TROPICAL PARADISE, or "Paraíso Tropical"
Tuesday, 6. March 2007, 22:03:08
BLOG FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 6, 2007
The theme for this week is TROPICAL PARADISE.
For one thing, it’s the name of the new soap opera “novela” that just started on the Globo TV network. For the next five or six months, I’ll be following this nightly drama which is set in Rio de Janeiro.
A tropical paradise is also what I promised Bob when I convinced him that we should move to Brazil.
Finally, this week I started making good on my promise, and we ended the week with 33 new tropical plants to put in our rooftop garden.
Appropriately, one of the nurseries we ordered plants from is named “Paraíso”.
Now that we are undergoing the annual change from rainy season to dry season, Brazil once again seems like a tropical paradise. The weather is sunny, breezy, and consistently in the 70s. And now that Bob and I are “over the hump” in terms of acculturation and getting settled, “tropical paradise” doesn’t seem as far-fetched as it once did.
WEDNESDAY, February 28, 2007
Who needs an alarm clock when you have a brother to ring your doorbell at 8:00 a.m.? Brian and Lorena came by this morning, since they had business to do in town. I needed Brian’s help, too, to do some banking for Gringolândia. Bob, Brian, Lorena and I went for a drive to the edge of town, where Brian, Sônia, and Lorena had found a house they’d like to rent.
Fortunately, it’s an industrial neighborhood, and there are mud puddles everywhere, which means LOW RENT.
The house has its own jungle where the back yard should be.
Bob walked to Heidi’s for a Portuguese lesson, while Brian and I went to the bank…
and then returned to the bank again with all the paperwork we needed. What do you do when forgetfulness is genetic and BOTH brothers forget things? Brian and I were able to transfer money to the account of the immigration lawyer, so she can submit the permanent visa applications for Bob and me.
Brian and Lorena returned to Terezópolis, and I worked at home.
The head of construction for our complex stopped by. I asked him to come up with a plan for adding a view deck to our home where part of our roof is now.
There were thunderstorms in the afternoon. I worked on my blog, and took care of a few business items.
THURSDAY, March 1, 2007
The extreme painters were back on our roof today,
going over the side of the building to do touch-up painting, repair work, and window cleaning. Now that Bob and I are culturally Brazilian, we make sure everyone who drops by gets a cup of strong espresso… even if they are just dangling outside our window.
The painters left, and Brian arrived, with Lorena, his “step-daughter-to-be”. We were hungry, so we went to the nearest two-dollar all-you-could-eat buffet, “Sal da Terra”.
Brian was in town in order to complete the paperwork he needs in order to rent the nice cheap house by the big brown mud puddles. We dropped by Sirlene’s salon to get a document, and went downtown.
We picked up another form from the real estate office, and went to meet Bob at Dra. Nara’s office.
His blood tests came back normal, and his allergy symptoms are subsiding, but we still don’t know specifically what subcomponent of Brazil he’s allergic to.
Bob walked home… carrying a set of plates he had bought at Carrefour. Everything we buy now has to pass the “will-it-fit-in-the-dishwasher” test. Knowing Bob, despite the extra weight he carried in his backpack, he took a detour past at least one plant nursery.
Brian, Lorena and I went to the copy place to make copies of all kinds of documents, since that’s what Brazilians do. And besides, the real estate office wants lots of documents. The magnetic pull of the açaí place drew us in. Brian had a strawberry drink. Lorena had an energy drink.
.....I had a cupuaçu and cajá juice drink.
I walked home in the glorious summer sun.
FRIDAY, February 2, 2007
Bob and I had lunch at Sal da Terra.
LAUNDRY OF THE WEEK
We walked past a vacant lot where someone was hanging elegant drapes to dry.
We walked downtown.
We didn't eat at the Lebanese place.
When we got to “Bazzar”
I decided to have a look at the pants. I have been trying without success for MONTHS to find pants that would fit me. Finally, a miracle. They didn’t have my preferred color, black, but I did find two pairs of pants that fit. OK, the front pockets are shallow and useless, but at least now maybe I won’t be mistaken for an indigent priest.
And I bought a short-sleeved shirt. No, it’s NOT the first one I’ve owned. I had one back in seventh grade.
Brian called us on our cell phone. He and Lorena wanted to meet us, so we agreed to meet at the Câmara Municipal. OK, so there are two municipal buildings at the corner of Avenida Brasil and Goiás, but eventually we found each other.
Bob and I rode along to go with Brian and Lorena to Carrefour.
Does YOUR store carry açaí-flavored soap??
...Then we went on to Sirlene’s, where Brian had a document to pick up.
Heidi and Lexy were there, so I had a chance to take a few pictures.
Lexy loves to say goodbye.
Tchau! Tchau!
....In last week’s blog, there were no pictures of an awake Lexy, and I was afraid readership would drop… so I was eager to take as many pictures as I could.
Bob and I walked to the popsicle place,
stopping at a nursery on the way.
This tree had parrots in it.
Parrots are invisible and can't be photographed.
We walked home by way of the video store, where people park near things that are similar in color to their cars.
We also passed the biggest tourist attraction in Anápolis...
An entire city block, bounded on all four sides by FLAT, EVEN, well-maintained SIDEWALKS! The sidewalk surrounds the São Francisco school, and is used by rich joggers.
We had mail waiting for us at home... from the States.
Tonight was the final episode of “Páginas da Vida”, the TV novela we’ve been following lately.
SATURDAY, March 3, 2007
Bob went to the nursery this morning, and I stayed home, knowing Lorena and Borba would be coming by. I needed to sign as a guarantor for the rental agreement for the house Brian and Sônia want to rent. As Lorena and Borba left, our friend Fábio arrived. He walked with me to Sakura nursery, where we caught up with Bob.
From there the three of us walked to Tempero e Sabor for lunch. I was surprised to look up from my lunch to see Lexy…
and about 20 paces behind her were Heidi, as well as Marcelo’s aunt, step-dad, and cousin.
Irení, our helpful waitress, knew just what to do when Lexy dropped a glass on the floor.
After lunch, Bob, Fábio, and I walked downtown. Bob and I have been wanting to buy a sound system that isn’t ugly and expensive. Maybe some other day.
We walked back to Jundiaí, knowing that today was the GRAND OPENING of the new ice cream place… “Fulô do Cerrado”.
For MONTHS the popsicle place has been making plans to expand. Finally, the big day came, and we were the FIRST ones allowed in to the big wonderful place. The rustic furniture and design of the place reminded me of the restaurants in the historic town of Pirenópolis, an hour’s drive from Anápolis.
We remembered how much our friend Hêner had enjoyed the popsicles, so we called him up, and he rushed right over.
There were about 30 flavors of ice cream…
all self serve. They charge about 13 reais per kilo, or about three US dollars per pound. I got the four flavors I wanted for about a buck…
Maracuja (passion fruit), açaí, araticum, cajamanga.
I'm not sure what Fábio had.
The ice cream is incredible. It is really true to the exact taste of the exotic fruits. OK, if I were a restaurant reviewer, I’d have to inform you that the maracujá wasn’t so great. We took a bit of açaí to go. Hêner gave us a ride home so the ice cream wouldn’t melt… or get eaten… in transit. Hêner took us for a drive. He dropped Fábio off at his destination, and we continued out into the countryside.
We ended up in the town of Campo Limpo, or "Clean Field".
I’ve been trying to figure out what the town is that we see on the horizon from our rooftop.
Could it be Campo Limpo? You CAN see Anápolis when you look back.
Hêner hadn’t yet been to the new Carrefour store, so we headed that way.
Hêner would have been more impressed if the 100 promised mall stores had been completed. Maybe in November. Hêner invited us to his house,
where he fed us fruit, homemade pão de queijo,
cornmeal cake with fennel,
juice, and fennel tea.
He took us back home with what was left of the cake.
SUNDAY, March 4, 2007
Is rainy season over? I hope so. The beautiful weather today might be the start of dry season. It was sunny, breezy, and in the 70s today… perfect weather. Bob and I went for a walk, stopping along the way to appreciate the red lights and red tile roofs.
We ended up at Barriga Cheia, where vegetarians get a 20% discount.
They had BROCCOLI. I heaped my plate with the stuff.
From there, we walked downtown, where we went to shop at Lojas Americans, next to Praça Americano do Brasil, where they have a fighter plane on display.
From there, we went to the glorious new Carrefour store, approaching from the back way. The store is next to the domed stadium.
Anápolis hasn’t followed Seattle’s lead. Seattle imploded the Kingdome a few years ago, but the “Ginásio Internacional Newton de Faria” is still standing. Domed stadiums are so passé, and the place must be nearly 20 years old by now.
We had a backpack with us, which the nice folks in loss prevention sealed in plastic for us so we could carry it around the store as dead weight.
The big news is… we bought frozenVEGGIE hotdogs…
the kind we thought only existed in Brasília. We also bought several packages of FROZEN BROCCOLI…
unheard of until now. And, of course, we got more frozen veggie burgers.
We walked home by way of the video store, and Bob whipped up a batch of açaí juice for us. I worked on answering e.mails. In the evening we watched a video… in English, with Portuguese subtitles, just like always.
MONDAY, March 5, 2007
White VW Buses Of The Week:
This week's VW buses were seen within a block of where we live. One is a wreck, and the other is a sound car. It goes around town blaring helpful information about bars and churches.
Today was a beautiful day… for walking across town and visiting plant nurseries.
I often look at the far horizon, and think about walking there. Well, today we did.
We left home before 11:00, and got back home after 6:00.
Along the way we visited Heidi, Marcelo, Bianca, and Lexy.
Then we continued on our way, stopping at three different nurseries on the north end of town.
We chose a pickup load of plants at the first nursery, including a kumquat and fruit-bearing pitanga tree. We arranged to have them delivered tomorrow. We kept walking, and passed by AnaShopping Mall.
We found another, larger nursery,
where we ordered even more plants to be delivered.
I suppose we’re starting a collection of palm trees.
We didn't buy EVERYTHING they had.
We walked to the end of the world, where the freeway circles the city.
There was another nursery specializing in citrus trees, but we bought nothing. So, we turned around and headed back towards home, past the campus of the UniEvangelica, the Evangelical University.
We were at the place where the city met the green fields.
We stopped once again to visit Heidi and Lexy.
No photo of Brazil is realistic or believable if it doesn't have a diesel truck in the foreground.
This photo I took of downtown?
It must have been cropped to conceal the diesel truck.
We visited a nursery close to home, and found a few more things Bob needed.
When we got home, Bob fixed some tangerine-passion fruit juice for us, and we finally had our 7:00 pm lunch.
The other big news of the day: Today was the first day of the new TV novella, “Paraiso Tropical”.
TUESDAY, March 6, 2007
This morning the tropical plants began arriving.
A pitanga tree with fruit on it...
An ornamental pineapple...
and other plants.
First, a delivery from Ouro Verde, “Green Gold”. The delivery guy went up seven flights of stairs eight times to get everything in place. I gave him a glass of water and a tip. We’re not supposed to use the elevator for freight, but the guys from Imperial weren’t about to use the stairs.
The head of construction for the complex was back today with his assistant and his tape measure so he could come up with plans for an eighth-floor deck for our seven-story building. With the jungle we’re creating, we might not even notice the loss of view to the west,
but just in case, we want to be one level above everyone else.
The rest of the morning and afternoon was consumed with sneaking plants up the elevators when the superintendent wasn’t looking, or else tipping guys for hauling stuff up the stairs. We had deliveries from Paraíso Nursery and Sakura Nursery. In addition to plants, we had deliveries of soil and pots.
Bob spent the day transplanting, and turning our boring deck
into a tropical jungle.
The transition was a little messy, but we’ll be happy with the results.
We’re not sure how much this is costing us, but we think it’s less than 500 US dollars. In addition to the outside plants, we have indoor plants, as well.
Just when we thought rainy season had gone away for good, a rain storm passed by,
bringing with it wind.
The plants survived the ride over here, and the ascent to the seventh floor, and they survived the gale, too.
The building janitor, Wilson, hauled this tree up seven flights.
He got a tip, too.
Bob worked past sunset on the garden, but he’ll take a break from creating his tropical paradise in order to watch “Paraíso Tropical” when it comes on after the news.
The theme for this week is TROPICAL PARADISE.
For one thing, it’s the name of the new soap opera “novela” that just started on the Globo TV network. For the next five or six months, I’ll be following this nightly drama which is set in Rio de Janeiro.
A tropical paradise is also what I promised Bob when I convinced him that we should move to Brazil.
Finally, this week I started making good on my promise, and we ended the week with 33 new tropical plants to put in our rooftop garden.
Appropriately, one of the nurseries we ordered plants from is named “Paraíso”.
Now that we are undergoing the annual change from rainy season to dry season, Brazil once again seems like a tropical paradise. The weather is sunny, breezy, and consistently in the 70s. And now that Bob and I are “over the hump” in terms of acculturation and getting settled, “tropical paradise” doesn’t seem as far-fetched as it once did.
WEDNESDAY, February 28, 2007
Who needs an alarm clock when you have a brother to ring your doorbell at 8:00 a.m.? Brian and Lorena came by this morning, since they had business to do in town. I needed Brian’s help, too, to do some banking for Gringolândia. Bob, Brian, Lorena and I went for a drive to the edge of town, where Brian, Sônia, and Lorena had found a house they’d like to rent.
Fortunately, it’s an industrial neighborhood, and there are mud puddles everywhere, which means LOW RENT.
The house has its own jungle where the back yard should be.
Bob walked to Heidi’s for a Portuguese lesson, while Brian and I went to the bank…
and then returned to the bank again with all the paperwork we needed. What do you do when forgetfulness is genetic and BOTH brothers forget things? Brian and I were able to transfer money to the account of the immigration lawyer, so she can submit the permanent visa applications for Bob and me.
Brian and Lorena returned to Terezópolis, and I worked at home.
The head of construction for our complex stopped by. I asked him to come up with a plan for adding a view deck to our home where part of our roof is now.
There were thunderstorms in the afternoon. I worked on my blog, and took care of a few business items.
THURSDAY, March 1, 2007
The extreme painters were back on our roof today,
going over the side of the building to do touch-up painting, repair work, and window cleaning. Now that Bob and I are culturally Brazilian, we make sure everyone who drops by gets a cup of strong espresso… even if they are just dangling outside our window.
The painters left, and Brian arrived, with Lorena, his “step-daughter-to-be”. We were hungry, so we went to the nearest two-dollar all-you-could-eat buffet, “Sal da Terra”.
Brian was in town in order to complete the paperwork he needs in order to rent the nice cheap house by the big brown mud puddles. We dropped by Sirlene’s salon to get a document, and went downtown. We picked up another form from the real estate office, and went to meet Bob at Dra. Nara’s office.
His blood tests came back normal, and his allergy symptoms are subsiding, but we still don’t know specifically what subcomponent of Brazil he’s allergic to.
Bob walked home… carrying a set of plates he had bought at Carrefour. Everything we buy now has to pass the “will-it-fit-in-the-dishwasher” test. Knowing Bob, despite the extra weight he carried in his backpack, he took a detour past at least one plant nursery.
Brian, Lorena and I went to the copy place to make copies of all kinds of documents, since that’s what Brazilians do. And besides, the real estate office wants lots of documents. The magnetic pull of the açaí place drew us in. Brian had a strawberry drink. Lorena had an energy drink.
.....I had a cupuaçu and cajá juice drink.
I walked home in the glorious summer sun.
FRIDAY, February 2, 2007
Bob and I had lunch at Sal da Terra.
LAUNDRY OF THE WEEK
We walked past a vacant lot where someone was hanging elegant drapes to dry.
We walked downtown.
We didn't eat at the Lebanese place.
When we got to “Bazzar”
I decided to have a look at the pants. I have been trying without success for MONTHS to find pants that would fit me. Finally, a miracle. They didn’t have my preferred color, black, but I did find two pairs of pants that fit. OK, the front pockets are shallow and useless, but at least now maybe I won’t be mistaken for an indigent priest.
And I bought a short-sleeved shirt. No, it’s NOT the first one I’ve owned. I had one back in seventh grade.
Brian called us on our cell phone. He and Lorena wanted to meet us, so we agreed to meet at the Câmara Municipal. OK, so there are two municipal buildings at the corner of Avenida Brasil and Goiás, but eventually we found each other.
Bob and I rode along to go with Brian and Lorena to Carrefour.
Does YOUR store carry açaí-flavored soap??
...Then we went on to Sirlene’s, where Brian had a document to pick up.
Heidi and Lexy were there, so I had a chance to take a few pictures.
Lexy loves to say goodbye.
Tchau! Tchau!
....In last week’s blog, there were no pictures of an awake Lexy, and I was afraid readership would drop… so I was eager to take as many pictures as I could.
Bob and I walked to the popsicle place,
stopping at a nursery on the way.
This tree had parrots in it.
Parrots are invisible and can't be photographed.
We walked home by way of the video store, where people park near things that are similar in color to their cars.
We also passed the biggest tourist attraction in Anápolis...
An entire city block, bounded on all four sides by FLAT, EVEN, well-maintained SIDEWALKS! The sidewalk surrounds the São Francisco school, and is used by rich joggers.
We had mail waiting for us at home... from the States.
Tonight was the final episode of “Páginas da Vida”, the TV novela we’ve been following lately.
SATURDAY, March 3, 2007
Bob went to the nursery this morning, and I stayed home, knowing Lorena and Borba would be coming by. I needed to sign as a guarantor for the rental agreement for the house Brian and Sônia want to rent. As Lorena and Borba left, our friend Fábio arrived. He walked with me to Sakura nursery, where we caught up with Bob.
From there the three of us walked to Tempero e Sabor for lunch. I was surprised to look up from my lunch to see Lexy…
and about 20 paces behind her were Heidi, as well as Marcelo’s aunt, step-dad, and cousin.
Irení, our helpful waitress, knew just what to do when Lexy dropped a glass on the floor.
After lunch, Bob, Fábio, and I walked downtown. Bob and I have been wanting to buy a sound system that isn’t ugly and expensive. Maybe some other day.
We walked back to Jundiaí, knowing that today was the GRAND OPENING of the new ice cream place… “Fulô do Cerrado”.
For MONTHS the popsicle place has been making plans to expand. Finally, the big day came, and we were the FIRST ones allowed in to the big wonderful place. The rustic furniture and design of the place reminded me of the restaurants in the historic town of Pirenópolis, an hour’s drive from Anápolis.
We remembered how much our friend Hêner had enjoyed the popsicles, so we called him up, and he rushed right over.
There were about 30 flavors of ice cream…
all self serve. They charge about 13 reais per kilo, or about three US dollars per pound. I got the four flavors I wanted for about a buck…
Maracuja (passion fruit), açaí, araticum, cajamanga.
I'm not sure what Fábio had.
The ice cream is incredible. It is really true to the exact taste of the exotic fruits. OK, if I were a restaurant reviewer, I’d have to inform you that the maracujá wasn’t so great. We took a bit of açaí to go. Hêner gave us a ride home so the ice cream wouldn’t melt… or get eaten… in transit. Hêner took us for a drive. He dropped Fábio off at his destination, and we continued out into the countryside.
We ended up in the town of Campo Limpo, or "Clean Field".
I’ve been trying to figure out what the town is that we see on the horizon from our rooftop.
Could it be Campo Limpo? You CAN see Anápolis when you look back.
Hêner hadn’t yet been to the new Carrefour store, so we headed that way.
Hêner would have been more impressed if the 100 promised mall stores had been completed. Maybe in November. Hêner invited us to his house,
where he fed us fruit, homemade pão de queijo,
cornmeal cake with fennel,
juice, and fennel tea.
He took us back home with what was left of the cake.
SUNDAY, March 4, 2007
Is rainy season over? I hope so. The beautiful weather today might be the start of dry season. It was sunny, breezy, and in the 70s today… perfect weather. Bob and I went for a walk, stopping along the way to appreciate the red lights and red tile roofs.
We ended up at Barriga Cheia, where vegetarians get a 20% discount.
They had BROCCOLI. I heaped my plate with the stuff.
From there, we walked downtown, where we went to shop at Lojas Americans, next to Praça Americano do Brasil, where they have a fighter plane on display.
From there, we went to the glorious new Carrefour store, approaching from the back way. The store is next to the domed stadium.
Anápolis hasn’t followed Seattle’s lead. Seattle imploded the Kingdome a few years ago, but the “Ginásio Internacional Newton de Faria” is still standing. Domed stadiums are so passé, and the place must be nearly 20 years old by now.
We had a backpack with us, which the nice folks in loss prevention sealed in plastic for us so we could carry it around the store as dead weight.
The big news is… we bought frozenVEGGIE hotdogs…
the kind we thought only existed in Brasília. We also bought several packages of FROZEN BROCCOLI…
unheard of until now. And, of course, we got more frozen veggie burgers.
We walked home by way of the video store, and Bob whipped up a batch of açaí juice for us. I worked on answering e.mails. In the evening we watched a video… in English, with Portuguese subtitles, just like always.
MONDAY, March 5, 2007
White VW Buses Of The Week:
This week's VW buses were seen within a block of where we live. One is a wreck, and the other is a sound car. It goes around town blaring helpful information about bars and churches.
Today was a beautiful day… for walking across town and visiting plant nurseries.
I often look at the far horizon, and think about walking there. Well, today we did.
We left home before 11:00, and got back home after 6:00.
Along the way we visited Heidi, Marcelo, Bianca, and Lexy.
Then we continued on our way, stopping at three different nurseries on the north end of town.
We chose a pickup load of plants at the first nursery, including a kumquat and fruit-bearing pitanga tree. We arranged to have them delivered tomorrow. We kept walking, and passed by AnaShopping Mall.
We found another, larger nursery,
where we ordered even more plants to be delivered.
I suppose we’re starting a collection of palm trees.
We didn't buy EVERYTHING they had.
We walked to the end of the world, where the freeway circles the city.
There was another nursery specializing in citrus trees, but we bought nothing. So, we turned around and headed back towards home, past the campus of the UniEvangelica, the Evangelical University.
We were at the place where the city met the green fields.
We stopped once again to visit Heidi and Lexy.
No photo of Brazil is realistic or believable if it doesn't have a diesel truck in the foreground.
This photo I took of downtown?
It must have been cropped to conceal the diesel truck.
We visited a nursery close to home, and found a few more things Bob needed.
When we got home, Bob fixed some tangerine-passion fruit juice for us, and we finally had our 7:00 pm lunch.
The other big news of the day: Today was the first day of the new TV novella, “Paraiso Tropical”.
TUESDAY, March 6, 2007
This morning the tropical plants began arriving.
A pitanga tree with fruit on it...
An ornamental pineapple...
and other plants.
First, a delivery from Ouro Verde, “Green Gold”. The delivery guy went up seven flights of stairs eight times to get everything in place. I gave him a glass of water and a tip. We’re not supposed to use the elevator for freight, but the guys from Imperial weren’t about to use the stairs.
The head of construction for the complex was back today with his assistant and his tape measure so he could come up with plans for an eighth-floor deck for our seven-story building. With the jungle we’re creating, we might not even notice the loss of view to the west,
but just in case, we want to be one level above everyone else.
The rest of the morning and afternoon was consumed with sneaking plants up the elevators when the superintendent wasn’t looking, or else tipping guys for hauling stuff up the stairs. We had deliveries from Paraíso Nursery and Sakura Nursery. In addition to plants, we had deliveries of soil and pots.
Bob spent the day transplanting, and turning our boring deck
into a tropical jungle.
The transition was a little messy, but we’ll be happy with the results.
We’re not sure how much this is costing us, but we think it’s less than 500 US dollars. In addition to the outside plants, we have indoor plants, as well.
Just when we thought rainy season had gone away for good, a rain storm passed by,
bringing with it wind.
The plants survived the ride over here, and the ascent to the seventh floor, and they survived the gale, too.
The building janitor, Wilson, hauled this tree up seven flights.
He got a tip, too.
Bob worked past sunset on the garden, but he’ll take a break from creating his tropical paradise in order to watch “Paraíso Tropical” when it comes on after the news.
WIDGETIZE
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