Sam & Jan's Brazil adventure

We left for Brazil on the second of April, as soon as I had finished my last lecture before Easter, so as to eke out as much time away as we could.

We flew Nelson - Auckland - Santiago - Sao Paulo with Lan Chile, in the tightest packed cattle class we have yet experienced. On the Auckland - Santiago leg I sat next to a Kiwi rugby player who was playing and coaching in Argentina. He was a very well-built bloke who was so cramped in his seat that I felt sorrier for him than I felt for the two of us!

He had the aisle, and when we arrived, I warned him that we would get up a lot, and invited him to take the window seat if he would like to be undisturbed. However, the poor guy was claustrophobic (what a flight to be claustrophobic on!). So every time Jan or I needed to get up, this poor bloke had to painfully unpick himself from the seat, back out into the aisle (which was only just wide enough for the airline trolleys), and let us out, only to have to repeat the process when we came back.

He and I had a great old yarn though about coaching and leadership... thank goodness, as for some reason I had my eyes stapled open and only managed about an hour of sleep.

If you don't want to read what we did, shortcut it by watching the video:

Arriving in Sao Paulo on Friday evening, we found Ana, Camila and Beto waiting for us through customs, which was fabulous! Célia was at home, preparing dinner. So we hopped in the car and hit the lava line of red tail lights on the north-west motorway, along with what seemed like half a million other Paulistas on their way out of the city for the Easter weekend.

We were both shattered when we got to Piracicaba, but it was so great to be with the family. Célia and Beto had so, so kindly given us their bedroom (with them taking over what had been Ana's bedroom I think - I never did quite work out whose room it had been). This generosity was because Célia and Beto's room had the only air conditioner, and they thought we would be more comfortable with the ability to keep cool. Kind!

However, I don't think the end of the world would have stopped me sleeping that night.

The next day we went for a meander around Piracicaba, had lunch at a friend's restaurant along the river, did some sight-seeing (seeing the real places from Ana and Camila's Rotary presentations), had drinks at a street bar... and I was exposed to Caipirinha. Yum! Although Jan didn't like it - too limey or lemony for him - this was to prove my cocktail of choice each and every night in Brazil.

We met Ana's boyfriend, Chico, who is a lovely, gentle man. He and Ana seem well suited.

On Easter Sunday we headed back south-east to Sao Paulo to join the extended family in their Easter celebrations, which was fantastic. Thirty people gathered for a pot luck lunch served on a very slick logistics operation of trestles and seats appropriated from various uses in the house, or supplied by the attendees. Even though we hardly knew a word of Portuguese, we were so warmly embraced by the family we didn't feel a moment of awkwardness.

They even kindly celebrated my birthday, along with three others from within the family happening around the same time, which was really lovely (Jan and I had been too busy with packing and organising to bother marking my birthday, though we had had a family dinner at Krauts the weekend before).

The next day was Piracicaba for quiet walks, lunch and shopping. Camila had gone back to her Uni in Campinas to finish off some projects. We went to the Piracicaba Uni, which was very spread out park-like campus, and had lunch at the main restaurant which was open to all comers for lunch. Buccolic!

The day after we headed to Serra Negra with Beto and Celia to visit a coffee plantation in the area (fascinating), have lunch in an alpine - or as alpine as Brazil gets - resort, then to visit Célia's brother, Alessandro (sp?) in a gated community, and lastly to see the family bach. A full day, but lovely. Then another quiet day, doing laundry, walking along the Piracicaba river, visiting museums and having lunch with Beto at a riverside restaurant, and going to visit Camila's uni, flat and having pizza in Campinas.

The next day we left for Rio, having brought Camila back to Piracicaba the night before. A bit of a marathon drive for Beto - about twelve hours, with a stop at Camila's favourite motorway restaurant for us - the name of which escapes me ...beginning with 'F' like Frango or something -  to finally experience what she was talking about (and it was very good).

Wow - what a blast Rio was. Such a beautiful city. Loved every minute of it - and that really felt like the holiday for all of us. We drove around Tijuca Forest National Forest on Corcovado Mountain, and visited the Chinese lookout and Christ the Redeemer. We visited Ipanema, Copacabana, and Prainha Beaches (and what I didn't know was that each beach has a different footpath mosaic pattern). We visited the Lapa steps and went to US-import restaurant, Outback, for lunch (the deep-fried onion.... mmmmmm!). We rubbernecked at houses and the riotous colour on a long and narrow drive around the hills. We took the cable car up the Sugarloaf to see the sunset across Guanabara Bay, toward Niteroi.

Then all too soon the five days were over, and Ana and Chico had to head back to their work. Beto, having driven the twelve hours there, also drove the twelve hours back, stopping at the heritage marine town of Paraty (est 1597) on the way home to Piracicaba for a late lunch, some shopping and sight-seeing, before driving on to Piracicaba.

The next day we went to Botucatu to see Ana Julia Delgado, along with Camila and Célia. It was lovely to see her again, and to meet her father (who most generously gave us some aged cachaça - the sugarcane-based alcohol that Caipirinha is made from). Ana Julia's unofficial step-mother makes amazing mosaics out of egg shell, so I took lots of photos to pass to Ellie F when I got home (Ellie is really getting creative with these now). Ana took us sight-seeing around Botucatu and we visited a coffee museum in the Uni grounds there (focus is on agriculture in that region - gorgeous, spread-out campus like Piracicaba's one). We also went up on a rise which looked like the edge of a rift valley where we could see for miles. I took lots of photos, but not quite enough to make a full panorama. This was a SERIOUSLY big view.

Finishing off that day at an all you can eat pizzeria, the next saw us head back to Sao Paulo, for some more sightseeing, a trip to all-you-can-eat beef restaurant, Fogo de Chao, and to stay at Ana and Camila's cousin Elika's apartment, which she generously lent to us. I didn't eat meat at Fogo de Chao, but there was a buffet table of salads. I made it halfway along one side before I was so full that I was in danger of doing a Roald Dahl-like exploding child.

We had a fantastic couple of days, before it was time to wedge ourselves into another tin tube and head home. Again, largely sleepless. And late. And we missed our connector in Auckland (apparently Lan Chile are habitually at least an hour late - so if you are planning a trip, go AirNZ into Argentina instead, or allow four hours between your arrival and your onward flight).

Food finds: funnily enough, mostly drinks. Abacaxi com Hortela Suco - that is, Pineapple juice with mint. So refreshing. And Suco de Caju - this is cashew fruit, very nice. Who knew that cashew nuts are the stalk?! And, of course, Caipirinha.

The Martins sent us home with presents for the other Rotary host families, and a swag of memories. We hope they come back to New Zealand to visit soon: we were so seamlessly and warmly looked after, we have some real host responsibility to live up to.

It was the most fantastic holiday. Thank you so much, the Martins family!!!



Jan & Sam

Farewell, Uncle Eddie

My Uncle Eddie was always my favourite Uncle. He had some great gifts that I very much enjoyed: his sense of humour, his kindness and his ability to discuss almost anything, anywhere. I loved his passion for unearthing history, and his energy in putting time in to find out the smallest detail.

An absolute gentleman, in the truest sense of the word.

My Aunty Diana chose her husband very well :-)

He has a very special place in my heart and memory. My first boxer was named after him (our family always was weird ;-D).

I put together a video clip of him, as I did for my Aunty Jill (of my Uncle Tom), using a favourite piece of music for both of them at:



:-(

Sam