http://www.flickr.com/gp/14172071@N02/60aRYN
Sunday, November 11, 2007
See a map of where the photos were taken (cool feature)
Flickr has this cool feature!! Now you can see where all the pictures where taken on a map!
You can zoom in pretty far by using the zoom slider on the right side of the page. You can also switch between map and satellite views for a better perspective. Only Fortaleza has high resolution satellite where you can see detail.
http://www.flickr.com/map/?&user_id=14172071@N02&fLat=-5.37652&fLon=-35.463866&zl=13
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Things I'll miss, won't miss and memorable moments.
What I'll miss the most:
- THE FOOD! I cannot describe how good the food was, especially "rice and beans". Also, what amazed me was how available fresh food was, everywhere! All food was prepared daily from fresh ingredients. After a month of having such good food always available, one of the hardest things is coming back to the US knowing that finding the quality and flavors will be impossible to find!!
- The incredibly efficient bus system. As wild as the bus rides are, the transport system works well and is very efficient for getting around. Nowhere in America can I think of a place were public transportation works as efficiently as the Brazilian inter and intra city bus systems. Simply amazing.
- The weather. I imagine after a full year, the weather would be boring as it doesn't vary much except during the rainy season when its wetter. But warm nights, nice breezes and temperatures not overbearing makes it nice to be outside anytime of day.
- Brazil's obvious effort to promote alternative fuels. All gas stations have: regular gas, alcohol fuel, natural gas, diesel and bio diesel. Brazil has the highest percentage of cars capable of running "flex fuels" of any nation in the world. In part its what's fueled the huge sugar cane plantations as a large portion of sugar cane is now used in manufacture of alternative fuels.
What I won't miss
- Severe water pollution: While there's not a lot of air pollution, in Recife the water pollution and open sewer systems is overbearing. They've managed to keep the main beaches free of polluted water, but all inland waterways are indescribably filthy and smelly. While we may complain about "environmentalists" in the US, after visiting a country and cities where there is no environmental controls, I'll take our environmentalists any day.
- Power systems are antiquated and water systems are poor and unreliable.
- Cost of things: Brazil is not a cheap country to live! Despite almost a 2 to 1 exchange rate (2 reais to 1 dollar) I was shocked at the cost of certain things. Electronics are more expensive than the US by far. Simple cameras costing $100 US will cost you $250 to $300 US Dollars in Brazil. This is due to high import taxes. Want to buy your basic Honda Accord in Brazil? Figure to spend $43,000 USD in Brazil costing $30,000 in the US. Again import taxes. Even the most basic cars manufactured in Brazil (Volkswagen & Fiat) will cost you $25,000 to $30,000 USD. Food from the grocery stores is on par with US food costs. Though the vendor food, some restaurants and the "cafes" are definitely cheaper than the equivalent in the US. The two things significantly cheaper in Brazil than the US: real estate and services labor. I didn't know this, but Brazil has the highest tax structure of any country in the world. Its a shame there's so much corruption hindering this country from moving forward. Again, we have it pretty good in the US despite what we think.
Two of my most memorable moments (both "bus" experiences)
- On Sunday bus fares are half off. This is to get people out, shopping etc. As a result the main bus terminals around shopping centers and beach destinations are crowded. Long lines and people pushing to get on buses. After dealing with the crowd in a long line, as we approached the front of the line for the next bus, I saw guys crowding the gate and their wives or girlfriends would hang back out of the pushing. When the gates open these guys would fight their way onto the bus and run to get seats. Then as their wives or girlfriend finally get on the bus to where their man was, the guys would get up and give the seats to the ladies. I don't know why I found this so impressive, but I know we'd never see this kind of thing in the US. I can say (for the most part) men treat their ladies properly and it really impressed me.
- When traveling with Paulo, it made thing easy as I would tend to stop trying to speak Portuguese and let him speak for me when interfacing with people. What made it worse, is Paulo is learning english, so he wanted to speak to me in english with me correcting him when needed. So I became lazy and would talk to him in english and when he was around I'd look to him to converse with whoever in Portuguese. One day we got on the bus --at which point I could buy tickets, pay, take change and ask the most basic questions in Portuguese. Anyway, Paulo had gone ahead as I was paying for my ticket. The ticket taker asked me a question I didn't understand and I responded, "Eu nao fala Portugues" (I don't speak Portugues). Paulo turned and said in a very surprisingly loud voice -he was always soft spoken and the loud voice shocked me-- Sim! voce fez fala poqueno Portugues (Yes, you do speak a little Portugues). He turned to the ticket man and told him, "voce de vaga, e ele irie entendo voce" (you speak slowly and he will understand you). We both looked at him in shock. With both of us looking like scolded school children, finished the transaction, in Portuguese. What was kind of cute, the ticket guy got a bit of a twinkle in his eye, with the slightest of smiles and shaking his head, he kept saying "voce nao fala portugues, sheesh" (you don't speak Portuguese). In that moment I knew I had to begin being responsible for my communications going forward regardless of who was around!!
Fortaleza 11/5 to 11/7
The trip to Fortaleza by bus went smoothly. The geography was much different than the Recife to Natal trip. Where the first trip was agricultural and green, between Natal and Fortaleza, the terrain is all desert. If I didn't know I was in Brazil, I would have thought I would have been traveling through southern Nevada and Arizona; it was almost identical.
Around 7:30pm we arrived in Fortaleza. What a pleasant suprise. Frankly, Natal was a bit to tourist and "hustling" for me. After Natal I wasn't really looking forward to "just another beach town in Brazil". But Fortaleza quickly dispelled any concerns; it was very clean, very modern and quite upscale. Fortaleza is also a tourist city, but taylors to more high end clientele from southern Brazil, other South American cities and Europe. Beaches are clean, streets are clean, modern infrastructure, professional people etc. Also, for the last few nights in Brazil I wanted to stay in a nice hotel. We asked the taxi driver for a recommendation and he was more interested in taking us to places he obviously had "connections" to. After a brief moment of "discussion" he took us to the main water front where he asked another taxi drive to recommend a place. Mind you most of these were 5 start hotels and I began to wonder if I was asking for the right thing. As luck was with us (as it was on most of the trip), the "local guys" sent us to one of the 5 star hotel where "locals" stay. The hotel was on the waterfront, impeccable views, near all the activities, I couldn't have been happier, and better yet it was only about $95 dollars US.
Since my objective was to purely relax in Fortaleza, we did not do a lot. We walked a lot around the city the next day. 
Visited a local shopping bazar, saw a big church --like what you see in europe. Then we had to do something to satisfy my "real estate curiosity". A new apartment highrise had an open house. We toured the penthouse suite and some of the lower floor apartments. The penthouse was selling for $1.4million Reais = $750k usd. While it wasn't a kind of place I'd be interested in, the views were absolutely stunning.
The next day we decided we'd leave for Recife that night. Since it was going to be a 12 hr bus ride, we spent the day relaxing on the beach waiting for the bus time. I took this photo of one of the fisherman.
These guys are on their little boats from sun up to sun down fishing; what a hard life. After a quiet afternoon we headed to the Rodaviaria and took a "red eye" sleeper bus back to Recife. Oh My Gosh, was the bus PLUSH!! each of the seats made into sleeper beds. The bus was manufactured by Mercedes and it's obvious it was engineered specifically for comfort and sleeping. There was hardly any sound (lots of sound proofing and deadening), the suspension was tuned to be soft and non-jarring even on the roughest roads. The only complaint was the had the AC on and it was freezing. Thank goodness they handed out blankets!!
I slept well and we arrived back in Recife at 8:00 the next morning
Around 7:30pm we arrived in Fortaleza. What a pleasant suprise. Frankly, Natal was a bit to tourist and "hustling" for me. After Natal I wasn't really looking forward to "just another beach town in Brazil". But Fortaleza quickly dispelled any concerns; it was very clean, very modern and quite upscale. Fortaleza is also a tourist city, but taylors to more high end clientele from southern Brazil, other South American cities and Europe. Beaches are clean, streets are clean, modern infrastructure, professional people etc. Also, for the last few nights in Brazil I wanted to stay in a nice hotel. We asked the taxi driver for a recommendation and he was more interested in taking us to places he obviously had "connections" to. After a brief moment of "discussion" he took us to the main water front where he asked another taxi drive to recommend a place. Mind you most of these were 5 start hotels and I began to wonder if I was asking for the right thing. As luck was with us (as it was on most of the trip), the "local guys" sent us to one of the 5 star hotel where "locals" stay. The hotel was on the waterfront, impeccable views, near all the activities, I couldn't have been happier, and better yet it was only about $95 dollars US.
Since my objective was to purely relax in Fortaleza, we did not do a lot. We walked a lot around the city the next day. 
Visited a local shopping bazar, saw a big church --like what you see in europe. Then we had to do something to satisfy my "real estate curiosity". A new apartment highrise had an open house. We toured the penthouse suite and some of the lower floor apartments. The penthouse was selling for $1.4million Reais = $750k usd. While it wasn't a kind of place I'd be interested in, the views were absolutely stunning.The next day we decided we'd leave for Recife that night. Since it was going to be a 12 hr bus ride, we spent the day relaxing on the beach waiting for the bus time. I took this photo of one of the fisherman.
These guys are on their little boats from sun up to sun down fishing; what a hard life. After a quiet afternoon we headed to the Rodaviaria and took a "red eye" sleeper bus back to Recife. Oh My Gosh, was the bus PLUSH!! each of the seats made into sleeper beds. The bus was manufactured by Mercedes and it's obvious it was engineered specifically for comfort and sleeping. There was hardly any sound (lots of sound proofing and deadening), the suspension was tuned to be soft and non-jarring even on the roughest roads. The only complaint was the had the AC on and it was freezing. Thank goodness they handed out blankets!!I slept well and we arrived back in Recife at 8:00 the next morning
Natal 11/2 to 11/5
After returing from Fernando de Noronha, the pace picked up significantly not giving me time to keep the blog updated. The plan was to travel by bus, so we packed light leaving the computer and non-essentials in Recife.
The next morning we went to the Recife "Rodoviaria" to catch a bus to Natal. Rodoviarias are the main bus terminals for each city and they have frequent departures to all the major cities. All in all traveling by bus is very easy and efficient if staying in a region; definitely as easy as flying. The trip to Natal was about 4 hours. The nice thing about traveling by bus is you get to see the country side. Between Recife and Natal all you see is miles and miles of sugar cane on rolling hills. Its green and lush. We arrived in Natal with no reservations and had a taxi driver recommend a place to stay. He did well in taking us to a small but clean place on the waterfront in the tourist area of Natal.
Natal is primarily an European Tourist destination. As a result, nothing other than typical tourist traps, street vendors hustling their goods and glitzy things to get you to spend money. The most interesting thing we did was attend a cultural performance celebrating the all the native dances of the north east region of Brazil. The evening was well done, professional and very 
entertaining. Natal is also known for its large sand dunes along the coast. We took a buggy (boogy) ride into the dunes and stopped at the local "camel" trap.
One of the most memorable moments of Natal was early Sunday morning (around 4:30) I was woke by loud music playing in the street. I went out to the balcony
to see what was going on. A couple had backed their car up to the side walk and was playing latin dance music and they were dancing on the sidewalk as daylight was breaking. They were beautiful dancers and it obvious they were having a wonderful time dancing just before the sunrise. As soon as the sun 
broke over the hill, they stopped dancing embraced and kissed. It was truly something special to observe. The dancers weren't the only ones out before sunrise. There were many others walking on the beach; families with kids, single individuals and groups all enjoying the beautiful morning.
Natal is primarily an European Tourist destination. As a result, nothing other than typical tourist traps, street vendors hustling their goods and glitzy things to get you to spend money. The most interesting thing we did was attend a cultural performance celebrating the all the native dances of the north east region of Brazil. The evening was well done, professional and very 
entertaining. Natal is also known for its large sand dunes along the coast. We took a buggy (boogy) ride into the dunes and stopped at the local "camel" trap.One of the most memorable moments of Natal was early Sunday morning (around 4:30) I was woke by loud music playing in the street. I went out to the balcony
to see what was going on. A couple had backed their car up to the side walk and was playing latin dance music and they were dancing on the sidewalk as daylight was breaking. They were beautiful dancers and it obvious they were having a wonderful time dancing just before the sunrise. As soon as the sun 
broke over the hill, they stopped dancing embraced and kissed. It was truly something special to observe. The dancers weren't the only ones out before sunrise. There were many others walking on the beach; families with kids, single individuals and groups all enjoying the beautiful morning.The next day we headed to Natal's rodiavaria (bus station) and took a 8 hr bus ride to Fortaleza.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
3 days in Fernando de Noronha: 10/29 to 11/1
The past 3 days have been an incredible experience. Fernando de Noronha is an island about an hours flight east of Recife in the Atlantic. A few people asked if I was going and I hadn´t committed until last Thursday when I was talking with a co-worker who lives in São Paulo. I told her I was in Recife and enjoying the country immensly. When she asked if I was going to the island and said I didn´t know, she insisted I go and said it would be the best experience. She sent me information on the internet so I made reservations. I was going to wait a few days, but this coming weekend is --another-- holiday in Brazil and the prices doubled to fly there over the holiday weekend, so it was a bit of an impromptu trip, but booked it. What an experice!! Here´s a chronology of the past few days:
Monday
Departed Recife in the early afternoon and arrived in Fernando de Noronha around 4:30. Most of the lodging in FdN (I´m abbreviating now) are Pousada´s which essentially people´s homes where they rent rooms to tourists. There are a couple hotels, but not the preferred lodging. Met the lady (Nêga) --had called before flying to find a place-- at the airport who happens to also have a taxi service, and went to her house. Essentially you are invited into their home and become part of the family for the time you´re here. They serve breakfast and your eating while the kids are getting ready for school and family preparing for the day. I´ll write a little more about the life style the people have there a little later. It was getting late, so took off on a walk to try and see the sunset, but got there to late. So had dinner, walked around a bit and went back to the pousada. Francisco (Nêga´s husband) set me up with a buggy (pronounced "boogy") for the next day to tour the island.
Tuesday
Woke up early (3:30am recife time as FdN is another hour east) to get the the Bahia dos Golfinos to watch the dolfins. The tour lady said the day before there were over 1500 dolfins in the bay. The morning we were there, there were about 500, but still cool to see. Pictures didn´t turn out so good because of light and distance. We stayed there until 7:30 and headed back the pousada to get breakfast. The rest of the day was exploring the island. The highlight was a swim in a natural aquarium. Francisco told us we had to get to this beach access point before 12 noon because they limit access to 100 people per day. Also, no sunscreen allowed and you only get 25 mins to snorkle, and no fins. When we arrived at the top of the hill and looked in the the little bay / aquarium, we thought, "what´s this?" and began to wonder what all the hype was about. Well, the best surprises are in the smallest packages. Essentially, in the lava rock a natual aquarim has been formed. The water is indescribably clear and warm. When looking in from the shore you can´t see much. But when you get in the water and start exploring under the coral it comes alive! The sheer number of exotic fish of all colors, coral color, anenmies, and life is beyond words. Again, not having the water proof camera was the biggest mistake I made. Words cannot describe the beauty and pristine conditions!! Now I know why they control the access and what they allow people do with such enforcement. They are working hard to keep it accesible for people to expreince, at the same time not destrying this incredible habitat. After wards we were beat and headed back to town. I made reservation to dive the next and and take a boat tour Thursday morning before our flight. The rest of the day was relaxing and hanging out in town.
Wednesday
Francisco woke me up early to catch the dive bus. This was going to be my first dive in "warm" waters and not the freezing Montery Bay. I was a little worried when I got on the dive boat and the guy asked if everyone spoke Portuguese; to my surprise 60% of the divers all spoke english and turned out our specific guide spoke english, thus things were a little easier. The dives were incredible. We did two dives. The first, we went into an underwater cave where the entrace was blocked with a huge school of fish. You swim through the school of fish to get into the cave, when you turn around to look out and see all the fish against the incoming light was amazing. ((Again, kicking myself for not buying the underwater case for the camera))..BUT of course, like any good operation they had an underwater photographer along who took some amazing photos. The second dive was just as amazing as the first. Beautiful coral and amazing life. I have picture with a sea turtle, a manta rae and a large sun fish. The picture were quite expensive, but since this was a once in a lifetime dive, I invested in the photos. They are digital and high quality. When I get a chance I will reduce the file size and get them ´posted.
After a morning of diving, the rest of the day was spent exploring the island and beaches. In the late afternoon a rain squal hit the island and it down pured for an hour. What an experience. I had no idea though the repurcussions it would have on the next day.
Thursday
Up early again to catch a boat tour of the west side of the island before the flights. The boat ride was nice. We stopped in one of the bays and went snorkling. The boat returned, rushed back to the pousada, packed, said good-bye to the host (Fracisco and family) and took a taxi to the airport to find it packed with people. Come to find out, the day before in the rain squal, the inbound flight from Recife could not land and had to return to Recife. Thus people were standed for an extra day, putting a strain on reservations. The flight was delayed, the tiny airport was crowded and tempers short. But the plane finally arrived and got back to Recife where I had a one night reservation in a hotel.
Monday
Departed Recife in the early afternoon and arrived in Fernando de Noronha around 4:30. Most of the lodging in FdN (I´m abbreviating now) are Pousada´s which essentially people´s homes where they rent rooms to tourists. There are a couple hotels, but not the preferred lodging. Met the lady (Nêga) --had called before flying to find a place-- at the airport who happens to also have a taxi service, and went to her house. Essentially you are invited into their home and become part of the family for the time you´re here. They serve breakfast and your eating while the kids are getting ready for school and family preparing for the day. I´ll write a little more about the life style the people have there a little later. It was getting late, so took off on a walk to try and see the sunset, but got there to late. So had dinner, walked around a bit and went back to the pousada. Francisco (Nêga´s husband) set me up with a buggy (pronounced "boogy") for the next day to tour the island.
Tuesday
Woke up early (3:30am recife time as FdN is another hour east) to get the the Bahia dos Golfinos to watch the dolfins. The tour lady said the day before there were over 1500 dolfins in the bay. The morning we were there, there were about 500, but still cool to see. Pictures didn´t turn out so good because of light and distance. We stayed there until 7:30 and headed back the pousada to get breakfast. The rest of the day was exploring the island. The highlight was a swim in a natural aquarium. Francisco told us we had to get to this beach access point before 12 noon because they limit access to 100 people per day. Also, no sunscreen allowed and you only get 25 mins to snorkle, and no fins. When we arrived at the top of the hill and looked in the the little bay / aquarium, we thought, "what´s this?" and began to wonder what all the hype was about. Well, the best surprises are in the smallest packages. Essentially, in the lava rock a natual aquarim has been formed. The water is indescribably clear and warm. When looking in from the shore you can´t see much. But when you get in the water and start exploring under the coral it comes alive! The sheer number of exotic fish of all colors, coral color, anenmies, and life is beyond words. Again, not having the water proof camera was the biggest mistake I made. Words cannot describe the beauty and pristine conditions!! Now I know why they control the access and what they allow people do with such enforcement. They are working hard to keep it accesible for people to expreince, at the same time not destrying this incredible habitat. After wards we were beat and headed back to town. I made reservation to dive the next and and take a boat tour Thursday morning before our flight. The rest of the day was relaxing and hanging out in town.
Wednesday
Francisco woke me up early to catch the dive bus. This was going to be my first dive in "warm" waters and not the freezing Montery Bay. I was a little worried when I got on the dive boat and the guy asked if everyone spoke Portuguese; to my surprise 60% of the divers all spoke english and turned out our specific guide spoke english, thus things were a little easier. The dives were incredible. We did two dives. The first, we went into an underwater cave where the entrace was blocked with a huge school of fish. You swim through the school of fish to get into the cave, when you turn around to look out and see all the fish against the incoming light was amazing. ((Again, kicking myself for not buying the underwater case for the camera))..BUT of course, like any good operation they had an underwater photographer along who took some amazing photos. The second dive was just as amazing as the first. Beautiful coral and amazing life. I have picture with a sea turtle, a manta rae and a large sun fish. The picture were quite expensive, but since this was a once in a lifetime dive, I invested in the photos. They are digital and high quality. When I get a chance I will reduce the file size and get them ´posted.
After a morning of diving, the rest of the day was spent exploring the island and beaches. In the late afternoon a rain squal hit the island and it down pured for an hour. What an experience. I had no idea though the repurcussions it would have on the next day.
Thursday
Up early again to catch a boat tour of the west side of the island before the flights. The boat ride was nice. We stopped in one of the bays and went snorkling. The boat returned, rushed back to the pousada, packed, said good-bye to the host (Fracisco and family) and took a taxi to the airport to find it packed with people. Come to find out, the day before in the rain squal, the inbound flight from Recife could not land and had to return to Recife. Thus people were standed for an extra day, putting a strain on reservations. The flight was delayed, the tiny airport was crowded and tempers short. But the plane finally arrived and got back to Recife where I had a one night reservation in a hotel.
Monday, October 29, 2007
The last weekend in Recife -- off to Fernando de Noronha
A link to my next destination: http://www.noronha.com.br/english/index.html
Current photos are posted here: http://www.flickr.com/gp/14172071@N02/60aRYN
Time seems to go so fast and I will need to come back in fill in details of the weekend. In summary, Paulo showed up Friday and suggested we go downtown to a festival where we saw native dances. On Saturday we took a long bus ride to Porto de Galinhas --one of the most famous beaches in Brazil-- (port of the chickens) and spend the day at the beach. My niece Katie could spend a month crawling around on the reefs at low tide; all the "life" that could be seen was incredible.
Sunday had us off to see Olinda, which is the first town in the state of Pernambuco. We walked through town and did the typical tourist thing. We did hire a local guide to tell us the history...actually he told Paulo, Paulo translated. One of the things I found most impressive though was not history of the the town, but a program the city enacted. Olinda is one of the major tourist areas in this region. They had a severe pan handling situation where people posing as guides would lead people off and assault them. To get a grip on the problem, they created an organization to offer to the pan handlers etc, a program (free of charge) to learn the history of Olinda and get a "guide card" stating they are approved by the city to give tours. In parallel they made panhandling illegal and tour guides without cards are not approved. Thus it made the day nice not being hustled. I also thought is was a great idea to offer children / young people the opportunity to do legitimate work.
After a morning in Olinda, we took a taxi across town to a museum, de Ricardo Brennand. The Brennand family is very wealthy "old money". There are two cousins, Ricardo and Francisco. Ricardo built the museum we visited and Francisco is a very famous "potter" who's done may famous public pottery sculptures around the world. The museum was very interesting and full of local art and culture. But, the highlight of the day was the "Amory". At a young age, Ricardo began collecting "Arms" and built the armory to store is collection. It was simply amazing.
Now off to Fernando de Noronha a place where everyone has said I must visit. I have no idea if there will be computer access while there. So the may be a gap for a few days.
LASTLY, looks can be deceiving!
For the past two weeks I've walked past this old VW bus. It's the only old delapited vechile on the street. I kept thinking to myself, gosh this seems out of place here. Day after day I looked at it. The other morning when I went to the beach early to see the morning sun and I was amazed at what I saw. It was about 7:30 am and as I reached the block where this bus was, I saw an inordinate amount of traffic and people. When I got past the cars and people, to my surprise the doors were open and two ladies had the van full of produce; fruits, vegitables, greens etc. It was full of produce, and stuff stacked on the side walk behind the van. People were driving by and getting their produce, and people walking up the side walk on the back. One lady selling to cars, the other selling to the people. Obvously this is the neighborhood produce stand. By 9am it was closed and the people gone. I wish I had the camera when it was open. Quite amazing. So the van is the local "lojas" (store). Anyway, just had to share.
OK, will update as I can on my travels.
Friday, October 26, 2007
A cultural evening: sites and sounds of the brazilian people
It's very late, but I wanted to post tonight. Hopefully you can play the movie clip. This is from a event in Old Recife tonight. The music, the dances, the costumes all amazing; I feel I've truly begun to experience Brazilian culture!!
Agh, can't put the video up tonight, so just the pics for now.
A perfect evening
Got out last night to enjoy the full moon on the beach. Heres a few photos of the city under full moon and on the beach. Simply, perfect.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Finally, on the beach in Recife
This morning I had a small break in the work schedule and took the opportunity to run to the beach to see with the tide was out in morning light. Hence a few photos of the Recifian beach front.These are the reefs all along Boa Viagem. When the tide is out, the reefs create pools people swim in. This is the only -recommended- time to swim on the beach. When the tide is in, the reefs are covered and the sharks attack. (It really not as bad as it sounds though)
One of my favorite buildings!! for about the same price as a Bay area townhouse $650-$800K, you can have the penthouse suite in the building at over 4000 sq feet and stunning views.
And below, just a reminder!! what not to do in Recife.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Thursday 10/25 General observations and comments
The week has flown by. Work has been keeping me extremely busy and putting in 12-13 hr days this week. The good thing about working in the Brazilian time zone is it allows me to interact with Europe easier as 6 to 7am Brazilian time is still morning in Europe, hence I've been more productive for the European projects. The downside is we're 4 hours ahead of pacific time which means the Colorado and California projects are keeping me busy until 6 to 8pm. All this only gives me a couple hours in the evening to get dinner and take a walk along the Boa Viagem avenue (the beach)
General Observations
I've been meaning to share general observations since being here. Follows are thoughts and comments:
City and people cleanliness
The air quality is amazingly clear here! Thank goodness I'm not in the more popular cities of Sao Paulo and Rio De Janiero. When I flew though there, the smog was overwhelming. See more about Sao Paulo and Rio below.
I'm amazed how clean the city, surrounding areas and the people are. While this is a modern city by 3rd world standards, its definitely not the US. When riding around on the bus I'm constantly amazed at how the "people" of Recife make an effort to keep things clean and organized. Like any city there is some clutter and trash. But what stands out is in the poorest neighborhoods to the most upscale, all the streets are swept clean (by hand, no street sweepers here) and ALL trash, refuse, garbage is always stacked neatly in a place where the garbage trucks --essentially dump trucks-- come around to pick things up. When paying attention, its obvious the majority of the people take responsibility for keeping their city clean; quite impressive when thinking about it.
Also, the people are all clean, well groomed and well kept. Even in the poorest areas, people are always well groomed, bathed and have clean clothes. When riding crowded buses on hot days, you kind of expect the worst, but I was amazed how clean people are here.
Observing the people
One thing that quickly becomes evident is the Brazilian people are happy people. I've yet to see any anger, impatience or unhappy people. There is a certain peace, yet confidence in their demeanor. Watching Paulo (my trusty tour guide) he has a placid almost sleepy demeanor about him. But his mind is always going a 100 miles an hour and never misses a thing. As a side note, it took me a while to figure out his body language, hence almost missing a bus with him and getting stuck crossing a busy intersection. We were waiting for the bus and he appeared to relax, crossed his arms and looked like he was going to stay put for a few mins. I turned around to look at something, turned back and he was gone...YIKE, catch up Dale. On the other hand, when nothing is happening and we're waiting for something he fidgets and paces. So the body language is misleading i.e., when things are moving he's calm and calculated. When waiting, he paces and fidgets; this seem to be the norm of the people.
Another thing is people do not like pictures taken, even at the beaches. A camera at the beach is openly frowned upon. So carrying the camera and taking pictures is all done quickly and must be done with clear intention you're focusing on building etc.
Still 3rd world
Despite this being a modern city, there are many things that remind you you're still in a developing country. For example, the main sewer systems are not underground. They are open canals that run along major thoroughfares to the central city to a catch basin, where some basic filtering is done before it empties into the ocean. They control the flow based on tides and current to assure it flows out and away, but it is a far cry from anything we have in the US. As a result, whenever you're near one of these canals, the smell clearly reminds you what you're around. Interestingly the odor stays very close the the waterway and does not permeate beyond and into the neighborhood.
Also power, gas and water infrastructure is sub par. All the modern building have back-up generators. Only the newest have gas plumbed in and water is not reliable. All new building have underground reservoirs where big (water) tanker truck deliver water. While the streets are in fairly good repair, side walks are all rough and mismatched where you must always watch where you're walking.
No potties
Oh my gosh, there are minimal facilities available!! When you go out for the day, you must be prepared there will be no restrooms are available until you get back, or near modern public places. The beaches and most public areas do not have facilities near by.
Stealth camera
As mentioned, in general, Recife is not a place to openly carry a camera for multiple reasons. First is it tags you immediately as a tourist. Despite the feeling of relative safety, all the areas still have potential of troubles. In fact, even in my district which is upscale and safe, after 10pm it legal to run stop signs to prevent car jackings. As a result, I only take the camera when out in safe public and wearing pants that allow me to keep it in my pocket hidden. Back-packs mean you're carrying things, so not a good idea either. All in all its not severe, but you have to take certain caution.
SCORE, FOOD!
WOW---did I find the food score of the century!! I think I now have a new favorite food. Lebanese food (until now) has been my favorite. Seems "rice and beans" is the typical food of this region. Any bland concepts I may have had regarding rice and beans has been completely debunked. Being desperate for something beyond my ability --face it, my cooking gets old in 36 hours and I'm on my second week, thus desperate for something more-- I went down to the building guard and asked "ondge pode eu (find) lanche?" where can I find lunch? He pointed to a guard at a building across the street. Then net of the story is there's a lady who prepares lunch in her kitchen each day. From what I can tell her lunches are word of mouth only. Basically you walk up to the guard and say "lanche". He hands you the phone to her apartment --ok, you have to imagine what an adventure this is with my minimalist portuguese-- and ask for "arroz y fisgando com galinhas" (rice and beans with chicken). Then she delivers as its not cool for people to wait around on the street for the food. Anyway, the food is simply divine. Rice and beans includes salad, vegetables and baked chicken with flavor beyond description. OMG, its heavily. I'm going to miss this ladies cooking immensely.
Thank Goodness I'm NOT in Sao Paulo or Rio De Janiero
Watching TV, both Sao Paulo and Rio are experiencing torrential rains. Things are flooded, the cities are jammed and just a mess. The other thing is (especially Rio) there's weekly shootouts between drug runners and the police. These are highly televised and every week there's another occurrence. Its obvious the government is trying very hard to get the drug and violence problem under control. The police are highly armed, armed helicopters, armored cars all equipped with cameras recording everything in addition to "media" following. On TV there's no hesitation to clearly show people being chased out, gunned down, showing the dead bodies etc. Its all an attempt to let the drug lords know there's no hesitation to shoot on sight to kill. Quite violet and real. As a side note, coincidental a friend of mine happened to be in Rio de Janiero the same time I arrived in Recife. As he left he commented the constant worry for security, hearing gun fights in the slums, and the dirty air (smog) were wearing on him --just before the rain.
General Observations
I've been meaning to share general observations since being here. Follows are thoughts and comments:
City and people cleanliness
The air quality is amazingly clear here! Thank goodness I'm not in the more popular cities of Sao Paulo and Rio De Janiero. When I flew though there, the smog was overwhelming. See more about Sao Paulo and Rio below.
I'm amazed how clean the city, surrounding areas and the people are. While this is a modern city by 3rd world standards, its definitely not the US. When riding around on the bus I'm constantly amazed at how the "people" of Recife make an effort to keep things clean and organized. Like any city there is some clutter and trash. But what stands out is in the poorest neighborhoods to the most upscale, all the streets are swept clean (by hand, no street sweepers here) and ALL trash, refuse, garbage is always stacked neatly in a place where the garbage trucks --essentially dump trucks-- come around to pick things up. When paying attention, its obvious the majority of the people take responsibility for keeping their city clean; quite impressive when thinking about it.
Also, the people are all clean, well groomed and well kept. Even in the poorest areas, people are always well groomed, bathed and have clean clothes. When riding crowded buses on hot days, you kind of expect the worst, but I was amazed how clean people are here.
Observing the people
One thing that quickly becomes evident is the Brazilian people are happy people. I've yet to see any anger, impatience or unhappy people. There is a certain peace, yet confidence in their demeanor. Watching Paulo (my trusty tour guide) he has a placid almost sleepy demeanor about him. But his mind is always going a 100 miles an hour and never misses a thing. As a side note, it took me a while to figure out his body language, hence almost missing a bus with him and getting stuck crossing a busy intersection. We were waiting for the bus and he appeared to relax, crossed his arms and looked like he was going to stay put for a few mins. I turned around to look at something, turned back and he was gone...YIKE, catch up Dale. On the other hand, when nothing is happening and we're waiting for something he fidgets and paces. So the body language is misleading i.e., when things are moving he's calm and calculated. When waiting, he paces and fidgets; this seem to be the norm of the people.
Another thing is people do not like pictures taken, even at the beaches. A camera at the beach is openly frowned upon. So carrying the camera and taking pictures is all done quickly and must be done with clear intention you're focusing on building etc.
Still 3rd world
Despite this being a modern city, there are many things that remind you you're still in a developing country. For example, the main sewer systems are not underground. They are open canals that run along major thoroughfares to the central city to a catch basin, where some basic filtering is done before it empties into the ocean. They control the flow based on tides and current to assure it flows out and away, but it is a far cry from anything we have in the US. As a result, whenever you're near one of these canals, the smell clearly reminds you what you're around. Interestingly the odor stays very close the the waterway and does not permeate beyond and into the neighborhood.
Also power, gas and water infrastructure is sub par. All the modern building have back-up generators. Only the newest have gas plumbed in and water is not reliable. All new building have underground reservoirs where big (water) tanker truck deliver water. While the streets are in fairly good repair, side walks are all rough and mismatched where you must always watch where you're walking.
No potties
Oh my gosh, there are minimal facilities available!! When you go out for the day, you must be prepared there will be no restrooms are available until you get back, or near modern public places. The beaches and most public areas do not have facilities near by.
Stealth camera
As mentioned, in general, Recife is not a place to openly carry a camera for multiple reasons. First is it tags you immediately as a tourist. Despite the feeling of relative safety, all the areas still have potential of troubles. In fact, even in my district which is upscale and safe, after 10pm it legal to run stop signs to prevent car jackings. As a result, I only take the camera when out in safe public and wearing pants that allow me to keep it in my pocket hidden. Back-packs mean you're carrying things, so not a good idea either. All in all its not severe, but you have to take certain caution.
SCORE, FOOD!
WOW---did I find the food score of the century!! I think I now have a new favorite food. Lebanese food (until now) has been my favorite. Seems "rice and beans" is the typical food of this region. Any bland concepts I may have had regarding rice and beans has been completely debunked. Being desperate for something beyond my ability --face it, my cooking gets old in 36 hours and I'm on my second week, thus desperate for something more-- I went down to the building guard and asked "ondge pode eu (find) lanche?" where can I find lunch? He pointed to a guard at a building across the street. Then net of the story is there's a lady who prepares lunch in her kitchen each day. From what I can tell her lunches are word of mouth only. Basically you walk up to the guard and say "lanche". He hands you the phone to her apartment --ok, you have to imagine what an adventure this is with my minimalist portuguese-- and ask for "arroz y fisgando com galinhas" (rice and beans with chicken). Then she delivers as its not cool for people to wait around on the street for the food. Anyway, the food is simply divine. Rice and beans includes salad, vegetables and baked chicken with flavor beyond description. OMG, its heavily. I'm going to miss this ladies cooking immensely.
Thank Goodness I'm NOT in Sao Paulo or Rio De Janiero
Watching TV, both Sao Paulo and Rio are experiencing torrential rains. Things are flooded, the cities are jammed and just a mess. The other thing is (especially Rio) there's weekly shootouts between drug runners and the police. These are highly televised and every week there's another occurrence. Its obvious the government is trying very hard to get the drug and violence problem under control. The police are highly armed, armed helicopters, armored cars all equipped with cameras recording everything in addition to "media" following. On TV there's no hesitation to clearly show people being chased out, gunned down, showing the dead bodies etc. Its all an attempt to let the drug lords know there's no hesitation to shoot on sight to kill. Quite violet and real. As a side note, coincidental a friend of mine happened to be in Rio de Janiero the same time I arrived in Recife. As he left he commented the constant worry for security, hearing gun fights in the slums, and the dirty air (smog) were wearing on him --just before the rain.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Voce fala ingles?
It's Monday and my head is still bursting from an adventure packed weekend. It would take me a week to write all the thoughts, sites and experiences from this weekend. I guess that's the purpose of blogging is to allow you to jot things down as they occur. As a result, I'll take the time to detail the weekend today, then blog daily with shorter entries...we all know what our attentions spans are like in this day and age :-)
Oh, and I'm speaking phrases in Portugues now, like: "Voce fala Ingles? (Do you speak english), or "onde esta' e pointe o onibus" (where is the bus stop?); ondge esta o sanitorios? (where are the bathrooms).
Current pictures can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/14172071@N02/6i9XCD
Saturday (A trip to Gaibu)
A phrase I've gotten very accostomed to saying: "Voce fala ingles?" = do you speak english? Almost every answer is "nao" (no) With a tad bit dissapointment I've not run into anyone who speaks more than two words of english. Europe and tourist destinations in Mexico make it easy to find people who can get you though most things. But, this time I really wanted an adventure, so lets go to a place where no one speaks english and I know about 5 word in Portuguese --Note to self: next time, lets check the sanity meter, ok?
Enter Paulo. An ex-mormon missionary from here who speaks understandable english and to top it off a great guy willing to take me under his wing and show me around.
We met up early Saturday with a trip to one of the beaches south of Recife where you can swim without fear of shark attacks. The shark problem is very real on the Recifian beaches. When the tide is out, the reefs create a natural pool and you can swim --well, more like wade. As the tide comes in and covers the reefs, you need to get out of the water. They've had people attacked standing in knee deep water.
The signs every 100 yards are not to be ignored.
So we headed to a beach town called Gaibu which is about 40km south of Recife. Paulo doesn't drive, so guess what? Yes, another day of bus rides! The journey took about 2 hours after a number of bus changes and bouncy wild rides we arrive in the little town in a flurry of dust. The pictures speak for themselves; 
beautiful and relaxing. We went to two beaches, the main one, then hiked over to another. We ate shrimp, had bbq'd fish and just a nice day. Went swimming a couple times and the water was P E R F E C T! Journed back to Recife in the evening. By the time I got to the apartment, I was asleep in 10 minutes after the long day.
Sunday (Old Recife, the "subway", and more wild bus rides)
Found us off adventuring the city again. I wanted to see the downtown, know as the "Venice of Brazil" We packed light as traveling downtown is slightly more risky as no one is there on weekends. So no back packs and things secure and hidden in pockets. The good, was there were no crowds and weather was perfect. The bad, pay attention. Old Recife at one time was a stunning city.
But it has fallen to disrepair and is a shell of its once grandeur. Seems the state government is starting a redevelopment effort as we could see a couple buildings beginning to be renovated. In addition they've put a high end shopping mall and building upscale high rise apt buildings. Give it 10-15 years and it will be a nice city again. I'd love to come back after redevelopment to see what they've done. It is truly a "Venice". Someone with vision and leadership built a master plan of waterway, bridges and city planning. The bridges crisscrossing the water, the grand old architecture is all truly beautiful, even in the state it is today.
The rest of the day Paulo had us on and off busses and the subway. I got to see about 60% of Recife. All the good and bad so to speak. Riding transport really gave me the chance to look and 
take in all the sites. I'm so glad we did that instead of driving. It also gave me the chance to really see the people, the neighborhoods and interact with day to day life here.
After a full day of riding transport, we got back to the Boa Viagem district, had Tapioca's at my favorite steet vendor (the lady with the hair net). She recognizes us now and knows exactly what we want.
Oh, and I'm speaking phrases in Portugues now, like: "Voce fala Ingles? (Do you speak english), or "onde esta' e pointe o onibus" (where is the bus stop?); ondge esta o sanitorios? (where are the bathrooms).
Current pictures can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/14172071@N02/6i9XCD
Saturday (A trip to Gaibu)
A phrase I've gotten very accostomed to saying: "Voce fala ingles?" = do you speak english? Almost every answer is "nao" (no) With a tad bit dissapointment I've not run into anyone who speaks more than two words of english. Europe and tourist destinations in Mexico make it easy to find people who can get you though most things. But, this time I really wanted an adventure, so lets go to a place where no one speaks english and I know about 5 word in Portuguese --Note to self: next time, lets check the sanity meter, ok?
Enter Paulo. An ex-mormon missionary from here who speaks understandable english and to top it off a great guy willing to take me under his wing and show me around.
We met up early Saturday with a trip to one of the beaches south of Recife where you can swim without fear of shark attacks. The shark problem is very real on the Recifian beaches. When the tide is out, the reefs create a natural pool and you can swim --well, more like wade. As the tide comes in and covers the reefs, you need to get out of the water. They've had people attacked standing in knee deep water.The signs every 100 yards are not to be ignored.
So we headed to a beach town called Gaibu which is about 40km south of Recife. Paulo doesn't drive, so guess what? Yes, another day of bus rides! The journey took about 2 hours after a number of bus changes and bouncy wild rides we arrive in the little town in a flurry of dust. The pictures speak for themselves; 
beautiful and relaxing. We went to two beaches, the main one, then hiked over to another. We ate shrimp, had bbq'd fish and just a nice day. Went swimming a couple times and the water was P E R F E C T! Journed back to Recife in the evening. By the time I got to the apartment, I was asleep in 10 minutes after the long day.Sunday (Old Recife, the "subway", and more wild bus rides)
Found us off adventuring the city again. I wanted to see the downtown, know as the "Venice of Brazil" We packed light as traveling downtown is slightly more risky as no one is there on weekends. So no back packs and things secure and hidden in pockets. The good, was there were no crowds and weather was perfect. The bad, pay attention. Old Recife at one time was a stunning city.
But it has fallen to disrepair and is a shell of its once grandeur. Seems the state government is starting a redevelopment effort as we could see a couple buildings beginning to be renovated. In addition they've put a high end shopping mall and building upscale high rise apt buildings. Give it 10-15 years and it will be a nice city again. I'd love to come back after redevelopment to see what they've done. It is truly a "Venice". Someone with vision and leadership built a master plan of waterway, bridges and city planning. The bridges crisscrossing the water, the grand old architecture is all truly beautiful, even in the state it is today.
The rest of the day Paulo had us on and off busses and the subway. I got to see about 60% of Recife. All the good and bad so to speak. Riding transport really gave me the chance to look and 
take in all the sites. I'm so glad we did that instead of driving. It also gave me the chance to really see the people, the neighborhoods and interact with day to day life here.
After a full day of riding transport, we got back to the Boa Viagem district, had Tapioca's at my favorite steet vendor (the lady with the hair net). She recognizes us now and knows exactly what we want.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Showdown: New York taxi drivers vs Recife bus drivers
The week has flown. Its Friday already! With work and time differences the day goes so quickly. Last night I had to get out and do some exploring. I figured it was time to try and ride the bus because it IS the only way to get around here. Their bus system is extensive and effecient from what I can tell. I decided to do single destination and return to see what the experience was like. WOW, I had no idea what kind of ride I was in for. I've been to a few major cities in the US and Europe. The New York taxi drivers are world reknown for agressive crazy driving. Just like driving in Rome, crazy. The point is, if we placed the Recifian bus drivers again NY taxi drivers, I'm betting on the bus drivers. They drive modern lightweight aluminum busses (mercedes and volkswagon manufactred) that are significantly over powered. As a result these thing accelerate and stop unlike any public transit vehicle I've ridden. The guys can go 0 to 60 in 15 seconds and stop in 2 bus lengths from that speed. These things corner like porsches (ok, not quite like a porsche, but darn good for a bus) and they drive them like there're on a slalom course with scary precision. They can clear other cars, street signs and "obsticals" with a few inches clearance at speed. They do not ever slow down. Its either acceleration, coasting, or coming to an incredible stop. Rule number one when riding the bus: you are either seated, or have a very firm grip on the railings. I should take a video inside of a full bus of it careening down the street, barreling around corners and slamming to a stop; its better than a circus ride.
As you can tell it had quite an impression on me!! Now on to other topics.
A few more photos of street life at night. These were taken at a little street market on the main waterfont parkway "Boa Viagem" (pronouced boa viag). Lesson of the night: words DO NOT mean the same things. So these vendors sell "tapiocas". Ok, I like tapioca pudding. HAHA, joke on me, not even close, BUT is was really good. They take bread flour and put it into a skillet on a bbq and spead cheese, coconut or other things. The skillet cooks the bread, then they fold it like and server it like and omelet; its quite yummy.
Tonight I'm going out to buy tennis shoes to do a big walk tomorrow...
More updates later.
Hmm, having problems updating photos here, you can go to flickr and see the new photos here:
As you can tell it had quite an impression on me!! Now on to other topics.
A few more photos of street life at night. These were taken at a little street market on the main waterfont parkway "Boa Viagem" (pronouced boa viag). Lesson of the night: words DO NOT mean the same things. So these vendors sell "tapiocas". Ok, I like tapioca pudding. HAHA, joke on me, not even close, BUT is was really good. They take bread flour and put it into a skillet on a bbq and spead cheese, coconut or other things. The skillet cooks the bread, then they fold it like and server it like and omelet; its quite yummy.
Tonight I'm going out to buy tennis shoes to do a big walk tomorrow...
More updates later.
Hmm, having problems updating photos here, you can go to flickr and see the new photos here:
Thursday, October 18, 2007
igreja da boa viagem (chuch of boa viagem and market place)
OK, trying new things with blogging. This is a foto I took night when going out.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The First Week in Recife (pronounced Hecefe) Brazil
This is my first attempt at "blogging" the Brazilian adventures. I will begin adding more once I figure out how to work this site.
I arrived Saturday Oct 13th at 4:00 in the afternoon. Flights all went well (as well as a 26 hour journey can be). Saturday to Monday were all a blur as lack of sleep and language confusion keep my brain spinning. Today is much better and I'm getting into the routine now.
This is a Brazlian sunrise at 5:30 am. Recife is near the equator and it is amazing how fast it gets light, and how fast it gets dark when the sun sets.
The other photos of are the apartment and city scape. You can find all my posted photos here: http://www.flickr.com/gp/14172071@N02/6i9XCD
So far the weather here has been perfect; about 78f daily. I've not had a chance to explore much yet as I'm working the first two weeks here.
The apartment I've rented is perfect. A nice flat on the 13th story of a modern building. While not directly on the water front, its walking distance to everything needed; including a Brazilian Wal-Mart. And speaking of shopping, given the exchange rate a person would believe things are cheaper here than the US, not true. When calculating the exchage rate, prices are on par with the US, and in some cases food is more expensive.
Speaking of food, many of you know I rarely cook. There are NO restaurants around so I'm forced to cook. Went food shopping last night and it was a 3 hour experince trying to figure things out and of course I used the opportunity to continue to hone my language skills.
Work has been keeping me busy so the days are consumed and haven't gotten out much yet. This weekend will be an adveture. I'm getting a rapid grip on the language. Between the Rosetta stone computer course, a phrase book and taking diligent notes I can get at least 1 word in 50 now. Hopefully in another week I'll be up to 2 words in 20 for comprhension.
The city noises here are unbelievable. at 5:30 am the city is stone quiet. By 6:15 it completely alive. Brazilians are loud in everthing they do. They honk horns insessantly, play music loudly, yell loudly, and my favorite noise of all is the gas salesman. The majority of buildings (the older ones) do not have gas plummed in so many of the people still use propane like cylinders. There is a guy driving around in a truck selling gas. He has a 360 degree loud speaker on the top of the truck and drives up and down every street announcing gas for sale. I can set my clock to him at 6:25am every day. You can hear him coming many blocks away at lasts for 2 hours because he travels every street with loud speaker constantly going.
I'll keep this going as I work it into my daily routine.
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