Pay-Off

I am in one of the most incredible places I have ever been in my entire life. It is basically utopia. This place is called Jericoacoara, and it is in the state of Ceara in northeastern Brazil. It's a little village about 200 kilometers north of Fortaleza that you can only access by taking a four wheel drive vehicle on the last leg of the journey. It is surrounded by enormous sand dunes and stunning rock formations. Until the 1960s or 1970s, it was pretty much just a tiny village of fishermen. Then the Brazilian hippies discovered it and brought a bit of a Jamaica vibe. Then the kite surfers and kite boarders discovered the amazing wind here. It's a tiny quaint village of colorful pousadas with hammocks everywhere...sand streets with kids playing soccer and locals setting up makeshift bars outside so you're never outside a five foot radius of a capiroska...people horseback riding on the beach that's at least a quarter of a mile wide, with beached sailboats and enormous dunes in sight...local artists selling handmade jewelry and clothing...crazy keyhole rock formations with kite boarders whizzing by...green rolling hills with wild horses, donkeys, and cows...it's Brazil with the friendliness and camaraderie you would expect, but there is no crime. And - I am the only American here in this village of 1000 locals and 2000 visitors. In fact, I am the only person whose first language is English. So - how did I get here? What brought this gem of a place into my life?

The lesson that I have proved to myself over the past few days is that you do indeed get back what you put into this crazy universe. I don't even remember what made me decide to book a flight to Fortaleza and check out northern Brazil. I think that my guidebook said that the nightlife was good - I don´t know. The point is that I set my mind towards putting in all of the grassroots effort that was necessary once I got to Brazil to figure out what places I should go. My guidebook mentioned Jericoacoara in a paragraph and didn't even reference any hotel names or reliable means of transportation to get here. There is no way that I would have known to come to Jericoacoara if I hadn't started asking Brazilians what I should do in northern Brazil. There was one girl in particular - I briefly mentioned her in my previous post, and I wish I could remember her name - who said that I needed to go to Jeri with a special sparkle in her eye - like "I know something that you don't know yet, but you're going to see for yourself and think of me." There were a few other people who said "how long are you going to be in Fortaleza? only four days? ahhh - Jericoacoara takes 7 hours by bus, it's too far, just enjoy the beach in Fortaleza and rest before Carnaval." But what was I going to do sitting around being lazy for four days? In my mind, the trip itself would be an adventure too. So I set my mind on Jeri.

When I got to Fortaleza on Sunday, this all became extremely confusing and complicated. The people at my hostel were uninformative and unhelpful. I walked around in the hot sun to at least 7 or 8 other hostels and hotels and ran into the same situation. To make matters more complicated, very few people speak any English in Fortaleza, and the English I did encounter was very broken. Most people gave incomplete information about bus times - like, they only referenced the timetable of one bus company. Nobody had any brochures for tour companies I could call. There was no information about hotels. I wasn't having much luck on the internet either because the one tour company that I found had a nonfunctional website. I saw one "tourist service" type company on the street that was closed because it was Sunday, and so I resigned to tackle the task again in the morning.

On Monday, there was another person at my hostel who said that I needed to walk to a hotel up the street to get information about the bus. So I set off in the mid-afternoon heat - after having shown the name in writing to three or four people and walking for 40 minutes, I finally arrived. The hotel sent me to a different kiosk outside (for a company that my hostel could have easily called) who had a bus in the morning (Tuesday), but no hotel information, and a return bus at 10:30 PM on Wednesday night that they wouldn't let me buy a ticket for in advance - "but it is before Carnaval, it will be no problem." So - I took their contact information and went back to the tourist service place - to make a long story short, I booked the first bus and the hotel through the tourist service and the return through the other company once I got to Jeri, but I had to beg - they were "sold out." Ahhhhh crazy Brazil! My American sensibilities were in shock and frustration! I have money to spend, what the heck is the problem?!?!

Haha, ok enough of that. The past two days have been incredible. I have been having pseudo conversations that I basically don't understand with Brazilians and Italians and a few others in a combination of English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French. Hilarious. I have been hit on 72 times or so. I am actually starting to get a tan. I´ve been dancing in the streets to Brazilian acoustic surfer rock (-I am coining that term). I hung out with a large family watching a soccer game on a TV set up outside. I managed to order the same totally unappetizing dinner involving shrimp, pineapple, cream, and cheese two nights in a row. None of it was consumed. I also met a group of awesome Argentine guys today who live in Buenos Aires and who I can see later in my trip. The good times keep on rollin. The moral of the story - thanks Mama - is that you can do anything you put your heart to...sometimes it just takes a little bit of effort.

I love and miss you all. ciao ciao, K

Cariocas

Regarding Rio, and I have mentioned this point before - what a place of juxtapositions. Pretty much every person I met was absolutely splendidly warm, friendly, and life loving. On the other hand, I spent the entire week sort of always afraid of the people around me. It´s a hard thing to explain or even justify to myself. My experience in Rio is over, and I am safe - nothing bad happened - so maybe I shouldn´t have allowed an undertone of stress to accompany the joyous sensuous leisurely care free atmosphere around me. On the other hand, I know that I made choices in accordance with a bit of guard, and that´s probably why everything turned out alright.

I have thought to myself many times over the past week - I wonder if Cariocas are always a little afraid too? So I asked a few. The response was basically yes. They think about whether they will be robbed when they are at a stop light at night - and they roll up their windows. They think about whether their bag will be slashed from their shoulder with a knife. The difference between Cariocas and me is that they shrug their shoulders and go about loving life. They HAVE to not care because otherwise they would live their entire lives in fear. That has to be a part of the cultural context within which the laid back happy Brazilian attitude arose. Maybe I am so used to feeling safe and sound that I can´t easily reconcile with the absence of that feeling. Also - I am alone - and throughout the whole week I rarely saw a Carioca alone. The next time I come to Rio, I am bringing someone I love.

Despite being on guard, I met some incredible people this week. I have to thank myself for deciding that I would be open to introducing myself to people whenever it seemed mildly appropriate, and also for being resourceful with the use of the internet. In particular I should mention Rafaela, my aunt´s friend´s daughter, who I contacted a number of times prior to our meeting on Thursday night for dinner. I met her at her house in Jardim Botanico, and she took me to Leblon to a nightclub called 00 where we had a lovely dinner and delicious capisakes. 00 was a beautiful "Sky Bar"-type space that turns into a lively dance club later in the evening. Rafa is awesome. She works for Globo.com and, among other things, scouts Rio for good photo shoot locations. She is into the electronic music scene in Rio, and I invited her to join me for Coachella if she can make it to the US at the end of April. Rafa lived in Los Angeles for a few months when on Work Experience, which is when Brazilians come to the US to work on their English and make some money. She worked for a security company that staffs nightclubs and events, and also at Victoria´s Secret. She had some hilarious stories about getting around LA while living in Hollywood without a car.

I had been networking on asmallworld and made plans to meet up with Natasha, a Ukrainian partygirl who lives in Chicago. :) Natasha met me at 00, and then we decided to go to a club in Ipanema called 69 that a contact of hers recommended. This place was very posh - where the young, beautiful, rich and fabulous Cariocas go. Natasha and I got there a bit early, but the place filled up quickly. There were a lot of groups of friends there and two men eyeing us who were not interesting me at the moment. So, I just walked up to a cute guy and used the most original pick-up line ever - "hi, do you speak English?" followed by a big smile - and what do you know, I was talking to him and his friends in no time. One girl friend was giving me great recommendations about what to do in the state of Céara, which is where I am right now. I then started talking to Victor and his friends - Victor is one of those player types who sees an American girl as a bullseye on a dartboard - and so at this point I went to the ladies room.

In the ladies´ room, someone started talking to me in Portguese when I was washing my hands, to which I always reply "Perdão, Americana" - and since everyone in this circle speaks English, it became a yap party in the bathroom with everyone asking me where I´m from and whether this was my first time in Rio. I became fast friends with one girl in particular - nineteen year old Gabi, cute as a button in a pretty white dress but with lots of earrings and a tattoo in German across her entire back that said "Free Your Soul." This girl was a pixy and had more adorable energy that almost anyone I´ve ever met. She studied in London when she was sixteen and speaks English with an awesome British/Portuguese accent. We became fast friends and she was adamant (although pretty drunk, so there´s the flakiness that comes with that condition and with Brazil in general) that we would be hanging out all night and that I would accompany her and her friends when they moved onto a gay club called Le Boy/La Girl. All of her friends were straight, but the club was so crazy fun that I can see why it´s a destination of choice - especially for late night. (By the way, I have encountered no homophobia in Brazil at all so far, which is so fantastic.) Le Boy, the bigger of the two connected clubs, featured all of the usual smoke machines, go-go boys, glitterati, etc. Such a fun night.

On Friday night, I was still high from hang gliding and was stoked to receive a message from Clarice. I contacted Clarice, who lives in Rio, on asmallworld when I saw that she had held a birthday party for her best friend the previous week and invited everyone to join. I wrote to her saying that I missed the party but would love to get together while I´m in Rio. She ended up organizing a dinner on Friday night with her friend Juliana and three Italians from Rome who are living in Rio, and so she invited me to join. We met for sushi in Leblon, and it was SUCH a fantastic time. It was great to meet a girl like Clarice who is so open to meeting new people. After dinner we went to Lapa to a club called 40 degrees - four floors of fun, with a mix of pool tables, bars, live samba music, some hip hop when the bands were taking breaks, and Brazilian funky. Ok, this funky stuff is SO AWESOME. For all of my music lovers out there - you know who you are - check this stuff out. It pretty much all comes from Rio. I can´t wait to find good artists to download when I have the time.

On the music front, I ended my stay in Rio with a Jorge Ben Jor concert. This guy is a legend in Brazil - their version of Jimmy Buffett. He is from the 80s, but everyone knows the words to every song and is singing along, jumping, clapping and dancing. It was AMAZING!! I got there late after some annoying drama that I will spare you from hearing about, but I learned a good lesson - never depend on someone you don´t know and trust too much. I always need to know where I´m going and how to get there. It´s called making my own fun - setting my own destiny - freeing my soul. I love knowing where I´m going. And I love you all - beijos. Always, Katarina

Hang Gliding!

The favelas

On Thursday morning I woke up early to make my way down to the Copacabana Palace (the seat of luxury) to board a van that would take me on a tour through two favelas (the seat of poverty). My tour guide was Martha, who showed me and the girls from New York around Santa Teresa on Tuesday. Martha was so informative and had much to say about the history of Rio and the context in which the favelas evolved. I´ll let you read wikipedia if you want to know all about it. Martha does not live in a favela, but her father lived in one. She knows many people in the two favelas that we visited and is very well respected. The tour company donates money to the favelas, and in one case funds 80% of an elementary school there.

Somewhere between 20-25% of Cariocas (the residents of Rio) live in a slum. That is one out of every four or five people here. There is basically no minimum wage, and people with the lowest paying jobs would have to commute for hours to live in an affordable apartment - which is just not feasible. As a result, these people have constructed shacks in the hills, one on top of the other on top of the other. They have managed to connect to jerryrig the electric grid and use electricity from the city. They use only small, portable gas tanks because running gas lines in these constructions would be far too dangerous. They also connect themselves to the city´s water and sewage lines, but conditions are not completely hygienic as you may imagine. The vast majority of the alleys are not streets that are recognized by the city, and therefore most residents do not have street addresses. Imagine - how do you apply for a job or get a phone number without an address? There are schools, but only enough money for the children to attend for half of the day. They are on their own for the rest of the day when their parents are hard at work. 98% of residents of favelas are hard workers - they just can´t afford to live in a real apartment, on the street.




In Rocinha, Rio´s largest favela, I was surprised to find a main shopping street with places to buy food, clothing shops, a bank, etc. They have moped taxis, which are the easiest way to get around because you can´t fit cars into the vast majority of spaces. They have satellite dishes and can watch television. This kind of moderate modernization is not the case in other, smaller favelas. Make no mistake - all of these people are very poor, and there is basically no police presence. Order is kept by the leaders of criminal drug factions. They say that a favela is the one place where you will never be mugged into Rio because the drug lords (and their AK47s) won´t allow any unauthorized misbehavior. There are three main organizations that control the distribution of drugs in Rio, and fighting occurs between gangs in neighboring favelas, and also with the police. There are places in Rio where you cannot go at night because you can get caught in the cross fire. Martha controlled our photography very explicitly on the tour - there were places we could take pictures, and there were places where we could not. That is all I will say about drugs - you can read more if you choose - because my experience (and the experience on any tour) did not involve any sight of them.




When we first arrived at Rocinha, we were greeted by local artists displaying their work - paintings, jewelry, bags, and even one man who had raised money to record his samba music on CDs. Most of the artwork was done by children in the favela. This stuff was irresistible to me - how do you turn down a beautiful, colorful painting of Rocinha with Rio in the background from a nine year old artist, Alessandro, standing in front of you? Later, I met Nicholas, who was maybe seven years old. He had learned a little bit of English so that he could better pitch his work: "This is me, and this is my sister. This one, 30. For you, 25. This one, 25. For you, 20." These children are so talented, so hard-working, and so proud. They are bringing home money for their families. What seven year old do you know who has to worry about that stuff? The comparisons to Sophie and Thomas Joseph and Vada, the oldest of my little cousins, are hard to resist and totally heart-breaking.

Here is the thing - I saw many many people who were so happy and so full of joy. They play soccer and capoeira too. They dance samba in the streets. They have Carnaval. One man wanted to pose for a picture with a mannequin and a goofy smile. Everyone I bought something from gave me a smile, a hug and two kisses. It was a truly special experience. I am completely overwhelmed by the absurd distribution of the world´s resources that have put me in a position to even be taking this trip. I don´t even know what to say about it. I am trying to figure out how I justify all that I have to God. At this stage I am feeling almost embarrassed to admit my own privilege. There is much to grapple with but I know it is a process and I know it has begun.

Rio is definitely a place of juxtaposition, everywhere. Mountains and sea. Rich and poor. I had the wonderful opportunity to go hang gliding yesterday morning over all of Rio. Chico was my instructor - we ran off the edge of a mountain together and soared for fifteen minutes over the forest and ocean before landing on the beach. Just beyond the forest is Rocinha...to the left, Christ the Redeemer...mansions with swimming pools are just below us...it was so surreal. This was one of the most enjoyable 15 minutes of my life. Everywhere, I´m just soaking it all in. Next time I´ll tell you about some of the fantastic Brazilian friends I have made.
Til then, beijos, xoxo, Katarina

Olé Olé!

Well! Much has happened over the past two wonderful days. I am amazed that it hasn´t even been one week since I left LA. Time is going so awesomely slowly. I am very proud to say that I have tackled the bus AND the metro AND have managed to charm a few more taxi drivers. AND - Samba!! YES!! My hips and my feet keep wanting to slip into a salsa, but I´m getting the hang of it. I even managed to get a Brazilian guy to admit that I am a good dancer. Take that! I ventured into the nightlife scene alone and made friends immediately when Rubens from Sao Paulo and Oliver from Hungary/NYC sent over a napkin that said "Are you alone at this place? Would you like joining us?" Brazil is an amazing place - so charged with friendliness and fun.

Wednesday started off with an adventure as I tried ventured off on foot to find a branch of Bradesco (a bank) with a caixa (teller) - this task proved to be more challenging than I thought. I stopped to get an açai with guarana (which I have had at least once per day - this stuff is so refreshing and incredible) - and this little boy walked into the juice stand, barefoot, begging for money. I nodded no, mostly because I didn´t want to open my bag in front of him. He asked two other people, who also said no, and at this point I felt so sad for him. I walked over as I got up to leave and offered him my unopened water bottle. He refused - he only wanted money. I still don´t really understand his refusal. Here is where I made my mistake - I responded in English, and now he knew I was a foreigner. He followed me for three blocks! Granted it was a busy city street, and this kid could not have been older than eight, but I was freaked out! I had such mixed emotions - the utmost sadness and heartbreak for him combined with my only relative control over my own safety as a young female foreigner who doesn´t speak Portuguese in a city with a lot of crime.

On Wednesday I went to a soccer game at Maracanã! WOW!! I have never experienced a situation where people come together to so fiercly believe in something - it´s way more intense than church. These fans did not stop cheering and singing and dancing and waving their flags throughout the whole game. The way people feel about soccer, and about "their" team, has something to do with the very human need for family/clan/community. I haven´t figured it all out yet, but it´s really fun to watch.

I am behind on this blog - next time I will write about my tour of the favelas - the most incredible thing I have done in Rio - and about soaring over the Tijuca National Forest. It´s called hang gliding :) xx, K

Lost in Translation

I am doing very well but really need to make a move on learning some more Portuguese. I have a little language book that has served me well in a few cases, but in all honesty my efforts have been pretty weak. Some key moments -

• Figuring out how to transfer a large sum of money into someone else´s bank account - that someone booked some accommodation for me and others - with no English speaking tellers. Depositar is my new favorite verb.
• Having conversations with Nelsinho, one of my hosts, on the phone, that involve him saying only three English words: "Katie! Please...please...please...please" and "calm-calm-calm-calm." Hilarious.
  
• Figuring out how to successfully explain where I´m going to seven different non-English speaking taxi drivers in the past two days - in a city where taking taxis ain´t the safest thing you can be doing!

Had an awesome time with one of these cabbies yesterday. Was on my way home from a rainy day of shopping in Ipanema and ended up in the taxi of this older man - friendly, grandfatherly type. Neither of us spoke a lick of the other´s respective language. But we managed to speak of many things. (Or, rather, he did and I managed to vaguely follow.) He asked what hotel he had just picked me up from, and I eventually understood and was able to answer him. Now at this point he had turned around a few times while driving, and I was getting nervous about his attention to the road. Maybe he sensed this?...because he immediately started making jokes about crazy drivers, going "vroom vroom vroom!" So funny. He then wanted to know whether I was American or English - and was relieved to know that I wasn´t English (or French) because they are [and then he sticks up his nose]. We get a good laugh together, and now he´s on a roll - wants to see what else he can say that I will understand - and so he starts reciting the names of singers and bands: "Ray Charles!" - "Yes, yes!" We both nod and laugh. "Stevie Wonder!" "Yup, he´s great too!" We both nod and laugh. "Pat Ben-e-tar!" "Hahahaha!" This is so cute. "The BeeGees!" At this point I´m dying laughing. He proceeded to insert a story about some sort of familial connection he has with one of the Brothers Gibb. He then returned to the band game for another ten minutes. It was so awesome.

I´m having a phenomenal time - jam packed itinerary as you can see. Wonderful sightseeing today in Santa Teresa, a semi-dangerous hilly artist community - was glad I was with a private tour guide, Martha. The colonial architecture downtown was beautiful. Tonight: time for some samba dancing!

Kisses (one on each cheek). Beijos, Katarina

Venturing Out Solo!

Hello! Things are great. Have made much progress since yesterday. Found a working ATM (they don´t all have the Visa logo), bought a cell phone, figured out the basics despite the fact that all of the menus and recordings are in Portuguese...also did some networking on asmallworld and couchsurfers to see what´s going on this week. Made a short list of what I want to do - explore Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana, Lapa, and Santa Theresa...hike up to Sugar Loaf and take a tram up to Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado...go hang gliding, take a favela tour, and go see a soccer game. It´s raining today and I am on my own (yikes!) so I am going to stick with the basics and start with bikini shopping in Ipanema. So excited! Then Nora Ammar, from Brown, and friends arrive tonight at 6pm. I got in touch with my aunt´s friend´s daughter Rafaela yesterday - I am excited to meet her as well!

Yesterday afternoon was lovely - Pedro took me to his friend´s birthday party in the Lagoa neighborhood. I had such a great time! His friends are incredibly lively and fun. Many had suggestions for places to visit and things to do. The view from this apartment was stunning - it looked out onto the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas and the mountains. The food was fantastic (and professionally prepared) - roasted chicken, rice, beans, butternut squash, this roasted grain stuff that was delicious, and some kind of green vegetable that was really good too. Laura, the host, kept refilling my champagne to the point where I had five glasses - whee!

OK - here I go. xoxo

Holy WOW Brazil!

YES!!!

This rocks. First of all, I am safe and sound. My aunt´s friend´s friend´s friend Pedro picked me up at the international airport in Rio last night at 1:00 AM. I was welcomed with a big smile, kiss on both cheeks, and help with my bags (thank goodness). Before that, during the bag waiting process, two people started talking to me in Portuguese, thinking I was Brazilian. Great sign. Back to 1:30 AM. Called my parents briefly and then went straight from airport to a "rehearsal" ... for one of the best samba schools in Rio´s Carnaval performance. YES!!! "Rehearsal" means 1000 people dancing in a breezy, decorated, brightly lit gymnasium with 40 or 50 people on stage playing drums and another 10 people singing and playing other instruments. And lots of capirinhas! The school is called Unidos da Tijuca. We went up to one of the balconies first, to watch, and then we went into the crowd. They debuted their 2008 anthem song which had everyone singing and dancing and jumping!! I started to learn the dance, but not the words. That will be next. The song basically talks about people collecting things...and how this club wants to "collect" another "10" from the judges (as Carnaval is a celebration but also a competition for all of the best samba schools in Rio). I won´t be in Rio for Carnaval, and so I am so glad I got to participate now! There was a really human moment when two of the main dancers from the samba school were dancing with the school´s flag - she was wearing a silver sparkly tube top and royal blue skirt, with this belt hoister thing that her partner had to adjust in the middle of the dance, and no one in the crowd surrounding them cared or noticed. Some observations: I saw maybe two cameras the entire night. People are not concerned with taking pictures - they are too busy enjoying themselves. Also - everyone is dressed in bright colors, especially yellow. Visually, this puts you in a great mood. Also - as long as I don´t open my mouth, people think I am Brazilian. This night was such a fantastic welcome to Brazil.

Pedro then drove me through Ipanema and Leblon, and we checked out the bar scene for a sec. Different crowd than the samba party - these people seemed wealthier - but everyone is smiling. Went home as passed out from 5AM to 1PM. About to go begin the day! The sun is shining! Thinking about you all - I love you.

kisses, Katie

I'm doin it

Hello! First post! In the Atlanta airport. Brought too much stuff. I look really badass with my 5 foot long backpack plus a duffel bag on each shoulder though. When I assembled myself in that configuration, I felt really strong. At the same time, I feel like a total priss. Need to get less dependent on stuff - a big goal of this trip. It was difficult to balance a very varied itinerary plus my precautious nature, i.e. "I better bring five bottles of sunblock because they might not have SPF 50 in Brazil..." (I ended up with two bottles of sunblock.) I will throw things away if necessary. Don't need much. Have my head, and my heart. Both are pretty good. Both will get better.

kisses, Katie

Itinerary

Friday, January 18th, 2008

• Depart Los Angeles, CA at 11:50 PM on Delta Flight 806, service to Atlanta, GA.

Saturday, January 19th, 2008

• Arrive in Atlanta, GA at 6:57 AM.
• Depart Atlanta, GA at 11:30 AM on Delta Flight 169, service to Rio de Janeiro/Galeao, Brazil.

Sunday, January 20th, 2008

• Arrive in Rio de Janeiro/Galeao, Brazil at 12:05 AM.
• Meet Pedro Trengrouse, friend of Nelsinho Santos, at the airport; will be staying at Pedro's house.
• Go straight to Carnaval rehearsal party of the Unidos da Tijuca!
  
• Contact Rafaela Miranda Rocha, daughter of Paula Miranda. She lives in Jardim Botanico.
• Attend Pedro´s friend´s birthday party in the Lagoa district - beautiful view from the balcony of Sugar Loaf!
  

Monday, January 21st, 2008

• Transfer money to Andre Rappa for accommodation in Salvador.
• Find an açai smoothie.
  
• Walk around Ipanema and Leblon. Go bikini shopping on Garcia DÁvila and R Nascimento Silva in Ipanema.
  
• Stop by the hotel of Nora Ammar, Sarah Marks, and friends from New York. They are staying at the Hotel Caesar Park Ipanema.
• Meet the girls after dinner at Empório in Ipanema for drinks.
  

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008

• Meet Nora, Sarah, Samantha, and Crystal for lunch at 1:00 PM at Sobrenatural (Rua Almirante Alexandrino, 434) in Santa Theresa.
  
• Explore Santa Theresa with Martha - Guide in Rio at 2:00 PM.
  
• Go up to Corcovado to see Christ the Redeemer.
• Explore Centro, the Business District.
  
• Go out for samba dancing in Lapa: Rio Scenarium or Sacrilegio.
  

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

• Finish transfering money to Andre Rappa for accomodation in Salvador.
• Explore Copacanbana: buy bikinis, have lunch at the Copacabana Palace Hotel.
  
• Attend soccer game at Maracanã stadium - Fluminense v. Duque de Caxias. Pick up is at 5:30 PM at a hostel called Stone of the Beach, Barata Ribeiro 111, one block from Arcoverde Metro Station in Copacabana. Bring R$65 in cash.
  

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

• Take a favela tour - meet at the Copacabana Palace Hotel at 9AM. Look for a white jeep. Bring R$65R in cash.
  
• Take the subway to Lapa and explore.
• After 4:00 PM, buy a ticket for Coachella.
• Have dinner with Rafaela Miranda Rocha.
• Party at 69 and Le Boy/La Girl with Natasha from asmallworld and Victor, Gabi, Ricardo and friends.
  

Friday, January 25th, 2008

• Go hang gliding with Chico from Pedra Bonita Mountain. They will pick me up at the apartment in Flamengo and 11:00 AM. R$240.
  
• Go to the beach! At Ipanema, hang out at the big palm tree between Posto 9 and Posto 10. Get a coco. Do some more window shopping.
  
• Have dinner at Sushi House in Ipanema with Pedro, Clarice from asmallworld, Juliana and their Italian friends.
  
• Go samba dancing at Lapa 40 Graus and walk around Lapa at night - holy street party!
  

Saturday, January 26th, 2008

• Have lunch in Ipanema with Pedro, his aunt Cristina, and his great-aunt Irene. See Irene´s apartment and then check out a Brazilian record store.
  
• Pack.
  
• Go to a Jorge Ben Jor concert - Brazilian funky.
  

Sunday, January 27th, 2008

• Depart Rio de Janeiro/Galeao, Brazil at 9:00 AM on Tam Meridion Flight JJ3536, with service to Fortaleza, Brazil.
• Arrive in Fortaleza, Brazil at 11:10 AM.
• Staying in a single room at Hostel Atalaia in the neighborhood of Praia de Iracema.
  
• Contact Josbertini and Afonso, friends of Nelsinho Santos.

Monday, January 28th, 2008

• Make plans to go to Jericoacoara.
• Go to the beach.
• Party and dance to forró at the Pirata Bar, next door to my hostel, which according to multiple sources is the liveliest Monday night in Brazil!

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

• Depart at 8:20 AM for Jericoacoara - pick up is at my hotel and arranged by Oásis Brasil.
• Arrive in Jericoacoara at around 3:00 PM and hit the beach.
• Accomodation is at Pousada Recanto do Barão.
• Confirm place on return bus tomorrow through Redenção at 88-3669-2349.

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

• Spend all day on the beach and playing in the dunes at Jericoacoara.
• Return back to Fortaleza on the 10:30 PM overnight bus with Redenção, R$35,50.

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

• Arrive back at Hotel Atalaia early in the morning - shower and pack.
• Depart Fortaleza, Brazil at 3:00 PM on Tam Meridion Flight JJ8006, with service to Salvador, Brazil.
• Arrive in Salvador, Brazil at 4:45 PM.
• Meet up with Nelsinho Santos, Cesar Macedo, Betanea Rosa de Assis, Andre Rappa and friends.
• Accommodation is at The Plaza Residence Service, room 301, in Salvador, Brazil.
• Contact Vinicius, Nelsinho´s friend, about Uruguay and Argentina itinerary.
• Carnaval begins!

Friday, February 1st, 2008

• Carnaval - Camarote Nana

Saturday, February 2nd, 2008

• Carnaval - Camarote Salvador

Sunday, February 3rd, 2008

• Dance in the Balada bloco with Jammil performing

Monday, February 4th, 2008

• Dance in the Me Abraça bloco with Asa de Aguia performing

Tuesday, February 8th, 2008

• Carnaval - Camarote Reina
  

Wednesday, February 9th, 2008

• Depart Salvador for Morro de São Paulo, an island that is also in Bahia state, Brazil. Will be accompanied by Nelsinho and Betânea.
  
• Sleep!!!
  

Sunday, February 10th, 2008

• Depart Morro on 10:00 AM fly to Salvador airport.
  
• Depart Salvador, Brazil at 2:10 PM on Tam Meridion Flight JJ3453, with service to Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
• Arrive in Belo Horizonte, Brazil at 4:40 PM.
• Accommodation is with Nelsinho Santos and family, at his house.
• Dinner with Minister Helio Costa and family.

Monday, February 11th, 2008

• Lunch and shopping with Betânea and Patricia.
  

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008

• Visit nearby historical city of Ouro Preto, also in Minas Gerais state, Brazil.
  

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

• Sightseeing in Ouro Preto and relaxing in my gorgeous room with a view...
  

Thursday, February 14th, 2008

• Return to Belo Horizonte. Bar night with Betânea, Luciana, Patricia, Nelsinho, et al!

Friday, February 15th, 2008

• Fly to Sao Paulo to stay with Claudinha. Depart BH-Confins at 10:55 AM on Gol flight #1263, arriving in SP-Congonhas at 12:15 PM. Pay Claudinha back for the fare. Take a radio taxi to Claudinha´s house and call her on the way.
• Lunch and window shopping in Iguatemi Mall.
• Travel to Claudia´s beach house in Barra do Sahy, two hours north of Sao Paulo. Beach weekend!
  

Monday, February 18th, 2008

• Back in Sao Paulo. Shopping etc ;)
  

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

• Travel to Iguaçu Falls. Depart Sao Paulo-Congonhas at 10;30 AM on Gol Airlines Flight #1224, arriving in Curitiba at 11;20 AM.
• Depart Curitiba at 12;20 PM on Gol Airlines Flight #1850, arriving in Foz do Iguacu at 1;30 PM.
• Staying at El Guembe Hostel & Pousada.
  
• At the airport, figure out how to pay for my flight to Buenos Aires - confirmation PSEVSF.
• Full Moon Tour of the Falls at 9:30 PM. Total Lunar Eclipse! Partial eclipse begins at 11:43 PM, total eclipse begins at 1:01 AM, Mid eclipse occurs at 1:26 AM, total eclipse ends at 1:51 AM, partial eclipse ends at 3:09 AM.
  

Thursday, February 23rd, 2008

• Tour of the falls with Iguazu Jungle Explorer. Pickup at 9:15 AM at the hostel. Great Adventure Tour begins at 10:00 AM, followed by the Ecological Tour afterwards.
  
• Do some hiking around the park.
  

Friday, February 22nd, 2008

• Fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina on Aerolineas Argentinas Flight #2725, departing at 1:00 PM from Iguazu - Cataratas and arriving at 2:50 PM at Buenos Aires - Jorge Newbury.
• Staying at Che Lagarto in Montserrat.
• Contact Gordo, friend of Maru Eugenia Gonzalez, friend of Dino LaCapra.

Saturday, February 23rd, 2008

• Explore the Microcentro.
• Take a yoga class!
• Have dinner with Henry, Julie and Harris, who I met in Morro, at a resturant called Domingo in Palermo Hollywood. Afterwards, bar-hopping!

Sunday, February 24th, 2008

• Take a morning run across the river in Puerto Madero.
• Explore the San Telmo market.
• Watch the street tango outside El Balcon.
• Contact Dan Richter, friend of Alex Rose.
  

Monday, February 24th, 2008

• Shopping in Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood.
• Lunch plans with Lidia Pefaur, friend of Dino.
• Take a look at the Tango Hostel Inn to possibly relocate.
• Dinner and tango show at El Querandi.

Tuesday, February 25th, 2008

• Relocate to the Tango Backpackers Hostel Inn.
• Lunch with Natasha Primak, friend of Dino, at around 3PM.
• Buy Alex three pairs of boxers, size medium, at Bolivia in the Palermo District. See additional NY Times article.
• Contact Meagan Palatino´s friend David Shersher.
• Dinner with Damian and Martin, friends of Maru, friend of Dino, at La Brigada in San Telmo.

Wednesday, February 26th, 2008

• Find the Bolivian consulate.
• Find Say Hueque tour company regarding Patagonia.
• Explore Recoleta.
• Shopping on Florida.
• Explore La Boca and take the bus home.

Thursday, February 27th, 2008

• Watch the Mother´s protest at the Plaza de Mayo.
• Possible party at Sacramento, El Salvador 5729.
• Contact Peter Miraglia's aunt and uncle.
• Spanish classes at IBL?

Friday, February 28th, 2008

• Possible ASW party

Saturday, March 1st, 2008

• La Feria de Mataderos

March 5th, 2008

• Uruguay: Montevideo and Punta del Este with Maru Eugenia Gonzalez, friend of Dino LaCapra. Nightclub opening, big party.
  

Mid March, 2008

• Patagonia. Contact Courtney, friend of Mitch Goodman. She will be in el calafate, el chalten, puerto natales, torres del paine, punta arenas, ushuiaia.

Late March, 2008

• Tash arrives in Santiago on March 24th! 5:00 AM.
• Northern Chile and Northern Argentina.

Mid April, 2008

• Peru. Contact Samantha Cramer, friend of Rachel Reynolds and Alex Rose. Also, Maru Eugenia Gonzalez has a friend in Lima.

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

• Depart Rio de Janeiro/Galeao, Brazil at 6:55 PM on Continental Flight 92, with service to Houston/Intercont, TX.

Thursday, April 24th, 2008

• Arrive in Houston/Intercont, TX at 5:20 AM.
• Depart Houston/Intercont, TX at 7:35 AM on Continental Flight 495, with service to Los Angeles, CA.
• Arrive in Los Angeles, CA at 9:15 AM.