(no subject)
We have a problem. IBM told hubby not to take any form of transportation except this one service because it was not safe. I understand them, having lots of money, and wanting to avoid liability issues being overly cautious. However, the travel book I have (frommers) says that the danger issues in Brazil are overstated, based on thirty years ago, and that the bus system is as safe as any in the world and probably better than the metro in Rome (where I had my passport stolen). So hubby, being the type who likes to respect authority, does not want to violate the company rule, but we really can't afford $100 bill for a days amusement just for the transportation. I don't really NEED a limo ride into the museum, nor do I want a car waiting for me and a specific time I have to be back. Easier to wait for the bus when we are ready. I don't know what we're going to do about that. SOme of the folks teamed up this weekend and got the work shuttle van to take them to Rio at a cost for 6 of only $30 plus tip each way. Rio is about two hours from here. That's reasonable. $100 just to ride into Sao Paulo is not.
The other problem is the schedule here. Lunch is 1-ish. Dinner is 9-ish. I suspect that in the country there is siesta in there, because coffee appears in the lobby down stairs at 5-ish. But hubby has acid reflux issues and is not going to eat a huge meal and then go to sleep.
One food thing I am really enjoying is the good, cheap cheese. I bought this stuff in a jar that I thought was really expensive yoghurt (later I found real yoghurt), and it turned out to be fresh cheese. Somewhere between creme cheese and yoghurt in thickness, with a flavor like sour creme or chevre, it spreads nicely on bread and is incredibly thick and fatty. Yum. My breakfasts have been that stuff with mango preserves on my crumbly spelt bread with a piece of fresh fruit and two demitasse cups of coffee. Happy, happy.
Overall, yesterday was still pretty nice in spite of the above problems.
The IBM folks were talking about a 'hippie fair' in the town square on the weekends. So hubby and I set out for a walk and found it. There were a few hippies with blankets of hemp bracelets near the community center building, but mostly it was your normal European weekend flea market with artisans, antique dealers, food, etc. The weather was hot - near 80 - and the sky was beautiful and blue. We walked around, including the walk to the square and back, for three hours. We stopped at a real grocery store on the way home and got some necessities, like paper napkins and provisions for lunch. I found some macaroons without flour and they were just awesome - moist and fresh, like I had made them myself. Coconut is really cheap here, must be local.
I have had three t-shirt accidents since I got here. My laptop case is bleeding black leather dye and I think on the plane one of my pens burst. Every time I touch my laptop bag I get black on something. Then I opened a bottle of wine with one of those 'corkscrews' that is just two prongs on a handle and the inevitable happened - the cork was pushed in and I spewed red wine all over my t-shirt. I washed it in the sink with shout and it still won't come out.
Anyway, at the fair, I bought two tops - one a folk blouse of absorbent thick cotton with embroidered flowers and hand done blanket stitching, the other an Indian hippie import in white with white embroidery.
The real wonder of the fair was that I met some ladies who are running an artisan business doing - ta da - textile printing! We did textile geeking in three languages, another artist came over from a neighboring booth to help us with English translation when she realized what I was trying to convey. We talked about inks and how her shop is set up and everything. I bought two pillow cases that will look nice in the sun room. I also got a card from her. Here is the webpage - www.artefuzue.com.br. They were delightful people.
I also learned a lot - I have already recognized some issues with this idea and enjoyed seeing how she solved them. I don't know how they are doing financially or if they have other income - they live in the country (she mimed goats and chickens) in Brazil, so their cost of living must be low. It was two ladies and the teenage son of one of them. More later on the printing business idea.
We came back to the hotel, played honeymoon a bit, had lunch from the grocery store deli and then fell asleep like we were drugged. Slept most of the afternoon. Husband did some more work and then we got dressed for dinner. We were looking for a Middle Eastern restaurant, since the guide book says that there are just lots of lebanese. We ended up in a little middle class neighborhood with lots of Brazilians. This made the atmosphere nice, the prices acceptable, the food good...but more Brazilian than lebanese. The apetizers were recognizable, but I can describe the entries of the buffet pretty simply - rice, tomato, beef, beans, couscous. I am, by the way, allergic to rice, tomato, beef and couscous. The beans had rice and beef in them. So I was sort of SOL on dinner.
I filled up on humus, babaganouje, olives, bread, salad, yogurt dip. We had mixed drinks that were the speciality of the house and were these awesome concoctions of fruit and coconut milk and rum with cute names like 'the wadi' and 'the sultan'. So I don't think I lacked for calories. Hubby filled up on kibbies, stuffed eggplant, rice and beans, meatballs,etc.
There were bellydancers. I thoroughly enjoyed that part, but then I had had some of those fruity drink things. All I can say is, good or bad, belly dancers are the same in DC, Lyon and Brazil.
The owner of the restaurant had lived in the US and came and chatted with us some. He loves Brazil and was trying to talk us into moving there. Long way to Pennsic, though, I have to say. And then there's all the rice, beef,tomato, beans and couscous.
We walked back and hubby had indigestion. Smile. I drank a rum and coke and finished another Michael Jecks novel. I had strange dreams. And so ended another day in Brazil.
The other problem is the schedule here. Lunch is 1-ish. Dinner is 9-ish. I suspect that in the country there is siesta in there, because coffee appears in the lobby down stairs at 5-ish. But hubby has acid reflux issues and is not going to eat a huge meal and then go to sleep.
One food thing I am really enjoying is the good, cheap cheese. I bought this stuff in a jar that I thought was really expensive yoghurt (later I found real yoghurt), and it turned out to be fresh cheese. Somewhere between creme cheese and yoghurt in thickness, with a flavor like sour creme or chevre, it spreads nicely on bread and is incredibly thick and fatty. Yum. My breakfasts have been that stuff with mango preserves on my crumbly spelt bread with a piece of fresh fruit and two demitasse cups of coffee. Happy, happy.
Overall, yesterday was still pretty nice in spite of the above problems.
The IBM folks were talking about a 'hippie fair' in the town square on the weekends. So hubby and I set out for a walk and found it. There were a few hippies with blankets of hemp bracelets near the community center building, but mostly it was your normal European weekend flea market with artisans, antique dealers, food, etc. The weather was hot - near 80 - and the sky was beautiful and blue. We walked around, including the walk to the square and back, for three hours. We stopped at a real grocery store on the way home and got some necessities, like paper napkins and provisions for lunch. I found some macaroons without flour and they were just awesome - moist and fresh, like I had made them myself. Coconut is really cheap here, must be local.
I have had three t-shirt accidents since I got here. My laptop case is bleeding black leather dye and I think on the plane one of my pens burst. Every time I touch my laptop bag I get black on something. Then I opened a bottle of wine with one of those 'corkscrews' that is just two prongs on a handle and the inevitable happened - the cork was pushed in and I spewed red wine all over my t-shirt. I washed it in the sink with shout and it still won't come out.
Anyway, at the fair, I bought two tops - one a folk blouse of absorbent thick cotton with embroidered flowers and hand done blanket stitching, the other an Indian hippie import in white with white embroidery.
The real wonder of the fair was that I met some ladies who are running an artisan business doing - ta da - textile printing! We did textile geeking in three languages, another artist came over from a neighboring booth to help us with English translation when she realized what I was trying to convey. We talked about inks and how her shop is set up and everything. I bought two pillow cases that will look nice in the sun room. I also got a card from her. Here is the webpage - www.artefuzue.com.br. They were delightful people.
I also learned a lot - I have already recognized some issues with this idea and enjoyed seeing how she solved them. I don't know how they are doing financially or if they have other income - they live in the country (she mimed goats and chickens) in Brazil, so their cost of living must be low. It was two ladies and the teenage son of one of them. More later on the printing business idea.
We came back to the hotel, played honeymoon a bit, had lunch from the grocery store deli and then fell asleep like we were drugged. Slept most of the afternoon. Husband did some more work and then we got dressed for dinner. We were looking for a Middle Eastern restaurant, since the guide book says that there are just lots of lebanese. We ended up in a little middle class neighborhood with lots of Brazilians. This made the atmosphere nice, the prices acceptable, the food good...but more Brazilian than lebanese. The apetizers were recognizable, but I can describe the entries of the buffet pretty simply - rice, tomato, beef, beans, couscous. I am, by the way, allergic to rice, tomato, beef and couscous. The beans had rice and beef in them. So I was sort of SOL on dinner.
I filled up on humus, babaganouje, olives, bread, salad, yogurt dip. We had mixed drinks that were the speciality of the house and were these awesome concoctions of fruit and coconut milk and rum with cute names like 'the wadi' and 'the sultan'. So I don't think I lacked for calories. Hubby filled up on kibbies, stuffed eggplant, rice and beans, meatballs,etc.
There were bellydancers. I thoroughly enjoyed that part, but then I had had some of those fruity drink things. All I can say is, good or bad, belly dancers are the same in DC, Lyon and Brazil.
The owner of the restaurant had lived in the US and came and chatted with us some. He loves Brazil and was trying to talk us into moving there. Long way to Pennsic, though, I have to say. And then there's all the rice, beef,tomato, beans and couscous.
We walked back and hubby had indigestion. Smile. I drank a rum and coke and finished another Michael Jecks novel. I had strange dreams. And so ended another day in Brazil.