Andy Barr's Blog

Ok, so I left to meet Rodrigo and little did I know how much of a crazy weekend it would be. So before going to meet him (I only knew him from couchsurfing) I gave him a call and he told me he was listening to music and drinking wine with some friends. Ok, sounds interesting. So I decided to get something for the man who would be hosting me in his cool apartment so I stopped by a supermarket on the way there, grabbed the cheapest bottle of wine I could find, and then made my way to Copam.

Oh man, that building was really something else. From the bottom, there are 5 entrances since it is divided into different blocks. The street level floor is somewhat of a mall, with shops and internet cafes. Well, I get to his place, on the 32nd floor, and my goodness, he has the coolest view of the city! It was a really sweet place. He had a nice couch and a good music set-up. I very quickly felt at home. After staying there for a while and talking, we decided to hit up some Mexican food with his friend Renata as well. It was really good Mexican food. Surprisingly, it was not very different than what I am used to for Mexican food. I had some great nachos and some steak tacos. It was a little expensive (like 35-50 reais) but well worth it. After that, the two of them went to a super market to get some alcohol for a party we were going to later that night. I stayed in the car and waited while the two went in and got the drinks. We picked up a friend, Gabriella, and then were off to the party.

I should mention, Rodrigo didn’t want to be early to the party so we get there at like 12:30 (0:30) and we still were fairly early! The party was at this film director/producers house and it was really awesome. For people that don’t drink alcohol like me, there was just water, but they also had hotdogs so I wasn’t completely without options. I got to chat with a bunch of very cool people. One guy I talked to for some time was trying to convince me of the merits of indigenous science and how the ancients sometimes knew more about certain phenomena than even modern science. As soon as he learned I was a physics/astronomy major I got asked all the usual questions, but then at a point he started to argue with me about something, and it was really frustrating since he did not know what he was talking about and eventually I tried leaving him to talk with someone else. I met a very cool girl named Jaquê and as soon as I learned that she made her clothes I wanted to talk with her for the rest of the night. Luckily, it all worked out well and I got to spend the next day with her. I also talked to this bearded guy wearing a leather jacket (built just like the guy from Crystal Castles!) but I forgot his name and didn’t get his orkut. Anyways, the party went on and on for a while. I got to show some people some stars and planets in the sky. I went back inside and at one point took a 20 minute nap on the couch. After that, I got up and we were getting ready to leave. About an hour later, we left the house, and when I stepped out the door, I was shocked to see that it was already light outside! It was 6:30 am!! So we walked around, looking for a taxi, and actually had a little trouble finding some. All of them we saw pass were full. Luckily we eventually got one and made it back to Rodrigo’s. I slept for a short time and got up again in about two hours, ready for my last day of Brazil.

So I got up around 8:30 and without even showering, called Jaquê up and we decided to go around to some markets. We went to Liberdade (Japantown) and this time the place was packed for the Sunday market! The streets at some places were full like a concert. It was really cool though. There were all sorts of good smells and nice foods being cooked outside. We found a cool self-service and ate there for lunch. I also got some last minute shopping done from the little vendors.

Another highlight. I couldn’t leave Brazil without trying the infamous acaraje so I got one after lunch. Acaraje is made from a ball of black-eyed peas that are mashed and fried in dendê (a red palm oil). A very strong orange sauce and a couple of shrimp are put on top. Everyone told me I would have violent stomach problems as a result of the dendê. Fortunately, I didn’t have any troubles later in the day and the acaraje was really tasty.

Afterwards, we made our way to Bexiga, the bohemian district, for the antique fair. That was really cool, but I wasn’t really that much of a shopper there. We passed by the Italian street fair but didn’t eat anything since I had been like eating all day and was really full. Oh, we also picked up an antique 3 piece luggage set for 5 reais ($2.75)! That was very useful since my one bag was absolutely packed! After that, we got picked up to Renata and it was time for one last party. The party was a fashion line launch at someone’s very cool house. I looked at the cool clothes, tried on some, but unfortunately didn’t buy any. I spent most of the time talking to these two wonderful woman who I gave my orkut info to, but they didn’t add me!
Anyways, I soon had to say bye to Renata and Jaquê as Rodrigo and his family came to pick me up. We swung by their house to grab the rest of my stuff and then rushed and made it just in time to the airport for me to say good bye and thank the wonderful Palma family and make my flight!