June 2 (DAY 5)

Ka-Tchau

This morning we left our apartment in Sao Paulo and went to a park downtown called Ibirapuera. To get out of our apartment, a guard has to open the garage door and then a gate.  We always roll down our windows and tell him thank you and something else.  Today I said, "Tchau.  Obrigada."  Brayden echoed with, "Tchau."  He wanted to add something to it like I did and stuttered a minute and exclaimed, "Ka-chow" like Lightning McQueen.  

Ibirapuera was a beautiful place.  Similar to Central Park in New York but more jungle-ish.  No manicured lawns or landscaped shore.  Yet there were still pathways and roads.  The river was beautiful with the tall buildings in the background.  You couldn't even tell there was any crazy traffic anywhere.  There are a lot of museums and a planetarium in the park but they are only open on Sundays and Tuesdays.  Apparently I missed that part in making our schedule.  But it was okay.  It was fun just to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the scenery.  We had some coxinhas for lunch.  Fried rolls with chicken and cheese inside.  Oh so good.  Gostozo.  We also had a flaky pastry that had chicken and cheese inside.  It was the shape of a sandwich but had several layers of the pastry wrapped around the shredded chicken and cheese.  I don't know how they do it.  It is the first thing that Brayden ate without a problem.  He has been very hesitant to eat any food here.  He wouldn't even eat the pineapple at breakfast today- which was so delicious.  I was happy to see him finally eat something.  He scarfed it down.  Cutler tried to take a bite and he about lost his head.

We then drove to Guaruja.  The beach house here is amazing.  It is the fifth floor of an apartment building.  It has glass doors all the way across the living room that open all the way across and leave a huge opening into the balcony overlooking the beach. One amazing view.  WOW!  The balcony has a staircase onto the roof of the apartment with a swimming pool.  There is even a bathroom on the roof next to the swimming pool and a room with pool toys.  It is unbelievable.  The apartment is very elegant, yet relaxing at the same time.  It is going to be nice to stay here and just relax.  A very different feel from the busy city.  It will be nice to be at a different pace.

We went to a grocery store and it even had a parking lot.  Everywhere we have gone in Sao Paulo, we have had to pay for parking and park in a garage.  It was nice to go somewhere that actually had a place to park.  Being in the grocery store was almost as fun as the Mercado.  Seeing all the different types of food and the ways to cook, etc.  It was kind of a fun experience.  We bought stuff to make Ravioli tonight (not very Brazilian but we can't find anything like it in Flagstaff!) and Rice and Beans and Meat tomorrow night.  I have really liked the rice and beans here.  The flavor is so amazing.  I hope Matt can make something comparable because it is so yummy.  :-)

We are looking forward to Brayden's birthday tomorrow!  It will be a fun day for him on a beach of Brazil (hopefully it is warmer tomorrow than it was today!) 

June 3 (DAY 6)

Lazer

Lazer....meaning leisure. That is what today was: so beautiful and peaceful and fun! We started out the day with a very excited Brayden for his birthday. He was so excited to finally be 4. He was singing, "It is my birthday shout hooray!"  He was so happy all day long and he ate every meal. I think he is finally over jet lag. I'm happy to have him back. We opened his gift and smiled for lots of pictures. Matt made omelets and fried eggs for breakfast. Super yummy. And we had Acerola juice. It was pretty sour so we added some sugar and it made a delicious juice. There is nothing to even compare it to. Unbeatable.

We went up on the roof to the pool. It is winter in Sao Paulo right now and the pool confirmed it. It was freezing cold. I convinced all the kids to get in because I wanted some pictures. It was a lot of fun watching them do crazy things. What we won't do for chocolate! 

I went to the beach worried that the water was going to be ice cold as well but it was really nice. The sun shone bright and the water was so nice. We were just about the only ones on the beach. We really couldn't have asked for a better day on the beach. It was so amazingly beautiful. The sky was blue and the sand was silky. Brayden has never liked getting in the water and it was like he decided he was going to conquer his fear. He went out there and jumped over waves again and again. He really had so much fun on his birthday. We spent at least 5 hours out on the beach.

We came back to the beach house and Matt made us a delicious meal of Brazilian Rice and beans with some meat cooked in garlic and onions. Oh wow!  It was so good. We ate all of it and wanted more. Then we had Brigadeiros, a round chocolate ball rolled in chocolate sprinkles, and Maracuja ice cream. There is not an ice cream out there like it. Delicious.

Then they ended the day watching the Lego movie because they haven't seen it yet. They are all laughing and having a great time together. Tomorrow we will have another similar day of lazer.

www.shabbyprincess.com

www.shabbyprincess.com

June 4 (DAY 7)

Conchas

Sea Shells.  Matt got the boys up this morning to go on an early morning walk to try to find some sea shells.  The beach we are on has guys that go out at sunrise and rake the beaches.  It makes the beach really clean and beautiful but messes up sea shell hunting for the boys.  They didn't go out early enough because the beaches had already been raked.  But there was a fisherman that let McKay try his had at fishing in the ocean.

We drove over 1/2 hour to another area of Guaruja similar to a state park.  It was a beautiful drive with all sorts of vegetation lining the road. It was so lush and green it is hard to remember that it is winter time.  We crossed the Atlantic Ocean (or at least a bay!) on a ferry.  It was a beautiful ride with hills of lush green vegetation surrounding us.  The ferry ride took us to another beach and we got out and walked along the beach.  The boys were happy that this beach had lots of sea shell collecting possibilities.  Brayden loved the beach so much that he got in the water in his clothes! 

We had a great lunch of coxinhas (a pastry shaped like a raindrop with chicken and cheese inside) and esfirra (a triangular meat pie).  Again, it was all yummy.  Even Brayden has really started to eat the food.  He didn't even hesitate and jumped right in eating it all.  

It was later than we had planned when we got back.  Google maps had said the area we were going to was a 15 minute drive- but it was more like 45 minutes!  We had hoped to go into a local aquarium and hit the beach but we knew we didn't have time for both.  We gave the boys a choice and all 4 of them said the beach.  I really thought they would choose the aquarium but they were excited to go to the beach again.  They have loved the water here.

There is a guy here at the beach house that is always at the door to open it for us when we arrive or leave.  He even opens the elevator door and pushes the button for us to go up to our floor.  He is really friendly.  When we went to the beach he took chairs for each of us (even a little chair for Brayden) and an umbrella.  He set it all up and then told us to leave it there and he would pick it up when we are done for the day.  What a nice way to do the beach.  

We stayed on the beach for the sunset.  It was actually behind us since we are on the Atlantic Ocean but it was beautiful anyway. 

Then we came back and had pizza for dinner and got all packed up so we can be ready to go tomorrow.  We are going to miss this beautiful beach house!  It has been really nice to stay here. 

June 5 (DAY 8)

Lombada

Speed Bump.  Today was just a long tiring day with lots of Lombadas (or obstacles).  We were driving along a road similar to the road from Flagstaff to Utah.  Mostly single lanes with an occasional passing lane.  The speed limit was 80 km per hour when suddenly the car in front of us slowed down drastically.  There was a huge speed bump in the middle of nowhere.  It was letting us know that the speed was decreasing while we passed through a city.  That is what the “obsticula” signs were about!  We realized that this was the norm.  Long stretches of nothing but jungle and rainforest and then Lombada- a city.  It was actually a very beautiful drive.  For much of it we were along the coastline where the vegetation was so thick you couldn’t even see the beach that was 20 yards away.  When we did catch glimpses of it, it was breathtaking.  The color of the water and the beauty of the beach line were astounding.  We drove for about 5 hours to get to Ubatuba.  We drove through one area that Matt served in called Caragua and he was amazed with how much it has changed since he was here.  He cannot believe how different the economy of Brazil is.  It used to be very impoverished but now it is thriving.  Even the cars are a lot nicer.  There are still areas of poverty- they are just not quite so prevalent.  It is definitely not the United States though.  We are very blessed to live where we do.

One lombada I have learned to avoid while in Brazil is going to the bathroom and finding myself without toilet paper.  I have found that I should always check a stall before going in to see if it has toilet paper.  One time I went into a stall and went to the bathroom only to find that there was no toilet paper.  I was stuck.  I went out and saw all the ladies were getting toilet paper from a single roll before they went into the stall.  Ugh.  So, now I always check before going in.  One time they didn’t even have toilet paper so I didn’t go at all.  Today in the marketplace you had to pay a Real (a dollar) to go.  The boys were pretty astounded that you would have to pay money to use the bathroom.

We arrived in Ubatuba and had a hard time finding the place where we were staying.  The address was just a mile marker.  We kept driving past it and didn’t see it because it was kind of hidden off the road.  Finally, Matt noticed a sign off the side of the road and we drove up to the guard station.  It is up on a hill overlooking the city.  It took a long time to get everything figured out because it had to be paid in cash and so we had to go find a place to get cash and then come back out and get registered.  Quite a hassle and the day was pretty much gone.  Matt ran to 5 banks trying to get cash and for some reason it wouldn’t give him cash.  He was getting frantic.  Then he lost where we were waiting in the car and was really worried.  When he finally found us he was relieved.  We all went to the bank and for some reason this time it gave him the money!  He thought we were going to be stuck without a place to stay and no way to get money. 

While we were getting cash we went to two pharmacies.  Before we left I had a small cough- but not too significant.  Gradually, it has been getting worse and worse until I am coughing all the time.  It is pretty miserable.  Everywhere you go they have “Halls” cough drops for sale as candy.  I am not kidding- it is candy.  In all flavors and strengths in the candy aisle.  I bought some “candy” to help with my cough.  It has helped moderately but I needed more.  The first pharmacy told Matt that he couldn’t order an antibiotic for me because he is not licensed in Brazil.  The pharmacist recommended an over-the-counter drug that would help.  Matt looked at it and laughed.  He couldn’t order an anti-biotic, but he could buy a narcotic not even available as a prescription in the US.  It has a drug in it that they use to put kids under for surgery.  Maybe I will actually sleep tonight.  I have been up coughing all night for several nights.  Then we went to another pharmacy and Matt asked him the same question.  The pharmacist asked for proof that he was a doctor and Matt gave him his business card.  He took down Matt’s information and gave him the drug. 

We finally went back and got into our place and all settled in.  And now Brayden has diarrhea.  Oh oh.  I am so glad he didn’t have it in the car today.  Lombadas ;-).