Brazil or Bust

It's Time!

2008-02-06T15:08:00.000-03:00

Hi there!
Been a while, hasn't it?
Well the suspense will end now!
Things are still winging along. Thieny, Israel and I are still in the same condo in Fortaleza and we are still looking forward to a great year of helping more clients of fortaleza Adventure.
A rough count would have us helping around 50 clients visit or stay in Brazil over the past couple of years that the service has existed.
The city has grown as well. The CIA book on Fortaleza says the population, according to the 2007 census, is now 3.4M people! When I came to the city in 2003, there were 2.6M.
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of high rise buildings in the city.You can find the exact number by clicking here.

We have just come through Carnival 2008, and on Sunday took a drive for the day to Morro Branco and Praia das Fontes.

We didn't go early enough!
From what we found, 8am wouldn't have been to early!
We had hoped the beach would look a lot more like this! (actually, this is Majorlandia, where another friend, also John, another Canuck, has built a beautiful home)
By the time we got there, around 10am, and after something like 45 minutes to go a few blocks in Morro Branco, the beach areas were already out of tables and chairs...you could still sit in the sun if you wanted to...and bake!
The crowd was incredible, and while we inched our way back up the streets away from the beach, there were hundreds of vehicles STILL pouring in, hoping to enjoy the party atmosphere.
Various vendors were shoulder along the streets in Morro Branco leading to the water...and where Fortaleza has all but stopped ANY music near the ocean, there were plenty of BIG speakers blaring forro and axe up and down the blocks on the way to the sand.
We finally pulled off the street even before getting back on the highway and had lunch...mainly because of the 3 kids...Israel, his primo or cousin, Mathaus who is 10, and his friend Taina...a very pretty 10 year old Brasileira.
We got back to Fortaleza around 4pm after spending most of the day driving...not what we'd planned.

The kids stayed overnight at the condo though and Thieny took them to the local beach on Beira Mar Monday. They were there most of the day, with Thieny and her older sister, Daisy.

My best friend John Mueller is coming back to Fortaleza on the 27th of the month and will be staying in the same condo he occupied the last time. It's also in my building so we can spend a lot of time together.
The building itself is right in the middle of the best area, in my opinion, Meireles. We're only a couple of blocks from the beach and there are something like 20 restaurants within a ten minute walk!
That's not to mention all the other stores and services including Blockbuster...although Lojas Americanas has purchased the Brazilian rights to Blockbuster and combined their stores, so you can shop for many things you would ordinarily go to a department store for and rent a film at the same time. It's now known as Americanas Express - Blockbuster.

There is the one big change to the city life of the local beach and that is that the city has clamped down on music at the beachfront barracas (ba-hack-as). So the one we used to go to near Club Nautico, the big swim club on Beira Mar that had a big screen TV and used to show music videos, has been forced to shut that off!
Not even the ones right on the sand can have music now and the city has hired a number of agents who wear red vests to "police" the strip and make sure no one is violating the order.
I understand this is the result of the hotels on the side of Beira Mar away from the sand complaining about the "noise". This may be a case of the hotels "cutting their nose off despite their face", so to speak, because many, many people come to the beach to lie back in the sun or shade, hoist a cool one and listen to the forro.
I also hear rumors that our lady mayor wants to tear down all the existing barracas and create a sort of generic store for vending drinks and food on or near the beach.
If this actually happens, and I think it might over the next couple of years, it will certainly change the atmosphere and I'm not sure for the better. It will clean up the scene but also change the dynamic and I'm not sure of the effect on the people who come here to experience the local scene.

It will also be interesting to see what effect the new legislation that forbids the sale of alcohol near the national highways will have on the local economies of smaller communities, which tend to have lots of restaurants and bars near the highway.
I understand that this is one way of working to reduce the number of accidents where alcohol is a contributing factor, but my opinion is that raising the tax on the product might have more effect and not hurt local business so much.
Mind you, this is only my opinion and if it works, it will have achieved a good result for everyone.
More in the next post.

2007-05-19T08:54:00.000-03:00

Because many people have had difficulty finding Part IV of Brazil or bust, I have decided to add it to the blog:

Brazil or Bust IV

Catching Up

As the subtitle indicates, it’s been a while since my last words on living in Brazil. This is meant to being you up to date with what’s been happening and some of the interesting people who have passed through Fortaleza and our lives.

Let’s go back to just after Thieny and I were married. That would be October of 2004.

I took you through my experience with a “fixer” named Ze.

He really did assist with the marriage and I thought that his assistance would get us a car really quickly and perhaps at a lower price than we might pay with me doing the talking, mainly because if the Brazilians here see a “Gringo” coming, the price tends to go up!

I handed Ze a lot of money...over R$15,000...because we had looked at several cars of the type I wanted and found none at a lower amount.

After more than a month of false starts and being put off, it became evident to me that Ze was not doing anything about getting me a car.

I asked for my money back so I could find a car myself or another dealer who had what I wanted. Well, Ze didn’t like that too much. After talking to several people who were more familiar with this type of thing, it appears Ze had investred my money in some other vehicle or vehicles and was in the process of moving them between various “clients”. At one point, he tried giving me an old Ford Courier pickup as part of the deal.

I ended up taking my problem to a lawyer and Marcus finally got Thieny and I to meet with Ze and the local area police chief, called a Delegado.

As we went in to meet him, my lawyer asked me if I had R$300! “What’s that for?” I asked. “The Delegado has to be paid or he won’t even look at your case!”

Well, there was nothing else we could do and we did get most of the money.

the upshot of the whole thing was that I bought a car on my own and was left several thousand Reals short by the crook!

I didn’t realize just how big a crook until my lawyer ran his name on the police computer and found 8 criminal charges and an almost equal number of civil cases againt him.

Two lessons can be learned from my experience...don’t pay for any services up front, and make sure you get receipts. These two things may not solve every problem you have, but there is at least a better chance of keeping your money in YOUR pocket instead of someone else’s.

One other thing. Having to pay the police out of my own pocket is another demonstration of how corruption seeps into every part of Brazilian life.

A somewhat normal life filled the next six to eight months, as Thieny and I got used to living together as a married couple.

There were rough times, no question, but we managed to survive the “getting used to” in terms of trying to put together two different cultures, languages, ages and, at least to some extent, classes.

We had to overcome almost every obstacle a married couple can have, but we have done it, at least so far!

Thieny’s older sister, Daisy...she has three of them, two that live in Fortaleza and one in Sao Paulo...looks after the apartment for us, cooking, cleaning and washing, things “The Princess”, as I like to call her, doesn’t do! Unless she has to!

To be honest, Daisy is an angel who also looks after Thieny’s 5 year old son, Israel, when we are not here. She is very used to that, being his “tia” or aunt. She even does his homework with him!

One of the great moments for us came on our first anniversary.

I took Thieny to Guaramiranga, a mountain city about 80 kilometers away from the coast. She had never been into the mountains but always wanted to go there.

I described a little of Guaramiranga in a previous article which is linked at the botom of this one.

We stayed in the Hotel Escole. It’s a government run place where they do official training for various organizations. When there is no training going on, they rent out the rooms just like a regular hotel.

They have a big dining room and on the Saturday night, I ordered a special dinner plus a cake and flowers. Thieny was actually speechless! It was very beautiful.

I still remember the first morning...we came down for cafe early and the fog was rolling in clouds through the valley, just outside the windows.

Thieny jsut stood there with her mouth open! She had never seen anything like that before, and I was amazed as well.

Right next door to the hotel is a restaurant that I described in my first article.

Speaking of artists, Villa Lautrec, a restaurant featuring French cuisine, is located on the outskirts of Guaramiranga. It’s named, of course, for the famous French artist and is one of the most amazing eating-places I have ever seen. Built inside an old flour mill, with the exterior left intact, complete with water wheel and a huge pond covered with water lilies, it would be at home anywhere in the world. The view at night, with the pond surrounded by dim lighting only a few inches off the ground, is truly spectacular and I found it breathtaking. The sound is of hundreds of frogs letting potential mates know their whereabouts. There are huge picture windows so patrons can enjoy the view. The food was truly world class, and inexpensive by North American or European standards.

Attached to the restaurant is a rather unique bar, with construction of dark wood, where I spotted some of the locals who own weekend homes in the area. Apparently there is a very well heeled community surrounding Guaramiranga that “weekend” there as an escape from the beach heat of Fortaleza. The restaurant has a decidedly European flavor, with one lady seated at the bar waving one of those foot long cigarette holders!
The town is also home to a famous jazz festival and has a well maintained arts community.”

This year has been highlighted by our purchase of a small “lanchanete”. It’s in a non-tourist area of Aldeota, away from the beaches, and its clientele are the local Fortalezans.

Thieny has set it up well and runs the day-to-day operation, with the help of her other, older sister, Guaraceanna, who handles the kitchen and supervises when Thieny’s not there. It’s been a real learning experience for me when Thieny and I have gone to other parts of the city, away from the tourist areas, to shop for supplies. The prices are lower and can sometimes be changed with a little haggling!

I also have a new business called Fortaleza Adventure, which assists people coming to Fortaleza for the first time and who may not speak Portuguese. I’ll add the link at the bottom of the article.

Sometimes, even people who have been to Brazil a number of times but perhaps have never visited the northeast can take advantage of my services, such as meeting real estate agents and legal people, if their intent is to buy property.

More on Brasileiras in the next article.

Here’s the link to Fortaleza Adventure:

http://www.fortaleza-brazil-realestate.com

Fortaleza Adventure Web Site! Bigger...Better!

2007-05-05T17:33:00.000-03:00

Well, most of the news surrounding the blog has to do with the Web Site for Fortaleza Adventure.
It has grown, with the addition of much more information spread over more pages, and with many more photos!

Fortaleza Adventure doesn't buy or sell real estate!

As I have pointed out several times on the site (but it bears repeating), Fortaleza Adventure does not buy and sell real estate, but because many, many questions come my way from existing and potential client, that I thought I would try and answer some of the questions and post some of my opinions and thoughts on the matter where people can see them without emailing me.
There are photos of a local sitio that is for sale, as well as a beach home and a newly constructed 3-suite home in a gated community just outside the city near the beach.
If you see one of these and want more information, simply email and I will put you in touch with the appropriate folks.
Meanwhile, a number of potential clients (they are not really clients until they have posted a deposit) have contacted me about visiting our city over the winter and into the spring (speaking in terms of South American seasons).
Some are expressing interest in moving here and some are just beginning their Fortaleza experience.
I have had one situation come up which is worth passing along in case it may happen again.
An American ( this would also apply to a Canadian) who had been living outside the US for a number of years, was traveling in another South American country and decided to visit Fortaleza.
This person had not been to Brazil previously and would be entering from Buenos Aires.
This person said they had done a lot of research on the subject before deciding to visit, so I saw no point in a reminder about Americans having to have a visa to enter Brazil!
This particular person arrived at the airport in BA at 3am, and learned the hard truth!
It takes anywhere from 3 to 15 days for the Brazilian Consulate to issue a tourist visa, so it can be an expensive awakening.
Bar da Boa continues to draw more local customers and is holding its own. as you probably know, the restaurant business is one of the toughest...and most time consuming. I don't see Thieny or Israel nearly enough, something we both realize.

More on the blog next week.

2007-04-01T10:32:00.000-03:00

A good Sunday to you!
A good day for Random Thoughts.
It's been a busy winter/summer (depending on whether you're in the northern or southern hemisphere).
Fortaleza Adventure had a number of clients visit during February and March, from Canada, the US and also from Europe.
Christmas was a good time for my little Brazilian family, Thieny, Israel and I. We were all healthy, had some good times together during the holidays and managed to do that without running up horrible credit card bills, that make the next several months stressful!
Thieny's "Bar da Boa", in Vila Uniao showed promise during the run-up to Christmas but slowed afterwards, a combination, we assume, of people having spent all available funds and the start of the Fortaleza rainy season in February. Plus, of course, everyone is trying to put some money away for Carnaval.
Thieny and Guarasienna started serving a meal at middays on a regular basis in the past month, and that has made some difference. She can see some business growing now, after a marketing campaign with neighborhood flyers.
I enjoyed meeting the many people who came through Fortaleza during February and March as clients of Fortaleza Adventure.
There was the Captain and Deb from the US, Rafik from Canada's west coast, Mario from Mass. Stewart from Spain and Herm from BC.
Now they have scattered to the winds having all had a safe journey home.
I'm now talking with several potential new clients who may be here beginning next month.
I'm planning some changes for the Fortaleza Adventure web page, which you will be able to see in coming days.
These include, but are not restricted to, more photos, audio and video as well as a possible podcast!
Stay tuned!

The Long Awaited "Update!"

2007-03-10T11:10:00.000-03:00

Hi there!
Well, It has been quite a while and and the water under the bridge would fill maybe a smaller version of what's behind The Hoover Dam!

First of all, the location of our restaurant/bar has changed! No big surprise...this is now the third location for our business. The good thing is that it's been in place now for several months, and it actually makes money now instead of losing it.

You're probably wondering...why the move? Well, in the location on the only route (at the moment) to Beach Park, was designed to attract the passing tourists. It didn't happen! The passing tourists kept on passing. We just didn't have a powerful enough reason for them to stop.

And you're saying, why not?

The answer is that if we concentrated solely on the tourist traffic, we would have left the locals behind, and then , in the off-season, when there are far fewer tourists on the way to Beach Park, we lose because the place is just too expensive for them and we are not providing THEIR products, which differ from those we sell to the passing tourists.

That's part of the answer. There were other factors involved, such as the distance from our home and the amount I was spending on gas, which is not exactly inexpensive in Fortaleza.
Anyway, without dwelling on it too much, we moved the restaurant/bar to an area where Thieny grew up, knows the people and what they want, and where there is NO tourist traffic...but a regular, everyday parade of locals through the business.

Granted, we have our ups and downs there as well...such as during Carnaval, when many of the locals travel to other cities to celebrate, and they save up their money in the weeks beforehand, and during the actual holiday, go to the beach!
But by and large, this location works!

It now has a large regular clientele, plus a great weekend traffic flow. As is normal for restaurants in Fortaleza, we are closed Mondays. As well, Tursdays and Wednesdays are slower as we creep towards the weekend...Fortaleza is, in many ways, just a weekend city, as is the case with many tourist-centered economies.
I do not have any photos to share with you of "Bar da Boa", which is the name Thieny chose for it, but I will try and get some on here in the future.
On to other things.
For the better part of last year, my service...Fortaleza Adventure...had clients trickling in from various places in North America and Europe.

Lately, the pace has picked up and since the end of January, quite a number have come to visit our city.
Just yesterday, I was at Pinto Martins International Airport three times to either drop off or pick up clients.
These particular people were from the United States and Spain. The couple who were here for a month from Washington State were fixing up a condo apartment they had bought in Icaria. Stewart from Spain was just here de-pressurizing and also looking at potential property to buy.
The building of new condo towers seems to have slowed, but there are still many people contacting me who are very interested in investigating the rental income market here.
The chap who came in at 5am this morning has that in mind, as well as just resting up.
Rafik, A very ambitious young man who was here for a month, and left at the first of last week, was looking at several different kinds of import/export opportunities. We'll have to wait and see what may or may not develop from his gathering of ideas, but I've learned to never second guess my clients. They surprise me frequently.

As for my beautiful wife, Thieny, there is a good chance she will be dancing professionally in the near future with another musical group from Fortaleza. One of the singers for the group is ill so things are on hold at the moment but may start rolling this coming week.

Israel is in private school and doing quite well although we will probably have him move to a larger one when there is room. The bigger school is very popular.
On the downside, my bank debit card was cloned and my account was relieved of the balance in the first few days of this month. It's a hassle and the money is being replaced in my account by my bank, but it is a not too subtle warning to be very careful using your bank cards!

I'll really work at posting here more frequently. In fact, my goal is to update almost every day! We'll see how it goes.
Take care!

A New Location for "The Biz!"

2006-06-23T10:11:00.000-03:00

Well, the more things change, etc.
We've moved! The Biz, I mean!
We were in Aldeota but found after 6 months that the expenses of doing business there were just too high. The decision was made to clear out all the equipment we had purchased when we bought that location and move it.
Much time was spent in trying to locate a site in the city that was for rent "by owner", which meant it was not through an agent and probably could be arranged for a less expensive price.
At last our waitress and friend, Anna, found a location which was bigger...an actual restaurant instead of a lanchanete...and on the only highway leading from Fortaleza to Beach Park, the largest water resort in South America.
The location has a nice patio, as you can see, and much bigger kitchen area.
Thieny has worked hard at getting it ready to open and that we finally did...yesterday...in time for Brazil to defeat Japan, 4-1!
We feature a bigger menu than before and more ambiance for enjoying the food and drink.
The actual address is Avenida Maestro Lisboa, 2730-2.
If you're in Fortaleza and plan to visit Beach Park...which is an important tourist site here, drop in. We speak English...well, sometimes. I'm there occasionally although I have my own businesses to run, but Thieny speaks really well after only two years!
I'll get more details for you in another post.
Tchau for now!

The Biz!

2006-03-30T19:33:00.000-03:00

Hi there!
Just wanted to tell you a little about "The Biz" because then, when you're in Fortaleza, you can drop by. You'll need to call me to get directions because we're not in the tourist area.
"The Biz" is a small "lanchanete" in Portuguese. It's really a little hole in the wall but with great food and good company!
It's on a street called Carlos Vasconcelos, 2054, if you can find it.
We have everything from Cafe in the morning, to drinks and various finger foods in the evening.
And everything is priced to be within reach for everyone. After all, we have to cater to the local Fortalezans in the area, and even though the lanchanete is situated in Aldeota, one of the higher rent area of the city, people here are not tourists and are paying in Reals, not US dollars or Euros!
Say hello to my beautiful Brasilera Thieny when you're there. She's in charge most days and her sister Guaraciana is a fantastic cook.
If you're a client of MY little company, "Fortaleza Adventure", you're bound to have visited at least once!

Still truckin'

2006-03-28T18:20:00.000-03:00

Hi there!
Life goes on...but I STILL do not understand Brasileiras!
I think Brasileiras must be the most jealous women in the world!
The best advice I can give Gringos who want to have Brasileira girlfriends, or perhaps aspire to marry one...don't cross them!
They make awesome partners in many ways, but they also make just as awesome enemies!
Fortaleza adventure has a new client coming to town next month and it looks like a couple more in May as the summer season unfolds north of the Equator.
If you have a friend who would like to see Fortaleza and what the Northeast of Brazil has to offer, please put them in touch.
The weather here right now tends to be a little sticky because it's the rainy season and there is more moisture in the air. Typically we get a couple of showers in the morning between 4.30-5.30am and then the rest of the day is sunny with a few clouds.
Sometimes there are days that are mostly cloudy, but they are very few.
You remember that Fortaleza is famous for having over 3000 hours of sunshine a year! If it's raining a lot that won't be happening.
Not too many tourists here now but I did meet Clarence from Portland and originally from Texas on the street right outside my building the other day. He was with another Texan named Rob who has been here for several months. Clarence was here a month ago and just came back for a couple of weeks. He is staying in the pousada just down the hill from my building. I'm surrounded by pousadas. There's one on the other side of the building as well.
One of the best pousadas in town is called Aquarius and is on Msgn Tabosa in Praia de Iracema. It's owned by Europeans who keep it extremely clean, and their cafe in the morning is terrific!
I have been doing a fair amount of voiceover work lately but it never seems to be enough.
I'm also working on a "podcast' and I'll tell you know more about that later.
Tchau for now!

Latest Developments!

2006-03-18T17:26:00.000-03:00

Hi there!
It's been quite a while since my last post, so what I'm doing here is trying to catch you up with highlights of the past several months.
Up until about six months ago, things with Thieny, Israel and I were basically normal for life in Fortaleza.
Our existence is not exactly what most permanent residents experience because we still rent our condo, but we will rectify that in the future by purchasingour own place, probably another condo and probably also in Aldeota...maybe not quite as close to the beach as we are at the moment.
A couple of months ago, Thieny and I along with my good friend, John Mueller, who also blogs here, became partners in a small luncheonette (in portuguese "lanchanete") in an area of Aldeota far enough away from the beach that it doesn't get any of the tourist traffic.
I suppose you can look at this as "good news-bad news".
On the one hand, you don't have the European and North American tourists coming to our place, but on the other, we don't have a "season" either...just constant customers.
It was an existing business we purchased from Francisco, who had been the owner for eighteen years! He also has a barraca on the beach in Iguape and has always wanted to put his entire effort into that. Now he can.
The lanchanete had been closed for two months when we purchased it so its taken a while to build up the customer traffic again. Thieny has done a super job of organizing the place, buying supplies and hiring a garcon, or waiter. Thieny's older sister Guaraseanna, cooks for us because she has many years experience in the restaurant business and is an excellent cook.
It takes many hours a day for the business and the start-up has taken its toll on Thieny. She is exhausted! We need to take a long weekend...or more, soon!
I am still doing my audio work, commercials and marketing presentations, with my home studio for clients back in North America. I'm only doing English conversation with one student, Marcus, at the moment, but really enjoy our talks twice a week.
But I have an additional venture now as well, called Fortaleza Adventure!
When I first came to the city, I helped a number of others who also visited or moved here. I did it free of charge because I enjoyed helping them discover the city I love.
Then I decided that if I was committing all this time to the assistance I gave, why not charge a small fee and make it into a business.
I have had a number of clients, mainly from North America but from Australia and Europe as well, who have taken advantage of my assistance.
I cover everything from pickup at the airport to finding accomodation to organizing beachtours to shopping to pointing out where the nightlife can be found. If a longer stay is involved, I can assist with the CPF card, which is needed to buy any "big ticket" item, including cell phones, and arranging real estate agents and legal help if there is interest in buying property, condos or houses.
So life is a little different now.
Thieny is at the lanchanete from 8.30am until the early afternoon, then back around 5pm until closing...never really sure when that is...whenever the last customer leaves!
I'm usually stuck in front of the computer or doing something for one or another client...out to the airport for a change in ticketing, a tour of the big shopping center, Iguatemi, or just coffee at one of the favorite ex-pat gathering places in Meireles, Deli Italia, on Desembargador Moirera.
Israel is changing schools to one that happens to be right across the street from the lanchanete. Very convenient.
That's it for now, but if you're planning a visit to Brazil or Fortaleza, please visit the website or email, andy@andyneill.com, and maybe I can be of help.
Till next time.

Just Another Sunday in Fortaleza!

2005-05-02T15:23:00.000-03:00

This will be just a short note to start. It's about Sunday, but it's already Monday...my Birthday!
Yesterday started in what is developing into a tradition...off for Cafe, or breakfast at Paderia Ideal. It's near us on Abolison...I'm sorry, I can't put the Portuguese accents on with an English keyboard.
Thieny and I did some more house hunting and then it was off to the home of Thieny's parents for amoso...my first birthday celebration of the year.
Thieny, Israel and I went to an open air restaurant called Gepp's in Aldeota in the evening. Thieny really likes it and they do have a good menu. It's great to be able to eat under the stars. They have clowns to entertain the kids, and a little stage show as well.
Relatively early to bed as spending the whole day outdoors in the fresh air makes me tired more quickly.
I'm getting really excited...Thieny is as well...about John arriving here on Tuesday...my actual birthday will be delayed one day because of that.

At Last...The Weekend!

2005-04-30T16:10:00.000-03:00

Israel was up at 4am!!! Thieny was NOT happy! I, however, didn't wake until MUCH later!!!
After breakfast, Thieny and I took off to look at more houses and apartments. Really interesting. Agua Fria looks most promising. The house we looked at before bore a second look and has not yet been sold. I took pictures and will see if I can get them on-line for you.
Back to Meireles for amoso and then napped for a couple of hours while Thioeny, Daisy and The Kid went to the local beach where Israel can play in the sand and the girls can socialize and drink cervaza!
More later!

It's Already Wednesday!

2005-04-27T09:56:00.000-03:00

10AM
I am constantly amazed at how fast the time flies while I'm here!
This will be a quick note as I have to leave soon to pick up Thieny from her course.
Yesterday, another in the continuing saga of trying to get money out of a stone...er, Ze! No luck so far!
It seems like a trip to the Policia Civil might be the only way...don't want to do that, but.....
I had an English class with Vera's school yesterday afternoon. It went pretty well as it is basically conversation and these three students are intermediate level. One is a famous painter and sculpter, Ascal! He has been all over the world and his art has been featured in The Louvre in Paris.
If Vera gets a new contract she's after, I might inherit the class, in addition to my other student, Marco.
Branca is here today, looking after meals and Israel, and cleaning while I work.
More later!
Now is the later I was speaking of earlier....well, you get the point!
Had my usual 1 1/2 hour discussion with my English student, Marcos. He's Site Manager here for a company called Fresenius Kabi. It's German and manufactures intravenius nutritional products.
We have hit it off pretty well and are extending into a social thing now. We have lunch set up for Saturday at Gheller.

A House to Die For!

2005-04-25T06:53:00.000-03:00

We were supposed to breakfast with Ivan Sunday but he called at around 7.30am and said he got too much sun Saturday afternoon and wanted to do dinner Monday instead.
Thieny and I had a great day...breakfast with Israel at Paderia Ideal...that's an eat in bakery. It's said to be the best in town...been here since 1941.
After that, we took off to look around a little since the traffic was light.
Went out Washington Soares past Iguatemi to Agia Fria and cruised around. Driving down the street past my friend Vera's English School, we saw one of the houses was open with a sign that gave a phone number and other contact information, but no people.
We stopped and went in.
In a word, Gorgeous.
It was just what we would need. Right neighborhood, right size, 4 bedrooms, one for my office, great wood frame windows, well built with ceiling decoration and the whole works.
Later we came back and found a person minding the place who said the sale price was R$220,000 but it was possible to pay per month.
I should explain that in Brazil, most people can't afford mortgages in the North American sense but you can make arrangements to have a sizeable "deposit" and then make monthly payments.
Anyway, this house really got my attention.
In the future, it's just the kind of thing we need.
After that, to pick up Ajamila, Israel's cousin and Daisy's daughter, and then off to the beach. Spent most of Sunday afternoon and had amoso there. The kids had a great time in the pool and I went in the ocean for the first time in months.
Thieny and Ajamila went by taxi to Thieny's old neighborhood where she spent a couple of hours with freiends and I picked her up around 9.30pm.
All in all, a good day.

In the Middle of a Long Weekend...the Town is Empty!

2005-04-23T12:20:00.000-03:00

This would have been my father's 87 birthday.
Our breakfast with Ivan turns out to be Sunday. We'll be taking Israel with us because Daisy doesn't come to the apartment on Sundays.
Thieny and I took the car to a repair place to get the spare fixed. Turns out it was a faulty valve. Cost all of R$2!
After, we drove around Papicu, which is the area to the northwest of Praia do Futuro. That stands for Beach of the Future, but since it was named over ten years ago, it's now Beach of the Present! Lots of barracas and, in-season particularly, lots of touristas!
We had a look at the casa owned by the man who built Iguatemi, the big American style mall here. It's huge by any standards, and we could only see the outside, and some of the roofline.
There are many mansions of different sizes at the top of the dunes behind Futuro because of the view...it's stunning!
In my future, I want to check out more of the housing in two areas, Agua Fria, and Edson Quiroiz. They both are near a main artery not too far from the beach called Washington Soares. My friend and fellow North American Peter Morris says both areas are shaping up to be major developments soon. As a matter of fact, development has already started. My friend and computer geek, Howard and his wife Lucia have a beautiful house in Edson Quiroiz.

Another Day, Another......well......

2005-04-22T09:11:00.000-03:00

I have emailed my friend Ivan, and Americano who lives in the penthouse of the best building on Beira Mar...right along the ocean. His apartment is on the 23rd floor! A view to die for!
We are trying to arrange a meal together before he heads back to the US for about a month.
He lives with his esposa, Fatima and their 8 month old baby girl, Miriam.
We agreed on Saturday morning for breakfast, but when I told Thieny, she reminded me of her modeling course on Saturday at 9am, which was the time Ivan and I agreed on.
We'll try for Saturday night or Sunday morning.
I have to get my flat tire (the spare is on the car now) fixed today. I don't want to take the chance of having another slow leak or blowout with no spare.
I'm also still working on getting PayPal organized for here in Brazil. I'm not sure I can use it from here, but we'll see. I'm looking for a way for my client in Jakarta to pay me. They don't use checks. They would pay using credit card, but I don't have that luxury. It's too expensive in fees for a small business.
Daisy is here but Israel is still staying with his grandmother because there is no school for him today...yesterday was a holiday and Brazil tends to stretch the whole thing out through the weekend. The city is fairly quiet today...there are some people working but not many.
With Israel at his grandmother's last night, I took Thieny to the theater at Iguatemi. The first time she has seen a film in a real theater. The movie was one of the real scary ones she loves, but I don't. I sat through it because it was something I wanted for her to experience. All in all, it was a fun evening.

2005-04-21T10:18:00.000-03:00

Hi there!
I new day and my problem is still not resolved.
I drove Thieny to her Mother's neighborhood where she has purchased an apartment. This morning, she is signing a contract with the people renting it. This makes 2 apartments she owns. She will be supporting me in no time this way.
Her older sister, Daisy, is here today to clean and prepare amoso, the midday meal, and take care of Israel. As this is a holiday in Brazil, no school for him and most people are off work today. That will, no doubt, extend till Monday making it a very long weekend.
We won't be going anywhere I don't think, except maybe to the beach on Sunday as usual.

The Legendary Brazilian Bureaucracy

2005-04-20T21:48:00.000-03:00

Well, for my second post, let me add a word of warning. I have had the misfortune to run into a Bad Brazilian...I just hope there are not too many more like him out there.
This is a warning to the Gringos in Fortaleza who may not have met this man yet...he is bad news.
His actual name is Jose Braulio...but he styles himself as Ze Braulio.
I was introduced to him by another person in Fortaleza whom I believe to be an innocent bystander in the whole affair.
Ze helped me in getting through the twisted tangled procedures for marriage here.
Then I asked him to help in finding a particular car I was looking for. When he said he had found it, I gave him some money...it doesn't really matter how much, but a lot for me...well time went on and no car. I complained several times and one day he showed up with a beautiful 2003 SUV. He said drive this. He said there's no cost, only gas, so I drove it...for about 5 weeks. I started getting nervous because I was told it was worth around R$30,000 and obviously someone owned the vehicle and would either be driving it or wondering about making the payments.
Well I complained again and asked for my money back and almost immediately, someone showed up to take the SUV and leave me the most terrible little pickup called, in this area, a pampa!
Well now it's been another few weeks, I still don't have all my money, I did find another car and purchased it, and found a couple of "friends" to help me retrieve the balance of the cash.
That's where I am at the moment...working on getting the rest of my money.
So, if you're a Gringo in the Fortaleza area, watch out for this guy...he's bad news!

The Continuing Saga!

2005-04-19T14:06:00.000-03:00

Hi there!
Well...here we are...starting a new adventure...blogging!!!
It's just one of many new things in the past few years. If you have read my articles in EscapeArtist.com, you'll have an idea from where I have come.
This is the first of what I hope will be a stream of postings built around everyday life in Brazil, a place that's anything but an everyday place!
Andy