Me and Natasha, on a boat, after a full day of fun in the sun and trekking thru the forest.
We had just gotten kicked out of this church in Rio, but here's a few of the hostel/Carnaval crew
Me feeling awesome in front of the Copacabana Palace Hotel. Just after the first parade of the night had finished, just before the maniacal disaster I was to become in Lapa. Thanks to Athena for the pic
Leanne was the shit. Met her and Zoe at breakfast alone in the morning, then went mad that night. Behind us are the famous Lapa arches... fun spot! Leanne's photo.
I could have died and gone to heaven. Great company with Sian and Sandra from the hostel, a perfect sunset, and the perfect spot in one of the most amazing cities I've ever seen. Screw San Fran, I left my heart in Rio de Janeiro! Thanks Sian for the photo
Throwing it back to week 2 in Sao Paulo. We are in the midst of a car chase that ended with me schooling the hostel crew on a couple things that night. Thanks to Rory for the photo.
OK hope you guys enjoy the photos! None of them are mine due to A) the fact that my camera got stolen, but B) I never took that many pictures anyway.
It's just a lazy Sunday, sitting around and reminiscing a bit while Kendra and I plan the next leg of our trip. Laundry, beer, and a travel research meeting between the two of us is what I have planned for this afternoon. This weekend has been the most relaxed so far, of the entire trip! On Friday, we went to a house party. It could have easily been a Brooklyn house party, but the vibes were much friendlier. The only difference is that here, instead of jungle juice, the botella loca makes rounds throughout the night. Not really that crazy though, as it seems to always be fernet and coke, a national drink of choice. Not the most drinkable mix in the world, but somehow I like the bitter taste.
Yesterday was a big Earth Day festival in a park nearby, so Kenj and I strolled over and planned on meeting up with a few people. My half of the group didn't show, but we met with a New Yorker friend, Sarit, who we've been seeing quite a bit. A Brazilian singer, Bebel Gilberto, performed live and it made for nice, sultry bossa nova jam session. The evening was icy, but the music made me feel like I should be in a smoke filled room, dirty martini in hand, with curtains waving in the breeze, awaiting some scandalous rendezvous, or more true to my nature, on the beach sipping on something frozen. We finished off by meeting a few new people and going to an Arabic restaurant in San Telmo which turned out to be cheap and delicious. As the night wound down, we headed outside because I was really craving some shisha, but we couldn't smoke inside. We lit it up, and as per usual, passersby make the night more interesting.
A couple walked past trying to sell us some stickers or other junk typical of the streets/buses/subways/trains of Buenos Aires. We didn't want anything, but they asked for a drag from the hookah so I couldn't say no. The woman smoked, made a funny face, and asked what it was. Then the guy had to try, and did exactly the same thing. I guess they thought we were just sitting outside smoking a bong.. Goofy. But no, it was just that lovely sweet tobacco that is the perfect way to wind down after dinner. Then this other random guy who was just standing around asked me, in perfect English, where we were from. All his hair was bleached. Including his eyebrows. But I talked to him anyway, told him Atlanta, and he started name-dropping all over the place about some jewelry stores and connections he has in Atlanta, Georgia. Totally random, because not many people know about Atlanta, except for the airport and coca cola, let alone the state it is in. But anyway, he kept talking about some mail order bride, how he came from Chavez-town to get her here in BA, explained that chavez town is venezuela, how he had all of his things robbed in Bolivia...... running his mouth while saying nothing really. I was enchanted by the lights of street lamps dancing off his perfectly bleached eyebrows, enthralled at how his bleached bangs covered that goofy forehead of his... I was ready for the night to never end with this one, but he said his piece and bowed out.
I have the propensity to converse with crazy people more and more, the older I get. That probably says something about me. The story always unfolds the same, no matter where I am. Someone is weird, talks to me, I think they're funny, keep talking, then end up with some emotional obligation to them. For instance, I met this guy in Union Square right before I left NY and we ended up sharing his lunch on a bench, talking about India (he was like 65, and a tourist from said country) and human-squirrel interaction in Manhattan, chatting in a cafe over coffee.... then all of a sudden I was supposed to be calling him that night to see a movie in Hoboken because we were, in that moment, very good friends... in a very creepy sounding way. Whatever, I had time to kill and I like a story. Obviously I didn't meet him ever again but that's the kind of weird shit I get into. Even better when it's in a foreign country.
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