Road trip! - Minas Gerais

A really blank gps screen...where are all the towns? Dunno.

On Thursday morning, on the holiday of Corpus Cristi (please don't ask me what this holiday is about--yes, body of Christ and all that, but what? Don't know), we loaded up the Beast (BH's Volvo SUV) with twin boys age 7, BH's 19 year old and 22 year old kids and me and BH. We took off on an 8-hour odyssey to Ouro Preto, Brazil. Why would we do such a thing? Well, the joy of a road trip, of course (and the avoidance of overpriced World Cup-era airline tickets).

When we entered the lottery for World Cup tickets, we entered it only for cities to which we could drive--Belo Horizonte was the farthest afield at about 8 hours from São Paulo. Our great fortune was winning 8 tickets to the same game (and weirdly we are all seated together in spite of entering in two different groups--max of 4 tickets per group), and winning the tickets to see Messi, one of my sons' favorite players. Never mind Iran which is the other half of that challenge. 

When we won the tickets, I immediately got on the internet to look for hotel rooms. They were all incredibly expensive or even sold out, so I began to think about Ouro Preto, a beautiful colonial town about an hour and a half from the city of Belo Horizonte. And searching further netted us a lovely four-bedroom colonial mansion on one of the stone-paved roads leading away from the main square. Sold.

So my sister and brother in law and parents in law drove over from Piracicaba and we were meeting up with them from São Paulo.  I cannot tell a lie: it is a very long drive. It was about 8 and a half hours, plus the stops for restrooms, food and organic strawberries sold roadside. Surprisingly, the 7 years olds behaved well (god bless Steve Jobs and the ipad) and it was only in the last hour that we all got fairly anxious to get here.

We skipped the part of Rodovia Fernão Dias (the highway that goes direct from São Paulo to Belo) that is closest to São Paulo. It's my least favorite highway ever in that hilly portion--if you want to read an old blog on it, you can see it here. We picked it up from Atibaia, and the first part of our trip was foggy and dripping. Not lovely. 

But soon the sky opened up blue and poofy-clouded and we curved and climbed through the Serra de Mantiqueira, while avoiding the enormous trucks that chugged in the slow lanes. The Atibaia-Betim portion of Fernão Dias is in the running for the most beautiful highway I've been on here in Brazil--giving even Anhanguera close to Ribeirão Preto a run for its money. 

Roadside views

Green hills, huge bamboo clumps by the roadside, colonial houses selling coffee for 20 cents, and all you can eat lunches for US$5, something that you find roughly never in the big city. Everyone was friendly, most of them completely nonplussed by the two kids conversing in English, especially the one with light-blond hair. 

Coffee stop at a colonial house with flowering trees

Pre-sweetened coffee in a glass, hot sauce and a meat pastel. It's what's for breakfast

After taking an extremely ugly ring road around Belo Horizonte, we went back into the hills surrounding the colonial towns of Ouro Preto and Mariana. Absolutely gorgeous. Finally we were in Ouro Preto, the most beautiful of the colonial towns, and braking down the steep stone streets and in front of our rental house. 

More on Ouro Preto tomorrow. No, that's a lie. Tomorrow we head off to Belo Horizonte to watch Argentina take on Iran at 1 pm at the Mineirão stadium. Go Messi (oh, how BH suffers with us cheering for the Argentinians. Or rather, AN Argentinian).

So much fun - São Paulo

My footwear for the World Cup

So we are 6 days into the World Cup and I'm having a great time. I haven't been to a stadium and some of the games have been snoozers but it is way more fun that I had imagined. As I've mentioned before, I have been to one World Cup (South Africa-2010) and living near another one (San Francisco, USA-94) but there is nothing like being in the middle of Brazil during these days.

One of the groups I joined first in moving here 6 years ago is the International Newcomers Club of São Paulo. I am no longer a newcomer, but I'm still part of the club. Most of my non-Brazilian friendships originated in INC and on Monday, I joined a Canadian, a Scot and some Germans at the Goethe Institute in Pinheiros. Goethe is a school and an institute and some other lofty things but the main joy for us on Monday: they have a bier garten. And TVs to show the game. And lots of tall blond people about.

Bier garten

The Scot and I showed up about 45 minutes before the game and most tables near the TVs were already taken. We then spread out to save seven spots for our arriving friends (I will say that traffic has been a lot worse than expected on game days). And drank our first beers. There was also food there: currywurst (?), a lunch buffet, french fries but we ended up not getting any ourselves.

Frankfurter...I love that word. So much more fun than a hot dog.

There were a number of media outlets there interviewing  Germans about their predictions for the Cup. I am not a Germany fan. I am not "against" Germany either--a genealogy test two years ago revealed that I'm about 35% German origin so blood says I need to be at least neutral. I was there because I wanted to see the fun of the "home" team. And maybe have a few beers.

Two media folks wished to interview me (and the Scot) -- I have dark blonde hair and blue eyes and that seemed to be a clear giveaway that I am German. One journalist asked if I would do an interview even after hearing that I am American. I respectfully declined, thinking that it would be better to just be neutral under the circumstances. I admit I did go get the free Germany-Brazil t-shirt at the front door so as to fit in like a chameleon. 

I won't do a play-by-play of the match which was so kind as to provide lots of opportunities to jump up and down and yell "Deutschland vor!" I really love the sound of German but I quickly found myself incompetent at pronouncing anything. I even tried the language accelerator known as "more beer." Nicht.  

I hope I'll be able to attend more games with the "home" teams--what fun! No, not the USA which I prefer to watch at home, and Brazil which of course is THE home team. I mean Cote d'Ivoire and Costa Rica and France, and some of the little teams. Where are those fans? Let me know. 

Tomorrow we drive to Ouro Preto for the Corpus Cristi holiday (4 day weekend).  On Saturday, we are in Belo Horizonte for the only game that we are seeing live--Argentina vs. Iran. BH will suffer. He cannot cheer for Argentina and Iran is not one to cheer for either. We'll go in neutral colors and take our two kids (age 7) in Messi shirts for camouflage. Messi is one of the twins' heroes so he is simply over the moon at the chance to see him play.  The other twin is likely to nap during the game.

We'll deal with the 8 hours of driving, the long lines, the security checks and everything else so that the World Cup becomes real for our sons. And for BH's father, who at age 75 will see a World Cup game live for the very first time on home turf--he was only slightly older than the twins the last time the World Cup was in Brazil. 

Good times. Vai Brasil!

Surprise and Delight - São Paulo

In business school, I had a professor of marketing whose favorite refrain was "surprise and delight" your customer.  Today, after a long US-based saga of travel, I was surprised and delighted here in Brazil. So much so, I have to sit down and write about it before I do anything else. But let me set the stage.

My last blog post was about the new Terminal 3 at Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo. It is a lovely building. You can see it from the outside here--this is a photo taken from the ramp to the parking garage where I had left "the Beast" (BH's ginormous Volvo) on Saturday night. That post was the last happiness in air travel for this past five days...until this morning. 

We flew United to Newark (delayed half an hour out of GRU, for no apparent reason), got stuck in an hour-long immigration line (because BH is B and not US, I had to go through the non-resident line. Not good.) and missed our connection to Boston by 20 minutes. The United helpers told us the rest of the day's flights were full to Boston but that we could fly to Providence instead. So off we went to Providence. Well, all of us except for one of our bags. And paid $200 more for the rental car because we were picking up in one airport and dropping off in another. I must say the PVD airport is very nice, though. I'm thinking about using that one more often.

BH is staying in Boston until Saturday. So it was just me returning to the airport on Tuesday night. There were two brief downpours at 4 pm which meant that my flight was delayed and I would miss my connection in Washington DC. I decided to stay the night, leaving my bags to be sorted and sent to meet me in Newark the next day. All this is to say that I did not have nice flight experiences in the US. Though United personnel were surprisingly fun and happy.

So, I was now taking a flight back on the eve of the World Cup start. Yes, it kicks off at 5 pm today. I was worried about lines at the airport, protests, traffic, everything. The plane was absolutely chock-a-block--Mexican fans, Spain, Costa Rica, Ecuador, US, you name it. As we landed (on time!), the flight attendant gave her usual announcements and then said she was cheering for Portugal. Then the PA was quiet for 30 seconds then the first officer came on and said "Go USA!"and then from somewhere, who knows where, 2 minutes later came "Viva Mexico" from the PA. Fun and funny.

We came into Terminal 3 again. Delightful. Still has a number of workers around doing last minute stuff (no holiday for the weary airport workers). There was zero line for Brazilians and residents (me). I literally walked up to the police and handed my passport over. There was a perhaps 20-minute line for foreigners but tons of windows open. Maybe less. By the time I had walked from the plane, spent 1 minute at immigration and walked to the baggage carrousel, all the bags were out. Unbelievable. 

This guy is thinking "what? I can't believe our bags are already here! wow!"

They ran everyone's bags through the x-ray machines, but all three lanes were open and efficient. Then I walked out to the garage from the walkway on the second floor, and put my key in the ignition exactly 39 minutes after stepping off the plane. An all-time record for days that I have had luggage (always, really). I did look down on the walkway and there was no line for taxis (a friend spent 2 hours in the taxi line on Monday). Tons of taxis. No traffic. Home an hour and fifteen minutes after landing. Spectacular.

So let me sum things up this way:

1. If you can fly any of the airlines that are currently assigned to Terminal 3, do so. These are: Air Canada, United, Lufthansa, Eithiad, Emirates, Turkish, Swiss, TAP. Do not be loyal to airlines if you are all "I'm an AA super-platinum all-star"--it doesn't count for crap if you come into the Terminal 1 or 2 mess. Fly the friendly skies. Trust me.

2. If you are a resident of São Paulo and going for a short trip, do the math on leaving your car at the parking garage. It may be cheaper than taking the taxi back and forth. And no taxi line and you can use your sem-parar. It does not get easier than this. Yes, you have to hoof a 1/4 mile from the arrivals gate at Terminal 3 but it's pleasant and easy.  

3. If you do have to take a taxi and the line is ginormous at Terminals 1 or 2, you may want to ask the officials at Guarucoop if there are taxis at Terminal 3. Then walk there. It may be worth it.

4. Might want to consider coming in on Brazil game days after all. No traffic. None. 

Traffic on Marginal: Brazil flags and military police cars

5. Prepare for the worst, and celebrate the best. I was ready to spend hours in lines. I spent no times in any lines. Surprise and delight, professor Carpenter...I get it!

6. Vai Brasil!

If you build it, they will come - São Paulo

I have been one of the ardent critics of São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport, affectionately known as GRU, officially known as Cumbica. By the way, did you know that Cumbica means "fog" in the Tupi language? Now think about why you would put an airport for the world's fourth largest city in a region where flights are often delayed by fog. Yes, now you have figured out Brazil planning.

In any case, it's been years since my flight has faced a fog delay and been diverted for hours to dinky Campinas airport. Wow, I need to get over that, right? So, Cumbica until recently has been dark, dank and depressing. For you fellow Tri-Staters, think of the People's Express airport in New Jersey in the 1980s. Low ceilings, a couple of sad stores and a few places to get a stale pão de queijo. I try to spend as little time as possible in GRU, which is often not possible since I have more than once spent an hour or two or more in immigration (entering AND leaving), customs, federal police and airline check-in lines.  Not a fan.

Recently the new Terminal 3 has opened at GRU, and I'm still trying to figure out why we have heard so little about it. The only thing I recall the media reporting was the hours-long delay to get luggage from the first flights and other doom and gloom. As far as I can recall from those first few reports, there was no "wow!" And guess what? There should be WOW! It is definitely WOW! (can we change the airport letters to WOW now?) 

It is, in word (or two), world-class. As my husband pulled up to drop me off with our huge piles luggage (repatriation is a bitch), you could already see we had entered a new era. I could already tell that I do not ever want to fly into Terminal 1 or 2 again. I am not loyal to an airline; I am loyal to a terminal.

If you have ever been to Cape Town's airport (the new one, wise guys, the one built for their Cup), we have built Cape Town. Maybe a bigger Cape Town. Huge, airy, filled with windows and polished steel, awesome. I believe only six airlines have moved in so far, so there is plenty of wide open space for the guy who wants to shrink-wrap your bags to find you.

My actual check-in experience was not great--it took us over an hour to get through the winding line. But I can probably blame that on the Friendly Skies who were working with a canceled flight and limited check-in folks. Maybe they were learning to use new computers. But this I can safely say: your wait will be MUCH more pleasant than in the other terminals. It's pretty, this Terminal 3. Yes they put the flight-delay sign behind towering palm trees so you have to crane around the fronds to see if your flight is on time. Yes, the signage on the airlines leaves a lot to be desired. But all in all, HUGE thumbs-up.

Unless you're elderly or with mobility issues. Once you're past security (easy and empty this time) and the federal police immigration (actually emigration, but they don't listen to me), you have to walk, and walk and walk and walk. And here I'm going to compare again to a South African airport--this time Johannesburg. The inside shopping mall/gates set up IS the J'burg airport. But with more expensive shops and fewer elephant and giraffe doo-dads. More Michael Kors and Dudalina (what a horrible brand name) shops and Fuleco staring out of plastic wrap. 

Keep walking. Oh, then stop for a refreshment at Bar 365 or something like that. Find that it costs $5 reais for a pão de queijo (yummy) and more for an empanada (yummy but they're out of hot sauce). Forget the teeny piece of chocolate unless you get a bank loan.

Keep walking. Wander in circles around silver giant boxes in the middle of the tundra, errr, terminal. Those are the bathrooms. You just can't find your way in. Why they didn't put entrances on both sides of the boxes, I will never know. 

Keep walking. Oh, great, we're at the second gate, in spite of just walking 5 km. Plenty of place to sit does not mean that a single Brazilian WILL sit. No, they will get in line even though we board by group and they're in group 4,560. You will never change this about a Brazilian: they like lines. And Orlando. Someone has to-- so it's convenient that those two cultural things meet in one mousey place.

All in all, I give high marks to the new GRU-WOW terminal. My major advice would be get there early--they're still working out the kinks. And now it's not get there early because customs and "emigration" will take forever. No, it's because you are going to be competing in the GRU-WOW 5 km sprint to your gate. 

I am returning to GRU-WOW on Wednesday morning so I will test it again on the day before the opening of the World Cup. Weirdly, I can hardly wait. 

I like to move it, move it - São Paulo

As São Paulo enters its second day of a metro strike, I feel compelled to give further recommendations for transportation for visitors. We have three lines right now with only partial (as in very limited service), two operating normally and two, I have no idea. I am pretty sure that the metro will not be striking during the World Cup as I imagine the court system will order them back to work on Sunday.

In any case, let's look at transportation options:

Bus

I have to tell you I love the bus system in Rio de Janeiro. I found it extremely easy to get around, and I think we took taxis only twice.  You can get change for the trip on board: in São Paulo, you get on in the front of the bus, and the ticket taker/change maker is about a third of the way back on the bus. You get off at the back of the bus. In Rio, the bus driver can also be the fare taker. You also get on in the front, and off in the back.

If you are elderly (here that's over 60--no judgement!), or a small child, you may have special treatment or are free of charge. My seven year olds pay in São Paulo but are free in Rio de Janeiro. Ask. If you are a student, make sure you carry ID. Discounts may be based more on if you are a student than if you are under 18.

The main reason I find bus service easy is the use of Moovit, an application for your smartphone that tells you the best bus to take, how far you are from the stop, and when the bus will arrive. You can also follow your journey while on the bus and know exactly when to get off and how far you have to walk on the far side to get to your destination. It also gives you metro options. And if there is a transportation strike. Love it. If you don't have Moovit, be prepared to ask various people at each stop where the bus is going and which bus might be best. At least in São Paulo. Rio de Janeiro had some better signage but I wouldn't rely on it.

According to its site, Moovit is available in the following cities in Brazil at this time: Bauru (SP), Belo Horizonte, Campinas (SP), Cuiabá, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Goiânia, Itajaí (SC), João Pessoa, Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília and São Paulo. 

If you have an Android or iphone, use it. If you don't, get one.

Metro

I find Rio and São Paulo's metro systems to be pretty good. Limited but good. Check out multiple trip passes for value. Each city feels differently about bus-metro interlink pricing so you're on your own there. Keep an eye on strike conditions--your hotel or host will know more. 

Taxi

While I rely heavily on local taxi stands, I am a local resident so I know the number to call and they know me. And my kids who like to spill yogurt on their back seats. Anyway, be prepared to be surprised by taxis in São Paulo (not so surprised by taxis in Rio who are nutty drivers and not particularly friendly). Taxi drivers in São Paulo are buttoned-up (button-down shirts, slacks not jeans), knowledgeable and many are quite friendly and helpful about recommendations for places. There are exceptions to every rule.

When you get in a taxi, you may be asked "qual caminho voce prefere?" (which route do you prefer?). Apparently, all taxi drivers are trained to do this in the taxi course. That way, if the traffic is terrible on a route the client chose, they are not to blame. If you don't know the route (though I suggest a printout of your google-maps), you can leave it up to them. They know the best routes--and even if it seems they are taking you on a long ride (and some will, no doubt about it), it may be to avoid a tangle that the drivers know about, and you do not. Don't be too suspicious.

I've talked before about the pros and cons of Guarucoop and the airport taxis. The good news: set price. Bad news: people know you are coming from the international airport. Do what you want with that info. 

Since I've already told you to carry that smartphone, make sure you also download 99Taxi, Tajijá or any of the other taxi service applications for your intended city. Here in São Paulo, I prefer 99Taxi because it is the only service that does not charge the driver for the use. 

Walking

Yeah, why not? Ignore the holes in the pavement, the lack of politeness to pedestrians (run!) and the endless names on the street signs. I love walking. Enjoy! 

Driving yourself

There's always a few that want to rent a car. I wouldn't do it here if I were visiting, but if you have, you'll want to install waze on that smartphone and make sure you map out how you are getting somewhere. Waze will not warn you if you are going through an iffy side of town though so I suggest getting locals' recommendations of how to get somewhere. 

++++++++

These are my main recommendations for getting around, particularly in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Sorry, Americans visiting Natal, Manaus and Recife. I just don't know enough!  Have fun! 

For a little more about security in public transportation, take a look here, from a prior blog.

Duro de Matar - São Paulo

My longer-term readers will have met my dog Caju. I wrote him a love note on March 3, his birthday. You can read it here. Meet Caju. He is fourteen years old and has had a roller coaster ride of great health and then near-death experiences, and back again. I would be naive to think that the warrior dog, as I call him, will continue to be able to fight everything. Because you can't win against one thing ever: age.

A month ago Caju had what I thought was a urinary tract infection. He was dripping urine everywhere and had a funny smell. Two exams later (fortunately our visiting vet came in for the tests), the results came back with no infection. The ultrasound came back with no issues. We put him on corticosteroids and he got acupuncture and miraculously he recovered.

On Sunday, it started again. But instead of the urine drip-dripping, it came out in jets. It's cold here now so he has been lying on any rug he can find and they are all covered in pee. And it smells awful. And he gets put outside, my wonderful companion dog, because no one can stand the smell or the clean-up. And he stares in the window.

A month ago I called the local vet/spa (the one who gives him baths and does in-house consults) and said that his time had come. The vet came over to my house and said that she didn't think it was time. She "wasn't judging me" but she wouldn't put him down if it was her. Then I called his vet who has cared for him since he was a puppy (and takes care of him when we go for long trips) and she said she also could not put him down, but for another reason. She was "too emotionally involved" to do it herself. Her husband, also a vet, would be the only one to do it.

Her husband came over a couple of days later and looked at Caju. Caju puts on a show when people visit, he walks, he wags, he smiles, and it seems that he is still okay. Folks, he is not okay. I have had this dog for 14 years: he is done. At least this vet told me that if I told him absolutely and finally that this was the time, he would help Caju go.  But since Caju was a bit better again, I let it slide.

And now the incontinence is awful. Truly terrible. Caju walks around with a defeated look, with pee running down his legs, and he practically staggers on his already painfully arthritic legs. It is time to let him go. It is cruel to make this proud dog stay. But in fact, his nickname of "Duro de Matar" or Hard to Kill holds true again. Two vets have again refused to put him down. I cannot find the third--I guess he avoids me. 

I wonder if this is cultural; this inability to let go. I am not in favor of the death penalty in the US but it is legal in some states. It is illegal here. Maybe that is how people feel about putting animals to death too. But to me, letting a dog suffer because YOU are not ready to let it go is as inhumane as starving a dog or leaving it on the street. Caju is done. The greatest gift I could give him for the fourteen happy years he's given me is to let him pass on. 

Yet I can't. No one will help me. I am not alone in this issue by the way. An expatriate friend is also trying to let her 14-year old in-pain husky go but she cannot find a single vet who will do it. No, she has found one who lives outside of São Paulo--if she pays his transportation costs, he will come. An imported doctor death.

So, here it is, folks. Finally I find something that I truly, madly, deeply hate about Brazil. This is my dog, and my choice, but I am helpless. Brazil in My Eyes.

Another reason to cheer - São Paulo

2002 World Cup Team. Cafu to the right in the back, Lucio number 3 next to him

So, today I was at my usual weekly Reading Mum volunteer role at my kids' English language school in São Paulo. The Year 1 students (all around 6 years old) read to me one at a time--a short book in English. I correct pronunciation or get them back on track when they get distracted by stroppy stepsisters. This morning, about five kids into the stack of books, the Year 1 classrooms started to explode with energy. I mean more than every other single day of the year. People kept saying "Lúcio, Lúcio" and I thought to myself, huh, that name sounds vaguely familiar. 

There is a reason for that. Lúcio is a 36-year old Palmeiras player (he joined in January) and has played for seven teams total (I did not know this of course; he told us when questioned) including the Brazilian World Cup team of 2002. And that was a year that Brazil won (even I knew that one!). He had his World Cup medal with him, and a special World Cup replica trophy that only World Cup winners get from an Italian sculptor. 

A World Cup trophy in amongst the plastic water bottles and ABCs

I of course could not resist. When all the little kids filed into the classroom to meet Lúcio, I went too. I had some tiny bit of right to be there as I read with Lúcio's daughter last term. For obvious reasons, I will not be telling you her name, show her photo or mention which school she attends. All I can tell you is that this cute little girl just radiated happy pride and love when her father walked in. 

Lúcio, and all I'm going to show you of his daughter--with her hand on his leg.

Just like any other parent coming to tell about his/her career, Lúcio talked about his. He answered questions about how many soccer cleats he had owned in his life, who was the best player in the world, which was his favorite club team, how many times someone had kicked a goal over his head. He answered all the questions with a smile (and in Portuguese, by the way) and with quiet confidence. It is impossible not to like him. Seriously, I dare you.

Lúcio had come from yesterday's loss 600 km away, flying in this morning, and coming directly to the school. I loved how he made his daughter a priority when he could. And what I mean by this is that if you think about these players, you think about how much money they make, how egotistical they are, how space alien-like they are (but I will stop talking about Cristiano Ronaldo soon). What you don't see behind them is their families.

Now I don't know Lúcio but let's just imagine how his life is. Especially in the twilight of his playing career. He won a World Cup in 2002, he was the captain of the team in 2006, and played as well in 2010 for coach Dunga, his hero. And in between all this he played for several European teams as well as several here in Brazil. When approached to leave Brazil last year to play again in Europe, he refused. He wanted to stay in Brazil. 

And when I watched his daughter, I understood it. His wife Dione was there too--together they have 3 kids. And these three kids and his wife get left behind when the team trains for the big games, for the travel all over the country and world and at the late night games, they are surely all asleep. I forget how many games these guys play in a year but it's unbelievable! 

When I sit with a kid to read, it doesn't occur to me what happens at their homes at night. Some go to bed without mom or dad around a lot of the time. And that makes me sad. And it must make the parent sad too.

Now Lúcio is not going to the World Cup this year. Okay, he is probably going but he is not playing. He will watch his compatriots go for the gold--and I hope he watches those games from home with his wife and three kids. And he will know the cost to players and to their families of all of the training, all of the stress and all of millions of harsh words that are leveled at the players that they must ignore.

We can't forget in the middle of all this corruption and protests and FIFA-hating and Dilma-hating, there are 11 men on the field, and 12 more on the bench, who have lived entire lives for this World Cup. And they have sacrificed--even Cristiano Ronaldo who I love to hate has had to give up "normal" life for "national service" and his own dreams. And some of them are happy with that for a while...a long while... but I'm guessing that it weighs on all of them. 

So cheer for the players. Especially the ones you have never heard of and who don't make 8000000 billion on sports ads and drinks. They are giving up some of themselves for us, the spectators. 

Another reason to cheer. If not for Lúcio this time, for the others who come after.

Yeah it's dark...but here's me and Lucio..