Tienen un buen fin de semana!*
We finally decided to switch around our weekends in the hope that we could make it to the jungle the last weekend here. We’re off to Parati today to do a little island hopping, maybe some horse riding and definitely some sun bathing.
People, we’re on our way to England in a month. I need to soak up as much color as I possibly can while in Brazil.
*Yeah, that’s about as far as I’ve gotten in my Spanish class. Dios mio!
So, this is the bathroom of the crazy restaurant…
Why yes, that is the largest collection of creepy dolls in the world glued and stapled to the ceiling and walls.
I can’t tell you how strange it was walking on the beans that covered the floor…
Walking into this bathroom was like walking into a crazy person’s head. A really, really disturbed crazy person…
Photo credit goes to the Wife. All the girls kept telling me how nuts it was, but I refused to go until I saw the pics. I kinda wish I hadn’t gone in, those were some scary ass dolls.
Apologies for this being more “ish” than “daily” this week. I think I’ve found my blogging mojo again. I spent some time today reading back over some entries and it helped me remember how much I enjoy being able to look back on this incredible journey. Also, big thanks to Kellie and J for reminding me that people are actually still reading. As for my other “shy” readers, I know you’re out there and I even know what country you’re from (thanks Google Stats) so feel free to comment, ask questions, tell me to shut up…you know, be engaged.
So, without further ado…
This was the wall of a restaurant we went to last week. The wall. This is a frontal view of the wall. They had crap glued alllllll over it.
Um, yes I think I’ll have the fish…no, no….make that an anxiety attack with a side order of crazy.
I have a fear if we don’t stop buying souvenirs our house could end up looking just like this. Wait until you see the bathroom of this place!
Hellooo, everyone!* Hope all you all enjoyed your weekend.
We had a great one! Seriously, we couldn’t have enjoyed ourselves more than we did. Well, maybe if we had given in to the M’s suggestion of staying just one more night…of course, then I may have had to be rolled onto the plane!
Our one and only reason for traveling to Sao Paulo was to see our dear Brazilian friends who left the company a year and a half ago. We hadn’t seen them since February 2010, so as soon as we found out we were coming to Rio we starting talking dates.
It was so, so, so nice to see them again! To eat, drink and be merry with friends- such a treat! It’s something we took for granted when we lived in Atlanta, but now it’s this rare little gem to be treasured and cherished.
Friday night we enjoyed the best meal we’ve had all year…
M is the master of the barbeque- the master. Jules was in awe of this Brazilian grill and our friends back home can bet they’ll be seeing one just like it when we move back.
We ate and ate and drank and ate and talked and ate and drank and talked until the wee hours of the morning. Great night.
We slept in and awoke to a huge breakfast spread. You’re going to notice a big “eating/drinking” theme this weekend. Hence, why one more day there and I would have had to have been rolled onto the plane back to Rio.
We spent the afternoon touring around the old city section of Sao Paulo…
Because I really only cared about seeing them, I did no research on Sao Paulo itself. I had no idea Sao Paulo was such a huge city…11 million people. That’s big.
After touring around we had a very late and very delicious lunch. We had thought to have a feijoada (traditional Saturday Brazilian dish- we haven’t had one yet) but when So mentioned Mexican, well, for those who know my Wife- you know we were on a direct path to tacos and margaritas…
It was actually a Tex-Mex place and it was divinely authentic. Or as I said to So- perfectly authentic non-authentic Mexican…just the way us Americans like it.
That night we were still stuffed from our late lunch so we stopped by So’s family’s house to say happy birthday to a niece and then off for drinks and snacks in a great little neighborhood packed to the gills with bars and restaurants.
Sunday we met up with our other Brazilian friends and their ridiculously cute 1 year old (the guy is still in the department, but his family is now based in Sao Paulo) for a wonderful lunch in their neighborhood.
At one point during lunch Jules looked over at me and said “Here we are, in Brazil, having lunch on a Sunday afternoon with our Brazilian friends.” We do that sometimes, just step back and comment on our life…how crazy our reality is and how freaking lucky we are to have the life we do.
As I looked around the table, I too, just had to sit back and admire the view…
We seriously can’t thank M & So enough for their incredible hospitality and welcoming us with open arms into their beautiful home. We’re thrilled they’re coming to Rio soon because we’re definitely not ready to say goodbye again. And we never did get a picture with all 4 of us!!
Pics from the weekend…
*All 12 of you! Hellooo! Seriously, I’m starting to wonder if anyone is still checking in here at 2GITW and need some serious motivation for continuing to chronicle this journey. I think it’s pretty common to have dips when you blog full-time, but be a dear and drop a line, leave a comment, wave hello! Let me know you’re still out there!
Really?
I can’t remember a worse wine producing country. Very surprising to see on a menu in Brazil!
I was once told I didn’t have a right to complain about anything because of our opportunity to travel the world. Although I don’t believe for one second that life on the road, or any life for that matter, is going to be 24/7 happiness- I do try to keep my complaints to a minimum.
We’re insanely blessed. I know this and I truly try to be thankful for my many, many blessings. I also know some people want to punch me every time I post something on FB about where we are or what we’re seeing.
With all that said…
Yep. This is what came out when I ran my shower today.
I promise you, especially those who want to punch me, living in hotels is not glamorous. For realsies.
I wish I had been doing the daily picture in the hotel where the carpet was so gross it turned white socks black. You could literally feel the pull from the stickiness of the carpet when you walked. 8 weeks of not walking without shoes- pure glamour.
Someone’s sporting a George Costanza wallet…
Can I tell you how many of my references are lost on non-Americans who didn’t have the privilege of watching Seinfeld?
Oh, the humanity!!
*Click on the pic to see highlights from that episode. “My receipts! The chair! My tiger poster!!”- CLASSIC.
The path to Christ is not easy one and this was also true of our path to the giant Christ the Redeemer on Saturday. We were warned we needed to get there early to avoid waiting and told to take the train for “the experience.” We didn’t heed the first warning and the latter proved to be an experience I could have very easily lived without.
After the seemingly endless, coiling snake of a line at the train station finally coughed us up to the ticket counter, we were told we’d have to wait another 2 hours to actually board a train. For those who one day plan to visit Rio and this wonderful monument- although not unpleasant, this train ride isn’t some beautiful jungle tour. Use your time wisely and take a cab up.
Jules and I were pretty excited about checking off one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, leaving only the Great Wall and Chichen Itza to go. I’d say Christ the Redeemer is a worthy member of the list…
He’s taller than a 13 story building! Simple, yet so awe-inspiring. I think they did Jesus justice with this one…
We bailed on doing Sugarloaf afterwards. The wife had enough of the crowds and I had been dreading the cable car all day anyway. Aside from that, I can’t imagine better views than we got up on Corcovado…
We spent Sunday afternoon lounging on the beach before chewing off our nails watching the Women’s World Cup Final.
Congrats, Japan. We couldn’t have lost to a more honorable team.
This weekend we’re going to see our dear friends in Sao Paulo! We’re sooooooo excited to see them!! It has been far too long!
I was very tempted to order these little guys at sushi the other night…
fireman & snowman. Cute while also being a bit gross…I went with something else.
This was beside the sink in a restaurant bathroom in Buzios…
How great is that? I wish dentists in the U.S. would use this advertising tool.
Jules saw this little number in a window and thought she should get it for future UGA football games…
I totally agreed.
And we’re going to answer!! Yay! Yay! Yay!
Round 5 schedule is out and we’re headed to London!!!! I can’t tell you how excited we are to see all our friends in Europe!!
Who wants to come visit from the States???
The women of the Chobe region of Botswana are known for their incredible weaving skills. We picked up 3 baskets while there…
I have to say, deciding I needed 3 baskets (2 of which are quite large) wasn’t my greatest shopping moment in respect to how the heck I was going to get them home. They’re light, but oh-so awkward.
That’s why I’m super excited these guys are getting a lift to Atlanta today with our new cohort. Thank you, new cohort! We are much appreciative of you muling our goods back to the States!! Obrigada!!
Our first weekend in Rio was a relaxing one. We decided to forego the stress of driving and arranged a taxi guy to take us for a fixed price. It took us about 3 hours to get there on Friday thanks to the traffic and having to stop 372 times to ask for directions to our hotel once we reached the town.
Buzios is a beach town and has a cute little downtown area with tons of shops and restaurants along cobbled streets. Their claim to fame is that Brigitte Bardot vacationed there. They say she “discovered” it, or I guess put it on the holiday destination map, or whatever. Anyway, they have a statue of her overlooking the sea which we promptly mauled…
We had a lovely dinner on Friday night and then hung out by the pool all day on Saturday. After a rainy first week in Rio the pleasant weather in Buzios was all we needed to be happy.
Saturday night we milled about the town, wandered through the market and eventually ended up at a restaurant our hotel had recommended. The food was pretty awful, but the wine was good and unbeknownst to us (or the little Granny clutching her heart in the background) there was a drag show that night…
Sunday we walked over to a nearby beach…
Jules was the only one brave enough to get in the ocean though. The water was absolutely frigid.
We made it back to Rio in record time thanks to our new cab driver who was apparently auditioning for a role in The Fast and the Furious. When we got out at the hotel I swear I almost dropped to the ground and kissed it.
This weekend we’re staying in Rio to enjoy the city. I can’t wait to see the Corcovado! I got a few glimpses of it on our way out of town and I have to say it’s pretty breathtaking.
I’m still unsure if I can handle going up to Sugarloaf though. I saw the cable cars taking people up and I’m going to need to do some accident rate research before braving it. Ugh.
Guess I should start working harder on my life list # 85- Overcome my fear of heights.
As I may have mentioned (20 times) I’m FINALLY working on our coffee table photo books. I realize we don’t technically have coffee table, but that’s really besides the point. This project is massive and is taking even longer than I dreaded it taking, but so far they are really coming together nicely. With an average of 10,000 images a year, this project truly getting off the ground is a HUGE weight off my shoulders.
I try to spend a few hours each day where I wade through and narrow down (and narrow down, and narrow down once again) photos. I then magnify the chosen few to ensure there aren’t any smudges, dust spots from the lens or strange things in the background to make them unworthy of publishing.
Some don’t make the cut…
I don’t even want to imagine how many photos I’m in the background of looking like an idiot.
I pray the forecast for next week is true…
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri
That’s one thing I’ll give Joburg, we didn’t want for sunshine.
