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Sooo.... I'm here! Wow... It still has not sunken in 100% but I really did cross the Atlantic. The flight went perfectly ok, with a short stopover in Lisbon. The plane was quite full, so there was no 2 seat luxury.
Upon arrival in Fortaleza, I had to wait over an hour in line to pass border security, and then finally, officially in Brazil! Whether it was proper miss-communication or just typical latin unreliability, my ride from the airport to the hostel wasn't there. Some wandering around and a phone call later, I took a taxi to the hostel. Surprisingly the streets were very empty, and the drivers ok, although red lights are a thing that they don't really see. So I finally get to the hostel, it is a wonderfull place. The owners extremely kind and helpfull and the place very clean. I'm sharing a room with up to 6 other women, everyday different ones.
I thought that today I would not really go out and explore the city. Just stay in, rest after the trip, get used to the heat and humidity and just get to terms with the fact that I am actually here! I did venture it outside for lunch. But only because one of the women sharing the room invited me to go have lunch with her in the "kilo" restaurant around the corner. There are a lot of "kilo" restaurants in Brazil, you go in, fill your plate with food and then pay for the weight. I had a very full plate with different meats off the churrasco and very very yummy mango and watermelon. A very satisfying first meal in Brazil.
After lunch we parted ways and I went in search of the closest supermarket, about 5 minutes walk up the street. In crossing the street I nearly got run over, to soon after noticing that I had made the biggest fool out of myself... There are traffic lights, you just have to know where to find them So I got these weird stares from people sitting in cars and motorcycles waiting for the light to turn. The secret to crossing streets is to look at the vehicle traffic lights, so yeah, that is one mistake I don't care to repeat.
At the supermarket, I find myself looking at the biggest pile of mango's and melon's that I have ever seen! Yummy! After paying I once again make a fool of myself by not knowing what to do with my shopping cart, so yeah. That was an amazing first shopping experience.
Getting back to the hostel was fine, except the sun was at it's strongest point and so extremely hot. I got back with a very sweaty and red face, and possibly a sun burnt neck. The high humidity content doesn't help matters along either
The accent differs a lot, if I'm really paying attention than it isn't to hard to follow, but the brazilians don't talk very loudly and at least the one I have spoken to, speak quite inwardly, so a lot of the syllables get lost. But I am sure that within a few weeks I'll be speaking Brazilian like a pro.
Tomorrow I shall venture out into the city centre. There are some beautifull buildings in the historical center and I want to try and catch a glimps of the dolphins from the Ponte dos Inglêses.
This is it for now... But I shall be back soon with more! If you have any questions, don't hestitate to leave a comment!
- comments
Alex Paulo Meca Nice report you've made! Reminded me the ontro of "Apocalipse Now" (yeah, I know, I'm that old). As you're a meat lover, you'll be in paradise. Glad to hear you've survived from beeing run over on empty streets. Kusjes
Rita Arraya Very proud of you, good job Girl. Just enjoy yourself and make the best you can. Kisses&Hugs
Clarissa Não percebi muito bem a cena dos traffic lights ou será por estar cansada mas... ainda bem que te safaste! Continua a aproveitar e a gozar como eu própria o faria! :-) Beijão grande da mamãe, amorzão!
Luís Bombas Por aqui, também vamos acompanhar-te passo a passo, "menina". É pena não escreveres em português para irmos vendo a transição do teu sotaque de Portugal para o do Brasil. Explicando à tua mãe, segundo percebi, não há semáforos para os peões, pelo que estes têm de se guiar pelos dos automóveis, será isso? Aproveita bem estes dias na civilização antes de te ires enfiar nos confins do mato. Que corra tudo bem contigo! Beijos e boa sorte!