This post has nothing to do with my traveling, Rio or anything else.
I just want to tell you all about Apple’s forthcoming iPhone. I have been trying to find the perfect smartphone for the past four years or so. I think we have a winner in iPhone.
I just wonder how much it’s going to cost!!!!
I know what I am getting myself as a “welcome back to Montréal” gift!
Today, I took the bus from Ipanema, where I live, towards Copacabana. It’s certainly a more vibrant area than Ipanema and there’s so much going on around that to keep one’s awareness requires some skills that I do not possess yet.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any pics to show cos people had told me that it was kind of sketchy and that my camera could be jacked. Of course, I think that they were over exaggerating cos the area is really safe. It’s in like every city I guess, you just have to walk around as if you had a sense of purpose.
One immediate noticeable difference between Ipanema and Copacabana was in the pricing of goods and services. For insance, a pair of Havainas slippers will cost over R 15 in Ipanema whereas in Copacabana you can get the same pair for less than R 9! The same goes for food and so forth.
Copacabana is also more messy and less posh too. But I still liked it. I’d rather spend my days there but spend my nights in Ipanema cos that city is NOISY! Crazy…
On Friday, I will have to head back to Copacabana where the Canadian consulate is (I have to register my presence), and this time I will take my camera with me.
I’ll keep you posted
Just came back from a nice and short dip into the ocean. The water was cold according to locals but I found it OK. I got almost KOed by a seemingly small wave that had become a monster by the time it got to me.
It wiped me out and by the time the water went away I was lying on the beach wondering what the devil had happened lol.
Right now, I am back at home where I will have something to eat then head back to the beach where some big trance DJ (his name shall remain under wraps to avoid giving him publicity) is spinning. It will be a good opportunity to see how Rio goes down.
For obvious reasons, I could not take many pics cos my camera is not waterproof and I don’t really trust a stranger to take pics of me while I am in the water cos that might be the end of it.
Next time I will head out with one of my flat mates who will take nice snapshots of me. Men here wear Speedos to the beach and it will be quite a bit, I get to that level. I will see if I am ready to let the world see me close and personal 🙂
Am I liking Rio? I am LOVING it.
Today’s day was nothing short of lazy. Woke up at 11h30 (everyone here sleeps late). Checked my emails, swallowed some cereals and went on a quest to find a automatic teller machine that would allow me to have more cash at my disposal.
After that I went for lunch at this great restaurant where you pay for your food by the kilogram or for 30 Reals (Brazilian currency), you can eat as much as you want. They had such a wide variety of meat that I went nuts. I almost crawled back home where after replying to some emails I passed out for a proper and well deserved nap.
Woke up in the evening, updated my various sites, did a little bit of work (yes, I still have to work!!!!) and someone suggested that we go out for dinner. Now, have no idea what dishes we had cos the names are all in Portuguese but the food was awesome. Again, I ate like a pig. I did take a snap of the restaurant so check out the pic gallery for more about that.
After dinner, we hauled ourselves to a dessert place where I ate a huge chocolate cake.
I was planning to go out tonight but right now I am so full that I don’t feel like moving an inch. So, I will just clean-up my emails, reply to some messages and go to bed.
Tomorrow, it will be another long day and since I have not tracked down a church where English is spoken, I will dedicated some time to chill with my Father in Heaven and also thank him for the privilege and opportunity that He has given me.
One thing is for sure,if I keep stuffing myself like I do, I will gain more weight. Since it’s one of my resolutions for 2007, I am on the right track.
So, after 24 hours in Rio, I have gathered some observations (in relationship to Canada):
– I am in trouble with the lack of Portuguese. But it’s very easy to guess with my French
– There’s a variety of car brands from Europe such as Renault, Fiat, Peugeot, Opel, Citroën and so forth. Brands I have not seen in many years
– It’s humid…. 90% I am told. Love it. Three showers a day will be mandatory and no skin lotion is necessary
– Girls are not bad. Those who like half-casts will be in paradise.
– Running shoes seem to be a big clothing accessory. Only tourists wear flip flops it seems!
– I haven’t bumped into many Blacks yet
– People speak Portuguese to me: good, I don’t look like a foreigner or worse, a tourist
– L’air sent le pipi lol
– People are overly polite. “Obrigado” is a word heard in every conversation.
– I overpacked. I won’t need as many shoes and jeans and I need to purchase more flip-flops and shorts.
That’s all for now. Check out the gallery for my first 24 hours in pictures.
Here’s a sampler:
Everyone who’s traveled to a far destination by plane has a nightmare story. Mine is not such but the usual travel hiccup.
I mentioned in the previous post that the flight to Sao from Toronto got delayed for three hours. That messed up the whole itinerary because by the time I arrived, my connecting plane was on the runway. I went to have my ticket pushed to the next one, checked in my HEAVY bags and went to wait at the designated gate.
I saw a plane flying and I thought, “wow, nice take-off”. It turns out it was mine and those people have given me the wrong gate. The ladies at the gates had a rather good time when I pulled off a moody face. So, my luggage had left ahead of me lol
I found a lady who helped me (God bless her wherever she is) and she helped me board a flight that was living 10 minutes later. She even offered to help with my bags but I declined her kind offer.
Hoped on the plane. What a weird flight, Half the time you spend it gaining altitude and then suddenly, you start descending cos you are so close to landing! Never do you reach cruising altitude! Unlike local North American flights, I was served food. In Canada for an hour and half flight, consider yourself if you get peanuts. Here, for a 45 minutes flight, they feed you.
I don’t wanna know what’s in the food though. A burger smaller than hand’s palm filled me for up to 8 hours!
Got to the airport… getting my luggage was actually piece of cake as they had nicely stored it away for me. A hop into a taxi and at the apartment where I am now staying and my adventure in Riio had officially begun.
Happy holidays to me 🙂
So I did manage to pack and get to the airport on time. My luggage excess was more or less 2 kilos that I put on my carry-on bag that’s now heavy.
I am now chilling at Pearson Airport in Toronto where I am waiting for the connecting flight to Sao Paulo. Jen from Toronto did come to hang on my arrival, actually she was already there, and we had dinner. I had a big burger that I hoped would help me pass out in the plane.
The problem is that the flight has been delayed for 45 minutes and I am already falling asleep. So to keep myself awake, I am browsing the net and chatting to people on MSN.
What’s the big deal with sleep anyway?
Well, since the day after Christmas, I have had an average of 5 hours of sleep a day if not less. The last thing I want to happen is to spend two days in Rio trying to catch up on some sleep so I am banking on this heavy dinner plus a Gravol pill. The flight is 10 hours so if I can get that much sleep but the time I land, I will be as fresh as I can be.
It was so cool to hang out with dear friends before leaving. I will miss everyone of course although with MSN, Skype and all the tech goodies and the simple fact that I will not be gone long.
(Oh crap… it’s been announced that my flight has been delayed even longer… so instead of 22h00, it will leave at 00h45 😦 )
Moving on… What’s going on with Canadian weather. It’s warmer than usual! Even Montreal born people are puzzled and are stating that it’s the first time in their lives they see that!
Good for Montreal… All I know is that in a couple of hours, I will be in the warm…
So on this new year day, I would like to wish you a prosperous 365 days.
I sense that on a personal level it’s going to be a life changing journey starting from this Wednesday.
That saying sums me up pretty well. Basically it means that once I have a negative experience with something, it’s over and done with in my books.
That’s why I do not eat peanuts, honey and many other foods or go to certain places or do some activities.
I know that you don’t really care but tough luck… it’s my blog and I will write whatever I feel in the mood for… na
1. I can fall sleep anytime anywhere. I don’t have to be tired. Not being able to sleep is a “disease” I never have. So, Jet-lag is a foreign beast to me. The only noise that will prevent me from falling asleep is the human voice.
2. I am a good liar or truth hider. If you want to get some sort of truth out of me, you need to catch me off guard. Then my body language will betray me
3. Although the thought of being alone terrifies me, I actually love to be left alone
4. I once wanted to be an astronaut
5. Although I am said to have a good sense of humour, I can’t crack a joke to save my life. None of my jokes are funny. Apparently, it’s the way I depict things that makes people laugh and not when I try to say something for the sake of being funny.
JA's Jibba Jabba 