. There are still some beautiful bodies but not nearly as many as there used to be.
At 4:00 p.m. I went to Ana´s apartment. Ib and their daughter were there, but Ana had been delayed. Her computer is down, and she had gone to a cyber café to complete a translation job. Ib and I visited for two hours until Ana arrived. Then the three of us visited another hour. They had many questions about degree programs (master´s for Ana and doctoral for Ib) in the U.S. They were hoping to try to get grants that would cover their costs while getting degrees. I had to explain that grants seldom cover all expenses and that it would be difficult to try to apply for grants, programs, and a student visa at the same time. Also, it is doubtful that the government would let someone on a student visa bring a child into the country with them. But I encouraged them to contact a person at a university that has a degree program and ask if it might be possible to apply for what they want. I explained that someone there should be happy to talk to them and give them an idea if what they want to do is possible, how much money would be available through a grant there, what the cost of living would be, etc. They are used to the Danish system where tuition and fees are free and the government pays students´ living expenses while they attend university. They are desperately wanting their lives to become easier, but there is no shortcut or easy way to accomplish that or everyone with a hard life would have already done the same thing.
Maria Helena and I had planned to go to a concert tonight. Some of her friends are in a group that was performing. She called, however, to say she was running late and could not make it. Linese and I watched TV, visited, discussed the differences between cute, pretty, and beautiful, etc. We ate leftovers, and I was tired and ready for bed at 10:30.
Monday, Mar. 7
Maria Helena needed to work at the apartment, and I needed to enjoy the city. I left about 10:00 a.m. for the day.
First, I walked along Copacabana Beach. It was too bright to really enjoy it at that time of the day. So I took the metro to the downtown area. I stopped by the modern, open-air cathedral. On the outside, I think it is ugly. But I have always enjoyed the inside. The stained glass windows are beautiful, and there is always nice recorded music being played. The construction creates a breeze through the building, so it is a nice place to relax.
From there, I caught a streetcar to St. Teresa, a hilltop area. I stayed on the streetcar until it passed the castle-like house that is the home of Maria Helena´s friend Luis (and that is on most postcards of this part of town). Then I walked back down to the square where Marco, a man I met on my first visit here, has a restaurant. Unfortunately, it is closed today. I have eaten there and visited Marco on every trip I have made to Rio, but now I will have to miss it this time.
I walked to another square that is the end of the line for one of the streetcars. There, I read until the streetcar arrived. Then I returned to town on it.
I ate lunch at a place that I have always noticed is busy with the office workers eating there. I had food from the state of Minas Gerais—two flavorful pork chops, rice, black beans, and a shredded green (kale?) that has been wilted in a pan of hot grease.
I returned to Copacabana, and it was much nicer to be at the beach. There were some clouds in the sky and there were far more people. By then, all the organized activities (exercise groupos, volleyball games, soccer games, etc.) were in progress. I just walked and watched.
Ildone and her son Antionio were coming to visit at 7:00. (Adelmo, the husband and father, was out of town selling their car.) Because of that and because Maria Helena had hinted for it, I bought supplies to make guacamole. Unfortunately, the avocados weren´t quite ripe enough and I had to cut them up rather than mash them. The flavor was fairly good, however. I also made a dip using plain yogurt and onion mix, since guacamole is considered to be quite exotic here. (Avocados are eaten only as a sweet fruit here and are never salted.) Maria Helena loves guacamole, but Ildone preferred the onion dip.
Antonio is so cute. The last time I saw him, he was a baby. Now, he is a handsome boy almost five years of age. In general, he is undisciplined like so many other children today, but tonight he wasn´t so bad until after we had had a nice visit of about an hour.
It was a quiet evening in the apartment. Maria Helena showed me some of her photography. She is quite talented. I encouraged her to consider entering some of her photos in a contest.
Sunday, Mar. 6
I was tired from being up late last night, but I got up at 9:00. I read for two hours until Maria Helena and Linese got up. We had breakfast, then I went to the beaches.
I walked down Copacabana Beach and then Ipanema Beach. I watched people. They were everywhere--on the beaches, on the sidewalks, on the half of the street which is closed except for pedestrians on Sundays. The sad thing to see is the size of so many bodies today. When I came here the first time 7-8 years ago, it was noticeable how slender and pretty the bodies were. Now, it is more obvious how many bellies are protruding over the swimsuits. There are still some beautiful bodies but not nearly as many as there used to be.
At 4:00 p.m. I went to Ana´s apartment. Ib and their daughter were there, but Ana had been delayed. Her computer is down, and she had gone to a cyber café to complete a translation job. Ib and I visited for two hours until Ana arrived. Then the three of us visited another hour. They had many questions about degree programs (master´s for Ana and doctoral for Ib) in the U.S. They were hoping to try to get grants that would cover their costs while getting degrees. I had to explain that grants seldom cover all expenses and that it would be difficult to try to apply for grants, programs, and a student visa at the same time. Also, it is doubtful that the government would let someone on a student visa bring a child into the country with them. But I encouraged them to contact a person at a university that has a degree program and ask if it might be possible to apply for what they want. I explained that someone there should be happy to talk to them and give them an idea if what they want to do is possible, how much money would be available through a grant there, what the cost of living would be, etc. They are used to the Danish system where tuition and fees are free and the government pays students´ living expenses while they attend university. They are desperately wanting their lives to become easier, but there is no shortcut or easy way to accomplish that or everyone with a hard life would have already done the same thing.
Maria Helena and I had planned to go to a concert tonight. Some of her friends are in a group that was performing. She called, however, to say she was running late and could not make it. Linese and I watched TV, visited, discussed the differences between cute, pretty, and beautiful, etc. We ate leftovers, and I was tired and ready for bed at 10:30.
Monday, Mar. 7
Maria Helena needed to work at the apartment, and I needed to enjoy the city. I left about 10:00 a.m. for the day.
First, I walked along Copacabana Beach. It was too bright to really enjoy it at that time of the day. So I took the metro to the downtown area. I stopped by the modern, open-air cathedral. On the outside, I think it is ugly. But I have always enjoyed the inside. The stained glass windows are beautiful, and there is always nice recorded music being played. The construction creates a breeze through the building, so it is a nice place to relax.
From there, I caught a streetcar to St. Teresa, a hilltop area. I stayed on the streetcar until it passed the castle-like house that is the home of Maria Helena´s friend Luis (and that is on most postcards of this part of town). Then I walked back down to the square where Marco, a man I met on my first visit here, has a restaurant. Unfortunately, it is closed today. I have eaten there and visited Marco on every trip I have made to Rio, but now I will have to miss it this time.
I walked to another square that is the end of the line for one of the streetcars. There, I read until the streetcar arrived. Then I returned to town on it.
I ate lunch at a place that I have always noticed is busy with the office workers eating there. I had food from the state of Minas Gerais—two flavorful pork chops, rice, black beans, and a shredded green (kale?) that has been wilted in a pan of hot grease.
I returned to Copacabana, and it was much nicer to be at the beach. There were some clouds in the sky and there were far more people. By then, all the organized activities (exercise groupos, volleyball games, soccer games, etc.) were in progress. I just walked and watched.
Ildone and her son Antionio were coming to visit at 7:00. (Adelmo, the husband and father, was out of town selling their car.) Because of that and because Maria Helena had hinted for it, I bought supplies to make guacamole. Unfortunately, the avocados weren´t quite ripe enough and I had to cut them up rather than mash them. The flavor was fairly good, however. I also made a dip using plain yogurt and onion mix, since guacamole is considered to be quite exotic here. (Avocados are eaten only as a sweet fruit here and are never salted.) Maria Helena loves guacamole, but Ildone preferred the onion dip.
Antonio is so cute. The last time I saw him, he was a baby. Now, he is a handsome boy almost five years of age. In general, he is undisciplined like so many other children today, but tonight he wasn´t so bad until after we had had a nice visit of about an hour.
It was a quiet evening in the apartment. Maria Helena showed me some of her photography. She is quite talented. I encouraged her to consider entering some of her photos in a contest.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Samba Night
Saturday, Mar. 5
I am staying in Maria Helena´s small room behind the kitchen. All apartments have such rooms here. They are designed to be either the maid´s quarters or a storage or work room. It is only about 1.75 m x 2 m (about 5 ft. x 6 1/2 ft). We have made me a bed on a fold-away pad along one wall. There is a ceiling fan, so it is comfortable.
I completely forgot this morning that I made arrangements to meet Ib at his wfe Anna´s apartment between 10:30 and 11:00. I got up at 8:00. Because maria Helena was out, I used her computer to check e-mail. I became involved replying to e-mails. Then Linese got up and we had breakfast. At 11:30 the phone rang. It was Ib wanting to know where I was.
Linese and I went shopping about 12:30 to get the things for our luncheon --beer, chicken, green onions, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, cachaça, limes, etc. Then I went out later to get some medicine and to get cash.
Maria Helena´s friend Claudia joined us to cook lunch. They have been friends since they were in kindergarten together. Linese and I removed the skin from the chicken. Maria Helena prepared the ingredients for making chicken and rice. Claudia made garlic bread and cut some cheese. I made caipirinhas. And Linese prepared a salad. Around 4:00, Maria Helena´s boyfriend Paulo came, and we ate. It was delicious chicken and rice flavored with saffron, peppers, and other ingredients.
Ib came in the evening. Around 10:0, Maria Helena and Linese got dressed for us to go out. Maria Helena wore a simple black dress which was short. Linese wore jeans with strings of beads down the side seams and a stretch, strapless top with a large numeral "5" on it. They both really looked great.
We went downtown to the Carioca Cultural Center. It is a club on the second floor of an old building from the 1800s. Two sides are lined with floor-to-ceiling folding doors which were opened to the square. The view looking out on the cobblestoned square was of an old colonial building and a library built in a baroque cathedral style. Beyond in the near distance were the spires of an old church. Inside, there was a live samba band with a singer. There were 4 rows of tables going back from the stage, and the bar was in the rear. The aisles were full of people dancing. So was the area around the bar. The music was great. This is a place that specializes in getting the best samba bands. It had an older crowd with most people being in their 40s and 50s. We danced until about 1:30. Then we all headed home, dropping Ib off in Ipanema and then returning to Copacabana.
Saturday, Mar. 5
I am staying in Maria Helena´s small room behind the kitchen. All apartments have such rooms here. They are designed to be either the maid´s quarters or a storage or work room. It is only about 1.75 m x 2 m (about 5 ft. x 6 1/2 ft). We have made me a bed on a fold-away pad along one wall. There is a ceiling fan, so it is comfortable.
I completely forgot this morning that I made arrangements to meet Ib at his wfe Anna´s apartment between 10:30 and 11:00. I got up at 8:00. Because maria Helena was out, I used her computer to check e-mail. I became involved replying to e-mails. Then Linese got up and we had breakfast. At 11:30 the phone rang. It was Ib wanting to know where I was.
Linese and I went shopping about 12:30 to get the things for our luncheon --beer, chicken, green onions, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, cachaça, limes, etc. Then I went out later to get some medicine and to get cash.
Maria Helena´s friend Claudia joined us to cook lunch. They have been friends since they were in kindergarten together. Linese and I removed the skin from the chicken. Maria Helena prepared the ingredients for making chicken and rice. Claudia made garlic bread and cut some cheese. I made caipirinhas. And Linese prepared a salad. Around 4:00, Maria Helena´s boyfriend Paulo came, and we ate. It was delicious chicken and rice flavored with saffron, peppers, and other ingredients.
Ib came in the evening. Around 10:0, Maria Helena and Linese got dressed for us to go out. Maria Helena wore a simple black dress which was short. Linese wore jeans with strings of beads down the side seams and a stretch, strapless top with a large numeral "5" on it. They both really looked great.
We went downtown to the Carioca Cultural Center. It is a club on the second floor of an old building from the 1800s. Two sides are lined with floor-to-ceiling folding doors which were opened to the square. The view looking out on the cobblestoned square was of an old colonial building and a library built in a baroque cathedral style. Beyond in the near distance were the spires of an old church. Inside, there was a live samba band with a singer. There were 4 rows of tables going back from the stage, and the bar was in the rear. The aisles were full of people dancing. So was the area around the bar. The music was great. This is a place that specializes in getting the best samba bands. It had an older crowd with most people being in their 40s and 50s. We danced until about 1:30. Then we all headed home, dropping Ib off in Ipanema and then returning to Copacabana.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Rio...Rio de Janeiroooooooo
Thursday, Mar. 3
The air today reminds me of a nice day in May in Denmark. The sunshine is warm, almost too warm, while the air is cool and dry like it is blowing from an air conditioner. In the shade, it is a little too cool to be comfortable.
When I checked out of the hotel this morning, the charge wouldn´t go through on my VISA card. When it was processed, a request came for me to enter my PIN. I have never had to do that for a charge before. Even with that it was rejected. I had to pay in cash. I went to a cyber cafe and wrote an e-mail complaining to my bank. I always tell them where I am traveling. There should be no problem processing my card.
I have spent two hours at a public park. It has a mini-zoo within it and is free. There is a small aquarium, a small terrarium, a cage of monkeys, and lots of cages of birds. It is really a rather nice collection representing the exotic birds of South America. While here, I have also been reading. It is just a nice day to be outdoors. I still have 3 hours before I will need to pick up my luggage at the hotel and head to the bus terminal.
______
I tried to visit a museum a littler later, but it was closed and looked abandoned. I just continued to relax and read at the park until 4:00 p.m. Then I went to a neighborhood restaurant. I had a sandwich (small chunks of beef, bacon, cheese, egg, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, and some type of pickled root cut into small cubes). It came with fries, and I drank mineral water. I have been tasting the root over and over, since it is causing me to burp.
______
I picked up my luggat at 5:15. It took 30 minutes to walk to the station. That gives me 2 hours before we will board the bus. I will continue reading my book. It is a captivating story.
Walking: 16,722 steps (10,868 aerobic steps), 714 calories, 11.37 km (6.8 miles)
Friday, Mar. 4
The bus pulled into the station in Rio at 9:10 a.m. I had been lucky, because I had no seatmate. I was able to curl up into two adjacent seats and sleep better than normal. With rough roads, and lots of twists and turns through mountains, it still was not a restful trip, however.
Rio is such a contrast to everywhere else I have been. Of course, the generally setting is magnificent. But it is so much more of a city of poor people than elsewhere. That is obvious from the large favelas (slums built haphazardly with available materials) located everywhere. Except right along the waterfronts of Botofuco, Copacabana, Leme, Leblon, Ipanema, and Barra de Tijuca and certain other neighborhoods such as Lagoa, this is a dirty, ugly city of slums. Everywhere else I have visited on this trip has been more like cities elsewhere--a mixture of poor, middle class, and rich with the poor neighborhoods limited in size and not being so bad. They just tend to be older neighborhoods of normal buildings that have deteriorated over the years and that blend into the rest of the city fairly well to give an overall impression of a decent city. These shacks that make up a large portion of Rio are like the townships in South Africa and the colonias along the Mexican border to the U.S.--neighborhoods originally built to be slums rather than ones that deteriorated into them.
Maria Helena and her flatmate Linese were here when I arrived at 10:30. It took that long to get here, because I had trouble catching a bus. I waited and waited for a white Real airport bus coming this direction. Finally, I gave up and took a normal city bus. That is a hassle, because luggage must be carried onboard and because they have high turnstiles that require lifting the luggage to chest height to get it over and into the bus.
I am glad I know the city from previous visits, or I would have been completely lost. The bus took back roads and tunnels to avoid downtown. Then it went down a back street once it arrived in Copacabana. I wouldn´t have even known when I was in Copacabana if I had been a first-time visitor. Fortunately, I knew local landmarks (Metro stations, supermarkets, street names, etc.) to judge that we were here and when to get off the bus.
Maria Helena is her usual self--cheerful, high on life, clender as can be, etc. I was surprised to find her at home. In the past, she has left home about 7:30 a.m. and not returned until 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. But she is now a student again working on a Ph.D. in information science (a mixture of computer science and library sciene). She works only part time with a research fellowship. She has been on summer break from school (which begins again Monday) and has had only the responsibility of her part-time job. Therefore, she has been a lady of leisure during the summer months with more time to be home than usual.
Linese seems sweet, too. She speaks English well. She has had an American boyfriend, but she says that is over now. She has a law degree, but says her true love is design. She has returned to architecture school, therefore, to get another degree in design. She was very solicitous of me when I arrived, trying to get me to eat breakfast and making sure I was comfortable.
The doorbell rang about 45 minutes after my arrival, and it was Ib, my friend from Denmark who married a Brazilian woman and lives here. He had a break between his classes with his language students. We visited together for an hour or so and then went out at 12:45 to eat clunch at a por kilo (by the weight) place. Then he had to rush off for another appointment with a student at 2:00.
Ib looks good. He has gained a little weight since the last time I was here. He was quite skinny then due to some intestinal problems. How, he looks his normal size. He says things are the same. He loves living here but struggles constantly with the costs. He has about 18 students which is the maxiumum he can work into a schedule. He sees the first one at 7:30 or 8:00 each morning and ends with the last one at 9:00 or 10:00 each night. He has breaks in the schedule, but he spends most of that time planning and traveling from one student´s location to that of the next. The only way he can have time off is by giving up income.
I get the impression that many people live on the financial edge like that here. Maria Helena is having to decide what she should do. A scholarship will not cover her expenses but would restrict her from working. Our friend Adelmo lost his full-time job a few years ago and has a job now that involves carrying tourists to the airport--a job that varies in amount of work and income from day to day and does not provide nearly as much work or income as he would like. Full-time jobs are hard to get here, because companies do not want to pay benefits which here include coupons for free lunches at restaurants. So people find themselves working 2-3 part-time jobs with no benefits and barely capable of meeting their expenses on a very limited budget.
I came back to the apartment after stopping at a supermarket to buy supplies for caipirinhas. The brand of cachaça (sugar cane liquor) that costs $16-17 in the U.S. sells for $1.50 here! I am not sure what will happen tonight, but I wanted to be able to contribute. Ib said he would stop by again in the evening.
_______
I took a nap and then bathed. I read for a while and watched the news on TV at 6:00. Ib came about 6:45, and we went walking in the neighborhood. We stopped at a cafe for coffee. Then we checked to see if Adelmo was at either of his local hangouts, but he wasn´t.
Back at the apartment, I mixed the caipirinhas. Maria Helena and Linese arrived, and they made snacks--luncheon meat cut up with a squeeze of lime juice over it and olives. We all visited while the women kept one eye on the soap opera they watch nightly. I was easily able to guess who were the criminals, who was the guy the women liked because of his sensitivity, etc. Then Maria Helena warmed up some stew and we each ate some. The women got rather giddy from their caipirinhas.
Maria Helena got dressed. She was meeting her new boy friend of only 10 days, a college professor about my age, for a date at 11:00. Going out is a late-night activity here. Ib left to go home. And I was still tired form the bus trip and went to bed. I had been a nice day seeing old friends. Tomorrow, there will be a luncheon party in the afternoon at 3:00 p.m. followed by going out in the evening.
Thursday, Mar. 3
The air today reminds me of a nice day in May in Denmark. The sunshine is warm, almost too warm, while the air is cool and dry like it is blowing from an air conditioner. In the shade, it is a little too cool to be comfortable.
When I checked out of the hotel this morning, the charge wouldn´t go through on my VISA card. When it was processed, a request came for me to enter my PIN. I have never had to do that for a charge before. Even with that it was rejected. I had to pay in cash. I went to a cyber cafe and wrote an e-mail complaining to my bank. I always tell them where I am traveling. There should be no problem processing my card.
I have spent two hours at a public park. It has a mini-zoo within it and is free. There is a small aquarium, a small terrarium, a cage of monkeys, and lots of cages of birds. It is really a rather nice collection representing the exotic birds of South America. While here, I have also been reading. It is just a nice day to be outdoors. I still have 3 hours before I will need to pick up my luggage at the hotel and head to the bus terminal.
______
I tried to visit a museum a littler later, but it was closed and looked abandoned. I just continued to relax and read at the park until 4:00 p.m. Then I went to a neighborhood restaurant. I had a sandwich (small chunks of beef, bacon, cheese, egg, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, and some type of pickled root cut into small cubes). It came with fries, and I drank mineral water. I have been tasting the root over and over, since it is causing me to burp.
______
I picked up my luggat at 5:15. It took 30 minutes to walk to the station. That gives me 2 hours before we will board the bus. I will continue reading my book. It is a captivating story.
Walking: 16,722 steps (10,868 aerobic steps), 714 calories, 11.37 km (6.8 miles)
Friday, Mar. 4
The bus pulled into the station in Rio at 9:10 a.m. I had been lucky, because I had no seatmate. I was able to curl up into two adjacent seats and sleep better than normal. With rough roads, and lots of twists and turns through mountains, it still was not a restful trip, however.
Rio is such a contrast to everywhere else I have been. Of course, the generally setting is magnificent. But it is so much more of a city of poor people than elsewhere. That is obvious from the large favelas (slums built haphazardly with available materials) located everywhere. Except right along the waterfronts of Botofuco, Copacabana, Leme, Leblon, Ipanema, and Barra de Tijuca and certain other neighborhoods such as Lagoa, this is a dirty, ugly city of slums. Everywhere else I have visited on this trip has been more like cities elsewhere--a mixture of poor, middle class, and rich with the poor neighborhoods limited in size and not being so bad. They just tend to be older neighborhoods of normal buildings that have deteriorated over the years and that blend into the rest of the city fairly well to give an overall impression of a decent city. These shacks that make up a large portion of Rio are like the townships in South Africa and the colonias along the Mexican border to the U.S.--neighborhoods originally built to be slums rather than ones that deteriorated into them.
Maria Helena and her flatmate Linese were here when I arrived at 10:30. It took that long to get here, because I had trouble catching a bus. I waited and waited for a white Real airport bus coming this direction. Finally, I gave up and took a normal city bus. That is a hassle, because luggage must be carried onboard and because they have high turnstiles that require lifting the luggage to chest height to get it over and into the bus.
I am glad I know the city from previous visits, or I would have been completely lost. The bus took back roads and tunnels to avoid downtown. Then it went down a back street once it arrived in Copacabana. I wouldn´t have even known when I was in Copacabana if I had been a first-time visitor. Fortunately, I knew local landmarks (Metro stations, supermarkets, street names, etc.) to judge that we were here and when to get off the bus.
Maria Helena is her usual self--cheerful, high on life, clender as can be, etc. I was surprised to find her at home. In the past, she has left home about 7:30 a.m. and not returned until 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. But she is now a student again working on a Ph.D. in information science (a mixture of computer science and library sciene). She works only part time with a research fellowship. She has been on summer break from school (which begins again Monday) and has had only the responsibility of her part-time job. Therefore, she has been a lady of leisure during the summer months with more time to be home than usual.
Linese seems sweet, too. She speaks English well. She has had an American boyfriend, but she says that is over now. She has a law degree, but says her true love is design. She has returned to architecture school, therefore, to get another degree in design. She was very solicitous of me when I arrived, trying to get me to eat breakfast and making sure I was comfortable.
The doorbell rang about 45 minutes after my arrival, and it was Ib, my friend from Denmark who married a Brazilian woman and lives here. He had a break between his classes with his language students. We visited together for an hour or so and then went out at 12:45 to eat clunch at a por kilo (by the weight) place. Then he had to rush off for another appointment with a student at 2:00.
Ib looks good. He has gained a little weight since the last time I was here. He was quite skinny then due to some intestinal problems. How, he looks his normal size. He says things are the same. He loves living here but struggles constantly with the costs. He has about 18 students which is the maxiumum he can work into a schedule. He sees the first one at 7:30 or 8:00 each morning and ends with the last one at 9:00 or 10:00 each night. He has breaks in the schedule, but he spends most of that time planning and traveling from one student´s location to that of the next. The only way he can have time off is by giving up income.
I get the impression that many people live on the financial edge like that here. Maria Helena is having to decide what she should do. A scholarship will not cover her expenses but would restrict her from working. Our friend Adelmo lost his full-time job a few years ago and has a job now that involves carrying tourists to the airport--a job that varies in amount of work and income from day to day and does not provide nearly as much work or income as he would like. Full-time jobs are hard to get here, because companies do not want to pay benefits which here include coupons for free lunches at restaurants. So people find themselves working 2-3 part-time jobs with no benefits and barely capable of meeting their expenses on a very limited budget.
I came back to the apartment after stopping at a supermarket to buy supplies for caipirinhas. The brand of cachaça (sugar cane liquor) that costs $16-17 in the U.S. sells for $1.50 here! I am not sure what will happen tonight, but I wanted to be able to contribute. Ib said he would stop by again in the evening.
_______
I took a nap and then bathed. I read for a while and watched the news on TV at 6:00. Ib came about 6:45, and we went walking in the neighborhood. We stopped at a cafe for coffee. Then we checked to see if Adelmo was at either of his local hangouts, but he wasn´t.
Back at the apartment, I mixed the caipirinhas. Maria Helena and Linese arrived, and they made snacks--luncheon meat cut up with a squeeze of lime juice over it and olives. We all visited while the women kept one eye on the soap opera they watch nightly. I was easily able to guess who were the criminals, who was the guy the women liked because of his sensitivity, etc. Then Maria Helena warmed up some stew and we each ate some. The women got rather giddy from their caipirinhas.
Maria Helena got dressed. She was meeting her new boy friend of only 10 days, a college professor about my age, for a date at 11:00. Going out is a late-night activity here. Ib left to go home. And I was still tired form the bus trip and went to bed. I had been a nice day seeing old friends. Tomorrow, there will be a luncheon party in the afternoon at 3:00 p.m. followed by going out in the evening.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Leaving for Rio
Wednesday, Mar. 2
It is autumn here. The air has turned cooler. And when I went to the botanical gardens today, leaves were beginning to turn golden on some of the trees and the flower beds had been planted with autumn flowers in gold, orange, and yellow colors.
I went to the bus station first to get my ticket for Rio for tomorrow night. It was $40 U.S. I am thinking that next year I may just buy a supplemental air ticket to get me from São Paulo to Buenos Aires and back. There is nothing I will really want to see between the two places, and an air ticket probably won´t cost that much more than buss and boat tickets (which totaled about $135 U.S. one-way this year), especially when you figure in the cost of hotels along the way, too. I think I read that the new low-cost Brazilian airline GOL is now flying to Buenos Aires. I´ll see about taking it next year, but I also will see what Varig add-on segments cost.
The botantical gardens are on the edge of town about 4 km further than the bus station, so I decided to continue to there. Like yesterday, however, my map proved to be useless. I went slightly off direction, but I eventually found my way by guessing where to go and finding a highway sign that showed I had gone too far and needed to turn back toward town.
There is not a lot to the gardens, but it is a peaceful place to be. Their centerpiece is a glass house (which probably is not needed with the weather here) and formal French-style gardens in front of it. My favorite part was a trail through a densely wooded (jungle) area. After exploring, I sat on a bench and read in the new novel I have started, True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey.
It was late afternoon when I got back to town. I bought some snacks and returned to the hotel for the evening.
Walking: 19.24 km (11.5 miles)
Wednesday, Mar. 2
It is autumn here. The air has turned cooler. And when I went to the botanical gardens today, leaves were beginning to turn golden on some of the trees and the flower beds had been planted with autumn flowers in gold, orange, and yellow colors.
I went to the bus station first to get my ticket for Rio for tomorrow night. It was $40 U.S. I am thinking that next year I may just buy a supplemental air ticket to get me from São Paulo to Buenos Aires and back. There is nothing I will really want to see between the two places, and an air ticket probably won´t cost that much more than buss and boat tickets (which totaled about $135 U.S. one-way this year), especially when you figure in the cost of hotels along the way, too. I think I read that the new low-cost Brazilian airline GOL is now flying to Buenos Aires. I´ll see about taking it next year, but I also will see what Varig add-on segments cost.
The botantical gardens are on the edge of town about 4 km further than the bus station, so I decided to continue to there. Like yesterday, however, my map proved to be useless. I went slightly off direction, but I eventually found my way by guessing where to go and finding a highway sign that showed I had gone too far and needed to turn back toward town.
There is not a lot to the gardens, but it is a peaceful place to be. Their centerpiece is a glass house (which probably is not needed with the weather here) and formal French-style gardens in front of it. My favorite part was a trail through a densely wooded (jungle) area. After exploring, I sat on a bench and read in the new novel I have started, True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey.
It was late afternoon when I got back to town. I bought some snacks and returned to the hotel for the evening.
Walking: 19.24 km (11.5 miles)
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Curitiba
Monday, Feb. 28
Breakfast was a pleasant surprise today. I had to drag myself out of bed before it was too late to get there. The notice in the room called it a continental breakfast, so I figured it would be the usual bread, butter, marmalade, coffee, and artificial orange juice. Instead, I found a great breakfast buffet. There was warm scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, salami, two kinds of cheeses, four kinds of cereal including a good granola, four kinds of fresh fruit (watermelon, honeydew melon, papaya, and pineapple), a freshly;made fruit cocktail, three kinds of cake (chocolate, cornflour pound cake, and coconut cake), coffee, tea, and probably some things I am missing. I had ham and eggs with two croissants, granola topped by fruit salad with coconut yogurt as the milk, orange juice, pineapple juice, coffee, coconut cake, and a slice of each of the fruits. Umm!
I just wandered today. I did it while looking for a cyber cafe. I found at least 10 tatoo parlors and 25 copy centers before I found a single over-priced cyber cafe! Maybe this town is so rich that everyone has a home computer. Anther thing that could be a factor is that most backpacker places are starting to have a computer for the use of their guests. Anyway, I know where I can go at least to fine one place now.
I walked as far as the government center northeast of town. It is where the city and state have their massive buildings. I was there when thousands of people had spilled out onto the streets for lunch. There were many good places to eat. It was frustrating, because I was still full from breakfast.
I returned to the hotel at 2:30. I had planned to go back out, but I was so comfortable that I stayed inside. I washed some clothes in my washroom sink using the bar of laundry soap I have from India. (They use laundry bar soap instead of laundry powder there, because the powder isn´t effective when they wash at the riverside which is wear most laundry is done in India.) Then I finished reading Oxygen by Andrew Miller. It is good. I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4. (That´s what I also gave Life of Pi. I have only given 4 stars to less than a handful of books I have read.)
Tuesday, Mar. 1
I had almost the same for breakfast today as yesterday. Instead of coconut cake, I had banana cake.
It is cooler--almost too cool for shorts and t-shirt. When the sun is out, it is fine, but clouds keep returning.
Today has been museum day. I started with the Contemporary Art Museum which is about 2 blocks from my hotel. It had some interesting paintings, but nothing special. Then I went to the Paranense, the museum for the state. It had some wonderful Indian exhibits of masks, feathered body adornments, spears, etc. It was a huge museum that also had exhibitis of old maps, relics from a ship that sank in battle, furniture from immigrants who settled here, etc.
The best of the museums was the Niemeyer. It was designed by the architect that Brazilians love and has an exhibit of his works in it. But mainly it is a HUGE art museum. It is out away from the Center. I had trouble getting there, because the map the tourist office gives is difficult to follow. Beyond the Center, it leaves off many streets. Also, the orientation of streets outside the Center is not exactly as shown on the map. That caused me to get on an outgoing street that wasn´t the one I needed. When I realized my error, I started taking streets that would head me back toward where I needed to be. None of the cross streets was ever one I knew from the map should lead me toward the museum. Finally, I found myself at the edge of town with sheep fields around me. That´s the edge of a city of 2 million people, so I had walked a long way! I headed back into town taking streets that would lead toward where I thought the museum should be. Finally, I passed a street that was supposed to lead directly to the museum according to the map, and it did.
The museum has as striking design. The majority of the exhibit space is in a huge rectangular building. But in front of that is "The Eye." Setting on top of a rectangular column is a free-form structure the front and back of which actually does take the shape of what can been seen of an eye between the eyelids. Unfortunately, that portion of the structure was not open today. (Is it ever?) But there was a huge exhibit all behind it that had a wonderfully large exhibit of the giant ceramic sculptures of Brannard (?) There were also exhibits of photographs, paintings, sculptures, etc., of other artists in galleries within this huge building also. The AMOUNT of exhibit space was just phenominal. Any museum would be excited to have such large galleries available to them.
http://artes-curitiba.com/museu-oscar-niemeyer.htm
By the time I made it back to town, it was 4:00 p.m. I stopped at a sidewalk cafe near my hotel and had a chicken sandwich for a late lunch/early dinner. Of course, it was far more than it sounds as are most sandwiches here. On a large bun was a juicy filet of chicken, cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, fried egg, and mayonnaise. It came with fries, and I ordered a one-liter bottle of beer. I ate and then sat at the table relaxing and finishing the beer.
This morning, I revised my exchange chart I carry with me. I noticed on the news that $1 is now just 2.59 Rais. That´s quite a drop since I created my chart in December at the rates then. For instance, 20 Rais now cost $7.72 vs. $7.40 in December. My hotel room is costing me $1.75 more per night at the new rates than it would have cost in December. It doesn´t sound like a lot, but expenses are low here, so a little change represents quite a change. My sandwich and fries at lunch would have been paid for with that daily increase in the hotel room costs.
Walking: 32,146 steps (25,269 aerobic steps), 1303 calories, 21.85 km (13 miles)
Monday, Feb. 28
Breakfast was a pleasant surprise today. I had to drag myself out of bed before it was too late to get there. The notice in the room called it a continental breakfast, so I figured it would be the usual bread, butter, marmalade, coffee, and artificial orange juice. Instead, I found a great breakfast buffet. There was warm scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, salami, two kinds of cheeses, four kinds of cereal including a good granola, four kinds of fresh fruit (watermelon, honeydew melon, papaya, and pineapple), a freshly;made fruit cocktail, three kinds of cake (chocolate, cornflour pound cake, and coconut cake), coffee, tea, and probably some things I am missing. I had ham and eggs with two croissants, granola topped by fruit salad with coconut yogurt as the milk, orange juice, pineapple juice, coffee, coconut cake, and a slice of each of the fruits. Umm!
I just wandered today. I did it while looking for a cyber cafe. I found at least 10 tatoo parlors and 25 copy centers before I found a single over-priced cyber cafe! Maybe this town is so rich that everyone has a home computer. Anther thing that could be a factor is that most backpacker places are starting to have a computer for the use of their guests. Anyway, I know where I can go at least to fine one place now.
I walked as far as the government center northeast of town. It is where the city and state have their massive buildings. I was there when thousands of people had spilled out onto the streets for lunch. There were many good places to eat. It was frustrating, because I was still full from breakfast.
I returned to the hotel at 2:30. I had planned to go back out, but I was so comfortable that I stayed inside. I washed some clothes in my washroom sink using the bar of laundry soap I have from India. (They use laundry bar soap instead of laundry powder there, because the powder isn´t effective when they wash at the riverside which is wear most laundry is done in India.) Then I finished reading Oxygen by Andrew Miller. It is good. I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4. (That´s what I also gave Life of Pi. I have only given 4 stars to less than a handful of books I have read.)
Tuesday, Mar. 1
I had almost the same for breakfast today as yesterday. Instead of coconut cake, I had banana cake.
It is cooler--almost too cool for shorts and t-shirt. When the sun is out, it is fine, but clouds keep returning.
Today has been museum day. I started with the Contemporary Art Museum which is about 2 blocks from my hotel. It had some interesting paintings, but nothing special. Then I went to the Paranense, the museum for the state. It had some wonderful Indian exhibits of masks, feathered body adornments, spears, etc. It was a huge museum that also had exhibitis of old maps, relics from a ship that sank in battle, furniture from immigrants who settled here, etc.
The best of the museums was the Niemeyer. It was designed by the architect that Brazilians love and has an exhibit of his works in it. But mainly it is a HUGE art museum. It is out away from the Center. I had trouble getting there, because the map the tourist office gives is difficult to follow. Beyond the Center, it leaves off many streets. Also, the orientation of streets outside the Center is not exactly as shown on the map. That caused me to get on an outgoing street that wasn´t the one I needed. When I realized my error, I started taking streets that would head me back toward where I needed to be. None of the cross streets was ever one I knew from the map should lead me toward the museum. Finally, I found myself at the edge of town with sheep fields around me. That´s the edge of a city of 2 million people, so I had walked a long way! I headed back into town taking streets that would lead toward where I thought the museum should be. Finally, I passed a street that was supposed to lead directly to the museum according to the map, and it did.
The museum has as striking design. The majority of the exhibit space is in a huge rectangular building. But in front of that is "The Eye." Setting on top of a rectangular column is a free-form structure the front and back of which actually does take the shape of what can been seen of an eye between the eyelids. Unfortunately, that portion of the structure was not open today. (Is it ever?) But there was a huge exhibit all behind it that had a wonderfully large exhibit of the giant ceramic sculptures of Brannard (?) There were also exhibits of photographs, paintings, sculptures, etc., of other artists in galleries within this huge building also. The AMOUNT of exhibit space was just phenominal. Any museum would be excited to have such large galleries available to them.
http://artes-curitiba.com/museu-oscar-niemeyer.htm
By the time I made it back to town, it was 4:00 p.m. I stopped at a sidewalk cafe near my hotel and had a chicken sandwich for a late lunch/early dinner. Of course, it was far more than it sounds as are most sandwiches here. On a large bun was a juicy filet of chicken, cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, fried egg, and mayonnaise. It came with fries, and I ordered a one-liter bottle of beer. I ate and then sat at the table relaxing and finishing the beer.
This morning, I revised my exchange chart I carry with me. I noticed on the news that $1 is now just 2.59 Rais. That´s quite a drop since I created my chart in December at the rates then. For instance, 20 Rais now cost $7.72 vs. $7.40 in December. My hotel room is costing me $1.75 more per night at the new rates than it would have cost in December. It doesn´t sound like a lot, but expenses are low here, so a little change represents quite a change. My sandwich and fries at lunch would have been paid for with that daily increase in the hotel room costs.
Walking: 32,146 steps (25,269 aerobic steps), 1303 calories, 21.85 km (13 miles)
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