That's right, in case you hadn't heard, I'm visiting Brazil at the end of this week. I thought I should clear all questions with a specialized Brazil post...
My friend Jordan (some may know), was in Rwanda with Nu-Vision Ministries
and met a Brazilian, Cleia. Cleia invited Jordan to visit her, and Jordan thought I would like to go as well. Of course, I will go anywhere, and a guided tour of a South American country (I've never been to South America) is hard to pass up.It turns out, Cleia's brother is getting married next weekend, exactly when I finished my contract with FH Mozambique, and both Jordan and I are invited!
Unfortunately, after buying a ticket, and going to Maputo to visit the Brazilian Embassy, I was told that I couldn't get a visa in Maputo, only in Toronto. Devasted, I resigned myself to a holiday in Caia (not!) and went back to work. When I was sent to Maputo again, right at the end of my contract time, I decided to call the Brazilian embassy in South Africa, whose staff told me they would get me a visa in 48 hours! So, now I'm in South Africa, just to get a visa to Brazil. I arrived on their last day before moving office, and if it wasn't done that day, they wouldn't be able to start the process until Wednesday, which meant I wouldn't get to the wedding. They actually did the visa in less that 24 hours, which was impressive, and today I am the proud owner of a hard earned, expensive visa.
We are going to Sao Paulo, and details of the itinerary are not yet revealed, as Cleia is planning the week. All I know is that there's a wedding Saturday, and who doesn't like a wedding party, and then we will be 'taken care of' for the rest of the time there! BTW, it's winter now, 12-15 Celsius, so the beaches aren't likely to be packed...
So, expect a post from Brazil some time, but for now, that's the full report.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Late again
So, it's been another week plus, but I have excuses!!!I have been in as many citiies as days this last week, and gave up my laptop on the weekend, so it's harder to post.
In summary:
I was in Maputo for a ridiculously long time at the beginning of the month, and finally got back to Caia on Monday the 7th. Then, on Wedensday I was told I was needed in Maputo again, so on Thursday I left at 5, drove to Beira, hopped a plane, and was back in Maputo for dinner. Friday I looked at car with Armindo, the logistics manager, and Saturday we bought two for the price of one (and pulled a sports model to boot). I got a break Sunday, and then took the overnight bus to Pretoria, South Africa, arriving at 4:30 when nothing is open, except a crazy restaurant where the staff were sleeping in the booths, and they made me some hot chocolate...had a McDonald's breakfast yippeeee...and then walked about 6 km. to the Brazilian embassy to get a visa. Finally checked into my hotel at 12 and crashed. Today I got the visa in the morning YES!!!!, and then have spent the afternoon at an incredible shopping mall. Unfortunately, no idea what to do tomorrow, except maybe see a doctor about a pain in my foot.
That's the summary, more details in posts to follow.
In summary:
I was in Maputo for a ridiculously long time at the beginning of the month, and finally got back to Caia on Monday the 7th. Then, on Wedensday I was told I was needed in Maputo again, so on Thursday I left at 5, drove to Beira, hopped a plane, and was back in Maputo for dinner. Friday I looked at car with Armindo, the logistics manager, and Saturday we bought two for the price of one (and pulled a sports model to boot). I got a break Sunday, and then took the overnight bus to Pretoria, South Africa, arriving at 4:30 when nothing is open, except a crazy restaurant where the staff were sleeping in the booths, and they made me some hot chocolate...had a McDonald's breakfast yippeeee...and then walked about 6 km. to the Brazilian embassy to get a visa. Finally checked into my hotel at 12 and crashed. Today I got the visa in the morning YES!!!!, and then have spent the afternoon at an incredible shopping mall. Unfortunately, no idea what to do tomorrow, except maybe see a doctor about a pain in my foot.
That's the summary, more details in posts to follow.
Monday, May 07, 2007
My World
An update is definitely overdue, but it's been an odd week, and I'm not in the mood today. So, on the light side, my Facebook friends linked me to world66.com, a fascinating little Creative Commons website, which provided the following information about me...
get your own travel profile
It got me bang on, although Amsterdam is the last place I plan on going, precisely because I am a travel yup at ehart, but not in my wallet.
Also interesting, a view of my world in red...my personal rule is you have to leave the airport to have visited.
create your own visited country map
 | |||
Your travel type: Travel Yup  The Travel Yup likes exotic and adventurous travel, but prefers big cities with fast paced life. He has a keen interest in other cultures and always brings home a few souvenirs. Shopping in Bangkok, getting a tailor made suite in Kuala Lumpur, that's the kind of thing the Travel Yup is into. Even though he likes to get away, he prefers his travels to be comfortable. |  | ||
top destinations:AmsterdamNew York Venice | stay away from:KashmirNorth Korea Darien Gap | ||
It got me bang on, although Amsterdam is the last place I plan on going, precisely because I am a travel yup at ehart, but not in my wallet.
Also interesting, a view of my world in red...my personal rule is you have to leave the airport to have visited.
create your own visited country map
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