Abby and Zoë

Abby and Zoë have done pretty well today behavior wise and really, really wanted tapioca's.  We saw the guy setting up earlier than normal, on our way back from the park, but I really didn't want to go.  Chris and I kept willing each other to go, but made egg sandwiches for dinner and then sat with the girls to watch a movie.  After the movie was over, Chris finally talked me in to going down.  There was only one person waiting for their tapioca when Chris checked out the balcony before I left, so he figured I'd be back before the girls were in bed. ;)  When I got down there, there was a guy who was just about to get his tapioca, a girl waiting for hers, and a car parked right there also waiting for their order.  It didn't take too long for my turn this time around though, so I asked the guy which were sweet and chose two.  I chose one with coconut and cheese, and one with goioba jelly and cheese (romeo and juliet)... always with the cheese around here.  I think I was only gone half an hour this time and everyone had done well so we all got to share some tapioca for snack.

The girls and I ventured down to the park again today, but we waited until the afternoon so that the sun wasn't so strong and there were more shady spots in the park.  This morning we had went up to the roof, not to swim but to play in their game room area just doing some hopping and general running off of energy... Abby and Zoë's, not mine - taking the elevator up ran off all the energy I have these days :) . 

We got down to the park and the girls asked me to make a hop scotch for them, so I tried in the dirt with my foot, but it wasn't coming out so well.  As we were looking for a stick, a couple of boys ran over and started jabbering to us.  One was younger, three we found out later, and the other was probably six.  I tried telling the older of the two that we didn't understand and didn't speak Portuguese, but he didn't seem to get that.  Meanwhile the younger boy was going on and on about a game he had in his hand.  I found the stick and began drawing the hop scotch, saying the numbers out in Portuguese, and then had the girls try and show the boys how the game worked.  The mother or caretaker, whomever she was, of the boys came over and sat on the bench next to me while the kids ran around drawing pictures in the dirt with sticks, and tried to spark a conversation with me.  I got a couple of the questions, but then someone else came along and she chatted with her instead, oh well.  After a while the boys began playing with the two other kids that had arrived, while Abby and Zoë wanted to play games in the grass.  Pretty soon another lady with a toddler came to the park and then another woman with a baby in a stroller. 

These women had both meandered to the edge of the (cement) futbol court, which Abby and Zoë were using for their starting off point for a race.  The woman with the baby had asked the girls their names, but they hadn't understood and took off racing. The woman then asked in English if the girls spoke Portuguese and I said they didn't.  We walked over to introduce ourselves and it turned out that the woman spoke very good English and was eager to practice... fine by me!  Her name is Simone, and her baby, Pedro Felipe, is three months old today.  She has another son, who is five and was at school.  Apparently she lived in California for a year some time ago, and had also been to New York for a visit a long time ago.  She said that if the weather was nice on Saturday she was planning to come to the park again, this time also with her other son and a ball so that he and the girls could all play together.

It's been a little while since we've had tapioca's and with the little market right down on the stree, there's also a guy doing tapioca's for R$1.00 to R$3.00 depending on what you choose.  I've been putting off having to go down and converse to order a tapioca, and also we've had some behavior and listening issues with the girls so they've been losing this treat.  Tonight I finally went ahead and went down to pick something at random and bring it back up to try.  It took forever!  Seriously I think I was gone an hour and it was literally right outside the apartment building, Chris could see me from the balcony.  There were a couple of people in front of me and they each had fairly large orders, like five plus tapioca's a piece... the guy had three little burners going.  Just before it was going to be my turn to order, a girl went around the back of the little stand and put in her order of five tapioca's.  I guess her mother, who was waiting in the car, was in a hurry.  I finally got a turn and ordered my one little tapioca. (I wasn't waiting longer for more at this point)  I had picked charque, no idea what that is but whatever it was, he was out of the filling.  I chose mista instead and headed on back up to the apartment. 

By the time I got back, the girls had done such a poor job of waiting and listening to Daddy that they'd lost their treat.  Chris and I were pleasantly surprised to find that I'd chosen one with meat, albeit one rectangle slice, but it ended up being a tasty little ham and cheese sandwhich of sorts, especially when Chris added some mustard.

Today Irene stopped by on her way to Hiper and picked us up to tag along.  We weren't in dire need of a shopping trip, but we thought we'd better take the opportunity to be able to stock up on some things without having to carry the heavy stuff back ourselves.  Also, I thought it would be a good time to look at baby stuff with Irene, since last time I looked there were things that I didn't quite understand.

Chris and I both paid attention to what Irene put in her cart and asked questions about everything, from how to prepare things, to what stuff was in the first place.  We put off buying diapers and nursing pads again, but did get wipes.  It was definitely helpful to go with Irene, and especially nice to be able to not only have a lift to and from, but a lift for the groceries as well!

Wal-mart owns Hiper BomPreço (Hyper Good Price), but I don't think their slogans are the same.  I don't see any prices being rolled back here in Brazil.  It is actually quite the opposite.  Wal-mart isn't known for quality goods in the US, nor is it here.  The goods seem to all be sourced from the same place, mostly China.  Unfortunately here, almost every single item is more expensive than the Wal-mart in the US.  Why is this?  Doesn't Wal-mart globally have the purchasing power to effectively standardize their prices across all stores, regardless of country?  It seems that they can charge more, for the same or less quality goods here than they can in the US.  It seems contradictory, as they earn less here, are taxed 17% on purchases, and the prices are higher for the same goods.  It can't all be explained as importation and logistics of goods in shipping containers from China.  I am shocked to see that 250g of Oatmeal costs R$2.08 = US$1.27.  The name brand product in the US would cost US$0.97, a difference of US$0.30 (33% more expensive).  We spend US$2.12 for a huge container of oats, lasts at least 1 month.  You also don't save money here buy purchasing the larger amount.  The larger 500g box of oats was R$4.38.  This holds true for all other items I noticed, cookies, rice, beans, everything.  If you buy two of the smaller packages, you are saving money by consuming more packaging.  I think it is because most Brazilians can not purchase so much at once, but 250g of oatmeal only almost 4 breakfasts for the girls, and if I am having any, just barely 3 breakfasts.  Butter without salt costs R$3.53 = US$2.16, with salt costs R$2.53 = US$1.55 for 200g (0.44 pounds).  At Shaws or Walmart, we get a pound of unsalted butter for around US$2.27.  Salted butter here costs US$3.51 per pound, unsalted butter US$4.90 per pound, 54% and 115% more expensive respectively than in the US.  Surely there are cows and dairy here, and we aren't getting the most expensive product here for the comparison, but the least expensive as I am too frugal.  Cheese here, I won't even detail, even the local soft cheese are more expensive pound for pound than our cheeses, and the imported cheeses like Cheddar, Gouda, Gorgonzola, Blue, Feta, Bree, etc...  are so expensive, that it would be cheaper to eat gold shavings.  There is a benefit to these prices, we are curtailing and limiting our dairy products.  We only use a small amount of butter for our pan when cooking eggs, and the girls are only have some liquid yogurt with fruit.  I have been buying rolls, which I toast up in the pan, and then place some Guava jelly or banana jelly and fry it again until the jelly is hot and runny. It is a tasty treat, and every time I make it for the girls, I think of their great grandfather Elio, and how he enjoyed jelly bread.  Eggs here are less expensive than at home, R$7.49 = US$4.57 for 30 eggs (US$0.15 per egg US$1.83 per dozen) versus the all natural omega 3 eggs at US$2.79 per dozen (US$0.23 per egg).  Comparable eggs without the omega 3's are about 40% less expensive than in the US.  Health and beauty items, like shampoo, skin care, and sunblock are outrageously expensive.  The middle range bottles of shampoo were US$20 and up, for a medium sized bottle, smaller than the US packaging.  Where we spent US$8.18 for 473 ml (16 oz US$0.0173 / ml) of No Ad sun block SPF 60, here 120ml of the cheapest stuff SPF 30, cost R$21.40 = US$13.06 (US$0.1088 / ml).  The same size product that we bought at home would have cost us more than US$50.  We buy 5 pounds of flour at home for US$1.88, here we bought 1 kg of flour for R$2.75 = US$1.69.  It is almost twice as expensive as in the US. 

Let me know if you want me to keep my eyes open for anything specific to compare.

Richard, Irene, Talita and Anabelle asked us to join them at the beach today.  They were taking a trip down the coast to some nice beaches out of town.  We had heard about Tabatinga beach [map] and the beautiful cliffs that are off the beach, and also that sometimes you could swim with friendly dolphins there, so we took them up on the offer.  The beach was absolutely deserted and beautiful.  We heard that It is ranked in the top 10 of Brazil's beaches.  No matter where we go in Brazil, it seems to be empty and beautiful.  There were some beautiful homes along the beach with incredible views.  We timed it just right, to be there at low tide, unfortunately there weren't any dolphins to swim with us this time.  The girls got to play in the sand, run around, and swim in the ocean.  Both Abby and Zoë took turns going out to bob in the waves and swim in.  They loved it, and playing with the girls was a special treat.

On the way back, we stopped off at the Cabo Branco lighthouse (Farol do Cabo Branco) [map] just before sunset at 5:30 PM.  This is billed as the eastern most point of Brazil and of all the americas.  The view is incredible from here, and there are paths down to the beach to the south, which is actually the most eastern point, instead of the overlook, it was getting dark, so we decided to head back into town.  Richard dropped us off and shared his camera photos with us.  I hope you enjoy the views.

It's surprisingly been a little while since we've been to the beach, since it's so close and all.  This afternoon we all walked down to enjoy some low tide fun.  Zoë was a bit dissapointed, as she'd wanted to go to the pool instead.  She still has some phobia at the beach here for some reason.  When we got there Abby couldn't get herself to the water quickly enough.  Zoë was trying to talk me into just going however far she wanted to go into the water.  Zoë also kept telling us that Abby was going out too far, when she'd go out and let the waves wash up to her belly.  At first I stood in the shallow water with Zoë, but even here she was grabbing on to Chris and I.  I went up and sat by our things while Chris stayed down with the girls in the water.  Zoë kept running back to me and complaining that Daddy wasn't standing shallow enough, and once told me that she was worried.  I explained to her that she didn't need to be worried, since Daddy and I wouldn't let her do anything dangerous.  Finally she saw how much fun Abby was having and began venturing out and playing in the waves.  After a while both girls were sitting down in the shallow water and laughing away when a wave would come.  I'm glad they both ended up having a great time.  Meanwhile I enjoyed sitting in the nice sand.  I commented to Chris that the sand was just like the really nice sandbox sand that you have to pay a lot of money to get.

We've mentioned before about the poor quality of toilet paper here, and the lack of 'flushable wipes' (not that it would matter since we're not to flush anything anyway).  Chris has also mentioned his solution of just getting a quick rinse off in the shower.  However, I've noticed a few places while out and about that beside the toilet is what looks exactly like the sprayer nozzle and hose that we're used to having at the kitchen sink.  Since I'm fairly certain that we're not meant to do the dishes at the toilet, I can only conclude that this is supposed to be used for the bottom. (Although it would improve our dish washing process at the crazily set up kitchen sink dramatically if we had one of these there too)  We have what seems to be a hook up beside the toilets here in the apartment, but unfortunately no sprayer.  If only I had known, I could've brought our nice new sink sprayer from home... we would've had the fanciest butt cleaner in Brazil.

We had a few issues with the apartment, mainly the phone and the shower in the master bathroom. 

I wrote an email to the owner, who is the daughter of the Divanda, whom we call the land lady.  The owner is in Germany, she works for the Brazilian consulate in Frankfort, and is married to a German.  He wrote me back on her behalf, stating that the land lady, would come by today and bring a new phone (the 4th one) and also bring a specialist to fix the shower.  The land lady showed up around 10:30 - 11 AM.  We tried the new phone with the same results.  The line is always busy, even when trying to call out.  And when someone can call in, the phone makes a very short single meep.  That meep is so soft, we wouldn't hear it in a completely quiet house, which this isn't.  So the phone will wait another week until a specialist can come to take a look, Wednesday. 

We were then waiting for the electrician from an engineering company to come and fix the shower.  I know, an electrician for the shower, keep reading.  Apparently the showers in Brazil are all heated on demand, with electricity.  Actually, they are heated in the shower head by massive amounts of electricity.  I know, water and electricity don't mix, but they have a ground wire in the water stream to make sure you don't get any of the 20 Amps at 220 Volts while getting squeeky clean.  The shower worked moderately well after we learned to only allow a slight amount of water to trickle, enough to activate the trigger, and put electricity through a coil that heats up the water flowing around it.  I tried the shower after Laura was in there on Wednesday or so, and it was completely luke warm, tap temperature.  We checked the circuit breaker, the switches, everything, no hot water in that bathroom.  It turns out, the coil was on it's way out, and finally snapped with her shower.  So he installed a new coil, super quick operation.  The engineer couldn't get the lid back on, for the shower to have enough pressure for the trigger, so he wrapped about a half mile of teflon tape around it, and said it was good to go.  I was going to leave well enough alone, not wanting to mess with the electrical aspect of this job, but while showering, it threw the breaker and I had cold water again.  So I took it apart, fixed the gap and applied the lid correctly.  The shower is now so hot, even on the lower setting we can finally get some higher water pressure.  It is a joy to shower now, but unfortunately, once you look behind the curtain, you can't pretend showering isn't a super dangerous event, not because of slipping in the shower, but because 20 AMPs will kill you, and between life and death is a small green ground wire in a water stream.  Thank god we can predict where the water flows. ;)  Now I know why nonno Ernie only wanted to shower in the maids quarters, no hot water and no risk of death.

Oh yeah, Lunch with the land lady.  So we are waiting and waiting for the phone company to open back up after noon.  So around 1 PM, we offered the land lady some rice with chili over it I made the night before.  She said it was good and ate it all up.  Maybe she was just being polite, I do not know.  But she got to see me clean the apartment once the girls went to nap, and commented to Laura how Brazilian men wouldn't be caught doing any domestic housework.  Laura just smilied at how lucky she has it, then ordered me back into the kitchen to do the dishes.  Anyhow, around 2 PM, she got ahold of the phone technician, that told her the earliest they would be here, is in 7 days, next Wednesday.  She tried to argue with them, was cut off, and then called back and said, sounds good, see you next Wednesday.  I hope one day soon, we will be able to call out with our phone, and hear the ringer when someone tries to call us.

This morning I took Abby and Zoë down to the park to run off some energy.  It was maybe half an hour after breakfast, which the girls devoured.  They each had an egg sandwich, some yogurt, and half a banana as well as some juice.  When we first got down there, I played 'mother may I' with them as requested and then they just wanted to run around a bit.  After that they wanted to do some different kinds of running and races and things and to pretend that they were racing in the olympics.  They always asked which of them won the gold medal.  They ran track, hurdles, long jump, did swimming and other odd things.  Every now and then Zoë would come over to me and say she needed to take a breather, so she'd sit with me for a moment before continuing.  After maybe half an hour, maybe, Zoë plopped her head down next to me and asked me to give her some shade, as the sun had come out from a cloud and was beginning to be strong.  She was whining and said she was ready to go back to the apartment so I gave Abby one more chance to do a run and then we walked back.

At the building, Zoë was really slow to walk up the steps to the entrance and once in the hallway she said she didn't feel well.  I took a look at her and asked if she was going to be sick and she said that she was just tired so I told her we'd get her some water and she could lie down.  Once in the elevator she just leaned against me and held my hand, then proceeded to throw up.  Her face grew instantly white, including her lips, which had absolutely no color.  Chris keeps telling me, "Well that's what happens when you throw up" but this was fairly extreme and she was lethargic all of the sudden.  It really made me nervous so I scooped her up in my arms and as soon as the elevator opened I instructed Abby to get to the door for Daddy to open up.  He helped me to get Zoë in a cool shower, where she sat on the floor for a bit and I got her some water to sip.  I was trying to figure out how to call down to the front desk to tell them that my daughter had been sick in the elevator, then just went to clean it myself but someone had already wiped up the mess.  Chris got a towel for Zoë and her and I lay in the bed together.  Abby came in and asked Zoë if she'd like a foot rub or a hand rub and said that she was giving Zoë 'the treatment'.

Pretty soon Zoë perked up and slowly got some food back in her and we hydrated her and took it easy the rest of the day, much to the dismay of both girls.  They wanted to go to the pool later on, they wanted to walk to ice cream, this that and the other.  Zoë is completely back to normal now, I think she just had some heat exhaustion coupled with a full tummy.

Abby and Zoë have been asking about Mrs. Yoga every time we do yoga.  Today the girls got a big surprise preparing for yoga up on the roof of the apartment building.  We had went up and found a spot mostly in the shade and I pointed out three squares of tile for each of the girls to have as their mats.  After they got situated I went around the corner and who should come out to do yoga with them but Mrs. Yoga!  Both Zoë and Abby couldn't share quickly enough about everything they've been doing for the past couple of weeks.  Then Zoë said to Mrs. Yoga, "Your belly is getting big.  It's bigger than the last time we saw you."  :)  After yoga the girls got to go have a swim in the pool with Mommy to cool off.

We met with an expat friend and his family today.  This is the same man that came by to help Chris file the police report.  After Abby and Zoë (and Daddy) were done napping, we gave them a call and Richard came to pick us up, as he didn't want us to have to take the bus.  Their house is pretty close by, and when we got there we heard his daughters running to hide.  We told him not to worry about it, that it was the same thing our girls would have done.  His wife, Irene greeted us and then we all went to see if we could get their two girls, Anabelle, who just turned 5, and Talita, who is 7, to come out of their shell.  Abby and Zoë had no problems going in to play with all the girly toys without Talita and Anabelle and after a while all of the girls began playing together.

We had a nice time chatting with Richard and Irene while all of the girls played, and pretty soon Talita had them out in the living room to watch Barbie and the 12 dancing princesses, so our girls were quite pleased about the visit.  When it was time to go, Zoë was the first to go right up and give both girls a hug good-bye.  Abby hid her face in my pants at first, but then went and gave hugs too.  They also invited them all to come play at our apartment sometime.

Yesterday afternoon we went down to talk with one of the doormen and asked some questions about how different things work in the area.  We brought our Portuguese-English dictionary and struggled our way through trying to have a conversation with him.  One of the things we asked about was Marmitas and how it all functions.  We know that people go to different marmitas restaurants for lunch and either eat there or have it brought to them, or they take it out themselves.  For having it delivered or taking it out yourself, you have to have these containers that all stack on top of each other and latch together.  We were still confused as to the whole process, so the doorman offered to meet us today and noon and go all together to the nearby marmitas place (we have a photo of it in one of the albums)  I'd write to you the doorman's name, but it was hard enough to understand and pronounce correctly when he was telling us, and now I can't exactly remember.  He's the youngest of the doormen, 23 years old and will turn 24 next month.

So, we got to the place and our doorman friend went up and brought back three pieces of paper and each of us (adults) were to check off some choices on this list.  It appeared that you were to choose between a couple of bean choices, then between a couple of rice choices, noodle choices, vegetable choices, and meat choices. We're still not entirely sure exactly what it was we ordered, but it was all tasty.  I checked off the following from my sheet: Feijão Mulatinho, Arroz Branco, Macarrão ao molho de cenoura, salada verde, and frango.  Chris checked off : Feijão preto ao alho, rosoto a grega, macarroão na manteiga, legumes, and frango.  Abby and Zoë shared eagerly, and probably drank most of the juice that came out too.

Zoë has become fond of telling us that she can't remember certain things about home.  Such as the house itself, or her toys or bed, or other things around town.  I'm not sure where she got this from, as I know that she hasn't actually forgotten where things are or what things look like, we haven't even been gone two weeks.  Nonetheless, pretty much daily, Zoë will tell us that she can't remember one thing or another.

This morning we walked down to the bus stop for a trip to the mall.  We caught some random bus number that had Manaíra shopping on the front, knowing it would get us close, as we had already waited ten minutes, and this was the first bus we spotted.  This was a nicer bus than usual, and cost 10 centavos more than the regular bus, so R$1.80 = $1.18.  We have come to the conclusion, that if you need to take more than one bus trip per day, a car would be a more economical solution, especially for more than one ticket cost.  Gas or Ethanol is expensive here, but for short trips of less than 1 or 2 miles, you could easily purchase a liter of fuel and have some left over.  Of course the upfront cost of the car, the continued maintenance and the insurance are factors to consider, but so is the safety and freedom a car provides, coming and going where and when you like.  We had hoped to not have a need/desire for costs and complexities of a car.  While the mass transit system is large an encompassing, the regularity isn't there, although there is a published time table, no published map/route information.  Buses that are supposed to be 10 - 15 minutes apart, catch up with one another during the route, so that all the buses come around the same time.  Stops are not marked, and unless you know exactly where you are going, and which would be the closest stop to get off at, or to catch the bus at, it is hit or miss.  It would not take much for the city to revamp the bus system, with marked stops with signs, available bus routes, color coded routes plotted on maps, and most importantly information for tourists, or even a monthly bus pass would be a huge help.  I had asked Laura's friend Raissa (born and raised in JP and uses the buses) about bus information, and she also could not find anything useful on their websites.  The tourist office also does not have much information, and nothing they can put into your hands.  You however can tell them where you want to go, and they can tell you which bus number would service that area, and also point on an artists rendering of the city map where you would catch that bus, and indicate where about it would drop you off, if you can recognize the stop and signal you want off should there be no one waiting to get on at that stop, obviously for a tourist, this is less than ideal or even pratical, and without enough language, next to impossible to navigate.  Ok, enough of my rant about the bus system. :(  On to the mall.

We arrived at the mall without incident, having made the trip once before, and been by the mall 4 times now, as the Hiper BomPreço route passes the mall.  The mall was less crowded this morning than on our previous trip.  The girls immediately went to the restroom, the rocket ship of a bus ride must ring out the liquid.  We first checked out Americanas Lojas, a cheaper discount store, for cameras.  There were one of the two "junkier make do" camera models we found on their website that were advertised as R$199.99 = US$125.  I don't want to purchase a nice camera here, as they are 2 - 4 times the cost of the same camera in the US.  I had resolved to spend the $125 on a junky no name camera to at least chronicle some of the things happening here, but upon arrival at the store, the tag was marked R$299.99.  I wasn't mentally prepared for $185 so we walked out of the store. US$185 was too much to pay before investing in a new SD card, batteries and such.  We walked all around the odd shaped mall, looking at each camera store.  I saw little digital cameras for almost US$800.  It was a US$200 - $US250 Olympus SW770 - 790, I can't remember the exact model, had I had my camera, I would have photographed it. :(  Memory cards, that sell for US$10 - US$20 on Amazon.com can run up to and beyond US$50, for the same exact product.  We walked the top and bottom floor of the mall, didn't see anything else cheaper than the Americanas Loja store, and decided to hold off.  Laura really wants to have some photos of the hospital, doctor and delivery, so I will have to grin and bare it eventually and purchase an overpriced junky camera.  The fact that there isn't very much variety and availability or accessibility of products is a concern.  Almost all stores, only had no more than 5 cameras to choose from, and between the 4 or 5 stores at the mall, no more than 15 different models to choose from.  It is like living in a world where only 15 cameras exist, your choices are limited severely. :( You are also unable to import into the country these goods without incurring a duty tax, which could cost as much as the product itself, if not more than the product + shipping costs, if the product would arrive at all depending on the post.  I am slowly coming to terms that I will be required to purchase a camera here that will cost more than the camera I want to purchase upon return to the US, and that these two cameras will be on opposite extremes of the spectrum. This thought makes me depressed.

I wish I could have taken photos on this trip, maybe by next trip we will have replaced the camera.  We didn't buy much, only what I could carry the 6 blocks home.  We have not figured out if the porters who delivery your groceries cost money or not.  We tried to ask the young doorman at the apartment, and he said it was gratis, but I am not sure he understood exactly what we meant.  The good news is that he is going to show us how the marmitas work at a local lunch place Wednesday.  It should be a good time, we will bring the dictionary so that we can try to communicate.  As for the groceries, we spent around US$20.  We bought potatoes, beans, onions, a cucumber, 3 liters of liquid yogurt, some bananas, mustard, 2 soup mixes, 2 ramen noodle packs, and the most expensive items of the trip, a package of cookies Zoë picked out, made by Nestle and had coconut in them, and a package that Abby picked out, that looked like donut cookies, and a Hershey's candy bar with cashews that Laura picked out.  Those last 3 items cost 33% of the whole bill.

We ran out of bread, and Chris has been promising to take the girls to the bakery if they have good night time behavior for a couple of days now.  The girls did well last night, so they were ready to go early in the morning.  Chris had some errands to do so I ventured out to the bakery with the girls.  It is only two blocks down our street, and I had my eye on a cake for a couple of days now.  They were all out of most items by the time we showed up, shortly before lunch time.  I bought 2 packages of rolls, 10 rolls in each package for R$ 2.91 = US$1.80 each and one small round bundt type of pound cake with prunes in it weighing 1.35 pounds.  Chris was teasing me, saying that I was so hungry for cake, that I bought the only cake left, with prunes in it.  That was R$5.52 = US$3.40.  It was very tastey and we proceded to eat half of the cake for afternoon snack.

We met with Dr. Eduardo this evening at 6:00 p.m.  We arrived by taxi, R$12.50 = US$7.67.  Raissa met us at the office building and we all went up.  We began by talking about the different options of where to deliver and went over the records from both this pregnancy and last.  He also informed us that I'd be able to try delivering naturally, which we didn't think was going to be an option.  Next he took my blood pressure, weight, and listened for the heartbeat.  Enzo was moving as usual, 'running' away from the doppler, but we finally got a good listen.  Everything is looking just as it should and we'll see Dr. Eduardo again on the 1st of September.

After the meeting with the doctor, we walked the little ways to CLIM, the women's hospital, nearby.  We were wanting to get a tour, but apparently this was their busy time so we got a sheet of package prices and we'll go back again next time we see the doctor, this time beforehand.  The taxi home cost R$13.00 = US$7.98, the bus would have cost only R$3.40 = US$2.09, but Laura felt more comfortable with the girls at night on this direct route.

Prices from CLIM:

• Cesarean Delivery (2 Days)
  • Infirmary R$1242 = US$ 765.96
  • Apartment R$ 1436.40 = US$ 885.85
• Normal Delivery (1 Day)
  • Infirmary R$718.20 = US$ 442.92
  • Apartment R$ 912.60 = US$ 562.44
• Normal Delivery with Anesthesia (1 Day)
  • Infirmary R$ 912.60 = US$ 562.44
  • Apartment R$ 1112.40 = US$ 686.03

After Sunday's drama and events, today we had to get back to business today.  This is afterall a business trip.  We had to order a new 20 liters of water and have it delivered.  Laura went downstairs to the door man with our prepared note.  She is still nervous and shy about using her Portuguese.  The guy called the water order in, and it was delivered within the hour or so.  I met up with an expat in the morning who helped me fill out a police report, detailing the events regarding my stolen camera.  At least there is a report on record now, not that anything will come of it.  I also did the long walk to the store for some supplies, like salt, 1 KG $R0.65 = US$0.40.

Firstly, EVERYONE IS SAFE AND OK.

Yesterday afternoon, close to 5 PM, on our walk back from the Tambau area where we enjoyed some Tapioca for dinner. We got our camera stolen at gun point. This happened one block from the McDonalds we walked past so many times before on Av. Gen Édson Ramalho and Av. Sen. Ruy Carneiro. Some guy passed us on a motorcycle while we were walking along Ramalho toward home, he turned the corner onto R. Augusto Belmont, left his bike running, and ran the 25 feet or so in front of us all, and held a gun at me, and said something. Not sure what he said, but he grabbed my camera and ripped the strap from my wrist and took back off on his bike. The whole thing lasting less than one minute at the most.  There were people on the street at a little local bar about 25 feet in front of us, with two workers outside, who saw this take place. The bar owner came out and took Laura and the girls inside, Laura was still in shock and crying. They called the police.  The bar owner took us into his house and gave the girls crackers and juice. They were very hospitable and regretted this happening. They seemed to be in shock as well. They used their cell phones to call other English speakers to make sure we understood what they were saying, and were very nice. The family drove us home the 4 blocks around 6:30 or so, after waiting more than an hour for the police to show up, no one showed up.  We thanked them for everything. They said we should file a police report at the tourist police office in the morning.

No more photos until we figure out a camera solution. :(

Abby and Zoë are not used to just hanging out.  They always have something to do, so this is a big adjustment for them.  Laura is taking it easy, and getting around much less.  So it is up to me to get the girls out and about.  This is a new responsibility for me.  So this afternoon, around 4 PM we headed out for a walk.  We took the stairs, down all 9 flights before heading into Tambau.  It is probably about 0.6 miles there, and we made a big loop and walked back.  The girls got to see the beach and stores along the way.  At about mid point they both wanted to relax and sit down, tired from walking, plus it was getting dark.  So we rounded the corner walked back home.  The wanted to take the stairs up the 9 flights, even though the stairwells were dark and unlit.  It was a good idea as they still had a tiny bit of energy to burn.

We didn't order one, but received one just the same.  When the sun gets up at 5:30 AM, people feel that everyone should also get up, and the city comes to life, bustling with all sorts of noise.  This morning, a car was honking in big long honks, like trying to summon someone out of their home.  Not sure why that took more than 20 minutes of honking, but maybe the person they were picking up was asleep, I was until that honking.  And since 6 AM, there has been loud music playing from the street.  I am not sure it's source, a local home, or another apartment, but it is big booming sound like a sound truck that drives the streets, but I can't see the truck, and this music is constant.  If it isn't the early soccer matches in the park at sunrise, it is something else.  The sun is so strong and direct in the morning, that it fills our room completely, even with curtains drawn.  There is no blocking it out, the sun, the sound, the noise, Brasil.  I plan on sleeping in upon return.

P.S.  Did I mention the night time birds that are very loud, and sound like a car alarm when they are chirping...

We've been here just over a week and I discovered that we have a hammock.  It's been in the closet, in plain sight, but the way it was wrapped up and in it's clear zip up bag, I had thought it was a blanket.  I was quite excited and came out to the balcony to set it up right away.  We have hammock hooks, which we've just been using to hand towels and such to dry, so after Chris checked to make sure everything was safe, I tried it out and then the girls tried it out.  Later on it was quite nice to be able to lie in it and have my sore feet up.  I'm very happy with this discovery.

We just browsed this store.  It was right next to the fruit/produce store, same building.  We only bought a bag of rice and a bag of beans.  They had everything in this supermarket though.  A fresh meat section, a bakery section, dairy, everything.  They even had quail eggs, single packaged hamburgers (R$0.39) and hershey's chocolate, many varieties not sold in the US. 

R$7.34 = US$4.53

From the bakery, we went another block or two to the local produce stand.  It was an interesting experience. Items were not that much more expensive than the big box stores, and only slightly more expensive than the huge central market. We love to compare the prices and take photos of prices. Here are some things for the comparison.

At the produce market, this is what we bought: (see photos)
QTY 4 Tomatoes 0.45 kg @ R$0.99/kg = R$0.45 = US$ 0.275
QTY 1 Pumpkin 0.87 kg @ R$0.79/kg = R$0.69 = US$ 0.42
QTY 1 Avocado 0.60 kg @ R$1.24/kg = R$0.74 = US$ 0.45  (Yeah, one super large avocado)
QTY 6 Potatoes 0.47 kg @ R$1.69/kg = R$0.80 = US$ 0.49
QTY 1 Rapadura Tradicional = R$3.79 = US$2.32
QTY 1 Maracuja fruit 0.20 kg @ R$1.99 = R$0.40 = US$0.25

Total: R$6.87 = US$4.20

We went on an afternoon walk to the bakery and around the 4 sqaure blocks from our apartment. We stopped in at the bakery to sample some treats. We got four or five things to sample. They were all delicious. Tiny little snacks.  While there, fresh hot bread came out of this chute in the wall.  It was a great experience.  Laura has her eye on this cake there, and might go back for one in the morning.  They have some great looking stuff here.  Aunt Elizabeth would be a millionaire here with a little shop along the beach. 

Total R$4.10 = $2.50. 

We took the bus, 5605, to Manaira Shopping (map), which is a large mall.  As we were walking to the bus stop we needed, we saw our bus pass us and ended up having to wait a lot longer than usual for the next one, which meant we got to the mall later than we'd hoped.  The lay out of the mall is pretty confusing and I'm not sure we've figured it out still, we didn't even get up to the top floor as all of us were ready to get back and get some dinner.  The food court was large and had lots of choices, though most more pricey than home and definitely more pricey than elsewhere in the area.  Abby and Zoë begged and begged to eat at the mall, but we put it off for another time.  We checked out a few stores, a department type store with bedding and cooking stuff on the bottom floor and all sorts of baby gear as well as towels and such on the top floor.  We also went into the Hello Kitty store and saw a bunch of cute things, very overpriced - a pencil cost more than bus fare for one - and finally found the store we'd come for.  It was a book store called 'Siciliano'.  Abby and Zoë enjoyed the little chairs and table and I saw some really cute children's books and work books, but we'd come for an English-Portuguese dictionary and phrase book so we had to be done with the cute kiddie stuff and pick something out.  I've noticed at many stores that things don't have prices on them, and it was the same at the book store.  We had three little dictionaries and one regular sized Portuguese dictionary for kids that we were contemplating getting as well so we took them all to get the prices checked.  The kids dictionary was over R$40, so I decided that was out.  The little dictionaries were all pretty close in price to each other so we chose the one we liked best and went to pay for it, for R$19.90 = US$12.17.  Books are very, very, expensive here. 

We ended up taking the 511 bus back towards the apartment, simply because it showed up first and we knew it would take us close to the apartment and we didn't want to wait for the 5605.  With it being dark, Chris was having a hard time seeing far enough ahead to figure out where we needed to be left off and when we did get left off he was a little uncertain at first if we'd gotten off too soon.  All was well though, we spotted our apartment building and ended up that we were just a couple of blocks away.

We've been enjoying juice made from frozen juice pulp while here.  There are many, many, different flavors, which come in these little packs that you cut open and add to water in a blender then just blend it up and and add sugar to taste.  Some flavors we've found you don't need to add any sugar at all to, like the tangerine, but others do well with a bit of sugar to bring out the flavor.  It's really easy to make, the juice pulp is just that, with no additives or preservatives, and we can add more or less water and control the sugar ourselves, so we're really liking it.

This morning after the girls and I got back from our morning beach time, hot from our yoga, wave jumping, and walk back, we made some gaviola juice.

Shortly after 6:00 this evening, we walked to get some ice cream.  The walk ended up being 3,150 feet (960 meters).  Abby, Zoë and I all got an ice cream cone, with two scoops.  It was self serve and cost by weight, the total price being R$4.70... pretty good for three cones.  You'd pay almost that much just for one cone in Portsmouth.  We sat down to enjoy our cones and the scenery.  Zoë had a yellow as her top scoop,  can't remember the flavor, and melon as her bottom scoop.  Abby had piña as one scoop and strawberry with chocolate chips as another.  I had a triple chocolate as my first scoop and tiramisu as my second.  Mine were definitely the best tasting in my opinion.  Afterwards we walked back along the beach, with wonderful temperatures and delightful breeze.

After 'first breakfast' of oranges, and bananas in graviola yogurt, the girls and I got ready to walk to the beach.  I brought our paper of yoga sequences, the camera, and a bottle of water.  We walked the 1200 feet (366 meters) to the beach and found a good spot to begin our "waking up" sequence.  After the first couple of poses I could see that the girls were going to need some boundaries, so I drew them each a yoga mat in the sand.  After finishing all of the poses, we walked down to the water to get rinsed off.  Abby walked out and sat right down to let the waves wash over her.  Zoë on the other hand didn't think this was such a good idea.  When she finally sat down, in very shallow water, she clung to my leg and jumped up as soon as the first wave came over her, barely covering her legs.  So we all stood and I walked them out a little further so that I could splash some water up on them and get them rinsed a bit.  Afterwards we were all set to walk back to the apartment and get a shower and a yummy 'second breakfast' that Daddy prepared, of potatoes, onions, and garlic with a fried egg over top.

Daddy and Nonno Ernie went out to run a couple of errands this morning and then the girls and I met Nonno down in the park, where he was waiting with some goodies.  Firstly, he had picked up a coconut, which had been opened, and the girls got to drink the coconut water out of it... they loved it!  He also had a little sachet for each of them with a bracelet, tank top, and gumdrops inside.  Nonno went back inside to get ready for his taxi pick up,which was to take him to the airport to fly to Bolivia, and the girls and I stayed out for a little bit, running off some energy.  When we went back in, Nonno was just getting his bags out into the hallway, as his taxi arrived earlier than planned.  The girls gave hugs and kisses, and Zoë was weepy for the rest of the day.  She'd calm down a bit and then start crying again about some thing or another... Nonno's room not being his anymore, the blinds in his room weren't his blinds.  She said to me, "Everything in this apartment reminds me of Nonno".

In the apartment there is a big water cooler, which holds 20 liters (a little over 5 gallons) of water.  We ran out yesterday, so today when Vanda, the land lady came by with our new, working, telephone, we told her that it was empty and she called to get another one brought to us.  We have the number here, but asking for a delivery next time we run out should be interesting. 

The guy with the new water was here in 10 or 15 minutes.  He brought the container to the sink, scrubbed it down and rinsed it off, then cut off the seal and set it in the holder.  The cost was $R 3.50, around $2.00 U.S.  That seems like a pretty good deal to us, especially for the convenience of having cold mineral water right here in the house, delivered to us so that we don't have to lug it from a store to the apartment.

I looked up the cooking instructions for making oatmeal today.  We found some cheap oats at the store yesterday.

Numa panela, misture 1 xícara (chá) de leite, 3 colheres (sopa) de Aveia em Flocos Quacker e 1 colher (sopa) de açúcar.  Leve ao fogo alto, mexendo sempre, por cerca de 5 minutos ou até o mingau engrossar. Retire do fogo e sirva quente.

In a pan, mix 1 cup (tea) of milk, 3 tablespoons (soup) of Oats in flakes and 1 scoop (soup) of sugar. Take the high fire, always stirring, for about 5 minutes or until the swelling porridge. Remove from fire and serve hot.

Thanks google, you saved another breakfast.

Nonno Ernie Treated us to dinner tonight.  This time we tried one called Giramundo right on the beach.  We got settled with menus and were happy to see they had many many pictures.  Abby and Zoë had both chosen plates from a photo that looked good to them, and it happened to be the same thing, so we got that for them to share.  It was a plate with eight mini sausages, different types, with fries and veggies.  Nonno Ernie ordered a shrimp appetizer that came with caramelized onions and it was really tasty.  For dinner he had some sort of sausage and french fries.  Laura just asked the waiter what was good and not spicy and went with his recommendation, which ended up being two pieces of steak (very well done) with some flavored butter over top, along with veggies and french fries.  I was in much need of some greens and ordered a plate with a salad and one chicken and one meat skewer. 

To drink we got a jar of juice pulp made with mineral water, then during dinner we got another jar (750 ml) for R$6.00.  The first was Goiaba and the second was Cajá, they were very good.  After dinner we walked a few blocks and saw a little ice cream place (Sorveteria e Pastelaria Fika Frio) so we stopped in.  It was self serve, so we grabbed a cone for each of the girls, got them each two scoops of their choice and then brought it up to be weighed.  Nonno Ernie got a couple of scoops of something like sherbet and had his in a waffle cone type dish.  All three ice-creams came to a total of about R$7.00.  Very reasonably priced compared to prices at home.

We've been having issues with the telephone here in the apartment.  To start off, we didn't have one at all.  The first phone that Vanda brought by ended up not being able to dial, something was wrong with the buttons.  When someone would call here the connection was awful.  We let Vanda know this and so she brought a new phone, but we still couldn't dial out.  However, when we got a call in, it sounded fine.  Vanda had a technician come out to check the lines.  She just made the call today and we didn't expect to see the guy until sometime tomorrow, but he showed up late this afternoon. 

I was in the apartment alone with the girls, as Chris and Ernie were out getting some things, when the guy downstairs called up to say that the phone man was here.  I didn't understand exactly what the security guy downstairs was saying, and I asked him if I needed to go downstairs and he said yes so I grabbed the girls and locked the door and started towards the elevators.  When we got to them I saw that someone was coming up and it ended up being the service guy, so back to the apartment we went.  He checked out the phone, and I used the computer set up to call Ernie's cell phone and tell him that the telephone man was here, luckily they were in the garage on their way up.  I told the service guy that my husband was on his way up and asked if he could wait a moment.  He said something about just needing to go to the garage and then he'd be back.  It didn't take all that long, although the DSL went out and then came back a couple of times while he was working in the basement, but he determined that the line was fine and it was just the phone so we yet again had to have Vanda bring us a different phone.  The new phone should be here tomorrow morning.

Do not flush the toilet paper at all, for anything.  At first we thought maybe it was just our apartment, that the land lady didn't want us blocking up the system or something.  Then we noticed out at some public restrooms that there were trashes beside the toilets, which were filled with toilet paper.  Laura asked Raissa about it and she said that it was normal for everyone not to put toilet paper into the toilet... ever. 

You would've thought that the girls would've been used to this, since we have old pipes at home and haven't been throwing toilet paper in the toilet for tinkles.  They forget at least once a day though. 

The toilet paper isn't soft and thick.  We looked at the Hiper store for something more comparable to what we get at home, but we were not successful in finding a solution.  The paper here is very expensive, thin and has the texture of almost like pastry tissue.  The tissue paper you get when you self sever pick out bagels or pastries at the supermarket.  It is so thin it is almost translucent.  I am surprised with the lack of bidets.  My solution is to take a nice relaxing shower afterward.

We finally got to the store for some much needed items.  Raissa met us at our apartment around 4:00 p.m. and we took the bus to Hiper Bompreço, which is the equivilant of Wal-Mart, and owned by Wal-Mart.  The place is huge, and it was busy.  We were glad to have Raissa with us to tell us what some things were that we couldn't tell with our limited Portuguese.  We weren't used to the set-up and Laura's disorganized list didn't help in the new store, she promised to make a compartmentalized list as soon as we got home.

Laura thinks that during the week would be a much better time to go, and was a little flustered I think.  There are many things that she will rather get at the market than here, due to the price mostly.  It will definitely be better once we get better accustomed with where to get what and when.  The store had a pizza hut in it, as well as a couple of other little food shops, and then a buffet type place where you can get more like sit down restaurant food.  There was also a child play area, a hair salon, pharmacy, and a couple of other set in stores that sold some 'finer' items like purses, shoes and electronics.

It took us far too long to get the amount of items we purchased, and we hadn't eaten dinner and were all beat when we got home.  Luckily Nonno arrived back to the apartment just after us and had some leftovers with him, that we sat right down to enjoy.  Laura complained of very sore feet, but was happy to finally be able to wash and condition her hair before bed.

Chris got lucky this year, we arrived in time for him to have two father's days this year, one in the US and one in Brazil.  Here is a list of other Brazilian Holidays.

Other holidays

• Dia dos Namorados - not a holiday - celebrated on June 12 as the Brazilian equivalent of St. Valentine's Day. On this day, boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, exchange gifts (lingerie, chocolates, and more), cards or a flower bouquet. It is celebrated on the St. Anthony of Padua's day, because, in Brazil, he is considered the patron of who want a loving companion.

• Dia das Mães, the Brazilian observation of Mother's Day, is celebrated every second Sunday on May.

• Dia dos Pais, the Brazilian observation of Father's Day, is celebrated every second Sunday on August.

• Festa de São João (Saint John the Baptist) is a holiday celebrated June 24th in many Brazilian cities - especially the one in the Northeast area like Recife and Maceió.

• Dia das Bruxas (Halloween) is not an official holiday but is being increasingly celebrated in some of the largest cities on the night of October 31, with costume parties with or without the custom of trick-or-treat. In 2005, some politicians voted for October 31st to be defined the Dia do Saci, referring to the Saci, a Brazilian Folklore image, and aiming to preserve national culture from Halloween, deemed to be an alien non-positive cultural influence.

• Dia do Soldado ("Soldier's Day") on August 25.

• Dia do Índio ("Indians' Day") on April 19 to celebrate the natives of Brazil

Source: Wikipedia

This morning we went down to the beach.  Abby and Zoë have tried the pool on the roof, and now they wanted to try the beach.  It wasn't overly warm out, almost 81 F / 26 C degrees.  With the wind it felt much cooler.  The water was not cold, but not lukewarm either, but once you got it, it was very nice and refreshing.  At certain points the water is warmer, and cooler in other spots.  So you can really feel how the water is being heated from the sun in the shallow parts.  I walked out quite a way with both Abby and Zoë, taking turns allowing them to swim with the waves.  It was tons of fun.  Mommy didn't go in this time, but thinks Monday morning will be her day to swim.  We were only out for about an hour this morning.  Zoë was hungry so we headed back to the apartment.  We need to try that little kiosk on the way back.  I saw a post on wikimapia that said the Açai there has no equal.

Laura's online pen pal friend called us tonight, and we met up for dinner.  Nonno Ernie treated us to a cab, instead of taking a bus, which we were prepared to do.  The cab ride of about 1 mile cost R$6.50 (about US$ 4).  The bus would have cost us half, so it wasn't too expensive, since the girls are free.  We exited the cab about 2 or 3 blocks south of the Hotel Tambau, which is a landmark here in João Pessoa. It sits right on the ocean, and is this large circular hotel, and very expensive.  We didn't have to wait long for Raissa to show up.  She introduced herself and we hugged and kissed like long lost friends, as is the custom here.  It was nice to meet and converse with someone local.  We walked across from the hotel to this very lively area.  Little kids were out running around and playing.  There were vendors selling little kids toys and cotton candy, and blowing bubbles.  It was a big party atmosphere.  Family friendly and safe, despite being completely dark out, the place was well lit.  Raissa recommended a place to eat Tapioca.  I wish I had taken a photo of it, but will in a future outing.  It was very delicious.  It is manioc flour, cooked into what is like a soft taco, but thicker, and they you choose the filling.  Everything comes with cheese in it of different types.  The girls had a Romeo and Julliet, which is the Gauva and Cheese flavor, tasted almost like a peanut butter and jelly.  I had the chicken and cheese, loved it, and so did Abby.  Zoë and mommy didn't prefer it.  Raissa and her friend Ana had banana and cheese.  Abby and Zoë ate most of Raissa's as well.  Raissa had an orange juice, and we got two grape juices, seemed fresh squeezed grape juice, not the clear juice we get at home.  After eating, Laura got some ice cream to share with the girls and then Ana offered to drive us home in her car, a very nice new VW Polo.  It was great to finally meet Raissa with whom we have been chatting online for several months.

Here we are on Saturday, our first weekend here.  Abby and Zoë woke up kind of early this morning, after not going to sleep until after 9:00 last night.  Both of the girls enjoyed some bananas and strawberries with graviola flavored yogurt for breakfast, with caja juice (mixed with water) to drink. 

We have been encouraged to try the bus system.  They don't have any bus maps, but rather a list of streets certain routes go on, which is less than ideal.  I would love to have a couple bus route maps, and will keep asking for them.  We took bus 511 which we caught 2 blocks or so from our apartment.  It was super easy.  The kids are free, and each ticket is R$1.70, which is slightly over 1 US$ at current exchange rates.  The busses are very fast starting and stopping, as if the drivers are all practicing for the formula 1, and each stop is super fast like a pit stop.  Also, the traffic lights are set up like racing lights, so it all makes sense.

The market was great.  Large and busy with people and activity.  We saw tons of produce, meats, nuts, grains, eggs, clothes, dvds, etc...  Zoë was scared of the bugs, as there were some bees on the super sweet fruit like the cashew and such.  I had to carry her at one point.  Laura was experiencing massive culture shock while using the public bathroom at the market. Her culture shock seemed to pass after we found a kiosk to have lunch.  The girls started off with ice cream, including Laura.  I had a cheese pastry type of thing.  Then me and Laura got the Brazilian version of a cheeseburger.  I didn't taste any cheese, but maybe it was a special soft cheese and not what we are used to.  The meat was seasoned ground meat made into a paddy and grilled.  The bun was grilled which we liked and it had lettuce and tomatoe.  I thought it tasted great, we were super hungry.  The girls had some of ours but were happy to get something to eat and drink after the market.  We took bus 510 back, which brought us through Tambau and near Cabo Branco neighborhoods, then up along the beach coming back into Manaira.

I am enjoying this trip so far.  Getting here is difficult and I can't envision anyone visiting us due to the complexity and adventurousness of the approach to JP.  Laura mentioned this difficulty and said, for better or worse, this baby will be Brazilian, by the sheer fact that she could not handle a return trip so soon.

I feel good about being here and the way of life here.  The climate is very agreeable for me.  At night, it drops to the low 70s, and the breeze makes it feel even colder.  I get goose bumps it is that cold.  It feels nice, and is a great contrast from the day's heat.  Being so close to the Equator, only 7 degrees south, the direct sun radiation is very strong, and the days are fairly constant, 12 - 13 hours of sun a day (~5:30 - ~5:30 +/- 0:30).  In the morning when the su