The #13 thing I love about Brasil is......

Farmácias (drugstores). They rock, if you have any ailment, chances are that the person behind the counter knows the cure. I trust them more than I trust real doctors. Just an example, the other day my eye (mind you this is my good eye) got really swollen, like I had gotten into a fight. So Since I hadn't gotten into any fights I thought well that's strange, I should go to the doctor. So when the doctor examined my eye she says, "well,  I don't see anything that calls my attention. Just use eye drops and have a nice day." I was like wait is that it. really? So then I went to the drugstore and the people were super helpful, they told me that it was probably because it hadn't rained in forever and that washing my eyes with Soro filiológico would probably cure it right up. So if you ever don't feel good in Brazil, go ahead and trust your lives to the Farmácia down on the street corner. Até logo e um abraço.

The #12 thing I love about Brazil is........

The Jardim Botânico of São Paulo Is a great park for everyone, except for pet lovers, since you can't bring your dog or cat. Why would you bring a cat to the jungle anyways? We went there yesterday for our day off of work, thanks to The catholic holiday Corpus Cristi. In a city like São Paulo this is a true treasure. Smog is a serious problem here and to have a park in the middle of the city that completely shuts out the outside world is literally a breath of fresh air. In the park it possible to have picnics and to walk the many trails that are available to you. You may even get the chance to see monkeys. I know I did. The park is very large and has many types of plants you can see, it has a few ponds to enjoy and is a great place for picture taking or just enjoying the outdoors. The type of people who go to the Jardim is also a definite plus. They are a calmer, and quieter crowd, No one speaks too loud or does anything that is not discreet. Since animals are not permitted on the grounds, you don`t have to worry about stepping in anything other monkey poop, which on the secluded trails there is a plenty. I was constantly reminded of the part in Madagascar where the monkey says to his friend, "Of course were our poo at him." So if you don`t want to drive for hours to find a great place to relax outside the city, then Jardim Botanico is the place to go. Até logo e um abraço.

The #11 thing I love about Brazil is....


The fact that there is a holiday for everything. Today is Corpus Cristi. We have the day off in São Paulo so I hope everyone has a good day off of work and has a safe day. Até logo e um abraço.


Sorry about this post being pretty weak but I have had a busy day. Tomorrow's post will be "massa". I promise.

The #10 thing that I love about Brazil is......

Chinelos or Flip Flops. Chinelos are great for almost any kind of atmosphere. They remind me of one of those real men of genius commercials where they sing about the jean shorts, they say "Casual enough for a BBQ, formal enough for a family reunion, your multi-dimensional creation handles both duties with ease (You just said doody!)." When I lived in Ceará Chinelos were ok for any kind of situation whether it was church, work or the beach. I will say this though, Chinelos are comfortable. And it is ok to wear your flip flops until they are so worn out that the rubber thing (in my home we used to call them thongs) starts coming out of the flip flop. Here they are super cheap, you can get a pair at any super market for around 10 to 20 Reais. Also the best part about flip flops is that in Brazil they are a great tool for spanking your children, ask any Brazilian adult and he has some memory of his mom or dad smacking his chinelo on the floor and then giving them a good swat on the behind with it. So chinelos, good for work, good for the beach, good for spanking children. Até logo e um abraço.

The #9 thing I love most about Brazil.........

The Mercado Municipal de São Paulo. This place is a place where some dreams can come true. Now Iknow that you either have to be an extreme fan of organic foods, Anthony Bourdain or Bologna to like this place. Yes you read that right, "Bologna". So that is where I will start. The Bologna sandwich should have it's own area code for the size of this thing and it should come with the surgeon general's warning label on this sucker. IT IS HUGE.

Should this be legal? I don't know but I sure hope that it stays legal. That is about 400 grams of bologna and some cheese all inside toasted french bread. After eating one of these things it might be best to fast for about a week.Seriously. This sandwich alone makes suffering through the São Paulo traffic and trying to find a parking place totally worth it. But this is not all the Mercado Municipal(MM) has to offer.


Having been established in 1933 the MM is a beautiful piece of architecture that all can admire. It is super organized inside where it is divided into streets. where you have plenty of stores that offer fresh fruit, meat or any kind of organic food you can think of. The MM was also one of Anthony Bourdain's stops on his show "No Reservations." If your hungry and you want to tour the real são paulo the Mercado Municipal is the way to go, plus you wont have to eat for another week.

The #8 thing I love about Brazil is...........

MPB or Musica Popular Brasileira. I love MPB for its unique style of music. Its not hard on the ears, its easy to listen to and the lyrics are always clean. MPB first hit the scene in Brazil during the 60's in an attempt to find a "national" music style. Elis Regina is considered as the artist who put MPB on the map. She sang songs like Águas de Março. The leading artists of MPB are Chico Buarque, Vinícius de Moraes, Edu Lobo and Gilberto Gil. Here are some great Oldies and new songs:

MPB favors a few instruments like the atabaque which is an african drum, the pandeiro which is a small hand drum with small symbols on it. MPB also favors the acoustic and electric guitar. MPB also borrows a little from Bossa Nova. So if you want to buy some Brazilian music that wont drive you crazy after 30 minutes, MPB is what you are looking for. Até logo e um abraço.

The #7 thing I love about Brazil is.........

Brazilian willingness to go out of their way to help you, whether your house has been flooded and needs to be cleaned or if you need directions somewhere. Brazilians have it in their nature to be helpful. I have friends who when he was travelling he asked for directions to a certain place and the person he asked was kind enough to stop what he was doing to lead them their, even though it was out of his way. Its great to know I have friends who are willing to go way out of their way just to help me out. I think its important to mention that I have had great help from a certain Brazilian friend here who has driven me across São Paulo a couple of times just to check on my visa or passport. He never asked for gas money and even when I went to give him the money for gas he still acted like it was no big deal. I am sure that everyone has heard stories about how dangerous it is in Rio de Janeiro but I can tell you, that there are more good people with great hearts then their are bad people. So if your in Brazil and your lost, go ahead and ask any person. If they don't know, they will try to find someone who does to help you. Até logo e um abraço.