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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

BRASIL!!! cont'd

We are still having a great time in Brasil! We went to Itiquira, which is an amazing waterfall. Words cannot even express how perfect it was. You can hike almost right to it and stand about 30 feet in front of it. The water is coming down so strong that there is this heavy mist and you get drenched pretty much immediately. I wish I could´ve captured the view up close but we didn´t even take the camera that far as it would´ve gotten too wet. So you will just have to enjoy a picture from a bit further away, which sadly is not as impressive, but still beautiful.

So, Mormons don't really have horns, but I thought this was pretty funny. These horns were pulled off a tree that is lined with thorns, it is a pretty interesting looking tree.

A few days later we went to another waterfall without as enjoyable an experience. While walking there a wasp landed on Jean´s face and stung his nose. We got to the waterfall and starting swimming but became alarmed at how quickly Jean´s face was swelling that we left early to get some Benadryl. He took some and went to sleep and when he woke up a few hours later we discovered the swelling had not stopped so we took him to the ER where they injected Cortisol, which greatly reduced the swelling. I felt so bad for him! Who knew that a wasp could totally ruin your day! Jean hates the pics of his swollen face, so even after begging to post one, I was unsuccessful and you will have to use your imagination.

Jean gave me the grand tour of downtown Brasilia and here is some of the evidence. The statue of the two men is a monument to the men who built Brasilia. We made it back to get acai. It was delicious as promised and died my mouth purple.

CURITIBA!

We love this place! Here is a day full of fun there. Curitiba is south of Sao Paulo and Jean and I drove there to see more of Brasil and visit with some of his friends. Here is Opera de Arame which is all glass walls and metal bar structure and I can't wait until the day Jean takes me back for an opera. It is pretty breathtaking to see the lake and cliffs around it and you feel like you are outdoors while inside it.

Curitiba has a lot of really cool parks and the city is so green! Here are some pics.Tangua Park drops down below this building into a lake and has a waterfall. It was fun to look down into the valley.
This park has a pretty good background view of downtown Curitiba.
Jardim Botanical reminds me of gardens for a castle in Europe. If it was in my backyard, I would throw huge parties! Inside this building is a great variety of different plants and flowers.
This is the Campinas temple. We stopped here on our way to Curitiba and stayed overnight in the lodge. Right now I am sitting in a beachside hotel in Bombinhas trying not to move my legs as I burned them by staying on the beach all day. Jealous? haha The water is beautiful and a perfect temperature. I want to live in Curitiba one day and have an apartment here in Bombinhas (about 2 hrs south of Curitiba). Stay tuned for some pics of the beach and more adventures!

Monday, January 7, 2008

Brasil!!!!!

Well, after about 30 hours of traveling and six airports later, Jean and I made it to Brasilia. In Sao Paulo I was so proud of myself because a lady came up to me and asked me a question in Portuguese and I took that as a compliment that I looked Brazilian. I started to feel a little silly that I could not answer the second person to ask me a question and by the third time I was vowing to learn Portuguese more quickly! =) But at least I haven´t stood out as a tourist yet, well, that is until I open my mouth to speak, then I get looks.
This picture is a shot of the downtown Brasilia from the middle of Brasil. There is a park and monument at the geographic center of the country along Lago Sul (South Lake).
This is in front of a lakeside restuarant where we attempted to get acai. The line was too long so we will have to go back. Acai is a fruit and we wanted to get the dessert that this restaurant has that is kind of like a sorbet. Jean says it is delicioso!

Here is another shot from that monument with a cool bridge in the background.

We are standing in an area where the President of Brasil makes speeches and they have special ceremonies. The structure has great acoustics and sound travels pretty far. We tested it out by clapping, whistling and shouting. I should´ve gotten a picture of the whole building, it is pretty cool looking.

We are standing in front of our house here in Brasilia. His parents are living here and have done a great job helping us complete it. Jean started building it before he moved to the U.S. And below is a picture of the room we are staying in.

I love being here and have really enjoyed getting to know Jean´s family and friends. Everyone has been so kind to me and we have had a great time laughing, talking and translating and eating good food! =) Brasilia is a beautiful place and it is fun to get the grand tour from Jean and his family. I feel like I am learning a lot of Portuguese, but know I have a long way to go. Anyway, I will finish this post but try to put more up often. We send our love from the southern hemisphere and summer weather! =) (The temperature has ranged from 25 degrees Celcius to 32 degrees and is humid!)