…takes concentration and practice!
I saw these kids from next door learning to fly their pipa on Sunday. Their grandfather was vaguely supervising but was mostly happy to let them get on with it. I loved the looks of deep concentration on their faces!
[hover over the images to see them in colour]
[himage]
[/himage]
[himage]
[/himage]
Sadly, when you’re just starting out, accidents can happen…
Last weekend Mrs Eat Rio and I went to São Paulo for some quality time away, just the two of us – no friends, no family, no chores or computers. This was my sixth or seventh visit to Brazil’s largest city and I loved it! In fact each time I visit São Paulo I like it more than the last.
São Paulo doesn’t immediately hit you as being a beautiful (or even a particularly nice) place to be. On my first couple of visits the weather was misty, cold and grey, the buildings were mostly nondescript and covered in pixação and the people seemed to lack the easy-going, friendly outlook I had grown used to in Rio. Read more
One of the 2 main stages which hosts live music on the weekends. The golden roof resembles a chapéu de cangaceiro (typical hat worn by nordestinos).
One of my favourite things to do in Rio is visit the Feira de São Cristóvão – if you’re in Rio and you haven’t been yet then you should definitely go check it out – find all the details here.
If you go in the evening on a weekend, the whole place is really lively. Crowds of nordestinos (people from Northeastern Brazil) come to eat, drink, dance and generally have a good time – quite a few of them stay all weekend! If you’re interested in Forró, (the music/dance from the Northeast) then stand anywhere near one of the main stages and before you know it some friendly octogenarian will be whisking you around the floor!
On our most recent visit, Mrs Eat Rio and I had a brilliant time browsing the shops, eating far too much food and drinking plenty of ice-cold beer (the temperatures were up above 40°C). While we were eating at a place next to the stage, the live band took a break and put on some recorded ‘holding’ music. The atmosphere calmed a little and all the couples that had been dancing drifted away…
All, that is, except for one! A lone dancer remained. And he was having great time!
Before I came to Brazil, I spent the best part of a year backpacking my way from Argentina to Mexico. While very few (if any) backpackers I met were actually poor, most of them were doing their best to make a limited budget stretch as far as possible. People were always swapping money-saving tips – cheap hostel recommendations, scams to avoid, any handy discovery to save a few pesos/soles/bolivianos.
But one financial question always seemed to cause disagreements: Locals’ Price vs Gringo Price.
Pouco açúcar!
Not so long ago I was asked to contribute some advice for people moving to Rio. The first thing that popped into my head was “Remember to ask for pouco açúcar [just a little sugar] when ordering your caipirinhas”.
“No no”, they said, “It doesn’t have to be specific to Rio. But it does need to be proper, serious advice for expats” (clearly these guys have never suffered an over-sweet caipirinha if they thought that advice wasn’t ‘serious’).
OK, I thought, let’s try to think of something a bit more weighty. Something serious. I imagined someone relocating to a country they’d never seen before. Perhaps they’d heard mixed reports, including some issues with crime and bureaucracy and were feeling a bit nervous. What would be the best advice for someone like that?