Day 10 - Sugarloaf & US Consulate
Helicopters, cable cars and an Angela Bassett look-a-like: oh my?!
Sugarloaf:: it pays to know someone who's traveled to your destination, because they're sure to hip you to the best places to eat, sightsee, chill out, etc. My friend B told me to make sure I check out Sugarloaf before I leave, and my professors organized a 1/2 day trip to Pão de Açúcar. This name of this cluster of mountains literally translates to Loaf of Sugar - for it's resemblance to a mound of sugar. However, did my friend B mention the cable car to the top, or the helicopter ride, particularly given my fear of heights??? Somehow B managed to miss all of that - and I'm sure this was accidental (yeah, right).
I had no idea until we arrived, and the cable cars literally hovered about 1000 feet above us. Methinks B did me a favor.
Not one to puss out at the last minute (and with a lil prodding from a classmate who's also afraid of heights, yet parasails (crazy kid), of COURSE I have to get on. The view is beautiful. You can see both Ipanema and Copacabana beach, lagoons, most of Rio, Corcovado and the Cristo Redener (Christ the Redeemer statue) from the cable cars going up Sugarloaf. I'm cool, the ride is only like 3 minutes, so I'm happy I faced my fear. We take a few pics, and then another classmate (crazy kids) suggests a helicopter ride around Crist Redener.
Hellous Nouous. An acrophibic sister (with a lint-filled wallet) has her limits.
But the convincing doesn't let up, and I sign up for what I'd though 2 minutes prior, as madness. 5 of us sistas sign up for the helicopter ride. Each copter should comfortably seat 3-4 (excluding the pilot), but with the sista booties, we opt for 3. (aside: I also had no idea what the Portuguese translation for "booty weight limit" was, so better to be safe, than have a bootylicious inspired tragedy, yanno?).
Just in case you're really curious about the ride, it's very smooth. It's scarier to watch, than to actually ride. It's sorta like an elevator with multi-direction. Except when it banks - then you can lose your lunch...lol.
Anywho, the views were crazy!!!! It's really hard for me to describe, but I have to say this was one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had in my life. I tried to snap pics as I enjoyed the ride, but my camera's batteries kept dying, so I was switching (no-look) batteries between snapping pics. The whole thing was AMAZING.
aside: how can you possibly take a bad pic from a helicopter? All the pics that I managed to take with my lil bootleg digital, batteries running out and all, came out CRAZY...just look: (crazy pics after the jump)
Yes, that's me chillin' - sipping a caiprinha immediately after the helicopter ride. How ballerific is that? lmao...ok, see I have no baller in me, period. But it's nice to dream....lol.
Ok, so the rest of the day.... I can't even front, recovering from that was something else. We had lunch at a military base on Sugarloaf, and the food was decent. YO, SON - DID YOU SEE THOSE PICS THOUGH??!!!
USConsulate & the Angela Bassett lookalike:: Yeah, my professors are no joke - no rest or recovery for the weary. We head directly from Sugarloaf to the US Consulate. There, we meet with Commercial Service Officer Camille Richardson, who helps facilitate Brazilian businesses that want to globalize, and begin exporting to the US. She gives us an economic overview, and discusses the challenges these companies face on a macro & micro economic level. Heady stuff, no?
No, Camille keeps it real. A US native, she also talks about how she came into the Commercial Service office, and dispels some stereotypical Western thinking held by my classmates:
classmate:: So, if I were thinking of relocating, how much does it cost to live here?
Camille, with signature Angela Bassett smile & voice:: Well, it depends. Housing may be cheaper than in the states, depending on where you live but some utilities, like telephone service, cable and internet, are priced similar to what's charged in the US. I pay about $100/month for my cellphone.
classmate:: Oh, that's not so bad.
Camille, raises eyebrow á la Angela:: Not bad?
classmate:: well, that's about what I pay for my cellphone.
Camille, smiling again (only slightly patronizingly):: Hm. That's interesting, but let me remind you. You're not in Kansas anymore. The cost of living here, salaries, etc. are significantly lower than in the US. *smiles more*. So, given that....$100 for a cellphone is *chuckling* definitely bad.
I liked Camille a lot.
aside: I assure you that we did study the economics of both Argentina and Brazil before we boarded the plane, along with reviewing cultural differences, political differences, et. al. Maybe it was the caiprinhas, but some of our studies got lost in translation.
No pics of Camille or the Consulate - they're not allowed, even if the consulate is "US soil".
Lost in Rio:: did I mention my lint-filled wallet? Again (lesson learned), I run out of cash. I phoned home and my homeboy T looked out by wiring me $ via Western Union. So (I thought) I just needed to stop by my local grocery store/bank/check cashing spot, to pick up the money.
Note to Dorothy: Camille TOLD YOU you're not in Kansas anymore. Western Union is a banks-only priviledge in Brazil.
At 3:53pm I'm pointed towards the nearest branch, that closes at 4:00pm. I make a mad dash for the door, and slide through at 3:58pm. Just to get in line behind 10 other people waiting in line. So, at 4:35, Escualdo (sp) tries to merge his poor English with my poor-er Portuguese, and help me out. But, to our combined horror, Western Unions electronic system shuts down at 4:35PM.
By this time my whole class is back at the hotel, and remember? Lint-filled pockets. Camille and her entourage at the Consulate are also headed home. I have a few reals (Brazilian dollars), but not enough to take a taxi back to the hotel. Shyt.
theSubwayExcursion:: The cabdrivers (who don't speak English) have a little pity on me, and point me in the direction of the subway. Mind you, we've had no subway rides/discussions with anyone since arriving in Rio. Oh, and I don't run into anyone that speaks English. I guess a lesser chick would burst into tears right about now, but I'm a bad bytch. I write out the full hotel address, and ask the ticket seller "¿cuanto questa?" (How much is..?) to which she smiles, takes my 5 real (dollars), gives me change, and points to a subway map, stating "metro y onibus". I check out the map, and yes! It shows the route (Zona Sul - South) to Ipanema, and the station at which I need to switch to the bus. See, sometimes it is Smarta to have riden MARTA (or MTA, or any other public transportation).
The ride is uneventful, I get off at the transfer point and....see 10 buses pulling in/out of the station, none of which say Ipanema. Shyt. I also see a lot of friendly faces, so I show a kindly older lady my hotel name, and she points me to a bus, and says "Rua Prudente de Moraes & Rua Joana Angelica", which reminds me that I need to get off at that intersection to walk to the hotel. 20 minutes later, and I'm there. Sweet.
Brazilian imports:: the whole subway excursion just provides a list of things the US could stand to import from Brazil:
- neat, civil lines waiting politely for buses/subways/taxis (versus mobs that rush the door when it stops)
- men who hold open doors, and help ladies out of cars
- caring for our elderly - carrying their bags, helping them down stairs
- recycling EVERY DAYUM THING
- flex fuel cars
- manners and tolerance for those who don't speak the native language
What I learned:: I'm a bad bytch, right?
Next up, Petrobas, the flirty jester, hottness at the Central Bank (and my trouser sock obsession), and Samba!