that's what goats say.

Israel, first impressions

2012-01-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

12.15.2011 Woodpeckers above me as I sit by the Sea of Galilee and write and cover my fingers with the ink of my broken pen. Yesterday we took a jeep ride through the Golan Heights, amid the abandoned Syrian bunkers and above the kibbutzim that were once routinely shelled. Our driver played techno for us as we drove through the uncleared minefields amid the cows and gazelles. Our guide, who grew up on a kibbutz on the Golan, spent weeks of his childhood in bomb shelters.

We then bussed to the top of Mt. Bental, where we looked down into Syria, the U.N. demilitarized zone, and Lebanon behind the mountain. A nearby kibbutz had fields right up to the border, and water reservoirs were everywhere - the Golan being Israel's main source, and the Kineret (Galilee) its main reservoir. The national mood is said to depend on the depth of the Kineret.

Atop the mountain our guide told us of the Six-Day Way, and showed us where Israelis, many Orthodox, successfully defended the northern border in a far outnumbered battle with Syria on Yom Kippour. To our North was a majestic snow-topped mountain, half of which was Syrian and half Israeli. The precariousness of the survival of Israel was tangible, visceral, as I climbed down into the bunker atop Mt. Bental. I was taken by the beauty of the struggle to exist.

In the afternoon we hiked to the Devora waterfall and through the valley below. Territory of nomads and Mosaic tribes - we could feel the wandering people as they had passed before us and washed in the hidden pools amid the lithe trees. The light was beautiful and the glow of souls was a delight to feel.

12.17 Poems by Rachel, and a visit to the waterside cemetery where she is buried. The wind in the trees and the whisper of her lines: "Kineret, O my Kineret, were you there or did I only dream?" Fishing boats on the lake below us.

12.18 Visit to the Sapir water site. 75% of Israel's water is recycled for agriculture. Some is desalinated, much of the rest comes from the Kineret. Night in Bedouin tents, a massive slumber party. Just before bed our guide takes us out into the desert to feel the voice of the indifferent mountains, the expanse, the deity. The desert is ready to devour us, and then we are called back into the circle for a niggun - I sat a little to the side, still overcome by the sheer volume of sensation, as everyone embraced and sang - I had this exact vision a decade ago.
We wake at 4:30 to ascend Massada before the sunrise.

12.19 "Jerusalem of Gold". Positively verklempt coming in to Jerusalem. A welcoming ceremony for us, complete with Challah, wine and the sounding of Shofars, at a park overlooking the old city.

12.20 Kaddish at the Kotel. A slow and holy sensation made completely normal by the company.

12.21 Mt. Herzl Cemetery. Here I see the first genuinely handsome man of the trip - his photo is on a gravestone. Our soldiers tell of Roi Klein, who caught and ran with a live grenade to save his companions, and one of the soldiers' friends has just died while trying to diffuse a bomb - when she realized it was going to explode, she also ran with it, away from her fellow soliders. Even as a group, we feel shaken watching our peers divulge the dedication and sacrifice of their reality, especially in contrast to ours. In the afternoon we visit the Ayalon Institute, a former kibbutz south of Tel Aviv where bullets were produced in a secret and quite literally underground factory, until independence in 1948.

12.22 The day in Tel Aviv, to which I will return on my own to walk endlessly and happen upon the most poetic manifestations of city life - a hidden garden that plays classical music, fantastic murals and street art, bars without a hint of hipsterdom. After dusk in Rabin Square, we happen upon a menorah lighting, and dance the hora with some local kids.

12.23 Yad Vashem. Still stunning no matter how much you read; almost physically traumatic. The most terrible image, from this new toned-down version on the memorial, is of a mother trying to shield her toddler as they are shot. The more nightmarish images are too much even to process. A beautiful curly-headed boy around 10 years old passes me by during the tour; momentarily glowing with the souls and the hopes of all the children gone. We go straight from Yad Vashem to the Mahane Yehuda covered market; it seems half of Jerusalem is shopping for Shabbat. Only after an hour of the market, caught in the full flurry of humanity, do I feel restored to the ability to speak.

12.24 Shabbat. A walk to the Kotel with our guide, 8.7 miles round trip. Had I known the distance I would not have walked in skirt and sandals, but the discomfort certainly lent authenticity to the pilgrimage. This evening is our last with Taglit. Our guide takes us on a moonlit walk through a neighborhood of alleyways and menorahs, understated and divine.

12.25 First day traveling alone. Still with a couple of good friends from the trip; we visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and stand in line for an hour to briefly see one of the places Jesus might have been buried. Pouring rain; we splash around Old Jerusalem amid the tchotchkes, and sorely miss our free lunches and guide and bus.

12.26-27 Tel Aviv and Jaffa, a vibrant young city (1909) and its swank and ancient uncle (1900 BCE). Both exude the spontaneity of precarious life. Food is amazing here - shakshuka, Druze pancakes with fresh cheese, baklava and mountains of spice.

12.28-29 I bus alone to Ein Gedi, and hike for the day with a found companion. Ein Gedi National Park is a playground of desert mountains and oasis swimming pools overlooking the Dead Sea, which is an unearthly extravagant blue, and very unpleasant for swimming.

12.30-31 Jerusalem. On Friday I walk through Mea Shearim, an ultra-orthodox neighborhood and the site of some recent disputes on gender segregation. In a little bakery there I buy the most buttery-delicious rugelach, which I eat all day long. I am delighted to be spending the day alone, as I do not have to share a single rugelach. After lunch I walk to East Jerusalem to find a guide to show me a bit of the West Bank, after having been unable to obtain directions from the organized tour guide I had booked. I meet a fellow American in the street, born in the West Bank and moved to Chicago as a boy during the Second Intifada, who agrees to drive me around parts of the separation barrier. We spend several hours together, driving and discussing what he would consider an equitable division of land (1967 borders), as well his opinions on the settlements (they should be evacuated and handed over), Palestinian infrastructure and government (kind of a letdown), and Hamas (knows some pretty cool guys in there, apparently). The Palestinian side of the separation barrier has been extensively graffitied in English, including one mile-long monologue that at points asks for brotherhood and solidarity, and at others compares Israelis to Nazis. My companion and I are both nervous - him that he is bringing in a Jew, me that I will ask the wrong question and expose an inappropriate amount of support for Israel.

Shabbat has descended and the streets are emptying. I eat that night with Israelis - a biologist, a ballet dancer, and a computer programmer, in their thirties, unconcerned with procreation, and great company. In the morning I walk to the Israel Museum, which houses an immense and impressive collection ranging from ultra-modern art to reconstructed synagogues. They have all sorts of excavations from Ein Gedi and environs, as well as the Dead Sea scrolls and the Aleppo Codex, which is the oldest known complete Hebrew bible.

As soon as Shabbat ends and transportation starts again, I bus to the airport to meet friends who are returning on the same flight. After some excruciating El Al security, we ring in the new year with Golan champagne at gate D8 of Ben Gurion.

Bruno at 2

2011-11-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

bob dylan on a bear

at the beach, florence, or

ready for school (shul?)

halloween

we love pyjamas!

mt. stuart

Zion, Arches, Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon Nat'l Parks

2011-06-19T00:29:00.000-07:00

zion selection

Spring Bruno

2011-06-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

january bruno

2011-01-29T13:52:00.000-08:00

q-tips

cleaning deary-deer's ears

tocando o pandeiro

lunch at the market

alpental

singing - cantando

with oats meal and benjamin


(we don't really eat jif, it just serves for modesty)

click on the photos for bigger versions.

professional portraits of bruno

2010-06-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

back in april we had the luck of finding a photography student looking to build her portfolio - she took some lovely photos of bruno in port townsend, wa. if you would like a better version of any photo for printing, let me know and i can send you the link.
em abril tivemos a sorte de achar uma aluna de fotografia que precisava de experiencia - ela tirou varias fotos lindas do bruno em port townsend, wa. se vc gostaria de uma versao melhor de qualquer foto (para imprimir) e so falar que eu mando o outro link.

thanks to kara wallace, www.karawallacephotography.com

9 months of butt muffins

2010-05-25T13:07:00.000-07:00

7 months of bruno

2010-03-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

he already has 2 teeth, the better to bite us with
ele ja tem 2 dentes, pra morder a gente melhor

na frente do nosso predio

na casa da minha mae - ela faz murais nas paredes

started eating solids at 5.5 mos
comecou com comidas aos 5.5 meses

quality inspection of glondo's meats (cle elum, wa)
examinando um teco de carne - sua comida preferida

first time in the snow! alpental, jan '10
primeira vez na neve!

festivus 2009

freestyle translations of tintin into portuguese
traduzindo o tintin ao portugues

family portraits : 4.5 and 6 months

2010-03-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

6 months

4.5 months

baby laughs

2009-12-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

brincando com o papai

new blog on breech birth

2009-11-17T15:58:00.001-08:00

i've started a new blog in an effort to get information out to ladies with breech babies: breechbirthseattle.blogspot.com
check it out and feel free to contribute.

family portraits updated

2009-11-17T15:50:00.001-08:00

-1 day

3 days

1.5 months

3 months

3 months of bruno!

2009-11-05T18:04:00.001-08:00

cute bruno pic of the day

2009-10-15T14:51:00.001-07:00

learning how to suck his thumb, at 1 month old. (he's now sucking his whole fist.)

visita da luana!

2009-10-15T14:26:00.001-07:00

primos gemeos

pike place market

pinar

suvaqueira

falando no skype aqui em casa

mt. rainier

happy birthday kookaloo!

2009-09-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

one month of bruno

2009-09-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

where the wild things are

smiling

"Sister, sister, hes just a plaything
We wanna make him stay up all night"

08.18.2009

2009-08-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

placenta

four generations

uncle jack

our first morning together

It is with immense pleasure that we announce the birth of our son, Bruno Ary Albuquerque da Silva. He was born at 2:48 am on the 18th of August, 2009 at our home in Seattle, weighing in at 7 pounds and 21 inches long. He was footling breech (coming out leg-first) and since we couldn't find a midwife in Washington State to care for us, we planned on driving to Portland to give birth. My labor was very efficient and quick, so we never even made it out the door and had a beautiful surprise home birth. Denis and my mother helped me to catch Bruno, and Jesica Dolin, our Portland midwife, was on the phone to give us support. Click here to read Bruno's birth story.

E com um imenso prazer que anunciamos o nascimento do nosso filho, Bruno Ary Albuquerque da Silva. Ele nasceu as 2:48 da manha no dia 18 de Agosto, 2009 na nossa casa em Seattle, pesando 3,2kg e medindo 53cm. No útero ele estava sentado, e como não achávamos nenhuma parteira qualificada no estado de Washington, a gente planejou ir a Portland (a 3h de carro, no estado de Oregon) para o parto. O parto foi muito eficiente e rápido, então nem conseguimos sair de casa e tivemos um parto lindíssimo, sem complicação alguma e culminando em um nenê cheio de saúde. Denis e minha mãe serviram de parteiras, e Jesica Dolin, a nossa parteira de Portland, estava no telefone para dar apoio. Devido ao comprimento, não tive tempo de traduzir a historia do parto ao português, portanto, se quiserem ler em inglês basta clicar aqui. Para quem acha que a nossa decisão de ter um parto natural foi irresponsável, posso dizer que li dois livros e vários artigos médicos a respeito, e depois destas pesquisas foi óbvio que era mais saudável para mim e para o nosso filho de tentar um parto natural. Não foi por sorte que tudo ocorreu tão bem, mas sim por causa do nosso preparo e fé na capacidade do corpo humano.

C'est avec un immense plaisir que nous annonçons la naissance de notre fils, Bruno Ary Albuquerque da Silva. Il est ne a 02h48 du 18 Août 2009 chez nous a Seattle. Il pesait 3,2 kilos et mesurait 53 centimètres. Il était en présentation de siège, et puisqu'on ne pourrait pas trouver de sage-femme compétente ici dans l'état de Washington, on comptait aller a Portland (a 3h de voiture, dans l'état d'Oregon) pour sa naissance. Mais Bruno est arrivé tellement vite que nous ne sommes même pas sortis de notre appartement, et Bruno a eu une naissance tres belle et naturelle chez nous, avec Denis et ma mère comme sage-femmes. La sage-femme de Portland, Jesica Dolin, nous accompagnait par téléphone. A cause de la longueur, je n'ai pas traduit l'histoire de sa naissance, pourtant c'est disponible en anglais ici.

San Francisco, March 08

2009-04-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

photos from europe, 09.2008

2008-12-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

roma - firenze - genoa - nice - st. raphael - arles - cahors - versailles - paris

splendid summer (CLICK HERE)

2008-09-05T15:08:00.001-07:00

on the eve of our departure for europe - here is a boggle of pics of our summer. click on the link above to go directly to the pics. hiking photos are at the end. hope you enjoy. <3 ada + denis

spring break

2008-03-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

early year

living on the ave

2008-02-26T15:37:00.001-08:00

a few photos from the first months back:
algumas fotos dos primeiros meses de volta:

Seattle recently

check out our lovely pics

2007-06-27T06:12:00.000-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/adadea/Trip07Selection

big up to my hubby for the shooting and the permission to post

2007-06-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

in the company of a brasilian, his german girl, and a frenchie from toulouse, we took a 4x4 through the high volcanic desert that links chile and bolivia, passing through the world´s largest salt lake, sleeping in a hotel made of salt brick, and finally ending up at uyuni, bolivia, whose sole tourist attraction is a train graveyard.

we bussed our asses out of there fast and got to la paz, which makes rocinha look puny but caters well to tourists. we saw evo morales´ palace and the coca museum and an adjacent lowlit restaurant filled with intricate imitation-antique woodcarvings of demonic spaniards and demonic angels and the recurring image of a penis with wings. the llama we ate was delicious.

this is the last evening of a 4 day tour of the bolivian and peruvian sides of lake titicaca, the islands of which hold various indigenous peoples, all of which buy mainland tourist trinkets to sell at higher prices as their own arduous craft. on the upside, i got blessed by a shaman, and this morning we visited floating reed islands that shake and shiver and hold entire families of indians.

tonight we take the bus to cusco and will be there for a week. i will upload a selection from our 4 cds of pictures when we get back to rio.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

com um brasileiro, a namorada alemã e um francês de toulouse, atravessamos o altiplano entre chile e bolivia de 4x4. vimos o maior salar do mundo, dormimos num hotel feito de sal e terminamos em uyuni, bolivia, aonde o maior atracão turística e um cemitério de trens.

saímos de la rapidinho e chegamos em la paz, que envergonha a rocinha mas tem vários pontos turísticos. vimos o palácio do evo morales, o museu de coca e comemos no restaurante do lado, que era escuro e cheio de espanhóis e anjos demonicos esculpidos em madeira, e a imagem persistente de um penis com asas. a lhama que comemos foi delicioso.

esta e a ultima tarde de um tour de 4 dias dos lados boliviano e peruano do lago titicaca, as ilhas do qual tem vários povos indiginas, todos quem compram souvenirs das cidades grandes e revendem como seu próprio artesanato arduo. entretanto, recebi bencao de um shaman, e esta manha visitamos uma ilha flutuante que se mexe e aloja famílias inteiras de índios.

hoje a noite iremos de ónibus a cusco e passaremos uma semana. vou carregar uma selecao dos nossos 4 cds de fotos quando voltaremos pro rio.

foz de iguacu and san pedro de atacama

2007-06-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

we skipped paraguay cos i didnt have a visa and the border smelled like burnt rubber. not the good kind. we spent 3 days without a shower to get to san pedro de atacama, chile. maybe from here we´ll take a van to uyuni, bolivia, through the volcanoes and lagoons and salt lakes geysers etc. its lovely here. touristy as all hell. look it up cos it has a great website. cant send pics due to shitty internet but we have some marveous pics.

meu portugues vai ficar tudo misturado com espanhol pois temos que falar com os chilenos a toda hora. deixamos de ir pra paraguay pois eu nao podia entrar sem visto, e cheirava borracha queimada na fronteira. nojento - entao pegamos 3 dias de onibus pelo argentina ate san pedro de atacama ... sem tomar banho!!! aqui e lindo, cheio de volcano, lagos de sal, ruinas. talvez amanha ou depois iremos de van (chique!) pra uyuni, na bolivia, e dai pra titicaca e cusco. nao consigo enviar fotos pois o internet daqui e horrivel.

Itinerary

2007-05-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

Foz do Iguaçu BR/Ciudad del Este PY/Puerto Iguazu AR
See: cataratas, ponte da amizade, três fronteiras – buy memory card
Sleep: Paudimar Albergue Rua Caibi, 201– Remanso Grande Telefone/Fax: 3529-6061 - Site: www.paudimar.com.br - E-mail: info@paudimar.com.br Apto: 39 / Suíte: 09 / Leitos: 153
Paudimar Falls Albergue Rua Antônio Raposo, 820 – Centro – CEP: 85.851-090 - Telefone: 3574-5503 / Fax: 3028-5503 - Site: www.paudimarfalls.com.br - E-mail: info@paudimarfalls.com.br - Apto: 07 / Suíte: 02 / Leitos: 45 R$ 21.00/person
Hostel El Güembé. El Urú 120, Puerto Iguazú. 03757-421035. info@elguembe.com.ar. Small, friendly and relaxed hostel, offering both shared and private rooms. tranquil green part of town, only 5 min. from the arg. bus terminal. (starting at US$6/night)

Bus Cid. Del Este – Assunção (PAR): 330-km /five hours /G50,000. ($10.4us)
N. S. Assunção (45) 3522-2060
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Paraguay: 1R = G2.500,00 ........ 1USD = G5.040,00
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asunción, PY
See: calle palma (historic downtown), palacio de lopez (presdiental
palace), panteon de los heroes, iglesa la encarnacion, congresso nacional (mirrored exterior reflects slum)
Residencial Ambassador @ Montevideo 110, US$5/night
Eat: chipa (anise bread), carne asada, sopa paraguaya (cornbread)
Corrientes/ see ponte belgrano
Resistencia- Hotel Luxor a cheap hotel (23 pesos w/out breakfast) a few blocks from the plaza.
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San Salvador de Jujuy 1R = 1.59 pesos 1USD = 3.08 pesos
See: Quebrada de Humahuaca canyon
colonial city center: Cabildo and the cathedral
Sleep: Yok Wahi Hostel La Madrid 168 Tel: 422-9608 ($32 private room)
Casa de Barro, Otero 294 Tel: 422-9578
Cerro Azul, Cnel. Pastor s/n - Yala Tel: 492-2408
Vista del Parque, Dr Sabin 1103 B° Ciudad de Nieva Tel: 424-3070
Club Hostel, San Martin 155 Tel. 0388-423-7565
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San Pedro de Atacama 1R = 271 chilean pesos 1 USD = 525.5 cp
See: Salar de Atacama, Valle de la luna, Lagunas Altiplano, El Tatio (geyser)
Sleep: Hostale Florida Tocopilla 406, (56-55) 851021, desde $10.000 (USD 20) por hab. doble
Buses: salón-cama means 25 seats on a bus, semi-cama (ejecutivo) means 34 seats on a bus, and pullman means 44 seats on a bus.
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Calama, CL - train , take food + water!!
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Uyuni, BO 1R = 4.3bolivianos 1USD = 8.3 bo
12-15 hrs from la paz by bus, take bus to potosi, (30 bs) 6-7 hrs, then 3-4 more (20bs) to sucre (or 2.5hrs by taxi, 30bs)
world's largest salt flat: salar de uyuni, amazing. nothing to do in city. NO atms.
Hostal Sajama, Potosí 35, 693-3099. Cheap place with basic clean
rooms. Single with shared / private bathroom Bs.25 / Bs.40.
Hotel Avenida, Ferroviaria 11, 693-2078, clean and inexpensive in the town center, near tour operators. U$S 2-3, with bath U$S 5-6.
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Sucre, BO
historic downtown, surrounding villages, 2 hr tour of dino footprints (Cal Orkco), 30bs (the dino truck, corner of pl. 25 de mayo, 930am, 12noon, 2.30pm). famous tapestries.
Backbackers Sucre Hostel (also Hostal Cruz de Popayan), Calle Loa 881 esq Colón, located in a 17th century colonial house. It has all the services travellers want: laundry service, kitchen use, bookswap, half an hour free internet a day and breakfast included in the price.
Dormbed US$3.50 / Single US$4.50 / Double US$4.
Hostal Austria (opposite the busterminal), is a good and comfortable place if you're looking for something close to the busterminal. Single with shared bathroom Bs.35 / with private bathroom Bs60.
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Oruro, BO 3-4 hrs bus ride from la paz, bs15
mining town ... prehistoric sites 1 hr from city
Hotel Bernal, Av. Brasil 701 (next to the busterminal), +591 2
5279468. Cheap option if you're spending the night to grab a bus the next morning. The clean rooms have cable tv.
Alojamiento Rosen, 21 de Enero No. 240 (right across the street from the main entrance to the bus station), +591 2 5277833. Very basic, shared bath, no shower. Twins for Bs. 30.
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La Paz, BO
street markets, calle jaen, cocoa museum,
10 km from city! valle de la luna
la paz > yungas = world's most dangerous road
andean folk music: Marka Tambo/ Calle Jaen 710
restaurant: Utama, top floor of Plaza Hotel, Av. 16 de Julio 1789
(Prado). (typical, famous, cheap)
Hostal Austria, Calle Yanacocha 531, 235-1140. Very popular with backpackers , offering warm water, friendly staff and a central location. Singles Bs35, shared room Bs25.
El Solario, Calle Murillo 776. Another backpacker joint. Warm water, shared bathrooms, laundry service and OK staff. Singles Bs35, dormitory Bs25.
Loki Backpackers Hostel, Calle Loayza 420. Brand new hostel by the bona fide backpacking boys who brought you Loki Cusco and Loki Lima. Loki La Paz is set in the beautifully restored 100 year old hotel Viena and boasts the world´s highest Irish Bar. Services include real
duvets, comfortable beds, real hot showers, free breakfast, evening meals, free internet and Wifi, Tv room with DVDs and satelite ( for sports fans ). Prices start at 4US (32Bs) for a dorm.
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Lago Titicaca: traditional Taquile and floating Uros islands
Copacabana, BO
16bs, 3.5 hrs from la paz (have to take 1.50bs ferry then continue ride)
see cathedral, eat trucha, (trout from the lake), boat ride to Isla del Sol
Hospedaje Aroma, Jáuregui & Destacamento. Basic but seriously cheap. Try to get a room on the top floor, the views there are great. Price Bs.10.
Hostal Sonia, a 5-10 min walk from the main tourist drag. Cheap, but the terrible shower had us changing accomodations after one night. No hot water, and the shower was located in our tiny bathroom almost overtop of the sink. Trucks and buses cruise by at all hours, always
honking to make the turn around the hostel. Bs.50 for a room with double bed and private bathroom.
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Puno, PE 1R = 1.65 nuevo sol 1USD = 3.2ns
3.5 hrs from copacabana, 8 hrs to cuzco
go to Taquile and Uros islands, Sillustani Burial Towers
Hostal Los Uros, Theodóro Valcárcel N8 135, 051-352141. Clean and decent hotel close to the center. Popular with foreigners. A single with shared bathroom cost 20 soles. Ask for a discount in low-season.
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- Cusco: Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo e Pisác
>Boleto turistico
A boleto turistico is required for access to some of the sights in and
around Cuzco. It can be bought at the Oficina Ejecutiva del Comité
(OFEC), Av Sol 103, Cuzco, ph: 227 037.
There are three different kind of tickets:
* A full ticket (valid for ten days and for all sites), 70 soles;
* A student ticket (ISIC sudentcard required as proof), 35 Soles;
* A partial ticket, (only valid for one day and a limited number
of sites) 40 Soles.
The ticket gives access to the following sites in Cuzco: Santa
Cataline Monastry, Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporáneo, Museo Historico Regional, Museo del Sitio del Qoricancha, Museo de Arte Popular, Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo Danzas Folklórico and Monumento Pachacuteq. And around Cuzco: Sacsayhuamán, Qénqo, Pukapukara, Tambomachay, Chinchero and the ruins of Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Tipón and Pikillacta.
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Cusco
see: Plaza de armas, nearby San Bias area full of hostels.
Food/drink: Inca Kola & Chicha Morada, lomo saltado, aji de gallina,
papa rellena, sopa de zapallo, Mama Amerika/Afrika clubs and restaurants
Hospedaje Estrellita, Avenida Tullumayo 445, Cuzco. Shared double rooms surround a large concrete courtyard. There is a kitchen with a sociable commonroom with cable TV. A night cost 12 soles and includes a small breakfast. It's popular with gringos.
LOKI Backpackers Hostel, Cuesta Santa Ana #601, Centro Historico, Cuzco, ph: +51 (0) 84 243705 (email:[2]) [3]A new hostel set up by 4 backpackers in a 450 year old Peruvian national monument. Dorms from $6. Excellent evening menus served for ~$3, busy bar on weekend evenings, generally noisy place to stay, but loads of fun. Hot water with pressure in generally shared showers. If you like European-style hostels and want to meet young, hip travelers this is the place to be. Highly recommended. Note that it is far enough from Plaza de Armas
(and uphill) that you will want to take a taxi for 2 or 3 soles. The taxi driver may not know it by name, so give them the address. Make sure they drive down Cuesta Santa Ana rather than trying to drop you off at the top or the bottom of the hill, as it is a bit of a hike with your bags.
Casa Arco Iris , Calle Arco Iris 535, Barrio San Cristobal, Cuzco, ph: +51 (0) 84 247526. Set in a centuries old building, the friendly owners have only being running Casa Arco Iris since early 2006, so it is still a bit empty, making it very calm and quiet. Rooms from $4.
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Machu Picchu
get there by train for US$40, 4 hrs. (on the way back, get off at poroy and connect to cuzco.) entrance fee 119 soles. buy tickets in cuzco. can spend night in Aguas Calientes (but it's expensive). cheaper option: Sta Maria or Sta Theresa villages. get bus (or hike 8km) from AC. bring food and water. ignore instructions not to. best before 10am.
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Ollantaytambo
take bus from cuzco to Urubamba, then to here. on the way to aguas calientes.
see ruins, Look for houses with red plastic bags hanging outside on
posts. These houses are where locals go to drink Chicha, a local brew made out of corn.
El Albergue Ollantaytambo - A nice place with warm showers. The gringa proprietor, Wendy Weeks, has been living in Peru for 30 years.
Affordable prices, excellent food, English spoken.
Pakaritampu, just up the road from the railway station. Beautiful
garden. Restaurant and bar.
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Pisác
From Cuzco there are frequent buses leaving at Av. Tullumayo 207 (2 soles). 35 km away.
see inca ruins. (walk or take taxi, 10s). eat with the locals.
VOLTA Cuzco- Puno- La Paz
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Cochabamba
Flag down any beat-up looking Japanese compact car on the street, you can be sure it's a taxi. A fare within town should be Bs 5-6.
See: Cristo de la Concordia, La Cancha market (huge),
Eat: Sucremanta, 2 locations: Plaza 14 de Septiembre, and on the Prado. Dishes from Sucre, based on "grandmother's recipes". The Plaza branch, with live piano music on Sundays, is a great place for brunch. Try the hearty menudito (spicy stew). Drink chicha, fermented corn base beverage. The best is said to be from here.
Sleep: Hotel Los Angeles, Ave. Esteban Arze 345, (between Jordán and Sucre), 450-0800. Decent budget hotel in a good location. It competes with the Hotel Las Vegas across the street for the cheesiest norteamericano decor.
You can find many hotels and hostales close to the bus terminal, which is not too far from the center. Hostal Kanata, Ayacucho 941, is very close, has clean doubles for 60 Bs (20 Bs more for a TV), though a not too friendly staff.
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Sta. Cruz de La Sierra, Bolivia (Trem da Morte) - Corumba (or plane to sampa)
Hotel Italia, Rene Moreno #167, Casilla 2535 - find cheaper place or couchsurf.

floripa 2

2007-05-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

wednesday the weather shifted, allowing a venture on the superfab trails. i was so happy i started singing 50 cent.

engravings of the sambaqui indians

the resort's imitation of the island's indian rock carvings

trilha floripa

2007-05-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

florianopolis

2007-05-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

we arrived on sunday afternoon and monday i spent in bed with cramps reading anna karenina and waiting for denis' sprinting visits between toxicology talks. tuesday i bought aspirin and got lucky: the woman we'd shared the airport transport with was going to see the south of the island. i went along for the ride, having none-too-elegantly invited myself but having thereafter a splendid time. she and i took the bus downtown (floripa is an island-city, each neighborhood a beach). we visited the cathedral, the park, the indoor market (selling seafood and shoes - a search for souvenirs showed but one shop). we bought things. then we took a taxi to the south of the island, see photos below. it was raining and gusting and generally horrendous vacation weather, but the company was excellent.

April 29th, 2006

2007-04-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

yesterday we completed 1 year of marriage.

Xtof and Michelle's visit

2007-04-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Búzios

MY TATTOO!!!!!

2007-03-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

scroll down, you idiots.

feathers

2007-03-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

minha passista

2007-03-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

por favor desculpem todo o inglês, vai mais embaixo que tem foto!

~~~~~~~~

pictures courtesy of denis

~~~~~~~~

she's a passista, or a carnaval samba dancer, and she's the fine creation of paulo, who works with his marvelous wife here in recreio. sweetest couple on the planet.

when he first stuck the needle to me i could only feel a small scratching like a sharp pencil. i was delighted with my bravery. for some reason he stopped. i was fine, i insisted. i was covered with sweat, slipping around in the massage chair. he was talking to me and i was replying but he couldn't hear me. i wondered why not. then i started to get fuzzy. denis walked in and put his hand on my other shoulder to comfort me. he had to towel away the sweat first. i was delighted by his presence but infuriatingly could only see little ghost rice krispies floating through the air.

that lasted about five minutes, then i was fine. we started again when i regained color (even my tongue was blanched) and went for an hour, until the outline was finished. took a break for water and candy. we were listening to some lovely blues. i was going strong. then we spent another hour on the major shading, after which i started to weaken. the feathers did me in. i had to pretend there was a kitten on my shoulder sweetly clawing my back (think caligula kleg, if you had the pleasure of making its acquaintance).

it took 3 and a half hours total. next month i go back for more shading.

afterwards denis took me out for beer and a good strong meal. he made me walk home five paces in front of him so he could keep looking at our passista.

drawing in progress

2007-03-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

pedra do pontal - recreio

2007-03-07T18:01:00.000-08:00

last weekend we hiked the rock down by our house. this is us.

this is on the trail

this is the view from the top

and this is me making ostentatious locomotions. innit?

mercado municipal /sao paulo

2007-03-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

denis & his lovely sis luana

samba! melon!!

stocking the larders

fancy new indonesian fashion fruit (bland, pricy)

cute! lil' piggies!

cod (portuguese delish)

sampa's historic "municipal market" - famous for fried cod pies and gigantic bologna sandwiches. denis took me in february, last we were in the city.

carnaval parades in the sambadrome (sapucai)

2007-02-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

Mestre-Sala e Porta-Bandeira (the representatives of each samba school, responsible for carrying the school's flag)

an "ala", or wing of paraders that comes between the floats

detail of a float

Rainhas de Bateria (battery queens - they direct the drummers, and are usually celebrities)

Baianas - the most traditional wing

a float representing South Africa

more Baianas, in homage to african queens

The winning school's first float (Beija-Flor, or hummingbird in portuguese. check out the front part of the car)

details of a float

us in front of Portela's first float (this is the school Denis has been rooting for since he was a wee boy)

pics ('cept this last one) by my hubbykins!

the carnaval has started

2007-02-18T18:24:00.000-08:00

among sundry other gifts...

2007-01-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

'

for my birthday my husband got me a mutual fund in a rockin' party thrown by our good friends genny + leo. the other presents are confidential beeswax!!

luana's visit

2007-01-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

this crazy museum (contemporary art) is in Niteroi, on the other side of the bay from Rio. one night we went to the Copacabana Palace (26 star hotel) for drinks. and we held up the snazzy placemats. we also went to the old presidential living quarters (before Brasília was constructed and the govt. was moved there) and, on more that one occasion, drove through the tunnel that passes below Brasil's largest slum (Rocinha).

maracanã stadium

2007-01-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

the gargantuan 1950 world cup stadium in which king pelé (or edson arantes do nascimento, as may be seen above... those aren't his feet, you nincompoops, those belong to my hubbykins who doesn't usually take pictures of his clodders but was stricken by the dashing resemblance) scored his 1000th goal. GOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!! there's no A in portuguese.

the middle pic is with my lovely sis in law.

resolutions:

2007-01-12T00:36:00.000-08:00

new years we spent on the mind-boggingly famous beaches Copacabana and Ipanema. have never or maybe faintly heard of them? gigantically uncouth of you.
the names mean something deep in native indian tongues. cherished company seen above: my auzzie, her lover, two kids from são paulo (dressed in white).

this is our balcony

2006-10-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

and this is lovely denis thickly applying woodstain to the supports of our soontobe book shelves.

janis joplin rises from the grave

2006-10-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

swimming on the good hisp lollipop

2006-09-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

this blog is for the viewing pleasure of my demonic fraternal unit. hello little munchkin.
hhh