10.4.2000

The no dial-up blues...

Okay, so those of you who enjoy frequent email talks to my hotmail account, or catch glimpses of me online at night can expect not to for the next two weeks to a month. No dial-up access for me from Macaé. *sigh* Very little to do in this city, difficult even to try and find a place to eat, and no kitchen facilities to cook in. No matter, not many places to buy food to cook. Suckage.

On the up side, I'm busy being vacation minded in my planning and work is moving at a quicker pace than it has been. I am near the ocean, but it's very very dark at night and I'm not sure it's safe to go wandering around. I'm going to ask around and see if there is a bus that I could take to Buzios on Sunday, as it's one of the places everyone and their brother says I simpley *must* visit in RJ state. I'm tired though, and am not sure I really want to do anything this weekend, even though I know I'll go stircrazy if I stay home. I have one English TV channel (HBO) and 20 pages to go before the end of my book... so there's not much to do to keep the brain going. I'm half a mind to read it all over again I enjoyed it so thoroughly.

Anyway, much to do, so must sign off... send the amusement vibe my way.
posted by The Mo of Space and Death 16:31 (her time) @

I think I'm going to die...

Okay, it's the beginning of spring and it's 30-odd degrees out there.I just got back from the local grocery because there is nothing within a 30 minute walk in any direction from my hotel. And that down a pitch black street at night. The hotel grounds are lovely, and fraught with jasmine (over-fraught as the smell although pretty the first few times becomes cloying after a while). The buiulding is about four stories high and covered in ivy and although touted as a four star hotel and the priciest place in Macaé leaves much to be desired. It'd be a lovely place to vacation - especially if you owned a car - with it's dim lights and dark wood floors and walls, with a pretty restaurant patio that overlooks the lago (lake), and it's 2 block proximity to the ocean, but as a place to live while on business it bites. The cabs in Macaé are inordinately expensive too. A ride at half the distance - even in São Paulo ends up costing three times as much.

So I went grocery shopping - and I didn't buy too much stuff exactly cause I knew I had a 10 minute walk back to work in the driving heat (at a 67% humidity level, I might add). And now I might as well be melting. My god. What will actual summer be like? The brazilians find me most amusing in my overheated way too... "This is not Canada." They often say. "Não muito frio..." and I feel like responding "No friggin' kidding. Man it's hot. It's like Africa hot. Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot. Never got this hot in Brooklin."

I can't help like feeling like an oddity here... especially when - like on days like today trying to get my groceries balanced somebody comes up to me and says something in quick portuguese and I advise that I only speak a little of the language they proceed to discuss me with their friends right in front of me. Something along the lines of 'Hey looky here an honest-to-goodness gringa' (I'm heavily paraphrasing, of course) and then they duck down to examine me closer in order to point at my eyes, look at his friend and exlaim "Veja? Ela tehna os olhos Azuis! Azul!" or "See? She has blue eyes! Blue!" (and yes, they are actually green most of the time, but I'm wearing a royal blue shirt which tends to change things). I took it as a compliment, but man does that backhand sting... I want to exlaim "Next showing, 4 O'clock!" and get the heck on out of there.
posted by The Mo of Space and Death 15:17 (her time) @

Finally in Macaé.

Started posting from Rio last night, but had very little energy after my day roaming the Hippy Fair - artisan craft show that happens in General Osorio Square every Sunday. It was a bit of a crazy week as the elections here were winding down (finally!). They have been electioneering here since I arrived back in July and there were flag holders and ralleys and signs everywhere. In Brazilian elections, or so I've been told, voting is not a voluntary issue. Each registered citizen is required by law to vote in their municipal and federal elections. Like Canada, employers are required to give time off to allow the vote, but unlike Canada, they hold elections on a Sunday, in order to have the least impact on business. Odd. They campaign right up to the voting booth. I swear there are thousands on thousands of people employed during electioneering times just to wave flags in public squares, or to hand out leaflets. And cars with huge speakers on the roof drive through every big city and little town barking out their platforms or empty promises at all hours of the day and night. There's very little party politicing in general, though there is a Worker's party, but these elections were Municipal ones from what I gather - Mayoral elections but all districts happen at the same time. A very different experience, but I'm glad it's over... It's a bit annoying.

I guess it's not as dear an issue to me to whom voting is a commonplace act, whereas Brazil hasn't even been voting as long as I've been alive, so I expect the newness of it generates a lot more enthusiasm than it does back home. I went out to dinner last night in a little restaurant on the Copacobana and there were a whole bunch of men there glued to the TV set to see the rersults. Odd thing was though they didn't seem particularly happy or sad at the outcomes, but it seemed to be pretty important to them to watch. Of course, the newness of the voting experience only applies to some of the populace. There was voting before the Military regime after all. Brazilian politics has a long and sordid history that reads like a telenovela (a particularaly melodramatic Brazilian brand of soap opera). Maybe if I get time and energy, I'll summarize it here one day soon.

Didn't get to ponder caphirinias on the beach as planned, though I did spend a little time there on Saturday, just to watch the sunset. I didn't get into Rio until almost five, and by then the beachness was mostly over. I got dinner and listened to a live Samba band at a restaurant facing the water, though and it waws fun all around. Wasn't feeling very well either day so I didn't end up staying out to late at all.

Anyway, got to go and see if I can dig up the people I'm supposed to be dealing with.

Um abraço...
posted by The Mo of Space and Death 14:03 (her time) @

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