Ciao B.A., Oi Rio!

Photos:
[SIM cards]If you travel for an extended period of time you start to collect SIM cards every country you buy a prepaid SIM i;n. I typically get one if I am in a country for at least a month. The SIM cost anywhere between USD3-6. Time usage is not cheap just as any prepaid SIM.
[Beach with Coconut trees] Ipanema
[Beach with dining tables] Copacabana
One of the sand sculpture along Copabacana
Guarana - Brazilian soda pop
[Caipirinha Sign] My usual hangout ;)
Me a little buzzed(with the red face. not sunburn) with passing samba drummers
Poirot, the clown. Picking up my Imperio de Tijuco costume for parade on Saturday

Final day: Argentina
Feb.17.2009. As I sit here at the Ezeiza international airport I mull over what I have heard about the Potenos being rude. It just seems that tax free sales people and at the cafes are plain rude. Quite the contrary on Sunday in Argentine Iguazu where I met a nice french lady. It goes to show that stereotypes aren't always the case. Ezeiza is quite far from the city of Buenos Aires. It is better to fly into the domestic airport within the city, locally known as "Aeroparque". A lot cheaper than transport to Ezeiza. Given the time it is taking me to get to Rio I should have just bussed it from Iguazu. (my eyes are rolling back and forth at myself) But it is a 20 hours bus ride. At check-in I was asked if I lived in Brazil (not yet!) because I had a single day stamp in my passport. When I asked the person at the counter said it wasn't uncommon to see Chinese Brazilians. At immigration the lady took awhile to stamp my exit. When asked she said she was looking at all my stamps for Argentina until I explained I was in Iguazu. Haha. The look on her face.

Rio de Janeiro: First 3 days
Feb.19.2009. So I arrived in Rio international airport (GIG) on time. Except the shuttle ride into town I had booked was running late, so I ended up waiting 3 hours. I know, a long time to wait. But in that 3 hours I got a lot accomplished. I got money out of the ATM, bought a local prepaid SIM card, and grabbed a bite. The 3 evens don’t sound like it would take a lot of time, but let me relay what happened.

ATM machines at GIG
There are about 8 standalone ATM machines (caixa electronic) on the 2nd floor at GIG representing about 5 different banks. HSBC was the only one which displayed Visa Plus, Mastercard on a separate sign. So naturally all the non Brazilian patrons flocked to it first. So did I, except neither the Visa Plus nor Mastercard debit cards I had worked (when traveling, you want to have one of each in case you can’t find the other). There were about 5 of us foreigners, including one business traveler. Since no one was literate in Portuguese none of us knew what the hack was being said on the prompting messages. Frustrated and fed up the others left. I cornered this Brazilian who spoke English and asked what “withdrawal” was in Portugues. He told me “saque” so I went back to the Brandesco machine for the 5th time to try my luck. Aha! This time I knew how to follow the prompts and voila, I got my cash and receipt. In Brazil, unlike any other country so far they have a screwy system. You put your card in then slide it out. Then as you proceed through the prompts, after selecting the amount that you want, you have to insert your card in a 2nd time and withdraw it out immediately, then enter your PIN. Very awkward but a security measure, I suppose. I think after inserting your debit card in 5 different machines and having no success and reading the foreign prompts you kinda figure it out or just watch the Brazilians withdraw. It is rude but honestly what other choice do you have if you don’t know what the hack is going on and desperately need cash.

The Result of trying so many ATM machines
Feb.19.2009. After getting settled, stocking up on food for groceries and getting my bearings for the next 3 weeks, I decided to check my bank ATM withdrawals online, as I usually do to make sure what was taken out was taken out and nothing more. so after making a few inquiries with the apt front deskman with my newly learnt Portuguese, I found an Interent place. My apt doesn't have internet like in BA so I prepaid at this place for 20 hours (knowing my usage!). Here in Rio interent cafes are referred to as "la House" and pronounce Internet "In-ter-neche". You want to make sure you pronounce it right with the nasal sounds otherwise you may be misunderstood, believe me, it is just like MAndarain with the right tone. Once I got to a PC terminal I proceeded to check my withdrawals. To my horror, I saw a duplicate withdrawal. Luckily they had Skype on their PCs so I made a call to my bank, a 800 US number which I found out you could not use from abroad. Another thing is make sure you have set up some funds on Skype to make outgoing toll calls. Lukcily I had my bank's direct non toll free number and called. After about 20 minutes on the "phone" I was informed that both withdrawals were made at at the same date same time so obviously it was a machine glitch. After being instructed to file my dispute online (that's why Internet checking is so important! you can't depend on a bank without this infrastructure) I left feeling a little better. So supposedly it will be 10 days before I get my credit posted. It is weird that my Visa Plus debit card is not accepted at a bank it is supposed to be accepted at. Goes to show do not depend on the Visa logo in other countries. It is always good to have 2 debit cards: a Visa and a MC. Whatever you do, make sure you get setup with both, especially if you are traveling for an extended time. Traveler checks have seen their hey day. It is relatively hard to get these cashed these days. You have to find a bank or exchanage place (not all banks or exchange places accept traveler checks, all do accept cash especially USD) which will do it but the fees alone will send you to set up a debit card. ATM fees are around 1-2% of the amount you withdraw and not a fixed fee, so it doesn't matter if you withdraw usd100 or usd200 at time. It is a percentage. When traveling, you want to avoid using a credit card or only use it at an established business, like a travel agency. Then again, you want to be dilligent and check since that everything is correct and accessed fees are correct. Unlike when I lived in Phoenix, I go cash with everything now. You may get charged up to 10% by the business where you are buying something plus the 3% your U.S. based credit card charges when you use it abroad. Unlike the U.S. businesses in SOuth America have the right to charge pass on the cost of what it costs them to process a credit transaction onto the customer with a mark up, if they feel like it. 13% fee for a purchase, I think twice about that!

Almost Missing My Ride to the City
Feb.17.2009 So I went to the tour desk where I was supposed to meet my ride and told them I was going upstairs to grab a bite to eat, to please tell the driver or come get me. There was no knowing when the driver of the shuttle bus was going to show. After grabbing a bite, I returned downstairs to the tour desk to see one of the staff wave at me and start running outside to catch the driver who was leaving. Apparently he had showed up and couldn’t wait any longer. Anyhow all was good and I got dropped off at the hotel near my rental apartment, which is 3 times what my Buenos Aires apartment cost. It was soon to be discovered that everything in Rio is 3x what it cost in B.A.

Locality and Cockcroaches in the Apartment
So I met the landlord at the door of the building and went up to pay my remaining rent and get situated. Location wise the unit was very good. An older building I am 3 blocks form Copacabana beach and 4 blocks from Ipaneam Beach, which I prefer. It is cleaner and the ocean is less strong. 2 blocks from a supermarket, Internet café, and 3 blocks from a locutorio where I can make calls, local or long distance. Everything was well until the cockcroaches appeared. I made a 2nd visit to the store to pick up cockcroach instecticide. I contacted the landlord on my prepaid cell account and he came the next day to hand me a bag of cockcroach solutions: spray and cockcroach traps. I saw 2 last night, 1 in the refrigerator today, and 2 this evening. All babies. Anyhow I hope this is the last of them. I now have 10 traps located throughout the apt and sprayed the apt crazy of cockcroach spray.

Spanish and Portuguese: Not the same
Quite the contrary to what people tell me, the Brazilians do not understand if you speak Spanish. However, I have met a few who speak English. Generally if you are at the tourist place, English is spoken. If you at the supermarket or corner store, then no English is spoken. Now Portuguese has a nasal sound on all the vowels, almost like the 4 tones of Mandarin. Another noticeble thing in Portuguese is that the "L" sounds in Spanish are an "R" in Portuguese: almost like the joke with the Asians who can't pronounce their "R" like "F-ied L-ice" Hahahaha. The other thing about Portuguese is that what you read is not what you pronounce so that is an extra level of difficulty. I would say that there are more what you see is not what it sounds like in Portuguese than in French. By now I have been exposed to all the Romantic languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French and Spanish. It makes it easier once you know one. The construct is the same and you can generally speak with less difficulty. I took a Portuguese conversational course today. In total I have signed up for 5 hours. The 2 hours really went well. I was able to have a halfway decent conversation with the front desk man after the lesson. Generally I am taken to be a Brazilian. I have seen quite a few Chinese Brazilian around. You can tell who the foreign ones are just by dress. You can tell the tourist ones from China (YOU KNOW!). You can tell the North American ones too. Too funny. The part of Rio called Lapa has a large concentration of Chinese. I will have to check it out and go blend in for a day. I think I have the nasal sound mastered ok. The Brazilians Cariocas (people from Rio) are very polite. They will correct me as I speak. I think that is the way to learn a language, just constantly converse with people until you get it right. At least that’s how I learnt Spanish. I was thinking back to the experience of difficulty I had when I visited China, this is nothing compared to that. I still do not know to this very day how on earth I survived China without Mandarin. I do remember my frustration going through the roof.

"Gracias" and "Abrigado" do not sound the same
Feb 18. While strolling the night market on Copa Beach, I was behind some Americans. One of the girls kept saying "Gracias" and giggling away. After being behind them for 3 stalls, I cracked up. To me if you visit a foreign place, at least learn how to say "thank you" in the local language. How difficult could it be. This girl was insistant that "gracias" was the word to use despite being told so. I started talking to them (in English) and said that gracias was spanish. She went "ohhhhhh, I didn't know. Don't they speak spanish here?" I will not comment on my reaction after this as you can obviously guess. So far I have met up and hung out with some Danish and English travelers. I don't know what exactly about Americans that make other foreign travelers can't stand them but that is what I have heard. The Brazilians also greet each as "Oi" which means "Hola" in spanish.

Rio the City: The Beaches in Zona Sul
So I have walked Copacabana beach a few times. How could anyone not want to be here. This really is the good looking playground of the world! Makes Bikini Beach look like child’s play, and I thought that made Miami Beach look like child’s play. So you get the idea of the meter here. Skimpy speedos, tiny bikinis and in shape bodies . All the way along both beaches (Copacabana and Ipanema) there are these double bars on the beach next to a see saw normally, where people show off their push ups. There are volleyball and soccer camps all along the beaches. Kids and adults play. You can catch a high standard of volleyball and soccer game at some of these venues. It’s free. Just sit there and enjoy. Waves breaking in the background, nice sandy beach, a capirinha in hand, and samba drums all around (it is after all Carnaval). There are these bar, restaurant and fast food stalls set up all along the beach with tables and chairs. Toilets underground are found every quarter kilometer or so. All along the beaches there are sand structures of most intricate carvings carved up by locals. These are most amazing. There are also singers, performers, vendors selling all sorts of bags, swim and beach wear, jewellery, souvenirs, you name it. It is after all peak Carnival season and a buck is made from every little thing. The thing though there are also a lot of beggars and pick pockets. Generally even though this is Copacabana, I don’t exactly feel save. You really do not want to whip out your camera without looking around first. When you ask a Brazilian, they will tell you the same thing. Petty street crime is worse here than Buenos Aires.

What I like About Copacabana so Far
The usd1.00 caipirinhas! In the States, you have to pay usd8.00 for a halfway decent capirinha in Phoenix, and that is if you can find one (referring to Phoenix.) Here they are less than a buck! The caipivodkas are perhaps usd2 at most. You can get straight Absolute vodka on the rocks for about usd4.50. I am getting caipirinha-ed out soon!! The fast food stalls serve the best cheeseburgers for about usd1.10 and this is not McD crap. A good chunk of burger, melted cheese (just the way I like it) so much better than the McD equivalent. Of course, McD isn’t missing out on Copa action. There is a McD stand for ice cream on Copa Beach. You can sit at the beach all day and do absolutely nothing. I bought a lounge chair as I figure if I am going to be renting on for all the days I will be sitting there it is economically wiser. Now I have to get a beach umbrella or "guarda-sol"! There's this Brazilian made soda drink called "Guarana" which I started getting addicted to on the flight over. It taste a mix of ginger ale and seven up. Trust me, it is nothing like I tasted before!

What‘s Coming Up for Carnaval
So I ordered this fantasy (Samba school costume) with a samba school whose name I cannot recall and in the “A” group (competing for 2010 Carnaval Nights 1 and 2 parade, the main nights). I have to pick up my costume and Sambadromo ticket tomorrow. I am supposed to wear my costume on Saturday, walk to the hotel and get transferred. Transfer was included in the purchase of the costume. I will be frank here, since this is a once in a lifetime experience, I decided to splurge (way out of my budget). The costumer was usd380 and the Sambadromo tix was usd400. Other tourists here asked me how much things were so I might as well mention it, for everyone’s reference for future. That usd400 seat is considered on the low head. The tix go all the way up to usd2000! Yeah, Carnival is a major event. One thing what really pisses me off is how the travel agencies get away with charging tourists so much for the transfer to the Sambadromo. Pickup and dropoff from Copa to the Sambadromo is going at usd80! Very ridiculous. The cheapest way is to take the Metro for half and hour, then walk 20 minutes. I have been told that this 20 minutes is pick pocket time. Anyhow, that is my mode of transpo to the Sambadromo. Usd80 is highway robbery. Just like the transfer thing, tours to Sugarloaf and Corcovado (the Christ statue) go for about usd40 and up when you could easily take the bus there for usd0.90. Isn’t this insane?! The bus and metro are 3x what it cost in BA. Just to show how cheap BA is!!
Feb.20.2009. Picked up my Sambadromo tix for Sunday and fantasy costume today to parade with the Imperio de Tijuco Group "A" school tomorrow evening (see photo). The fellow Luca who was outfitting everyone (in photo) had me parade around the main room where everyone could see. How embarrasing! TG it wasn't one of the "float" (up top) costumes which would have been more revealing (the teeny tiny bikini top and bottom with elaborate head, arm and leg pieces). What I got was a "Ground" fantasy which is more transportable but not the best looking but convenient for if I have to stuff anything I am carrying underneath it (camera!). You are not allowed to display any other object than your costume while parading because the school is parading for points! 2 ladies ahead of me [just flew in for Carnival, 1 from Toronto and one from the Netherlands. They just arrived and are leaving Tuesday. Ther were probably in their 30s] and 3 behind me in line ordered the float fantasy and the ones behind me gulped because they weren't exactly skinny ;) As one put it "oh well let it hang" Haha. The float fantasy has more color and cost and additional usd200-300.