I'm listening to some great new music, looking through pics of the weekend, and feeling good after a fun weekend away visiting Danielle and Alexandre. It was a last minute trip and Gustavo and I were pretty excited to get away for the first time since moving here. I was excited to meet Danielle (I had wanted to meet her ever since I started reading her blogs 2 months ago). We got on a bus, watched the landscape change to more farmland and cattle ranches, before pulling into the bus terminal in hickville. I called Danielle from the Hotel after we checked in and her voice was not what I expected (isn't it funny how our minds create notions about how a writer's voice will sound in person?)
She had made us lunch which we devoured in grand appreciation. (This lady is a great cook!) We met Gatinha and saw her toys and her photograph published in a coffee table cat book. Danielle and I traded some music, and Danielle gave me books to read (John Updike's Brazil, Carson McCullers' The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and Cormac McCarthy's The Road), and some great ideas for teaching private English classes. Then we went to maybe the fanciest ice cream parlor I've been to. They sold spaghetti ice cream, steak and potato ice cream and feijoada ice cream (of course, not the flavour-- just the appearance). I stuck with simple coconut and pineapple.
Then we went to the bookstore and looked through the English section (bigger than our town's-- but still very small), which had a strange selection-- one book about Saddam Hussein and one by Saddam Hussein. There was also a book about Michael Jackson which was mainly photos, and a few John Grisham titles. It ended up being more fun looking through the chick lit self-help titles... How to get Mr. Right interested in you, How to read the signs if your boyfriend is a Cinderella, etc etc.
We had dinner at an espineta place with live music and ate much more deliciousness, and then, possibly because we had gorged ourselves so greatly, Gustavo and I retreated back to the hotel for a great night of sleep.
Today we went to the represa and then to a monkey park. There are a lot of birds there! and the monkeys were so cute at the monkey park.
Some of my very favourite things in the whole world... amazing hospitality, an abundance of delicious food, great music and book sharing, beautiful flora and fauna, and new friends. Thanks, Danielle and Alexandre for your hospitality!
6 comments:
hip hip, hooray! But WHERE is the quero quero story?!
Im so glad you all had a good time! I told Danielle I had just recently discovered your blog! I have been wanting to go and visit Danielle for a while. However, Im still working on convincing Sidnei that just because I have friended people on the internet, they are not crazy psycho killers.
Anyway I still love the monkey picture! And I just finished The Road...it was good. Really descriptive in an interesting way, but also a little depressing, so be prepared for that!
I think it's so great when virtual friends turn into face to face friends.
My husband thinks it a little odd when I refer to the authors I follow by their first name. "You know Mallory said..." He then reminds me I've not actually met Mallory.
Love the monkeys! The frequency of monkey sightings is still one of my favorite things about Brazil.
Yeah for the visit and first trip!
I think we´re going to have to start a virtual book club. Not that we get together on cameras but we send each other books!
@ Danielle-- I decided that the Quero Quero story would remain a secret! :)
@ Stephanie-- North American friend visits are super important, especially for those of us who live in small towns. I say go!
@ Brynn-- I loved the monkey park so much-- you can see more pics on Danielle's flickr photostream
@ Rachel-- bring it on! I have Prodigal Summer here ready to be mailed out to you if you want it.
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