tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-343794442024-03-07T12:57:05.045-03:00Cogitation And Then SomeSimply a place to put down some thoughts, observations, musings and even cogitations to share with family, friends and those who find the door open.<br>
It usually is.Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-80729821763892325192016-06-17T15:23:00.000-03:002016-06-17T15:23:03.356-03:00PHOTOS GONE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Unbeknownst to me, Kodak discontinued their site and a lot of my photo links now contain no photos. Boo Hiss. Problem partly mine because I'm sure I didn't update the Kodak site with my new email address and never got the notice, warning, whatever.<br />
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Someday I'll just upload photos from my computer. Never outside links again!!!!<br />
</div>Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-62108404130124165272014-04-29T15:34:00.001-03:002014-04-29T15:34:53.547-03:00And Now For Something Bike.......I've been in awe of recumbents since 1998 when I bought my first. <br />
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Just came across this that proves the adage: "Nothing is new".<br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7jVEU1bD-ww" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-44758757154152096522014-04-25T11:21:00.001-03:002014-04-25T16:30:40.672-03:00Rio de Janeiro April 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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The ultimate as in "last", "there are no more", "that's it", "finito", for Brasil vacations we did over the Easter week end: Rio de Janeiro. I head back to Oregon landing on May 24th and Sue follows shortly thereafter (well, she's not really short) on June 8th.<br />
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Sue has been lucky finding really great places to stay on "airbnb", "Home Away From Home", etc. These sites are where you can rent someone's home, vacation house, etc. usually at a rate that is far less than the typical "yes, we will take your first born" upscale hotel price and often with features such as a kitchen, private area, etc. and maybe even a pool. <br />
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Not this time.<br />
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I would give this place 0.5 Stars and that is only because there was a roof over our heads. We later found that the place was right next to a favela and not a place to walk about after nightfall. The place was right across the street from the Sheraton and the place did have a great view across the way to the ocean that we enjoyed all of 7 minutes each day. That's all we wanted to stay inside there. <br />
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Took no photos of the place. Had zero desire to document or even admit we stayed there.<br />
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Awakening in our hell hole of an abode, we did not want to have breakfast there, so we ambled across the street to the Sheraton figuring we'd do breakfast there. Hello? What was that price per person? Did you say 57 Reals? (quick calculation that is $25.57 U.S.) For ONE person? But I only have coffee, toast and some fruit. Pass, thank you. Off to Christ the Redeemer. We'll find something there. <br />
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As pretty much everyone knows, "Christ the Redeemer" or Corcovado statue is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Rio. We were advised to buy tickets online ahead of time. Good thing we did. When we arrived early there was a line stretching down the sidewalk. Not wanting to chance getting there we took a taxi, one of the few times we didn't explore the bus route. More fun and challenging.<br />
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Walk around for breakfast. It's Good Friday. Some things were closed, but we noticed few if any places to grab a bite. Next to the train station to the top of the mountain was a museum, NAIF Museum. That we would explore later. I noticed a small sign on the Museum wall: Cafe. SCORE!. Lovely quiet picturesque area. Not crowded. Good coffee and a bite.<br />
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20RIO/DSCN0206_Sm_s_zpsed3ecdb0.jpg" width=200, border= 6 target="new"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20RIO/DSCN0208_Sm_s_zps47fa80df.jpg" width=200 border=6><br />
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When we returned to the train departure area we noticed a sign: "Next train 6:00", which meant everything was sold out until then. The train ride to the top was about 30 minutes with a stop or two to allow the passing of other direction trams.<br />
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<img src="http://www.tvsd.org/sites/tvec/library/PublishingImages/christ%20the%20redeemer%20train.jpg" width=250 border=6><img src="http://www.stanford.edu/~siegelr/brazil/rio2011/IMG_0747%20corcovado%20train.jpg" width=250 border=6><br />
<font size=1> Photo www.tvsd.org www.stanford.edu</font><br />
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After taking the train to the top there was still a long way to get to the statue. Luckily we got to the elevator line at the right time as there was almost no wait. Exiting the elevator there were still 2 to 3 flights of stairs to climb. <br />
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I do not do crowds well. It is Good Friday. It is a holiday. This place is elbow to elbow, arse to arse, crowded. Oh, and add to that a temp in the mid 80's and humidity. Sue wanted to walk around and see the vistas. I plopped down at the base of the statue in the shade with a "I'll be right here."<br />
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And yah, we did the "hands outstretched" photo as did just about everyone up there. <br />
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<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv642%2Fjkeenan7%2F2014%2520RIO%2F2014%2520Redeemer%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/library/2014%20RIO/2014%20Redeemer" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="jkeenan7's 2014 Redeemer album on Photobucket" /></a></div><br />
Right next door was the NAIF Museum (Brazilian Native Art). These words from the gobrazil.about.com website: The result of a couple's love for the spontaneous, self-taught art form known as naïve art, the museum was founded by Lucien Finkelstein, a Frenchman who adopted Brazil as his home country, and his Brazilian wife, Mariza Campos da Paz. They devoted several decades to amassing their collection, taking rickety taxis to the top of mountains and leaving guided tours to search for artists in remote places.<br />
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I've often thought about "Trigger Memories", that something that dredges up a memory from the vast bottom of long forgotten reservoir of things past. The NAIF museum brought up a visit I did over 40 years ago to Bennington, Vermont where I first saw "Grandma Moses" primitive art. Had forgotten about that until I saw the primitive or native art at the NAIF Museum. There are over 6,000 pieces of art and I think we saw most of them!!<br />
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Some of the paintings and a couple of wall murals near the museum.<br />
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<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv642%2Fjkeenan7%2F2014%2520RIO%2F2014Rio%2520Art%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/library/2014%20RIO/2014Rio%20Art" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="jkeenan7's 2014Rio Art album on Photobucket" /></a></div><br />
The main thoroughfare goes by the beach and I'm sure we walked every inch of the Copacabana, Ipanema, and LeBlon beaches including a lunch at an outdoor cafe. As a cyclist I was envious of the separated bike lanes that ran along side the beach. Another day. <br />
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These few photos don't do the beaches justice plus somehow I lost a bunch of beach photos. As with anything today the internet has more than enough information. For example:<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwk5fvGcYuVfqiGVNRxJrNsyRTMQt9cSacGDHyTcfC42p3thk0s8LB1ja70Q38xBWwTD1mU-0rMt0TwQ7Z17vrGireJ8nGfYQVH2HxU69zufiyz54yK8GI6oSOmjpxmzTI4vUk/s1600/Rio+-+Beach.jpg" width=350 border=6><br />
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Or take a look here:<b><a href="http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0SO8xg0hlpTLVwAhCdXNyoA?p=rio+beaches&fr=chrf-yff20&fr2=piv-web"> Rio Images </a></b><br />
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A couple of beach scenes that caught my eye:<br />
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<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv642%2Fjkeenan7%2F2014%2520RIO%2F2014Rio%2520Beach%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/library/2014%20RIO/2014Rio%20Beach" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="jkeenan7's 2014Rio Beach album on Photobucket" /></a></div><br />
On both Saturday and Sunday there were markets galore. No pics. But if you want to read about the Rio markets: CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT IT--><b> <a href="http://www.gringo-rio.com/rio-info/shopping-in-rio/markets-in-rio/" target="new"> Rio Markets </a></b><br />
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One last "To See" in Rio: The Botanical Garden was a nice relaxing way to spend part of the last day in Rio. Luckily for us the day turned a bit overcast and cooler driving away the heat and humidididity. <br />
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<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv642%2Fjkeenan7%2F2014%2520RIO%2F2014Rio%2520Garden%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/library/2014%20RIO/2014Rio%20Garden" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="jkeenan7's 2014Rio Garden album on Photobucket" /></a></div><br />
Yes, we looked at every and anything we could to stay away from going back to the dreaded "place" we rented. Chalk it up to an experience and a memory of that not favorable kind.<br />
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Rio on the other hand is a place to visit again me thinks. <br />
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And of course the "selfies" from a different perspective. I do think "We'll Be Back"<br />
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<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv642%2Fjkeenan7%2F2014%2520RIO%2F2014Rio%2520Us%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/library/2014%20RIO/2014Rio%20Us" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="jkeenan7's 2014Rio Us album on Photobucket" /></a></div><br />
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Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-87986666223067862152014-03-19T10:38:00.000-03:002014-03-19T10:55:49.083-03:00LIBERDADE: Sunday March 16, 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608025540787178344&pid=15.1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608025540787178344&pid=15.1" /></a></div><br />
Liberdade was on our "To See" list of things, places and events in Sao Paulo.<br />
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Wikipedia for the history:<br />
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Liberdade is São Paulo's own equivalent of Japantown in the USA. Significant populations of Chinese and Koreans also live in the district of Liberdade. It is served by the São Paulo Metro.<br />
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The entrance to Liberdade is marked by a nine-meter tall red torii (a Japanese arch that marks the entrance to Shinto temples) since 1974. This towering structure, situated on Rua Galvão Bueno, is a distinctive representation of the neighborhood. Liberdade was successfully connected to the São Paulo subway network in the 1970s, opening up this area to commerce like never before. Today, thousands of paulistanos (citizens of São Paulo) flock to the public square in Liberdade every Sunday to purchase craft goods at the weekly fair. In January 2008, in order to celebrate 100 years of Japanese immigration to Brazil, a project to revitalize the quarter was approved by the mayor Gilberto Kassab. 40% of the restoration were for the visit of the prince Naruhito to São Paulo in June 2008.<br />
View of a street in Liberdade district.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.607989905439326515&pid=15.1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.607989905439326515&pid=15.1" width="450" /></a></div><br />
The Japanese presence in the neighborhood began in 1912. At this time, Japanese immigrants began to take up residence on the street of Count Sarzedas. This street had a steep slope that gave way to a running stream and swamp area. Basement apartments were numerous and inexpensive, and groups of people or families often lived together in the small rooms. However, the central location of the neighborhood meant immigrants could also be closer to work. As the number of immigrants in the neighborhood grew, so did commercial activity. Soon Japanese-owned inns, emporiums, restaurants, shops, and markets were popping up. These new commercial endeavors also become workplaces, which brought more immigrants to the area, and thus the "street of the Japanese" was formed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thekaydays.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Liberdade_market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://thekaydays.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Liberdade_market.jpg" width=450 /></a></div><font size="1"> Image by Kay Rodriquez </font><br />
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Liberdade is a meeting spot for many groups, especially among young people who are interested in Japanese culture. Manga (Japanese comics) fans, sometimes participating in cosplay, can be seen in the district almost any day of the week, especially on weekends. The district is also a popular tourist destination. People from all over the world, as well as from Brazil itself, are often seen mixing with the Japanese housewives doing their grocery shopping on Galvão Bueno Street and businessmen looking for low priced Asian food for lunch. Most popular is the street fair that occurs each Saturday and Sunday. Offering tastes of traditional Japanese food and various goods, this famous event attracts so many people from outside of Japan Town that the event is predominantly non-Asian.<br />
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Our Visit<br />
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Next time we go will be in the Brazilian Fall. Today was in the 90's with high humidity making this a "bear with it" journey. <br />
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With the market in full swing, Sue decided to shop the booths. I lasted about 5 minutes and said to Sue: "See that statue over there. You can find me sitting in the shade when you're done." We did find a nice sleeveless "T" for me before we grabbed some japanese noodles and beef and chicken from one of the ubiquitous food carts.<br />
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Strolling along the street we found a Japanese garden with more food stalls, but at this time the heat had done a number on us and like Terriyaki on a Stick, we were "done". for the day.<br />
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Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-74814180798006931722014-03-14T10:17:00.003-03:002014-03-14T11:39:17.982-03:00TiraPretoTim Slide Shows<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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Unliked being tied down to a chair in the living room while the host clicks the next slide with "And here we are washing our underwear", you can view these any time you want. <br />
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They all apparantly load at the same time. You can speed up the viewing my hovering over the lower right of an image and a "back, pause, forward" control box will appear. <br />
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Carnavale in Tiradentes and Ouro Preto (Lots of pics)<br />
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<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv642%2Fjkeenan7%2F2014%2520TiraPretoTim%2FTiraPreto%2520Carnavale%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/library/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Carnavale" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="jkeenan7's TiraPreto Carnavale album on Photobucket" /></a></div><br />
Some Street Scenes:<br />
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<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv642%2Fjkeenan7%2F2014%2520TiraPretoTim%2FTiraPreto%2520Street%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/library/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Street" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="jkeenan7's TiraPreto Street album on Photobucket" /></a></div><br />
Smok'n Mary <br />
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<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv642%2Fjkeenan7%2F2014%2520TiraPretoTim%2FTiraPreto%2520Train%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/library/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Train" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="jkeenan7's TiraPreto Train album on Photobucket" /></a></div><br />
Churches <br />
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<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv642%2Fjkeenan7%2F2014%2520TiraPretoTim%2FTiraPreto%2520Churches%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/library/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Churches" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="jkeenan7's TiraPreto Churches album on Photobucket" /></a></div><br />
Some Windows From The Street<br />
<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv642%2Fjkeenan7%2F2014%2520TiraPretoTim%2FTiraPreto%2520Windows%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/library/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Windows" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="jkeenan7's TiraPreto Windows album on Photobucket" /></a></div><br />
And images from the grounds of Inhotim, the modern art museum and botanical grounds near Belo Horizonte.<br />
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<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv642%2Fjkeenan7%2F2014%2520TiraPretoTim%2FTiraPreto%2520Inhotim%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/library/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Inhotim" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="jkeenan7's TiraPreto Inhotim album on Photobucket" /></a></div><br />
Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-8084702917232234132014-03-12T13:15:00.001-03:002014-03-14T10:57:37.613-03:00TiraPretoTim<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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"TiraPretoTim": Tiradentes, Ouro Preto, and Inhotim. A week vacation during "Carnavale" week in Brazil. <br />
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The Carnavale is celebrated in Brazil every year, 46 days before the Easter festival. Carnival is derived from the word carnelevare, which literally translates to “removal of meat”. The roots of the festival are believed to be in the tradition of Roman Catholics when they abstained from meat and alcohol on certain days as a method to drive away bad things from their life. (Now I know why I couldn't eat meat on Friday as a kid growing up in Philadelphia's Irish Catholic streets.)<br />
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The Carnival in Brazil as we know it today is believed to have originated during the European dominated era. Back then, followers of the Roman Catholic Church would indulge in last day of dance, fun, alcohol and sex just before the start of Lent, which is a period of abstinence from alcohol and other sins. Back then, people would exchange clothes and indulge in wild dancing, and it also sometimes coincided with exchange of slaves. (From http://www.calendarlabs.com/holidays/brazil/carnival.php)<br />
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Sue's school closes for a week to celebrate "Carnavale" as it is spelled in Brazil. Do we go to Rio for the craziness and festivities? Some of Sue's school teachers suggested a small colonial town, Tiradentes, but the celebration lasts only 4 days. Further research showed another small colonial town worth visiting for another few days: Ouro Preto, a town built during the gold rush. Ouro Preto literally translate to "Gold Black". Wrapping up the holiday would be a one day trip to a modern art museum and botanical garden called "Inhotim". <br />
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This blog entry is a recap of the week with further blog entries with a little more detail on the towns, "Smokin' Mary", the many visited Igrejas (Churches), Carnavale itself and the Inhotim visit. <br />
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Tiradentes and Ouro Preto are small preserved colonial towns in the state of Minas Gerais. One of our main reasons for visiting these towns are the 300 year old buildings and cobblestone streets<br />
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_166_Sm_zps55733206.jpg" width="400"><br />
<br />
Many of the streets wind wonderfully up and down the hilly town.<br />
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_189_Sm_zpsbe9c2556.jpg" width="400"><br />
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_136_Sm_zps1e376258.jpg" width="300"><br />
<br />
One day was spent riding the "Maria Fumaca" or "Smok'n Mary" steam train ride of about 35 minutes to the town of Sao Joao Del Rie. <br />
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_089_Sm_zps37dc083d.jpg" width="400"><br />
<br />
In each town were simple and majestic churches, some with ornate statues inside, however almost all the churches prohibit inside photography. I'm one of those who follows the rules knowing what the electronic flash damage can be had. <br />
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_049_Sm_zps55f2c097.jpg" width="400"> <br />
<br />
One church did allow for inside photography. More pics when I post the "church" blog entry.<br />
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_069_Sm_zpsa9810dd6.jpg" width="400"><br />
<br />
And of course there was "Carnavale" going on while we were there. We missed out on taking photos the first night in Tiradentes as we arrived late from our flight and walked downtown (without camera!!) to find a place for dinner. As we were dining the parade formed right outside our restaurant. One of those "..why didn't I..." moments.<br />
<br />
On the next night we knew there would be another parade and one of the groups was selling shirts. I bought one planning to march in the parade but as we were having dinner a monster thunderstorm rolled in soaking everything and knocking out power. As we headed back in the pitch black dark to the hotel after the rain subsided, we heard the sound of chainsaws in the park. Freddy? Nope, a giant tree had fallen during the windstorm and the town maintenance were cleaning it up. Amazingly the next day you would not have known there was any tree fall at all. Nary a leaf. <br />
<br />
We were able to enjoy a small parade our last night in Tiradentes and were lucky enough to see a big parade in Ouro Preto on the very last night of Carnavale. The next morning we were amazed to find most of the town clear of the night's revelry and partying. We could hear music and shouting until at least 6:00 a.m. <br />
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_208_Sm_zpsf6ab12ec.jpg" width="300"><br />
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_085_Sm_zps9f0342ab.jpg" width="150"><br />
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_155_Sm_zpsb75e0b9b.jpg" width="300"><br />
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_104_Sm_zpsfddb58a8.jpg" width="300"><br />
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_175_Sm_zpsd5e18c39.jpg" width="300"><br />
<br />
Without a doubt the best costume we saw.<br />
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_179_Sm_zps51e238bb.jpg" width="300"><br />
<br />
<br />
And last but not least we spent a rainy day at the "Inhotim" modern art museum and botanical gardens. No photography allowed inside the museum exhibits of which there were many. Did get a shot of an outside mural and some standing sculptures.<br />
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2014%20TiraPretoTim/TiraPreto%20Recap/TiraPreto_239_Sm_zpsed0617fb.jpg" width="500"<br />
<br />
<br />
Separate blog entries to be done on:<br />
Towns of Tiradentes and Ouro Preto<br />
Church Histories<br />
Imhotim<br />
<br />
<br />
Right now, time for a bike ride in Ibirapuera Park.<br />
Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-39491303918032375122014-01-24T09:32:00.001-02:002014-01-24T09:33:55.893-02:00Peru & Argentina<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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Sue's school, Graded American School, in Sao Paulo takes a big break over the Christmas and New Year holidays: Almost 5 weeks.<br />
<br />
For those weeks Sue put together two trips: First to Peru for 10 days. Home for a few days to do wash. Then 14 days in Argentina.<br />
<br />
Blog post (ahem) force me to document our journeys, which personally is a good thing. <br />
<br />
Feel free to drop in anytime for some thoughts, memories and photos of:<br />
<br />
PERU<br />
<br />
Cusco: The city used as a jumping off point to Machu Picchu and has a great town square.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://flynrate.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Cusco_Peru.jpg" width="400" border="6"><br />
<font size=1> flynrite.com </font> <br />
<br />
Machu Picchu: My words will pale in comparison to the physical awe of this place. Aliens I'm sure.<br />
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<img src="http://cms.fkimg.com/events/machu-picchu-peru.jpg" width="400" border="6"><br />
<font size="1"> Courtesy Flipkey </font><br />
<br />
Ollantaytambo: More ruins and one of the most interesting salt mines ever. <br />
<br />
Lima: How to almost spend a 10 hour layover exploring Lima.<br />
<br />
ARGENTINA<br />
<br />
El Calafate: Hikes and the Moreno Glacier.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/39646/perito_moreno_glacier.jpg" width="400" border="6"><br />
<br />
El Chaltan: More hikes and vistas.<br />
<br />
Ushuaia: "Fin Del Mundo" End of the World. How low can you go? <br />
<br />
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/UshuaiaFinDelMundo.jpg" width="400" border="6"> <br />
<br />
Buenos Aries: The "Paris" of South America and oh my, the steaks! (Sorry vegetarians, but they were awesome.) Not to mention the Palace of Papa Fritas.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Buenos_Aires_D%C3%A9cembre_2007_-_Avenida_5_de_Mayo.jpg" width="400" border="6"> <font size=1> wikipedia </font>Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-88241562224872333762014-01-20T13:41:00.001-02:002014-01-22T09:49:13.961-02:00Lost and Found Department<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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Ever have something valuable in your pocket and then you lose it? Money? Piece of jewelry? Even an important piece of paper? Something? Anything? <br />
<br />
For some unknown and inexplicable reason, you’ll continue to reach in your pocket hoping that it’s in there somewhere. Over and over again. Admit it. You do that. I know I do. <br />
<br />
It’s GOT to be there. Right? Nope, it’s gone.<br />
<br />
But sometimes you lose something and get it back when you were sure you’d never see it again. But still…you keep hoping.<br />
<br />
On our recent Peru/Argentina vacation that happened three times.<br />
<br />
<b>GPS UNIT </b><br />
<br />
I love my gps unit. Take it with me everywhere. I use it to make track of bike trips I take. Go geocaching. Use it for directions to some place. Mark waypoints. Bought a Garmin map of Brazil. Even took it to Peru but even though I don’t have the Garmin map for Peru, I can still download Geocache coordinates or make waypoints. I can mark the hotel as a “waypoint” so if I get lost at least I have a directional arrow to point me back to the hotel/hostal etc. coordinates even without a street map.<br />
<br />
Heading to Machu Picchu I downloaded some geocaches to find. One of them required a long walk towards Gate of the Sun. Found the geocache. A few hours later decided to look for another geocache as Sue and I were in a far different part of Machu Picchu. Where’s my GPS? It was in my pocket I’m sure. Looked in my pocket again. Not there. Looked in my camera bag, backpack, every place I could imagine. No GPS. <br />
<br />
I’ve lost it. Yah, I felt in my pocket one more time. <br />
<br />
Then I remembered I placed it on the rock wall along the path we were on while I made some notes. Sunk feeling. It’s gone. Sure someone picked it up.<br />
<br />
Sue suggested going back and looking for it. I replied: “What’s the use? Someone by now has picked it up and that’s a valuable item. No one will turn it in”. <br />
<br />
Sue suggested the go back and look one more time. After all she said, we’ve got plenty of time. OK. Why not. <br />
<br />
I hiked all the way across Machu Picchu, climbed up the path to the Gate of the Sun, downtrodden I walked to where the geocache was, confident that I’d find nothing. Came to the spot and started looking along the wall and there it was, resting on a rock ledge right where I left it. <br />
<br />
How did no one see it and take it? Then I had an idea maybe why no one saw it. The path was very rocky. As you walked along you had to really concentrate where you put your foot so your gaze was downcast to the ground. Maybe that’s why. Heck, I really didn’t care why, I was just glad to recover my gps.<br />
<br />
<b>Joe, where’s your Camera? </b><br />
<br />
Our first night in El Calafate, Argentina was New Year’s eve. As we walked along the street, restaurants were either closed, booked solid, or were taking reservations for a later New Year’s Eve dinner that would only cost your first born. <br />
<br />
We had passed a small bodega and decided to head back there, buy some goodies then go back to our room and have whatever we bought as our New Year’s eve dinner.<br />
<br />
I usually have my DSLR camera with me. That is one of those big, fancy looking big lens cameras that everyone thinks takes great photos. Little do they realize that today’s point and shoot cameras have such incredible logarithms that their phone camera will probably take a better out of the camera photo than my DSLR. My camera and lens is over 10 years old. Antiquated by today’s technology. Still it is a pricey camera. The lense alone still sells for new at about $900. This was one of my “working” cameras when I did photography as a job.<br />
<br />
The store was very crowded. We bought a couple of sandwiches, sodas, cookies etc. and left.<br />
<br />
Blocks away Sue looks at me and says: “Where is your camera?” My hand was empty. No need to look in my pocket. “I left it at the store” says I.<br />
<br />
Did not walk. Ran back to the store. Pushed my way to the cashier and said “Camera?” That’s English dummy. They speak Spanish. "Ola Camera?" I had placed it on a bunch of candy when I went to pay. I moved over to where I left it and some kid had starting to point to the camera about to say something to the cashier. It was still there!! MINE!!! I think I screamed as I exhaled deeply. <br />
<br />
Lost and found number two.<br />
<br />
<b> THE BUMPER SHOOT </b><br />
<br />
On a bus trip back to El Calafate from El Chatel I placed my umbrella in the side pocket of my backpack and tossed it in the overhead bin.<br />
<br />
Hours later unpacking at the hostal room I noticed the umbrella was gone. How? I realized I placed the backpack in the overhead top side first, which meant it was tilted down in the sloping bin. Of course, the umbrella slipped out. No, the umbrella wouldn’t fit in my pocket, but I almost looked there. <br />
<br />
Gone.<br />
<br />
The next morning we had to go back to the bus station to take a different bus to the Moreno Glacier. I said to Sue: “I’m going to check at the other bus ticket office. Maybe someone turned in my umbrella.” "No way it will be there" , she says.<br />
<br />
Walked up to the ticket counter and asked the ticket attendant: “Did you find an umbrella on the bus yesterday?” She smiled, jumped up, went over to a shelf and said “This one?”<br />
<br />
Sue’s jaw dropped. “I don’t believe it” she says and smiles as I gave the attendant a “high five” and a thank you!!!<br />
<br />
Number 3 lost and found.<br />
<br />
And yes, there is a moral to this story: Joe, you really do have to be more careful about your things and stop looking in your pocket.<br />
<br />
Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-55897972526044119122014-01-20T13:40:00.000-02:002014-01-20T13:40:13.255-02:00Peru & Argentina<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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From December 16th to January 15th, we visited Peru and Argentina. Some posts about those trips be coming. Oh yeah, on a Wednesday most likely. <br />
Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-80770318322271318672013-12-27T17:49:00.001-02:002013-12-27T17:49:18.819-02:00Happy Holidays<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.<br />
<br />
Be traveling without much access to the electronic world, so the next post will most likely be mid January. Will get a Peru post up hopefully earlier, but who knows.<br />
Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-45936500203582153812013-12-15T15:46:00.000-02:002013-12-15T15:49:08.310-02:00Wear Sunscreen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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The Every Wednesday post but on a Sunday because I'll not have internet most likely after Tuesday for some time.<br />
<br />
I happened to stumble upon this the other day and I thought it worth sharing. I've read it off and on over the past years.<br />
<br />
From Wikipedia: "Wear Sunscreen is the common name of an article titled "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" written by Mary Schmich and published in the Chicago Tribune as a column in 1997, but often erroneously attributed to a commencement speech by author Kurt Vonnegut. The article became the basis for a successful music single "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)", released in 1999, by Baz Luhrmann." <a>Check out this <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wear_Sunscreen" target="_blank">history of "Wear Sunscreen"</a> <font color=black><br />
<br />
Wear sunscreen.<br />
<br />
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen<br />
would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been<br />
proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no<br />
basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will<br />
dispense this advice now.<br />
<br />
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind.<br />
You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth<br />
until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look<br />
back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp<br />
now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you<br />
really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.<br />
<br />
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying<br />
is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing<br />
bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things<br />
that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you<br />
at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.<br />
<br />
Do one thing every day that scares you.<br />
<br />
Sing.<br />
<br />
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with<br />
people who are reckless with yours.<br />
<br />
Floss..<br />
<br />
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead,<br />
sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end,<br />
it's only with yourself.<br />
<br />
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you<br />
succeed in doing this, tell me how.<br />
<br />
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.<br />
<br />
Stretch.<br />
<br />
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with<br />
your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at<br />
22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most<br />
interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.<br />
<br />
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them<br />
when they're gone.<br />
<br />
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children,<br />
maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance<br />
the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you<br />
do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself<br />
either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of<br />
it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest<br />
instrument you'll ever own.<br />
<br />
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.<br />
<br />
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.<br />
<br />
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.<br />
<br />
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone<br />
for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to<br />
your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the<br />
future.<br />
<br />
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few<br />
you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography<br />
and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need<br />
the people who knew you when you were young.<br />
<br />
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.<br />
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you<br />
soft. Travel.<br />
<br />
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians<br />
will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll<br />
fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable,<br />
politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.<br />
<br />
Respect your elders.<br />
<br />
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust<br />
fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when<br />
either one might run out.<br />
<br />
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it<br />
will look 85.<br />
<br />
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who<br />
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way<br />
of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting<br />
over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.<br />
<br />
But trust me on the sunscreen. </font><br />
<br />
<br />
Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-16794580343630354212013-12-11T10:34:00.000-02:002013-12-11T13:52:13.602-02:00What's In Your Wallet Neighborhood?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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An Every Wednesday post that....well...is actually on a Wednesday.<br />
<br />
Neigh.Bor.Hood: ˈnā-bər-ˌhu̇d\ "A section of a town or a city."<br />
<br />
And what a difference a section can make.<br />
<br />
When Sue got the high school counselor job in Sao Paulo the hiring process was way behind the normal time line, so there wasn't much discussion about living arrangements. It was basically: "Housing will be provided."<br />
<br />
Nothing about the quality of housing mind you. The apartment was spacious but spartan, but what was missing wasn't what wasn't in the apartment, it was what was missing around the apartment: A neighborhood.<br />
<br />
We were living in Morumbi, a short walk from Sue's school, but San Francisco hilly hilly, and definitely not a walking around area. Oh we had to walk to the grocery store not having a car, but there was no place to walk "to". <br />
<br />
So we moved from Morumbi to Vila Novo Conceicao just on the edge of Moema. A distance of 11 clicks (6.6 miles) but 180 degree change in a neighborhood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=R.+Marcos+Pereira,+125+-+Vila+Andrade,+S%C3%A3o+Paulo+-+SP,+Brazil&daddr=R.+Gararu,+140+-+Moema,+S%C3%A3o+Paulo+-+SP,+Brazil&hl=en&geocode=FUmLl_4dmN02_SF0e4hMS77qfSkfgKzPslbOlDF0e4hMS77qfQ%3BFUvyl_4dQ-Q3_SlRHT2l_1nOlDHQ89Bv_3SgNg&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=25.20756,56.513672&mra=ls&ie=UTF8&ll=-23.604732,-46.702306&spn=0.038453,0.067144&t=m&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=R.+Marcos+Pereira,+125+-+Vila+Andrade,+S%C3%A3o+Paulo+-+SP,+Brazil&daddr=R.+Gararu,+140+-+Moema,+S%C3%A3o+Paulo+-+SP,+Brazil&hl=en&geocode=FUmLl_4dmN02_SF0e4hMS77qfSkfgKzPslbOlDF0e4hMS77qfQ%3BFUvyl_4dQ-Q3_SlRHT2l_1nOlDHQ89Bv_3SgNg&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=25.20756,56.513672&mra=ls&ie=UTF8&ll=-23.604732,-46.702306&spn=0.038453,0.067144&t=m" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small><br />
<br />
A short walk or bike ride away to the northeast is Iberapuera Park which I wrote about a few weeks ago. Click on the purple to open that post <a href="http://1944keen.blogspot.com.br/2013/11/ibirapuera-park-sao-paulo-brazil.html" target="_blank"><b>Iberapuera Park Post</a></b> in a new window.<br />
<br />
Since we've been here we've walked to the local stores on the main street, Afonso Bras, just a block from us, but hadn't explored the neighborhood to the north.....or the south.....or the west. <br />
<br />
It was time to venture north and see the neighborhood. Onto the Bike Friday NWT wondering what will traffic be like on the side streets versus "Take Your Life In Your Hands If You'd Be So Foolish" main roads. <br />
<br />
Well, they drive as fast and don't give you a heckuva lot of space but there are far less cars, so some of my cycling was on the sidewalk where a side road was busy.<br />
<br />
In a word I'd say our neighborhood is fairly upscale with many high rise "pay through the nose" looking buildings. The area is pleasant with many of the streets tree lined with the tropical foilage that is Sao Paulo. After all this once was a forest.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/IMG_0645_zps532c09e8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/IMG_0645_zps532c09e8.jpg" border="3" Width="600" align="center" alt=" photo IMG_0645_zps532c09e8.jpg"/></a><br />
<br />
Cycling along I found "Bread Co" an indoor/outdoor coffee and what not cafe. The rain curtains were deployed as we just had a thunder storm but I ventured over to check out the menu: breakfast omelettes, assorted sandwiches, and a small pastry shop inside. Yes!!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/IMG_0646_zpse16cb55a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/IMG_0646_zpse16cb55a.jpg" border="3" align="center" width="600" alt=" photo IMG_0646_zpse16cb55a.jpg"/></a><br />
<br />
Across the corner was a woman with her floral shop on the corner. Good place to bring Sue for some fleurs for the apartmento.<br />
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/IMG_0648_zps6b8b1300.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/IMG_0648_zps6b8b1300.jpg" border="3" align="center" width="600" alt=" photo IMG_0648_zps6b8b1300.jpg"/></a><br />
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Now this is a walking neighborhood! Funny, how an area can completely change your outlook and mood. A lot to explore still. But I also found a local neighborhood lunch spot. a fancy dancy restaurant (Josephine), a small pocket park, and some la de da stores. <br />
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And that's just what is north of us. Time to get on the bike and go west young man.<br />
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Click on any pic to go to the album.<br />
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/IMG_0644_zpsf27a80cf.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/th_IMG_0644_zpsf27a80cf.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0644_zpsf27a80cf.jpg" style=""></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/IMG_0653_zps0ceacb21.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/th_IMG_0653_zps0ceacb21.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0653_zps0ceacb21.jpg" style=""></a><br />
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/IMG_0650_zpsa21e2eba.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/th_IMG_0650_zpsa21e2eba.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0650_zpsa21e2eba.jpg" style=""></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/IMG_0652_zps85021b53.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/th_IMG_0652_zps85021b53.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0652_zps85021b53.jpg" style=""></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/IMG_0657_zpscbe886f4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Hood/th_IMG_0657_zpscbe886f4.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0657_zpscbe886f4.jpg" style=""></a><br />
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Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-18576517386207138082013-12-06T14:06:00.004-02:002013-12-06T14:27:15.677-02:00Get On The Bus Gus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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The every Wednesday post but this time on a Friday. <br />
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So we're in the new place in Moema in Sao Paulo (SP) without a car. Sao Paulo is huge. How huge is it? Glad you asked. SP is the largest city in Brazil and is the largest city in <i> the southern hemisphere! </i> Oh and as to population the seventh most populated in the world. <br />
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Quick aside: From Wikipedia: "The city, which is also colloquially known as "Sampa" or "Cidade da Garoa" (city of drizzle), is also known for its unreliable weather, the size of its helicopter fleet, its architecture, gastronomy, severe traffic congestion and multitude of skyscrapers. The city is considered a Global City according to several classifications. According to one source, São Paulo is expected to have the second highest economic growth in the world between 2011 and 2025, although New York City and Tokyo were expected to remain the largest in 2025.[8]"<br />
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Searching on line there was a plethora of places to see or things to do with most of them miles from home.<br />
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I said: "Let's take a cab." "Naw" says Sue, "Let's see if we can get there by bus. If we want to go anywhere we're going to need to learn the bus routes." <br />
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Our destination was a building called "The Italian Building", one of the highest buildings in SP boasting an almost 360 degree walk around platform for viewing the vast city. <br />
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I jump to Google Maps to see exactly where the building was from our flat. Looks to be about 8 kilometers.<br />
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If you don't know this about Google Maps, you can click on an icon to see how to get there by:<br />
<ul><li> Car<br />
<li> Bus<br />
<li> Walk<br />
<li> Bicycle<br />
</ul>Well bicycle IF that option is available in your locale. In Brazil, that icon disappears and rightly so: It would be suicidal to bike 8 kilometers on main roads!! What I didn't know was that when you click on the bus icon. Google Maps shows you alternate bus routes including the number of the required bus and where the stations are located. See if this Google Maps imbed works. <iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=R.+Gararu,+140+-+Moema,+S%C3%A3o+Paulo+-+SP,+Brazil&daddr=It%C3%A1lia+Building,+Avenida+Ipiranga,+334+-+Rep%C3%BAblica,+S%C3%A3o+Paulo+-+SP,+01046-010,+Brazil&hl=en&geocode=Fffyl_4dqOM3_SmN2vGv_1nOlDH6VjHAwxuVdQ%3BFei6mP4dOUc4_SmjKmBbTljOlDFB7f8EVBiT7Q&aq=0&oq=rua+gararu+140&sll=-23.567449,-46.656017&sspn=0.056801,0.110378&dirflg=r&ttype=now&noexp=0&noal=0&sort=def&mra=ltm&ie=UTF8&ll=-23.567449,-46.656017&spn=0.052766,0.034403&t=m&start=0&output=embed"></iframe> <small><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=R.+Gararu,+140+-+Moema,+S%C3%A3o+Paulo+-+SP,+Brazil&daddr=It%C3%A1lia+Building,+Avenida+Ipiranga,+334+-+Rep%C3%BAblica,+S%C3%A3o+Paulo+-+SP,+01046-010,+Brazil&hl=en&geocode=Fffyl_4dqOM3_SmN2vGv_1nOlDH6VjHAwxuVdQ%3BFei6mP4dOUc4_SmjKmBbTljOlDFB7f8EVBiT7Q&aq=0&oq=rua+gararu+140&sll=-23.567449,-46.656017&sspn=0.056801,0.110378&dirflg=r&ttype=now&noexp=0&noal=0&sort=def&mra=ltm&ie=UTF8&ll=-23.567449,-46.656017&spn=0.052766,0.034403&t=m&start=0" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small> Click on the view larger map view if you're curiouser about how bus info appears. Off to the bus station. <img src="http://photos.wikimapia.org/p/00/02/88/97/24_full.jpg" border=3 width=300> <img src="http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9691/biarticuladosp.jpg" border="6" width=500"><br><br>
Not a single. Not a double. But yup, a triple bus.<br><br>
From taking a bus to Iguacu Falls we knew the drill: Get on. Pay the collector. Find a seat. Simple.<br><br>
But the bus would not take us directly to the Italian Building. We would have to walk to a metro station, take the metro one stop and then walk to the building. I was familiar with the metro having figured out how to use it from our previous flat in Morumbi to get to the safe bicycling area.<br><br>
e were trying to figure out where our exit stop was when all of a sudden we were pulling into a major bus station.<br><br>
The bus emptied.<br><br>
Except for us.<br><br>
Trying to figure out what to do when a young guy getting on the bus and probably noticing our dazed, confused and lost look says in English: "Hey, can I help you guys?" He was a student who obviously knew English.<br><br>
Not only did he give us directions to the metro, but he got off the bus and gave up his time and walked us towards the metro station.<br><br>
Footnote: I've found the "paulistas" to be very friendly when needed. As you walk down the street you're met with hard, cold, indifferent stares. However, every time I've had the deer in the headlights "lost" look, someone has offered help.<br><br>
From the metro it was a short walk to the building where there was free admission to the roof top "restaurant" area from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Being early, we spotted a street market down the street. Sue shopped. I people watched.<br><br>
The bus adventure was worth it. A brief test and we can probably get anywhere we want by bus IF we want to go that route.<br><br>
We hit a clear day and the views from the top of the building were astounding being able to actually see the vastness of SP.<br><br>
This is a view from the top of the building showing one very small slice of SP.<br><br>
<img src="http://www.sailblogs.com/member/thewanderer/images/p1000833a_scale.jpg" border=3 width=300><br><br>
You get the picture.<br><br>
<img src="http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/italian-building-downtown-sao-paulo-25569018.jpg" width=300> From dreamstime.com<br />
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<img src=" https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTS4LauIJqw1c400qt3mH8KSPG8Ip-idtcUY6n0b1rnSIJJZpZJ" width=300"<br />
Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-65931924967594960012013-11-28T10:54:00.001-02:002014-03-13T09:08:59.283-03:00I Did A $tarbuck$<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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A very short "Every Wednesday" post on a Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving!!!<br />
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The other day I did "A $tarbuck$". Not that I haven't been to a $tarbuck$. Every now and then I get an urge for a "Mocha". I do a pop in and pop out in a coffee bean moment.<br />
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But on this day the internet was down in the building and I knew the Starbucks up the street has WiFi. Tablet in hand off I went to have a couple of unexpected experiences.<br />
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The first was while I was waiting for my name to be called by the barrista. A guy heard me speak to the cashier and says to me: "American?". My usual reply: "Yup. From Oregon. Know where Oregon is?" Most foreigners don't, but they do know California, so the conversation usually from me: "Know where California is?" Usually a positive reply. I then say something like: "Oregon is right above California on the western coast of the U.S." <br />
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The guy was from Sao Paulo and curious about why I was in Sao Paulo, etc. A very friendly guy and we had an entertaining conversation.<br />
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"John?" Yells the barrista. No John shows up. "Is that a mocha?" Mine. The cashier spelled "Joe" as J O H N. Close enuff.<br />
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Off to sit at a table. The Starbuck$ thing I've never really done.<br />
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Can't get linked to the WiFi. Noticed a guy working away at a computer. Maybe he speaks some English. Sure enough. Fluent English. Plus he knows A LOT about Android systems and proceeds to clear my overload memory, delete a bunch of streaming not needed apps, and set me up to log in. An offer to buy him a coffee is graciously turned down.<br />
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So now I'm doing the Starbuck$ thing: Sitting at a table with my tablet, sipping my mocha and kicking back.<br />
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There are seven tables occupied: Six of them have someone either on an electronic device of some type. Is everyone's internet off at their home? No I realize because whenever I'm in a Starbuck$ there's always a lot of people sitting with a drink and working on a computer of sorts.<br />
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I do the same catching up on email and reading some of my favorite blogs. I also people watch.<br />
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A mother and daughter sit with the mom having a small demitasse while the daughter downs a frapa.....yup one of those.<br />
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A man and woman spread out a huge pile of index cards and open what looks like identical iPads. They are obviously working on something and I'm wondering: With today's programs why do they have hundreds of index cards instead of having all that data stored at the flick of a key?<br />
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A guy opens what is obviously a Kindle and begins reading.<br />
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My table faces a window opening onto the street where I can watch a stream of humanity passing by and I'm instantly guessing what each is doing and of course forming stereotypical opinions, even though I try to not do that. <br />
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After awhile I realize I'm actually "doing a Starbuck$". <br />
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I enjoyed it almost as much as the Mocha, which by the way I ordered as a "small". I still can't get used to Tall, Grande, etc. A Tall can't be a small. Can it? <br />
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Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-24288540748814466232013-11-14T12:17:00.000-02:002013-11-14T12:17:46.663-02:00TIPS ON LOCKING YOUR BIKE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Just a quick post today but something that can help you keep your bike. A friend recently had a bike stolen and I remembered this video.
Maybe it will help you keep your bike.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aTA3JsZWiec" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-91346268561288549232013-11-05T13:49:00.001-02:002013-11-05T14:54:52.857-02:00Ibirapuera Park, Sao Paulo Brazil<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Our move from Morumbi, SP to Moema, SP included a nugget: Ibirapuera Park is only a few blocks from our flat. The difference between a "flat" and an "apartmento" is that a flat is often a serviced small unit for rent for under a year. An "apartmento" often will not be rented for less than a year and more often for a term of 39 months.
For the SAHS (Stay At Home Spouse) or also called a "trailing spouse" such as myself who is definitely obsessed with cycling, having Ibirapuera Park this close will make the stay in Sao Paulo so much more enjoyable.
Ibirapuera Park is known as Sao Paulo's "Central Park". Umm...I used to live in New York City and visited Central Park frequently. Nice try Sao Paulo, but.......
<img src="http://www.saopaulo.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/parque-ibirapuera-1.jpg" width=550 border=6>
<img src="http://draikaner.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/mapa_treino2.jpg" width=550 border=6><br>
<font size=1> www.parquedoibirapuera.com </font><br><br>
The redish pinkish line is the 1.8 mile bike path.
View a typical almost daily ride here: <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3614897" target="new"><b> GPS Ibirapuera Park Ride </a></b><br><br>
On any day there are cyclists, skaters, joggers, families pushing strollers, walkers, gawkers, and the ubiquitous vendors selling what appears to be the flavorite drink of Paulista's (Sao Paulo folks): Coco Water.<br><br>
The photo at the end shows the building featuring a photo exhibit by Karl Lagerfeld titled "The Little Black Jacket". As we are viewing the photos there is a photo of a man from the front next to a photo shot from the back of a woman. Sue says: "Look they are wearing the same jacket." I look at a few photos and say:"They are all wearing the same jacket." Then the title of the exhibit hit me: Doh. No, we weren't invited to the opening.<br><br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KxcTYEfYD8Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br><br>
Some scenes from the park. Where trees have fallen, the tree has been turned into a playful sculpture of sorts.<br><br><font color=black>
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/SPPark131102_012_zps1c1c3f7c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/SPPark131102_012_zps1c1c3f7c.jpg" border="0" width= "250" alt=" photo SPPark131102_012_zps1c1c3f7c.jpg"/></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/SPPark131102_021_zpsdca32def.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/SPPark131102_021_zpsdca32def.jpg" border="0" width="250"alt=" photo SPPark131102_021_zpsdca32def.jpg"/></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/SPPark131102_022_zps26803fc6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/SPPark131102_022_zps26803fc6.jpg" border="0" width="250" alt=" photo SPPark131102_022_zps26803fc6.jpg"/></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/SPPark131102_014_zpsebbde06d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/SPPark131102_014_zpsebbde06d.jpg" border="0" width="250" alt=" photo SPPark131102_014_zpsebbde06d.jpg"/></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/SPPark131102_013_zpscd2f01bc.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/SPPark131102_013_zpscd2f01bc.jpg" border="0" width="250" alt=" photo SPPark131102_013_zpscd2f01bc.jpg"/></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/SPPark131102_020_zps8ae17890.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/SPPark131102_020_zps8ae17890.jpg" border="0" width="250"alt=" photo SPPark131102_020_zps8ae17890.jpg"/></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/SPPark131102_030_zps3c8c81ac.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/SPPark131102_030_zps3c8c81ac.jpg" border="0" width="250" alt=" photo SPPark131102_030_zps3c8c81ac.jpg"/></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/SPPark131102_009_zpsd9149a72.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/SPPark131102_009_zpsd9149a72.jpg" border="0" width="250" alt=" photo SPPark131102_009_zpsd9149a72.jpg"/></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Ibirapuera%20Park/SPPark131102_028_zpse35a8870.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Ibirapuera%20Park/SPPark131102_028_zpse35a8870.jpg" border="0" width="250"alt=" photo SPPark131102_028_zpse35a8870.jpg"/></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/SPPark131102_026_zps3fd85016.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/SPPark131102_026_zps3fd85016.jpg" border="0" width="250"alt=" photo SPPark131102_026_zps3fd85016.jpg"/></a>
Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-72176411714221285642013-10-31T09:26:00.001-02:002013-10-31T14:01:14.425-02:00Iguacu (e-gwa-soo) Falls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://powertripberkeley.com/wp-content/uploads/iguazu-falls-argentina-wallpaperiguazu-falls-in-argentina-wallpapers-shop-b60jpbuu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://powertripberkeley.com/wp-content/uploads/iguazu-falls-argentina-wallpaperiguazu-falls-in-argentina-wallpapers-shop-b60jpbuu.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> powertripberkley.com photo </span><br />
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“Poor Niagra”. That is what Eleanor Roosevelt said upon viewing IguacuFalls. Having been to Niagara Falls a few times, Mrs. Roosevelt sure got it right.<br />
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Sue came to Sao Paulo on a
tourist visa good for only 90 days having been hired late in the process by the
school in Sao Paulo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Same tourist visa for me as her husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To get a work visa requires leaving the
country and going to a Brazilian consulate office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The school sends those who need a work visa
to the consulate in Argentina,
which just happens to be in Puerto Iguazu near Iguacu
Falls, which is in both Brazil and Argentina.</div>
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From Wikipedia: The name "Iguazu" comes from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarani_language" title="Guarani language"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guarani</i></a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Tupi" title="Old Tupi"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tupi</i></a> words "<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">y</span>" <span class="ipa"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Guarani" title="Help:IPA for Guarani">[<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode";">ɨ</span>]</a></i></span>,
meaning "water", and "<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">ûasú</span>
"<span class="ipa"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Guarani" title="Help:IPA for Guarani">[waˈsu]</a></i></span>, meaning "big".<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguazu_Falls#cite_note-SATravel-2"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">[2]</i></a></sup> Legend has it that a god
planned to marry a beautiful woman named <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Naipí</span>,
who fled with her mortal lover <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Tarobá</span>
in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canoe" title="Canoe"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">canoe</i></a>. In rage, the god sliced the
river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguazu_Falls#cite_note-SATravel-2"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">[2]</i></a></sup> The first European to find
the falls was the Spanish <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquistador" title="Conquistador"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">conquistador</i></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81lvar_N%C3%BA%C3%B1ez_Cabeza_de_Vaca" title="Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Álvar
Núñez Cabeza de Vaca</i></a> in 1541.</div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On November 11 of 2011, Iguazu Falls
was announced as one of the seven winners of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Seven_Wonders_of_Nature" title="New Seven Wonders of Nature">New Seven Wonders of Nature</a> by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Seven_Wonders_of_the_World" title="New Seven Wonders of the World">New Seven Wonders of the World</a> Foundation.</i><br />
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After checking into the Bourbon (no not the drink....think in French) Hotel in Foz du Iguacu, Brazil, we
stopped by a tourist travel office located within the hotel and behind the desk
was a 7 year old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, maybe she was
20, but she sure looked 7!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
explained how it would only cost us a small ransom to hire a driver to take us
to the falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other options?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We could take the local bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sounds like a local adventure to us.</div>
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The front desk clerk told us to take the “green” bus which
would stop across the street at the taxi stand and cost about $1.50<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>U.S.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After watching a blue, then brown, then red,
then multi colored bus stop and go, our green guy showed up.</div>
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Quite a different bus fare set up than we have experienced
in any other country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a driver
and also a toll collector who sits about one-third of the way towards the back
of the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The front third has some
seats, which looks to be for (ahem) seniors and the disabled but probably also
serves for overflow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Metal bars and a
turn stile separate this front section from the rest of the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have a prepaid toll card, simply swipe
it and the turnstile allows passage to the rear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, pay the piper who has an ancient
wooden box as the currency holder and the drawbridge will be lowered for you to
the back section of the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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We had no idea what to expect entering the park on the
Brazilian side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a woman
selling inexpensive (a polite word for “cheap”) plastic ponhos, which we were
told to buy regardless of the price.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
would need them.</div>
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The first views are simply jaw dropping, gawking, gazing at
this water theater multiplex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the
Brazilian side of the falls the views are panoramic with sweeping vistas of the
falls along the opposite side of the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And multiplex?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is like
walking into a 20 theater movie house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Along the river is a waterfall next to a waterfall next to a waterfall
down river from a waterfall. </div>
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT_3UfW3BieHlt4bWzRsSRNUCmD2RzktORN8NP0p4m2fKg33hoQ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT_3UfW3BieHlt4bWzRsSRNUCmD2RzktORN8NP0p4m2fKg33hoQ" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">secondglobe.com photo </span></div>
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<img border="6" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_017_Sm_zpse1828ca7.jpg" width="550" /> <br />
<br />
The Argentinian view later.</div>
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A path follows the river giving varied views as the falls
thunder from afar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point our
only complaint was the weather:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day
was shrouded in gray with threats of rain and a sprinkle now and then
eliminating those vibrant sunlit photos.</div>
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At one spot along the path was a zip line that wasn’t
operational.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yah, I would have done
that.</div>
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Towards the end of the path there is a man made walkway that
extends out into the river and near the top of one of the falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mist is drenching and the wind howls, but
it’s one of those “..if I leave here without doing this…..” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it will be regretted. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My thought while walking out to the end of
the pier/walkway was: “How in the heck did they create the pilings and supports
with such raging water all about?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
yet to find out.<br />
<br />
This photo shows the walkway where you can stand at the end overlooking the falls. Vertigo anyone? On the day we were there the wind was blowing fiercely enshrouding the entire walkway in mist. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://garb02.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/if-iguazu-from-balconies-e1292874926443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://garb02.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/if-iguazu-from-balconies-e1292874926443.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> garb02.wordpress.com photo </span><br />
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Compare the photo above with what the walkway looked like during our visit. We did the drenched rat routine to the end.<br />
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_031_Sm_zpsdc34cc68.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IguacuFalls_031_Sm_zpsdc34cc68.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_031_Sm_zpsdc34cc68.jpg" width="670" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Continuing along the path, it ends at an elevator up to a viewpoint overlooking
the falls and right next to one of the waterfalls. </div>
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_022_Sm_zps091edc09.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IguacuFalls_022_Sm_zps091edc09.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_022_Sm_zps091edc09.jpg" width="650" /></a> </div>
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The walk took a good 4 hours
and at the end I was thinking: “Why do this again in Argentina?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More of the same?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little did I know.</div>
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There wasn’t enough time left in the day to get to the Argentina
falls, which we were told would take 6 hours to tour, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but there was a “bird park” one of the
teachers said would be worth our while.</div>
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The Iguacu Falls Bird Park (Parque das aves) was an unexpected pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Large well kept “pens” housed numerous birds
which have been rescued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Numerous other bids such as flamingoes, emu were in open outdoor pens. </span>The Parque das aves was
hatched in 1994, by a German couple, Dennis and Anna Croukamp, who found in
the Iguazu area a perfect place to realize a dream: to build a theme
park dedicated to the conservation of animals. He rescued damaged raptors and over the years has saved hundreds of birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a small tropical
paradise and well worth the time to wander and relax. In a word: Peaceful. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://demo.estudionovem.com/infoiguassu2/images/articles/parque-aves/parque-aves-brasil_08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="http://demo.estudionovem.com/infoiguassu2/images/articles/parque-aves/parque-aves-brasil_08.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<img border="6" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_073_Sm_zpsa3bd52e1.jpg" width="200" /><img border="6" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_084_Sm_zpsaf341fa3.jpg" width="200" /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_082_Sm_zps6d2aaf86.jpg" target="blank"><img align="left" border="3" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_082_Sm_zps6d2aaf86.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Sunday was to the Argentina falls and again by
bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A different color than green.</div>
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Once inside the Argentina park to get to the falls requires a train
ride to walk the lower trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then back
to a station to take another train to the upper falls.</div>
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What an incredible surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>About 80% of the falls exist on the Argentina side and this is what
gives the panorama to the Brazilian viewpoints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What we didn’t expect is that the walkways go right up to and in many
places reach over the falls giving you a vertigo experience of looking<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>down on the rushing, thundering, powerful
water flowing underneath.<br />
<br />
This shows howcloseyouare to the falls.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.welcomeargentina.com/paseos/cataratas_iguazu/cataratas-iguazu-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://www.welcomeargentina.com/paseos/cataratas_iguazu/cataratas-iguazu-04.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">welcomeargentina.com photo </span></div>
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<br />
The day before a driver hired by the school took us to the
consulate to get the work visa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sue
asked: “Which side is better?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
driver vigorously shook his head and said: “Not better…..different.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How right he was.</div>
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Again a gray day but this one had something else for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is about a half-mile walk
along a man made boardwalk extending across a river to Devil’s Throat
falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were about three-fourths of
the way there when the heavens opened up putting us under our own water fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Buckets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No way were we to be
denied so we sloshed to the end of the walkway where you are in the middle of
Devil’s Throat falls watching the water cascade in torrents and ear splitting
sounds to shake your core.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Drowning in unforgettable visions and memories, we took the
two train ride back to the park entrance where by then the cold rain ended and
we began a hot cup of cappuccino.</div>
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Would do this adventure again in a heart beat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hmmm…does Sue have a 3 day weekend without
plans on the calendar?<br />
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Click here for lots of falls pics--><b> <a href="http://tinyurl.com/k52a2p4" target="new"> Iguacu Falls Pics On Da Web<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></a></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b> CLICK on any photo to open the whole magilla slide show of me photos in a separate window </b></span> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_098_Sm_zpsfb784171.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IguacuFalls_098_Sm_zpsfb784171.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/th_IguacuFalls_098_Sm_zpsfb784171.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_111_Sm_zps61421786.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IguacuFalls_111_Sm_zps61421786.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/th_IguacuFalls_111_Sm_zps61421786.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_021_Sm_zps68387b4b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IguacuFalls_021_Sm_zps68387b4b.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/th_IguacuFalls_021_Sm_zps68387b4b.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_022_Sm_zps091edc09.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IguacuFalls_022_Sm_zps091edc09.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/th_IguacuFalls_022_Sm_zps091edc09.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_031_Sm_zpsdc34cc68.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IguacuFalls_031_Sm_zpsdc34cc68.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/th_IguacuFalls_031_Sm_zpsdc34cc68.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_024_Sm_zps1ecb6210.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IguacuFalls_024_Sm_zps1ecb6210.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/th_IguacuFalls_024_Sm_zps1ecb6210.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_016_Sm_zpsa5a0dfac.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IguacuFalls_016_Sm_zpsa5a0dfac.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/th_IguacuFalls_016_Sm_zpsa5a0dfac.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_099_Sm_zpsf4912374.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IguacuFalls_099_Sm_zpsf4912374.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/th_IguacuFalls_099_Sm_zpsf4912374.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/IguacuFalls_111_Sm_zps61421786.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IguacuFalls_111_Sm_zps61421786.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Iguacu%20Falls/th_IguacuFalls_111_Sm_zps61421786.jpg" /></a></div>
Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-21765570165928110102013-10-29T11:22:00.000-02:002013-11-01T11:35:32.786-02:00Sao Paulo "Street Art"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<font color=purple>Sao Paulo has graffiti everywhere and is known for "street art". There is a famous street I've yet to get to. Some shots of street art graffiti from my Domingo "Ciclofaxia" bike ride. <font color=black><br><br><br><br><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Sao%20Paulo%20Bicicleta/2013SPBike_048_Sm_zpsb68cd2b1.jpg" border="6" width=250><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Sao%20Paulo%20Bicicleta/2013SPBike_046_Sm_zps6de28693.jpg" border=6 width=250><br><br><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Sao%20Paulo%20Bicicleta/2013SPBike_076_zps45f3bf79.jpg" border=6 width=250><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Sao%20Paulo%20Bicicleta/2013SPBike_061_zpsfe10aa67.jpg" border=6 width=250><br><br><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Sao%20Paulo%20Bicicleta/2013SPBike_056_zps8fe26c83.jpg" border=6 width=250><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Sao%20Paulo%20Bicicleta/2013SPBike_064_zps861ac6c6.jpg" border=6 width=250><br><br><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Sao%20Paulo%20Bicicleta/2013SPBike_047_Sm_zpsd11b4a08.jpg" border=6 width=250><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Sao%20Paulo%20Bicicleta/2013SPBike_053_Sm_zpsc70ca51f.jpg" border=6 width=250><br><br><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Sao%20Paulo%20Bicicleta/2013SPBike_055_zps738e74cc.jpg" border=6 width=250><br><br>Almost all the shops have those pull down corrugated "garage doors" for security. Often they are painted to reflect what's sold. To wit:<br><br><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Sao%20Paulo%20Bicicleta/2013SPBike_077_zpsa7fe7417.jpg" border=6 width=325>Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-46329637458585896532013-10-23T13:30:00.001-02:002013-10-23T13:30:09.912-02:00Iguacu Falls: Postponed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I know. I know: There's supposed to be a post every Wednesday except when it will be a post on Thursday or Friday or......
Postponed: In the middle of a move from Morumbi area to the Moema area which is more of a walking around neighborhood and is close to Ibirpuera park where I'll be able to cycle. Tis a beautiful thing...
Iguacu Falls pics and our adventure...it's coming. HonestSlo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-75056530287068379772013-10-21T15:51:00.000-02:002013-10-21T15:51:23.641-02:00Sao Paulo Cycling: There Is Hope<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Where I currently reside in Sao Paulo there is virtually no place to cycle: The hills could be cycled but the road is too dangerous what with speeding cars and no shoulder. Thus, I choose not to venture into the road for anything. What I do is cycle on the sidewalk which means dismounting at just about every intersection because of the high curbs.<br><br>
The neighborhood is also not great for "walking about". Besides the possibility of crime in the evening there just are very few cafes, restaurants or places of interest.<br><br>
The solution: A move to Moema, which is an area in what would be called the downtown area. Sao Paulo is so spread out like Los Angeles that there really isn't a downtown like New York, London, San Fracisco, etc.<br><br>
We found a place last week and are due to move Oct.24th.<br><br>
Cycling will become almost a part of my daily routine.<br><br>
There is Iberapuera Park which is only 4 blocks from the new "flat" and has a 2+ mile bicycle trail around the park.<br><br>
There is the "Ciclista" river trail which is about 3 miles cross town and is a good 15km to 20km end to end. So I have to smell the stinky river. I can do that now and then.<br><br>
So after 2 months of cycling a decent ride only on Sunday's when I could take my bike on the subway to the river trail, there is hope at the end of the tunnel...or at least a few blocks away. <br><br>
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Ibirapuera+park,+sao+paulo&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=43.123021,93.076172&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=&ll=-23.587416,-46.657634&spn=0.006295,0.006295&t=m&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Ibirapuera+park,+sao+paulo&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=43.123021,93.076172&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=&ll=-23.587416,-46.657634&spn=0.006295,0.006295&t=m" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>
Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-73269227637916369542013-10-16T12:12:00.002-03:002013-10-18T18:14:58.547-03:00Paraty: A Getaway Weekend<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Paraty (pronounced Par-ah-chee) was the destination.</div>
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A bit of bonding for all the new teachers of Graded, The
American School where Susan works was the objective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The school hired a bus with all the other
costs such as “posada” stay, food, etc. was the teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Logistics were to leave right after school on Friday and
return Sunday afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s get the
“getting there” out of the way and back again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Simply a very lonnnnnnng bus ride of 8 hours over the winding roads from
Sao Paulo to
Paraty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are no highways per se
twixt here and there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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We arrived at around 11 p.m at the Paraty bus station in the
middle of the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right, you could
have figured that 11 p.m. was the middle of the night. I know. </div>
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A nice hike to our posadas ensued and that meant carrying
our roller luggage most of the way. On the streets of old town small wheels on
luggage were useless unless they came with shock absorbers installed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The streets you see were constructed
obviously by drunk Brazilians who dragged boulders from the surrounding area
and plopped them haphazardly in the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There must have been a contest for the worker who could get <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>most of the rock to protrude above
ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Levels must not have been invented yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.paraty.com.br/estalagemcolonial/images/galeria/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://www.paraty.com.br/estalagemcolonial/images/galeria/01.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.paraty.com.br/estalagemcolonial/images/galeria/05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://www.paraty.com.br/estalagemcolonial/images/galeria/05.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Our posada or pousada was the “Estalagem Colonial” built in
the mid 1800’s and maintained as if it was the mid 1800’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Posada?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Glad you asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Per my good and
personal friend, Merriam Dict: A government operated or approved inn offering moderately priced rooms to tourists, especially in a historic area.<br />
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Our bedroom at Estalagem Colonial. <br />
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<a href="http://www.ferias.tur.br/user/hoteis/24269/g_77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://www.ferias.tur.br/user/hoteis/24269/g_77.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Photos courtesy of www.ferias.tur.br
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The agenda was simple and you could or couldn’t whichever you wanted to do:
<br />
<ul>
<li> Saturday morning: Boat ride or on your own.
</li>
<li> Saturday evening: On your own.
</li>
<li> Sunday morning: On your own.
</li>
<li> Sunday @ 2 p.m.: Bus ride back to Sao Paulo.
</li>
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On your own was the most popular activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Saturday morning dawned and yes again I know most days dawn,
but I usurp editorial privilege here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Downstairs in the Inn was a basic
continental breakfast with eggs made to order with enough fruit and breads to
satisfy.</div>
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We wandered through old town to the dock where the charter
boats were lined up and the street was lined with the usual cast of vendors: Coco milk, hats and souvenirs, assorted pot porri. </div>
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The rest of the morning was spent sailing out to a beach,
anchoring and anyone who wanted could dive overboard, grab a noodle or not,
swim to the beach and try to spot a sea turtle in the cloudy water from recent
rainfalls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tourist photos will show
sparkling clear blue water which it can be…but wasn’t<b>. <span style="color: orange;"> Click on any photo to open a slideshow of that and all photos in a separate window. </span></b></div>
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/13Paraty_020_Sm_zps4e3b227d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_020_Sm_zps4e3b227d.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/th_13Paraty_020_Sm_zps4e3b227d.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/13Paraty_009_Sm_zps9a039e0b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_009_Sm_zps9a039e0b.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/th_13Paraty_009_Sm_zps9a039e0b.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/13Paraty_027_Sm_zpsf90b2127.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_027_Sm_zpsf90b2127.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/th_13Paraty_027_Sm_zpsf90b2127.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/13Paraty_025_Sm_zpse53fbcb2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_025_Sm_zpse53fbcb2.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/th_13Paraty_025_Sm_zpse53fbcb2.jpg" /></a><br />
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On the way back there was a stop at a small restaurant where
the only downer, if it could be called that, happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another way of looking at is to say: “I
experienced the very laid back and slow culture of island cuisine.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Translation:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The restaurant was<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was under
staffed to handle a group our size plus other groups who docked at the restaurant.</div>
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We learned there was a surprising way that the decision was
made to serve food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were four
terraces going up the side of the hill with tables on each terrace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the lower level were tables 1 and 2, then
3 and 4 on the next terrace etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our group
sat on the top two terraces.</div>
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We watched a couple of smaller groups arrive after us and
sit on the lower terrace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the size
of our group we figured it would take awhile for food,. But then we saw the new
group being served before us even though they arrived after us.</div>
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One of our teachers who spoke Portugese tried to help with
serving and went to the kitchen because it was taking<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>forever for food to arrive and we wondered
why those who arrived later were already chowing away.</div>
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The teacher came back shaking her head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You won’t believe this.” Says she.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kitchen was filling orders by the number
of the table, not when the order was placed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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Half our group got fed and shared their food with the other
group which was still waitng close to over an hour after arriving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hey, it was a cultural experience.</div>
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That night Susan and I had dinner at an Italian restaurant
fairly open to the street which afforded teachers walking by the open door to
c’mon in and set and chat awhile.</div>
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Sunday morning for most of us was continuing to explore old
town and enjoy the traffic free streets, historical buildings, and delightful
atmosphere which was in stark comparison to Sao Paulo.<br />
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For some history and more background:</div>
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Good Ol’ Wikipedia:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraty%2C_RJ"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraty%2C_RJ</span></a></span></div>
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A bit more history:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.paraty.com.br/us/history_paraty.asp">http://www.paraty.com.br/us/history_paraty.asp</a></div>
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Sure was easy to see why this place is a tourist
destination. Some images why.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;"> Click on any image to open the whole magilla of Paraty photos in another window slideshow. </span></b></div>
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/13Paraty_033_Sm_zps9b78b631.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_033_Sm_zps9b78b631.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/th_13Paraty_033_Sm_zps9b78b631.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/13Paraty_077_Sm_zpse48a37c9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_077_Sm_zpse48a37c9.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/th_13Paraty_077_Sm_zpse48a37c9.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/13Paraty_075_Sm_zpse24b3e61.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_075_Sm_zpse24b3e61.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/th_13Paraty_075_Sm_zpse24b3e61.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/13Paraty_055_Sm_zpsa3d3ed25.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_055_Sm_zpsa3d3ed25.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/th_13Paraty_055_Sm_zpsa3d3ed25.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/13Paraty_062_Sm_zpsfd608ddd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_062_Sm_zpsfd608ddd.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/th_13Paraty_062_Sm_zpsfd608ddd.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/13Paraty_060_Sm_zps0a6eb1df.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_060_Sm_zps0a6eb1df.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/th_13Paraty_060_Sm_zps0a6eb1df.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/13Paraty_050_Sm_zps0b602170.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_050_Sm_zps0b602170.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/2013%20Paraty/th_13Paraty_050_Sm_zps0b602170.jpg" /></a>
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Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-64053496387931274562013-10-09T12:25:00.000-03:002013-10-18T17:59:40.403-03:00Paraty Brazil: View From A Window<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The “Graded School” where Susan works in Morumbi, Sao Paulo, sponsored a getaway weekend for all the new hires to do a bit of bonding. The school provided the bus for the winding 8 hour bus ride. Then we were on our own. The locale: Paraty, Brazil.<br />
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Our “posada” was built in the late 1800’s and is situated in the “old town” area of Paraty. Walking into our room was like walking back in time to the 1800’s: The furniture was old, very old, the floor was warped and wavy, and the windows….well the windows weren’t. They were openings with big wooden shutters that opened in and the opening led onto a very small balcony, not unlike the balconies on Bourbon Street in Nawlins.<br />
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Standing on the balcony on the day we were to leave I kept looking at different views from that window and enjoying how much there was to see from that window. I felt like a traveler who just stepped off the stage coach.<br />
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So I thought: “What can I see in a few minutes?” The photos below show those views. More about Paraty next Wednesday.
<span style="color: maroon;"> Click on a thumbnail to open the image in large view and a slide show in another tab or (ahem) window of its own.</span>
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/13Paraty_041_Sm_zps2917ba54.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_041_Sm_zps2917ba54.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/th_13Paraty_041_Sm_zps2917ba54.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/13Paraty_042_Sm_zps41339704.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_042_Sm_zps41339704.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/th_13Paraty_042_Sm_zps41339704.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/13Paraty_040_Sm_zps9ad1a271.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_040_Sm_zps9ad1a271.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/th_13Paraty_040_Sm_zps9ad1a271.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/13Paraty_048_Sm_zps072be1bd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_048_Sm_zps072be1bd.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/th_13Paraty_048_Sm_zps072be1bd.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/13Paraty_047_Sm_zpsc8970442.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_047_Sm_zpsc8970442.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/th_13Paraty_047_Sm_zpsc8970442.jpg" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jkeenan7/media/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/13Paraty_049_Sm_zpsf5aa7ead.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 13Paraty_049_Sm_zpsf5aa7ead.jpg" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/Brazil%20Et%20Al/Paraty%20Brazil/th_13Paraty_049_Sm_zpsf5aa7ead.jpg" /></a>
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Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-26027419026918171162013-09-12T10:43:00.000-03:002013-10-18T17:17:44.255-03:00Sal Paulo Cycling: Who Knew<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Right before heading for Sao Paulo, Brazil and shortly after arriving I did a lot of googling (hate that term) of cycling+Sao Paulo. The results were disappointing to say the least.<br />
<br />
Some of the more dire links:<br />
<br />
"Cycling in Brazil: Vicious Cycling"<br />
"Cycling in Sao Paulo Pesents Difficult, Deadly, Problems"<br />
"A Cyclist's Lost Arm Becomes a Symbol of Reform in Sao Paulo" (Yes, a car ripped off a cyclist's arm and the guy threw it away 30kms down the road.)<br />
<br />
And from WikiTravel: "São Paulo is definitely not one of the easiest places in the World around by bike..." That's for sure. WikiTravel goes on to say: "Most drivers respect cyclists, but unfortunately, there are also many
drivers (including bus drivers) who don't. Most of the city is flat or
moderately steep, with only the extreme north part of the city being
extremely hilly."<br />
<br />
Guess who lives in a very hilly part of the city currently? My wife had warned me about the hills as she was in Sao Paulo a month ahead of my scheduled arrival. Plus, I looked up bike rides on "MapMyRide" and "RideWithGPS" websites.<br />
<br />
Well, this past week I was at a party with the school principal who is an avid runner. He said: "I can give you a ride tomorrow to the University of Sao Paulo where I run. The USP is right next to where they close off a travel lane for cyclists on Sunday. Pick you up at 6:30 a.m."<br />
<br />
SCORE<br />
<br />
I was surprised to find a main thoroughfare practically deserted of cars and there was a complete lane marked off by the proverbial orange cones. At 7 a.m. I was the lone cyclist on the road, pedaling along to my heart and legs content. I grabbed a paper to see if my name was in the obituary column and I had gone to heaven. <br />
<br />
Toodling along I came to a bridge and at the top realized I was over the river and down below was the river bicycle path I'd heard about just a few days before. I am so there.<br />
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<a href="http://wikitravel.org/upload/shared//thumb/5/5f/Ciclovia_rio_pinheiros.jpg/800px-Ciclovia_rio_pinheiros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://wikitravel.org/upload/shared//thumb/5/5f/Ciclovia_rio_pinheiros.jpg/800px-Ciclovia_rio_pinheiros.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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The main road and bridge are about a 10 to 15 foot elevation above the cycle path and one has to walk the bike down to the river. I was definitely ok with that. Half way down was a guard to make sure we were walking. Heck, I was strutting.<br />
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The path is about 20 kms long with only one problem: Being down wind of the river meant I could not avoid the smell of the river. On the way to USP the principal warned me but I had no idea. Now I do.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3327160" target="_blank">I've mapped out a route from my home to the Ciclovia rio Pinheiros.</a> </span> (Click on the blue link to see route in a separate window) <br />
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I'm going to see what it's like to try and bike the 6+ miles from my apartment to the river path. Unlike the "closed road", the river path is available all week whereas the road route is only available on Domingo from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. But as you can see the climb back home will be a workout with some 6% and 8% grades for the homecoming.<br />
<br />
On the good news side our request to move to a more "bike and walk around friendly" area of Sao Paulo has been approved and me thinks within 3 to 4 weeks I'll be much closer to the river path and will be able to cycle almost every day. That is, if I can find a big enough clothespin for my nose!!<br />
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Images from the car lane closed to traffic on Domingo.Yes, there are crossing guards at EVERY intersection. <br />
<span style="color: maroon;"> (Clicking on a pic will open full size and slide show in another window.)</span>
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Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-47029692009741157622013-01-04T01:55:00.001-02:002013-10-19T10:57:48.895-03:00To the FAT BIKE Dark Side I Go<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One of my resolutions for the New Year is to keep my blogs
up to date. Whatever I post here will also be posted to </div>
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While in Johannesburg,
South Africa I
was informed that road cycling may not be safe: Cars are not bike
friendly and a cyclist stands a chance of getting "bike jacked" if
cycling alone. My wife knows I "have to cycle". At her
school where she works my wife was chatting with a group of teachers who she
knows cycle. One of them said: "Maybe Joe wants to try mountain
biking. We've got our daughter's bike he could borrow."
Another way to cycle: I'll try it. </div>
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Went for a ride with the Johannesburg Mountain Bike
Club. Remember what I said about bike jacking? Their club rule for any
group from beginner to advanced:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Must
have at least 6 riders for a group to ride. Strength in numbers!
Oh, the sweep carried a special device that should the group run into trouble
gets triggered to send a signal for help to the police.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fell in love with mountain biking!!
Never had the need to try it before. Wish I had. No cars on single
track. </div>
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Leaving Johannesburg
to return home for good I sold the mountain bike and vowed to buy another once
I returned to the states. In the meantime I had been following a thread
on bikejournal <a href="http://www.bikejournal.com/">http://www.bikejournal.com</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>about Fat Bikes. The Fat Bike Thread
intriqued me about the versatility of a Fat Bike.</div>
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Quickly Fat Bikes go back to development in Alaska. Some
history <a href="http://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/fat-bike-history-498002.html" target="_blank>forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/fat-bike-history-498002.html&lt">
here.</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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I kept vacillating between a Fat Bike and a "29er"
mountain bike. The more I read about a Fat Bike the “interested” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got. </div>
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<br /></div>
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In October a decision to move to the Bend Oregon
area sealed the decision. Bend
has a reputation for being a mountain biker's paradise. Our area,
Sunriver, has 31 miles of paved bike paths and is near many forest roads good
for mountain biking. I visited a bike shop in mid Decmeber that sold
Surly Pugsleys. None in stock. Went to a shop that had Salsa
Mukluks. Hmmm...one in my size. Orange. Couldn't test ride it outside
but was able to ride inside a big open area of the building. Felt
Ok. </div>
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Fat Bikes are in demand. Some bike shops are already
sold out of their 2013 allotment. Chat with the wife.
Sold! The mechanic said it would take 30 minutes to check it out and I
could bring it home. With over 12" of snow in the last week the
bike/pedestrian paths get plowed but there's at leasat 1" of hard packed
snow there. Perfect for a Fat Bike. </div>
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I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS BIKE!!! I've taken it on hard
packed paths and on some areas where x country skiiers have packed down the
snow. With this bike living in a cold snow plenty area I can ride any time
me please. And this bike pleases. </div>
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Fat Bike Thread on BikeJournal.com:</div>
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http://www.bikejournal.com/thread.asp?ThreadID={029BF13C-5D45-4995-BC29-1FA3D74BD44A}<br />
<br />
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Slo Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727494438183513283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34379444.post-39400756585119284022011-10-24T09:10:00.002-02:002011-11-10T10:13:20.831-02:00Golden Gate National Park S. AfricaGolden Gate<br /><br />No not the one in San Francisco and we didn’t expire and go to heaven. Oh wait. That’s the Pearly Gate. Nevermind.<br /><br />While in the Drakensberg mountains last year we decided to take a scenic route home and that led us to the Golden Gate National Park. Passing through it close to sunset the colors were vibrant and really lit up the sandstone cliffs as our portal through the park. Definitely coming back here we decided.<br /><br />One of Sue’s school breaks, a 3 day weekend, was the perfect opportunity and probably about the right amount of time. An old adage, by Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard’s Almanac, is: “Fish and visitors smell in 3 days.” That was written in 1736 and has stood the test of time. And 3 days was just enough not to get tired of the Golden Gate area.<br /><br />Golden Gate National Park was established in 1963 to protect the unique sandstone rock formations which once were shelters for the Bushmen.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nature-reserve.co.za/free-state-golden-gate-highlands-preserve.html" target="new"> More about Golden Gate Park </a><br /><br />Our accommodations were at the Bosotho Cultural Village in the Free State area of South Africa. In his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, President Nelson Mandela expresses his feelings for the Free State as follows: ``The Free State landscape gladdens my heart, no matter what my mood. When I am here I feel that nothing can shut me in, that my thoughts can roam as far as the horizons. " Our lodge was modeled after the rondavel dwellings <a href="http://inspiredinsouthafrica.com/userfiles/Basotho%20Cultural%20Village(1).jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 336px; height: 252px;" src="http://inspiredinsouthafrica.com/userfiles/Basotho%20Cultural%20Village(1).jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />While the museum and gift shop were interesting we weren’t in the mood to play tourist and pay a guide (required to visit the village). Visiting a tourist village like this makes me feel like a voyeur prying into the lives of people. Yup, I realize this is their fund raiser and I left a generous donation at the museum, but we were here for the mountains and tranquility. Then again, I confess I’ve visited Williamsburg.<br /><br />The first evening was pure delight. Sitting on the deck of our lodge-room (inside was one big room comprising the kitchen, sitting and bedroom areas.) our vista was over a large meadow with Wildebeest, Springbok, and other critters way off in the background. The golden hue of the grasses with the blue sky background and the sandstone mountain range to the left was all the evening entertainment needed to be.<br /><br />There is only one road through the Golden Gate area and we explored it from one end to the other with a nice diversion up a side road to a dam and view overlooking the area. We got to what was most like the area leading out of the sandstone cliffs, did a U turn, and saw a picnic area to our left when Sue says: “I think that’s Chris’ car over there.” Sure enough a couple of the teachers we knew had headed to a little town, Clarens, down the road for the week end and were exploring the area.<br /><br />Backtracking we stopped at the local Glen Reenen camp area where we knew there were trailheads to the hiking trails. One looked interesting and went to the top of Brandwag rock, where just happened to be a Geocache according to some of the geocache sites I downloaded to my GPS. Score. Yup, we geocache (another word that’s a noun and verb me thinks). Won’t bore you with a long write up. You can read about geocaching and the history here.<br /><br /><a href="http://geocaching.gpsgames.org/history/" target="new"> History of Geocaching </a><br /><br />or <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/about/history.aspx" target="new"> History of Geocaching II </a><br /><br />Sue and I decided to trek to the top of Brandwag rock and set off with the standard supplies of some nibbles and more important water The trail wasn’t too difficult until we got right near the top where it looked as if we were staring at a straight up 30 foot wall to the top. Other hikers came and confirmed: “Yup, this is the only way to the top”. The only way was a steep incline requiring holding on to a chain railing complete with all the “use at own risk” signs.<br /><br />We did it. Elevation was about 550 feet from where we started over about about 0.8 mile. Not strenuous, just a continuous hike and stop to catch your breath as the elevation here is almost 2,000 feet higher than Johannesburg (4,500 feet).<br /><br />The view at the top was spectacular and everything it was advertised to be. Other hikers were either sitting enjoying the view, having a picnic lunch, or probably like us breathing a sigh of relief.<br /><br />The next day we ventured out of the park toward Clarens, a village everyone said we should visit. I’ll let the “tourist bureau” wax eloquent:<br /><br />The village has become know as the "Jewel of the Free State" - rich in beauty, with an aura of peace and tranquillity. Clarens is endowed with more trees than most other Free State towns - the fresh, light green willows and colourful blossoms of the many fruit trees are an unforgettable sight in spring time; whilst the magnificent autumn shades of the lombard poplars attract artists, photographers and nature lovers. The town is known for the many Art and Craft shops which offer the visitor a wide range of curios and original artwork. Another feature which adds to the picturesque atmosphere of the village is the many sandstone buildings. The popular Golden Gate National Park is located in the near vicinity of Clarens, and the area attracts many visitors. (Courtesy of Clarens Tourism)<br /><br />One of the nice features of the village is that there is an actual village square, making a walk about the square visiting the various art galleries, curio shops, and whatnot stores quite an enjoyable walk. Shoulda brung me bike. The village and surrounding area looks like it would have been a nice area for an hour or so bike ride. As it were, glad we stopped.<br /><br />Another one checked off the do list.<br /><br /><b><font color=yellow><span> Some photos from the Golden Gate area. Click on any image to open slide show. Use the "X" on the slide show to return to blog. Don't X out your browser. </span></b></font><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_003_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_003_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_004_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_004_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_005_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_005_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_014_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_014_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_017_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_017_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_026_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_026_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_027_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_027_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_032_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_032_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_035_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_035_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_041_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_041_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_049_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_049_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_052_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_052_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_058_Sm.jpg" target="blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/jkeenan7/2011%20Golden%20Gate/11_GGate_058_Sm.jpg" border="3" width="250" align="left" /></a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0