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So today I am off to the Benedicto antique markets to meet a friend who I travelled with 6 months ago in Bolivia. I had a late breakfast and drank some Mate with Fernanda before heading down the road to the markets. I met David and he was his same old self talk talk about how good he was and how he already speaks fluent Portuguese etc and so within 10 minutes I was not only exhausted but wishing I hadn't organized to spend the day with him. The antique market was rather small and although it had a few interesting bits and pieces nothing really stood out to me and to be honest David was banging on about his job so much that I could barely relax or enjoy the environment. I decided to take a Couchsurfer up on her offer to join her and some other Couchsurfers in the city centre at a music store where a bunch of musicians get together every Saturday to have a jam session. David and I took the subway into the city (my first time) and to be honest I was quite impressed with how quick and efficient the system was and I guess at $1.50 per ride its not overly expensive. I managed to get David off the topic of work and how good he was at Portuguese and more talking about São Paulo but it was still very exhausting - that along with trying to find the music store caused me more stress then I have had in months. We made it to the music store and went out the back to a small room where the musicians were playing. Adrianna had not arrived yet so we sat and listened while we waited. The music was quite nice with about 6-7 instruments and 10 or so musicians but it was not out of this world impressive - a big problem when you travel so much you witness amazing things everyday and then everything else tends to become mediocre. Adrianna and her friends arrived but by this time David and I were hungry and ready to go for lunch so we exchanged contact details and organized to meet up for lunch a few hours later. David and I walked back into the city and to the Mercado municipal; as it was Saturday the place was loaded with people and people crowded the isles; buying and sampling all the amazing delicacies. We really went for it this time sampling all the dried hams, salamis, olives, salsas and preserved vegetables; then onto the huge array of nuts which were toasted, roasted, caramelized, chocolatized, sweetened, salted and smoked - the fruits that were crystallized, sweetened, dried and dehydrated were my favorites. We also got to try about 10 different types of egg plant salad type dishes which were beyond words. By the time we got to the fruits I could barely eat any more and within an 1.5 hours of arrival we were both stuffed and called it quits. We decided to walk through the city one last time and back to where I am staying. Unfortunately I had to listen to two hours more of David's ramblings of how good he is at everything, how many friends he has and by the time we arrived I literally could not take anymore. In the evening Paula and I hung-out and waited for Fernanda to finish her day of meditation. When Fernanda arrived the girls went to the shop to get some things to prepare tonight's dinner: Peruvian Ceviche. I made a salad and tidied the kitchen up. The girls came back with a mountain of shopping and had a surprise for me; they were going to make me the most famous Brazilian cocktail - Caipoirinia - made with cachasa (cane-sugar based spirit), fresh lime and sugar. Fernanda made the Caipoirinia and wow it was incredibly delicious and very strong - kind of reminding me of Thailand and how the food all seems to incorporate bitter and sweet tastes. Paula made the ceviche whilst Fernanda finished making the Caipoirinias and then we sat and waited for the lime juices to cook the fish. We were having such a good time drinking, laughing and telling stories we almost forgot about dinner, the girls played traditional Brazilian music from Samba to rock and I began to get an even deeper understanding of Brazilian culture. The food was served and the ceviche was delicious, Paula had used a ton of chili which for me was perfect but for the girls to spicy. It wasn't long before the girls were up showing me the traditional samba dances from Brazil and it was a real treat as both of them could dance - I tried to follow but found the steps a little hard specially after a belly full of food and a super strong cocktail. It was soon 2am and the girls had to think about getting some sleep in order to get up for work tommorow.
OBSERVATIONS:
- Samba music - large group of musicians, somewhat happy style of samba
- Samba style of dance very different here and men roll of their heel and women of their toes
- Caipoirinia - Famous Brazilian cocktail: Cachasa, limes, sugar - very bitter with hint of sweetness (delicious)
- Acai - sweet sweet grape looking berry
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