On Sunday, Monteiro and I headed over to Ponta Negra beach after our tennis lesson. We bought two cans of Guaranà soda and drank them as we walked along the riverbank. The Negra is so huge that is almost seems like a lake, and the sandy beach certainly reinforces that. Along the way are parasols where vendors have set up shop, at one of which we bought the sodas. As we walked along, though, the sound of a clucking chicken suddenly permeated the air: cluck, cluck, clu-coooo! I whipped my head around to find no beach chicken, but instead a well-tanned elderly man in sunglasses and a hat selling a simple, yet effective, noise-making device. What is basically a thick, paperboard cup with a long blue string stapled to the bottom, the device makes an uncanny chicken sound that echoes throughout the area. We approached him and he showed us it worked by running your forefinger against the inside of the paperboard cup where there was some chalk, rubbing your finger and thumb together, and then, grasping the string, slowly pulling down, short and quick at first--cluck, cluck--and then one long, deliberate pull--c-c-coooooo. And, wallah, beach chicken!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Across the Rio Negro: Day Two
(Part I)
Last September, on our second day across the Rio Negro, we spent the day with a big Brazilian family exploring the Amazon forest. Sunday morning we woke up around seven and emerged from our cottage, had coffee over in the main cabin and then headed over to an area nearby where there were supposed to be lots of wild monkeys. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, we were told the monkeys had already come for breakfast and wouldn't be likely to return until the next day, but we did see some iguanas hanging out in the trees. When they saw me peering at them, they surprised me by dropping off their branch into the brush below and dashing away in the blink of an eye. So we headed back to the car and all piled into Ary's Volkswagon to go through town and hit a cafe along a part of the river where you could see the waters of the Rio and Amazonas run parallel for miles. As we ate our breakfasts, Ary, his wife Samara, her little sister Simara, and Jing and I watched the boats pass by; some small boats were hardly making any progress against the current but Ary said it was easier than making the trip on land.
After breakfast, we stopped by Ary's sister's house which was nearby. Almost his entire family lives in the area, and it is a big family indeed--he is the youngest of 19 brothers and sisters! She said we should go with them out to another sister's house which is located deep in the forest on a plot of land the government gave to her with the agreement that she would maintain the forest. We drove for about an hour, through the hilly, winding road, the only road that passes through that area of forest. The Amazon practically stretches across the entire continent, and people have been living within its boundaries for centuries. Along the way there were deep patches of dense, closed forest, but also places where cattle were grazing, or plots that had been burned illegally. There were, in fact, plumes of smoke visible in every direction; such clearing of even small plots is reportedly responsible for a large portions of deforestation, although the Brazilian rainforest around Manaus is one of the best preserved (98% according to the INPA).
Finally we pulled off the main road onto a car-sized path that led into the forest and to his sister's house. About halfway between the road and the house we stopped and Ary rolled down his window to talk to a sweaty Brazilian man wearing grungy clothes and holding a machete. As they spoke, the man seemed to be looking through Ary, not at him, but they spoke--in Portuguese--as if they knew each other. Suddenly the man threw his machete into the ground and reached his hand into the backseat to shake our hands and say hello. He had a big smile on his face and spoke to us in Portuguese, so Ary yelled back to us that this was one of his brothers. Then he told us that his brother was legally blind and couldn't tell that we weren't Brazilian. Apparently he then explained this to his brother, who didn't seem to mind and just smiled and nodded his head. Ary said he'd meet him at the house later and we drove on.
When we got to the house, we met a few more people, some of whom were related to Ary, others were not but seemed like family anyway. We also met one of the dogs, a dozen ducks and a parrot. We were told the dog was a little bit sad these days because her mother was eaten by a jaguar the month before, but we were assured that most of the wild animals keep out of sight during the day.
Our first stop was about 300 meters behind the house to a small stream where we dipped our feet in the cool water. On the way back to the house, Ary saw a big cashew apple hanging on a tree wrapped in plastic and called out to his sister if he could eat it. She said she was saving that one but we could try another one, so he picked the next largest fruit and handed us a piece. It was like nothing I'd tasted before; sweet and fleshy with thick juice that was refreshing in the hot sun. We got back to the house and all put on our swimsuits to head out into the forest, where we were told there was a great swimming spot. Jing put on her bathing suit and a big-rimmed hat, I put on my trunks and donned my sunglasses and then we slapped another layer of sunscreen on before heading out.
Last September, on our second day across the Rio Negro, we spent the day with a big Brazilian family exploring the Amazon forest. Sunday morning we woke up around seven and emerged from our cottage, had coffee over in the main cabin and then headed over to an area nearby where there were supposed to be lots of wild monkeys. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, we were told the monkeys had already come for breakfast and wouldn't be likely to return until the next day, but we did see some iguanas hanging out in the trees. When they saw me peering at them, they surprised me by dropping off their branch into the brush below and dashing away in the blink of an eye. So we headed back to the car and all piled into Ary's Volkswagon to go through town and hit a cafe along a part of the river where you could see the waters of the Rio and Amazonas run parallel for miles. As we ate our breakfasts, Ary, his wife Samara, her little sister Simara, and Jing and I watched the boats pass by; some small boats were hardly making any progress against the current but Ary said it was easier than making the trip on land.
After breakfast, we stopped by Ary's sister's house which was nearby. Almost his entire family lives in the area, and it is a big family indeed--he is the youngest of 19 brothers and sisters! She said we should go with them out to another sister's house which is located deep in the forest on a plot of land the government gave to her with the agreement that she would maintain the forest. We drove for about an hour, through the hilly, winding road, the only road that passes through that area of forest. The Amazon practically stretches across the entire continent, and people have been living within its boundaries for centuries. Along the way there were deep patches of dense, closed forest, but also places where cattle were grazing, or plots that had been burned illegally. There were, in fact, plumes of smoke visible in every direction; such clearing of even small plots is reportedly responsible for a large portions of deforestation, although the Brazilian rainforest around Manaus is one of the best preserved (98% according to the INPA).
Finally we pulled off the main road onto a car-sized path that led into the forest and to his sister's house. About halfway between the road and the house we stopped and Ary rolled down his window to talk to a sweaty Brazilian man wearing grungy clothes and holding a machete. As they spoke, the man seemed to be looking through Ary, not at him, but they spoke--in Portuguese--as if they knew each other. Suddenly the man threw his machete into the ground and reached his hand into the backseat to shake our hands and say hello. He had a big smile on his face and spoke to us in Portuguese, so Ary yelled back to us that this was one of his brothers. Then he told us that his brother was legally blind and couldn't tell that we weren't Brazilian. Apparently he then explained this to his brother, who didn't seem to mind and just smiled and nodded his head. Ary said he'd meet him at the house later and we drove on.
When we got to the house, we met a few more people, some of whom were related to Ary, others were not but seemed like family anyway. We also met one of the dogs, a dozen ducks and a parrot. We were told the dog was a little bit sad these days because her mother was eaten by a jaguar the month before, but we were assured that most of the wild animals keep out of sight during the day.
Our first stop was about 300 meters behind the house to a small stream where we dipped our feet in the cool water. On the way back to the house, Ary saw a big cashew apple hanging on a tree wrapped in plastic and called out to his sister if he could eat it. She said she was saving that one but we could try another one, so he picked the next largest fruit and handed us a piece. It was like nothing I'd tasted before; sweet and fleshy with thick juice that was refreshing in the hot sun. We got back to the house and all put on our swimsuits to head out into the forest, where we were told there was a great swimming spot. Jing put on her bathing suit and a big-rimmed hat, I put on my trunks and donned my sunglasses and then we slapped another layer of sunscreen on before heading out.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Save the Rainforest
Ahead of Brazil's recent announcement of deforestation reductions, which I mentioned before, Slate's The Green Lantern tried to answer the question: "What ever happened to the Amazon rain forest?"
Mercury
I had my second tennis lesson this morning. Due to my schedule and court availability, I am taking lessons from 6:30 to 7:30 am twice a week. Most people would probably cringe at that time frame, but I prefer to exercise in the morning before work. And the good thing is that, any later in the day, and the heat would be unbearable. The temperature today was already 27°C/81°F when I left the hotel at 6 am...and this is "winter" in Manaus. When I finished practice and arrived at the office around 8:30, I looked at the temp again and it had risen to 33°C/91°F. What's crazy is that today was mild, topping out 34°C/93°F, with a heat index (HI--a combination of air temperature and relative humidity) of 38°C/100°F. This Thursday the HI forecast for is 43C/109°F!
Special Delivery
The Following is Based on a True Story
Having something sent to Brazil using an express delivery service--like DHL, for example--is no simple matter. In addition to the time it takes to arrive from, say, Japan, every package must pass through customs for inspection. When sent, the package must be accompanied by a "CEP number", which, from what I can gather, is similar to an American Social Security number. Nevertheless, when a package is sent from a foreign party outside of Brazil to another foreign party inside Brazil, there is no CEP number, and unless the delivery company is kind enough to tell you to provide, say, a passport number instead when the package is sent, the item is held prisoner at the Sao Paulo customs office. The real kicker is that sometimes, apparently, the recipient must contact the delivery service to find out why his package has not arrived and be told it is being "detained". Then the customer must contact the customs office to discuss the matter and have the goods released.
In addition, the customs office charges a tax for just about every item delivered since it may have resale value; so the government just takes its cut regardless of whether the item is intended for commercial purposes. If you were to send, say, a Windows recovery disk along with driver disks, they would charge about US$35.
Lastly, if you have to leave the country before the package can be released from customs and delivered, which could take over a week after contacting customs, the express delivery service will destroy your property on the 121st day. This is true even if you've spent numerous hours contacting various offices both domestic and overseas, and--in order to avoid being charged double shipping charges for having it shipped back to origin--informed them you will be back to Brazil to receive the package in less than 60 days. Luckily, if you contact them by the 110th day, you can finally receive your package 4 months after it was originally shipped.
Having something sent to Brazil using an express delivery service--like DHL, for example--is no simple matter. In addition to the time it takes to arrive from, say, Japan, every package must pass through customs for inspection. When sent, the package must be accompanied by a "CEP number", which, from what I can gather, is similar to an American Social Security number. Nevertheless, when a package is sent from a foreign party outside of Brazil to another foreign party inside Brazil, there is no CEP number, and unless the delivery company is kind enough to tell you to provide, say, a passport number instead when the package is sent, the item is held prisoner at the Sao Paulo customs office. The real kicker is that sometimes, apparently, the recipient must contact the delivery service to find out why his package has not arrived and be told it is being "detained". Then the customer must contact the customs office to discuss the matter and have the goods released.
In addition, the customs office charges a tax for just about every item delivered since it may have resale value; so the government just takes its cut regardless of whether the item is intended for commercial purposes. If you were to send, say, a Windows recovery disk along with driver disks, they would charge about US$35.
Lastly, if you have to leave the country before the package can be released from customs and delivered, which could take over a week after contacting customs, the express delivery service will destroy your property on the 121st day. This is true even if you've spent numerous hours contacting various offices both domestic and overseas, and--in order to avoid being charged double shipping charges for having it shipped back to origin--informed them you will be back to Brazil to receive the package in less than 60 days. Luckily, if you contact them by the 110th day, you can finally receive your package 4 months after it was originally shipped.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Forest Cover
Today it has been pouring rain for most of the afternoon, reminding me why they call it the rainforest.
Brazil recently announced a 45% reduction in deforestation of the Amazon forest from 13,000 sq km to 7,000 sq km. This is of course great news for Brazil, who can pat itself on the back leading up to COP15 in Copenhagen, but as Greenpeace's Amazon director, Paulo Adario, stated, "a lot of forest is still coming down".
The other day I was talking with our translator here and he told me he will be working on another project next month dealing with carbon credits. Some businessmen from America are coming down to purchase credits and will put them up on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), where American companies can pick them up as an offset. Such a transaction essentially preserves parts of the rainforest, with monitoring done by the company responsible for the value of the credits--giving the right incentive for them to keep a close eye on actual forest cover. It's the type of thing people are talking about when they say "cap and trade".
However, it's still a question as to why there was such a dramatic drop in deforestation. Was it solely because the Brazilian authorities are practicing good governance? Or is a significant amount of that due to less demand on account of the global recession? But a CCX-type offset is the type of incentive needed to provide value to keeping the forests intact. It is offsetting carbon emissions, yes, but also offsetting the imbalance in deriving profit from the forest through destruction as opposed to preservation/restoration.
As the world nears December 7th, when the climate change conference will commence, their is hope in the air. Yet, there is little expectation that a final agreement will be made during this conference on account of slow U.S. legislation on the matter. Whether that will pressure the U.S. to lay its cards on the table or whether it will mean an additional COP 15.5 in the Spring is to be seen, although it's a sad state of affairs when people look to the U.S. for leadership and are given a blank stare in response. Of course the U.S. has a plethora of successes of its own, maybe not at the scale of Amazon forest preservation, but the CCX itself is proof that people are out there working toward a solution despite the failure at the federal level.
Brazil recently announced a 45% reduction in deforestation of the Amazon forest from 13,000 sq km to 7,000 sq km. This is of course great news for Brazil, who can pat itself on the back leading up to COP15 in Copenhagen, but as Greenpeace's Amazon director, Paulo Adario, stated, "a lot of forest is still coming down".
The other day I was talking with our translator here and he told me he will be working on another project next month dealing with carbon credits. Some businessmen from America are coming down to purchase credits and will put them up on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), where American companies can pick them up as an offset. Such a transaction essentially preserves parts of the rainforest, with monitoring done by the company responsible for the value of the credits--giving the right incentive for them to keep a close eye on actual forest cover. It's the type of thing people are talking about when they say "cap and trade".
However, it's still a question as to why there was such a dramatic drop in deforestation. Was it solely because the Brazilian authorities are practicing good governance? Or is a significant amount of that due to less demand on account of the global recession? But a CCX-type offset is the type of incentive needed to provide value to keeping the forests intact. It is offsetting carbon emissions, yes, but also offsetting the imbalance in deriving profit from the forest through destruction as opposed to preservation/restoration.
As the world nears December 7th, when the climate change conference will commence, their is hope in the air. Yet, there is little expectation that a final agreement will be made during this conference on account of slow U.S. legislation on the matter. Whether that will pressure the U.S. to lay its cards on the table or whether it will mean an additional COP 15.5 in the Spring is to be seen, although it's a sad state of affairs when people look to the U.S. for leadership and are given a blank stare in response. Of course the U.S. has a plethora of successes of its own, maybe not at the scale of Amazon forest preservation, but the CCX itself is proof that people are out there working toward a solution despite the failure at the federal level.
It was the new guy
Brazil still hasn't given an official explanation of the blackout last week, which affected some 60 million people, but there are rumors going around that there was a new trainee at the Itaipu hydroelectric plant who was the last to leave that night. Being a good employee, shut off all the lights and then headed home.
(Of course, this is just one of the jokes people told around the proverbial water cooler the day after the blackout)
(Of course, this is just one of the jokes people told around the proverbial water cooler the day after the blackout)
A home visit
After the tennis lesson Montiero and I drove over to his house. It was about a 15 minute ride from the tennis club and we listened to a Coldplay CD as we drove through the streets in Monteiro's new Chevrolet. We arrived in his neighborhood, a fairly new area where most houses are only about 4 years old, he said, and pulled into his driveway. First we walked around back and Monteiro introduced me to his shar-pei, Hannah, who was chained in the back until he gets his front gate put up so she can run around a bit more. She was a friendly dog and really happy to see Monteiro, but also seemed glad to meet a new person and get pet a bit. The house was simple but very nice, with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. I said hello to his wife, who was preparing lunch in the kitchen, and then took a seat on the sofa to watch a program by the illusionist Criss Angel. Monteiro handed me a glass of cupuaçu juice and said he was going to take a quick shower and then we'd head out. He came back a few minutes later and showed me some model cars that he had, like a 1914 Renault taxi and a 1934 black London cab, as well as some red Ferrari models. This was obviously his favorite spot in the house because there was also some Flamengo paraphernalia, his favorite football team, and some music CDs and DVDs neatly arranged on the TV stand. It was nice to stop by and see where Monteiro lives.
Tennis Lessons
This morning I went to my first tennis lesson. Our driver Monteiro
picked me up at 7:30 and we headed down to the tennis club to meet the
instructor at 8. Since it's easier to train with two people, Monteiro
joined the training as well, and it also served to help me see him do
what the instructor said since I couldn't catch all the Portuguese.
Since it was the first lesson though, we didn't do anything too
complicated; started off with how to hold the racket and then stance,
followed by stepping to the right and to the left. The instruction was
really good and I was hitting pretty consistently both forward and
backhand. Later we did training on the serve, and finally played a quick
singles game where the instructor would start us off either forward or
backhand and we'd volley until someone missed, up to five points, and
then change courts. By the end of the hour I had worked up a good sweat
but felt great. I'll take morning lessons 3 times a week until I leave,
and get to practice whatever I learn during games with my coworkers on
Saturdays.
picked me up at 7:30 and we headed down to the tennis club to meet the
instructor at 8. Since it's easier to train with two people, Monteiro
joined the training as well, and it also served to help me see him do
what the instructor said since I couldn't catch all the Portuguese.
Since it was the first lesson though, we didn't do anything too
complicated; started off with how to hold the racket and then stance,
followed by stepping to the right and to the left. The instruction was
really good and I was hitting pretty consistently both forward and
backhand. Later we did training on the serve, and finally played a quick
singles game where the instructor would start us off either forward or
backhand and we'd volley until someone missed, up to five points, and
then change courts. By the end of the hour I had worked up a good sweat
but felt great. I'll take morning lessons 3 times a week until I leave,
and get to practice whatever I learn during games with my coworkers on
Saturdays.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Tennis and BBQ
This afternoon I got together with my coworkers to play tennis. No one
takes the game too seriously and it's basically a way to get some
exercise on the weekends. However, I'm the youngest of our project
members and also the least experienced tennis player, so I decided to
take some lessons while I'm in Manaus. I spoke with an instructor at the
club and he agreed to start lessons with me tomorrow morning at 8am.
I'll take a half-dozen lessons, which will help me to improve my basic
game, and hopefully reduce the number of wild fly balls over the fence.
It will also be good to get extra exercise because tonight we went to
Gaucho's Churrascaria again, a Brazilian BBQ restaurant. I had about a
half-dozen cuts of different meat, and some selections from the salad
bar just for good measure. At the end of the night we were all stuffed
and a few of us decided to walk the 5 blocks back to the hotel. I think
I'll sleep well tonight, and then tomorrow I can burn some calories
during my first tennis lesson.
takes the game too seriously and it's basically a way to get some
exercise on the weekends. However, I'm the youngest of our project
members and also the least experienced tennis player, so I decided to
take some lessons while I'm in Manaus. I spoke with an instructor at the
club and he agreed to start lessons with me tomorrow morning at 8am.
I'll take a half-dozen lessons, which will help me to improve my basic
game, and hopefully reduce the number of wild fly balls over the fence.
It will also be good to get extra exercise because tonight we went to
Gaucho's Churrascaria again, a Brazilian BBQ restaurant. I had about a
half-dozen cuts of different meat, and some selections from the salad
bar just for good measure. At the end of the night we were all stuffed
and a few of us decided to walk the 5 blocks back to the hotel. I think
I'll sleep well tonight, and then tomorrow I can burn some calories
during my first tennis lesson.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Across the Rio Negro: Day One
Back in September, Jing and I spent our last weekend exploring the Amazon with our project translator Ary and his wife Samara, as well as his wife's little sister Simara. The original purpose was to go see the river dolphins, boto, up close. Ary knew a floating restaurant on the other side of the Rio Negro that had been attracting the boto for years, and it would even be possible to jump in the water and go swimming with them. So early Saturday morning Ary, Samara and Simara picked us up at our hotel and we hit the road.
The first stop was the ferry crossing to reach the far shore of the Rio Negro. We arrived early enough that the line wasn't too bad, but it still took about 30 minutes before Ary could drive his car onto a ferry. The ride takes only 20 minutes or so and there are about 8 ferries which can hold between 50 to 100 cars each, but it is the only way to get across the river until the bridge that is now being built is ready next Spring.
We reached the "restaurant" just before noon, but found that it didn't serve food anymore so we dashed off to get lunch first nearby. Afterwards we headed back to see the boto and put on our swimming suits. Maybe it was too late in the day, but only one or two boto were coming near the dock where people were sitting waiting for them with fish. We managed to get a pretty close look at them, although they didn't stick their heads up long enough to get any good pictures. Ary tried to attract them by jumping off the dock into the river, but he neither scared them nor enticed them closer. The rest of us got in the water as well and swam around for a while.
After a while, we decided to head over to a better swimming spot that Ary knew. We arrived at the place and changed into our swimsuits again. There were a lot of local people there enjoying the water already, which was basically a winding river, about 3 meters across and 2 meters deep, filled with waist-deep water. On one end of the river was a knee-high dam, and a long 2x4 was stretched across the river. I looked over and saw Ary was already standing on the 2x4 along with about a half-dozen little kids. There was some slack in the plank but it was strong enough to hold everyone. The kids were jumping off into the water and laughing, and then Ary jumped in too. Without his weight, the plank wobbled up and down and the other kids jumped in before they lost their balance. Then the kids were clamoring back on and asking Ary to do it again. He used his arms to push the plank up and down, making an exciting ride for the kids.
I got in the water too and found it was pretty cold, but since it was sweltering hot outside, it felt good once you got used to it. Jing got in the water slowly, and by then Ary had headed over to where we were, bringing the kids with him. Since the best way to get used to the water temperature is to jump in, we told Jing to get in quickly and dunk herself. When she didn't we playfully gave her a few splashes, but then all the little kids started splashing her too. She had no choice but to get all the way in the water to escape their barrage.
The kids tried to speak to us in Portuguese and when we answered in English they all laughed. One little girl, maybe about 5 years old, knew a few words in English and she tried to talk to us. The other kids chimed in with a few words of English as well and tried to teach us some Portuguese. Jing was doing a pretty good job of it, but when communication faltered the splashing started up again...and I can't say I was completely innocent in the matter. We had a fun time playing with the kids, and even met their granddad, who was in a lounge chair on the riverside, and all took a picture together with their camera. But after a while we decided to go further down to the other side of the river to relax a bit.
After swimming, we went over to see the sunset on the Rio Amazonas and had a light dinner at a cafe there. The sunset was beautiful and we sat along the high-tide break wall--at that point, high above the water--and took pictures and just stared out at the breathtaking scene for a while. When it was dark, we headed to a nearby hotel where they rented rooms in a large cabin. There was also a cottage on the premises, and Jing and I rented the second floor room in it for the night. After a fun day of traveling and swimming, we showered and cleaned up from bed knowing we would sleep well.
The first stop was the ferry crossing to reach the far shore of the Rio Negro. We arrived early enough that the line wasn't too bad, but it still took about 30 minutes before Ary could drive his car onto a ferry. The ride takes only 20 minutes or so and there are about 8 ferries which can hold between 50 to 100 cars each, but it is the only way to get across the river until the bridge that is now being built is ready next Spring.
We reached the "restaurant" just before noon, but found that it didn't serve food anymore so we dashed off to get lunch first nearby. Afterwards we headed back to see the boto and put on our swimming suits. Maybe it was too late in the day, but only one or two boto were coming near the dock where people were sitting waiting for them with fish. We managed to get a pretty close look at them, although they didn't stick their heads up long enough to get any good pictures. Ary tried to attract them by jumping off the dock into the river, but he neither scared them nor enticed them closer. The rest of us got in the water as well and swam around for a while.
After a while, we decided to head over to a better swimming spot that Ary knew. We arrived at the place and changed into our swimsuits again. There were a lot of local people there enjoying the water already, which was basically a winding river, about 3 meters across and 2 meters deep, filled with waist-deep water. On one end of the river was a knee-high dam, and a long 2x4 was stretched across the river. I looked over and saw Ary was already standing on the 2x4 along with about a half-dozen little kids. There was some slack in the plank but it was strong enough to hold everyone. The kids were jumping off into the water and laughing, and then Ary jumped in too. Without his weight, the plank wobbled up and down and the other kids jumped in before they lost their balance. Then the kids were clamoring back on and asking Ary to do it again. He used his arms to push the plank up and down, making an exciting ride for the kids.
I got in the water too and found it was pretty cold, but since it was sweltering hot outside, it felt good once you got used to it. Jing got in the water slowly, and by then Ary had headed over to where we were, bringing the kids with him. Since the best way to get used to the water temperature is to jump in, we told Jing to get in quickly and dunk herself. When she didn't we playfully gave her a few splashes, but then all the little kids started splashing her too. She had no choice but to get all the way in the water to escape their barrage.
The kids tried to speak to us in Portuguese and when we answered in English they all laughed. One little girl, maybe about 5 years old, knew a few words in English and she tried to talk to us. The other kids chimed in with a few words of English as well and tried to teach us some Portuguese. Jing was doing a pretty good job of it, but when communication faltered the splashing started up again...and I can't say I was completely innocent in the matter. We had a fun time playing with the kids, and even met their granddad, who was in a lounge chair on the riverside, and all took a picture together with their camera. But after a while we decided to go further down to the other side of the river to relax a bit.
After swimming, we went over to see the sunset on the Rio Amazonas and had a light dinner at a cafe there. The sunset was beautiful and we sat along the high-tide break wall--at that point, high above the water--and took pictures and just stared out at the breathtaking scene for a while. When it was dark, we headed to a nearby hotel where they rented rooms in a large cabin. There was also a cottage on the premises, and Jing and I rented the second floor room in it for the night. After a fun day of traveling and swimming, we showered and cleaned up from bed knowing we would sleep well.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Blackout 2009
Last night I was sitting in the Sao Paulo airport general lobby area as I waited for my 11pm flight to Manaus. As I was getting ready to head through security and get to the gate, suddenly the entire airport went black. Having spent a good amount of time in developing countries this past year, I've gotten fairly used to blackouts, so the sudden loss of electricity didn't phase me. In fact, there seemed to be very little concern around me; I heard a handful of people cheer and clap their hands, maybe excited to be part of something that would likely be on the news. Luckily the blackout only lasted a few minutes before the lights came on. And, according to one news source:
"No flight delays or cancellations were reported at Sao Paulo's international airport, which was operating on emergency generators...
Brazil's national electricity grid operator said 17,000 megawatts of energy had been lost, equivalent to the entire consumption of Sao Paulo state." (Link)
Upon Arrival
The wait at the baggage claim in Sao Paulo was longer than I expected
and, after immigration and customs, by the time I made it to the
check-in counter for my connecting flight to Manaus there were only 20
minutes to take-off. I was told the flight was closed and it wasn't
possible to load my luggage and get me on the flight in that amount of
time. After some argument with one staff of the domestic airline who
wanted me to go back to the international airline I'd just flown in from
Dubai with to rebook a domestic ticket to Manaus, I convinced her that her logic
made no sense and she finally agreed to re-arrange my ticket and put me on the next flight, which departed a few hours later.
That would put me in Manaus 1am, two and a half hours after my scheduled
arrival, but there was nothing I could do. I tried to get in touch with
my coworkers to let them know so that our driver would be there at the
right time, but my cell phone was dead and Skype wasn't getting through
to them. So I sent an email and hoped for the best. Nevertheless, when I
got to Manaus I wasn't too astounded that there was no one there to pick
me up; apparently, no one got the email I sent and my pick-up was
canceled when I didn't show at 10:30. Luckily I had some Brazilian
currency on me and arranged a taxi myself to the hotel, arriving around
3am. So, after about 40 hours on the road (22 of which were in
airplanes, and about 18 in airports), I checked into my hotel and am
very, very ready for bed.
and, after immigration and customs, by the time I made it to the
check-in counter for my connecting flight to Manaus there were only 20
minutes to take-off. I was told the flight was closed and it wasn't
possible to load my luggage and get me on the flight in that amount of
time. After some argument with one staff of the domestic airline who
wanted me to go back to the international airline I'd just flown in from
Dubai with to rebook a domestic ticket to Manaus, I convinced her that her logic
made no sense and she finally agreed to re-arrange my ticket and put me on the next flight, which departed a few hours later.
That would put me in Manaus 1am, two and a half hours after my scheduled
arrival, but there was nothing I could do. I tried to get in touch with
my coworkers to let them know so that our driver would be there at the
right time, but my cell phone was dead and Skype wasn't getting through
to them. So I sent an email and hoped for the best. Nevertheless, when I
got to Manaus I wasn't too astounded that there was no one there to pick
me up; apparently, no one got the email I sent and my pick-up was
canceled when I didn't show at 10:30. Luckily I had some Brazilian
currency on me and arranged a taxi myself to the hotel, arriving around
3am. So, after about 40 hours on the road (22 of which were in
airplanes, and about 18 in airports), I checked into my hotel and am
very, very ready for bed.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
To be continued...
I'm back in Brazil so will continue with the blog. First I have a few things to report from the last trip, which I've had on the backburner. Then, for the next 25 days, hopefully some new things to write.
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