Exploring Brazil Day 4

Yesterday was fun. Raymond, my cousin’s husband, came home a bit early from work, took a nap to re-energize, then we were ready for action.

At 5:00 PM, my cousin Luisa, her American husband Raymond, and I drove to Puerto Iguacu , Argentina a 30 minute drive across the border. As it was Saturday many Brazilians flock to Puerto Iquacu for shopping, eating, dancing etc. Yes, everything costs lot less for Brazilians in Argentina . At the border, it took non-Brazilians like Raymond and I a while to go through the immigration process. But patience paid off!

The town reminded me like Puerto Vallarta , Mexico , but without the beach. It was rather rural or like the forest with old little casitas, shops and streets covered with cobble stones. It has a unique old town experience and feel to it.

In town, I went to almost all the leather shops but I only found one store, called Skin, which had my size (average US $300.00 per jacket). Well, I didn't buy any jackets so I headed to a specialty food store to buy parmesan cheese (totally yummy). I bought some wonderful good quality wines made in Argentina (Chardonnay), then headed off to a local restaurant and bought some take out Pintanema. I then bought a local grapefruit drink which was very refreshing for $1.50, which was a total bargain for Brazilians. Oh.....by the way, I had some of the best coconut ice cream I've ever tasted!

It was a fun and interested evening and I enjoyed it to the fullest!

Well, that's it for now. It's almost 8:00 AM and I am getting ready for my trip this morning to meet my uncle in Paraguay . Ate logo meus amigos or maybe I should say, Adios mis amigos in Spanish!

Lin can be contacted at lin_travels@sbcglobal.net

Exploring Brazil day 3

It's my 3rd day here. For some reason I didn't sleep well. I woke up around 6, so by 7 I was already up for coffee. I sat in living room and enjoyed the view with sunrise. This is a gorgeous view.

I left later to look for health clubs. First I went to Bio. I had problems conversing with them in Portuguese but someone helped me to interpret. The receptionist then called the boss who spoke
English. He wanted to negotiate with me to join the club for 70R (which is about $55 US) for 3 weeks. Yes, it's expensive compare to what I pay for in S.J. area. Since I have so much time here I think I should join anyway. After negotiating with Bio Gym, I left and went to Median Gym. They wanted the same rate but this gym is not as nice as Bio Gym so I scratch this one off my list. I also checked a few other private health clubs that only do pilates and body toning, but it's too pricey for me. These places are for wealthy and I am not
willing to pay that much ($20.00US PER HOUR).

Shopping- Hmm...........I walked all over downtown Iguassu Falls but found the prices to be quite high. I can get better quality and better prices in the US so I didn't buy anything, but I had fun.

I walked all over downtown and struggled to speak Portuguese in the shops. Luckily most of sales people are very nice and polite. They told me they understood what I wanted so it was nice. I enjoyed talking with the locals. The locals are very nice and friendly. After practicing speaking Portuguese, I believe I am getting better! So there's hope that I can definitely improve. By the way, it's funny the locals asked me if I can speak Spanish, because Iguassu Falls is on the border of Paraguay and Argentina . Hmm..........I can barely speak Portuguese.

I came back around 11:30am and took a shower. I've been taking 2-3 showers everyday to stay clean. It's hot and humid here. Well..........I need to take my siesta soon, so that's it for now.


Lin can be contacted at lin_travels@sbcglobal.net