+44 Chile

Great cruise ship rates & deals on Hawaii vacations, Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska cruises & more. Book a Carnival cruise today.

Avon Global Ambassador, Reese Witherspoon, visits Brazil to spread messages of female empowerment and announce efforts to help reduce domestic violence in Latin America. PRNewsFoto/Avon Products, Inc., Marcos Issa/Argosfoto

Getting to Brazil and around the country is becoming easier, as a lot has been happening on the Brazilian front lately. First, a new airline and the intentions for a second, have been announced, and by successful industry veterans. Second, the US-Brazil bilateral has been approved, increasing the number of weekly flights from each country from 105 to 154.

New Carriers

The new airline is called “Azul” (which is Portuguese for “Blue”), and is being created by David Neeleman, the founder of JetBlue. And the planes will resemble Neeleman’s original airline, with leather seats and free satellite TV, aboard an E-190 (the Brazilian-made aircraft in JetBlue’s fleet that complements its A320’s). With rumors that JetBlue is looking to fly Ft. Lauderdale-Fortaleza (FLL-FOR), though this is a bit beyond the range of an A320, meaning they would need a third equipment type, we may see easy connections between the two blues, JetBlue and Azul. Says Neeleman, “Our target market is the 150 million passengers who travel annually by long distance bus as well as those who, for lack of a convenient alternative, don’t travel at all.” Operations are scheduled to begin in early 2009.

But Neeleman is not alone. Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin brand, including Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America, Virgin Blue (in Australia), and Virgin Nigeria, announced in late June that he was in negotiations with a Brazilian partner to create a new domestic (at first) airline. However, we have yet to see any concrete plans. Like the US, Brazilian law does not allow complete foreign ownership of an flag-carrying airline. Thus, as Branson did with Virgin America (where he officially owns 49% of the airline), he needs a Brazilian partner. (Neeleman on the other hand, didn’t as he is a Brazilian citizen.)

New Routes & Ports of Entry

To further both the aviation sector and the Brazilian economy in general, and to expand choices for air travelers, the US and Brazil have agreed to a new bilateral between the two countries. Prior to this month, only four carriers from each country were allowed to operate service. On this US side, it was American, Delta, United, and Continental; on the Brazilian side, TAM and Varig. The old agreement also identified which cities may be used as ports of entry and limited the number of frequencies to 105 per week for each country.

(more…)

Soft sand crunches under your feet.

You dip your toes in the tide—the waves swell menacingly, but unafraid beachgoers all around you swim out into the deep and play capoeira in the shallows.

The water is cool; the sun is warm; the tropical breeze is dry, refreshing.

That is the beach in Salvador, and there are a lot of beaches in Salvador. I went to Porto de Barra today, one of the most popular beaches, about half an hour’s walk away. During summer, it’s so crowded it’s impossible to even find a spot to sit down—but Brazil is still in its winter this month. That means there were two whole square yards I could call my own.

I was a little scared of the waves—they were quite high, compared to the ones at California’s beaches, but I braved a few before my eyes and nose started to sting from the brine. I spent the rest of the time sunning, letting my friends play the soccer and frisbee, and watching the fluid movements of some capoeiristas having fun on the sand. One Brazilian man was just flinging himself all around, doing cartwheels and backflips and aerials and twisting his body in impossible ways, changing directions mid-flip and somehow still in perfect control of himself. It was mesmerizing and made me want to take up capoeira again as soon as possible.

The tide rose extremely quickly, and I soon found my entire towel drenched and sandy from an unexpected wave. My feet and body weren’t dirty enough. How do Brazilian people stay so… clean? Miserable! But after the beach, I treated myself to a yogurt-like concoction of açaí with moranga (strawberry) [pic] at a place called Nacos. It had a creamy sort of texture, but açaí has a very strong flavor that strawberry doesn’t do much to temper. I don’t think I’ll be ordering it again, although it’s probably the equivalent of a Jamba Juice smoothie for Brazilians. In fact, I think Jamba Juice is probably responsible for foods like açaí, matcha, and pomegranate gaining favor among Americans during recent health crazes. The former does have more antioxidants than any other fruit, I was told.

I came back pretty late last night without telling my family where I’d been. I tried to contact them three times; the first time, our male maid, Manuelo, picked up. I managed to say “it’s Amy” before I ran out of minutes on the calling card. I had my friend contact his mom, who is a friend of minha mãe (my mom), and she said to just try calling later, as she didn’t have any other numbers for my family. I phoned two more times with a new card, but on both occasions the phone just kept ringing… which I later found out is also a busy indicator.

I came home safely and quietly at 3 AM, and in the morning my mother gave me a note:

We
agree
preoccupied
yesterday
the night

All of us
to speak up

to wake up
you?

I didn’t quite understand the last part, but I found out that they had gone to lengths to find out where I was, calling on the school and the program coordinator (who must have reassured her that we were all together). I felt really bad about it, but there was only so much I could do. Anyway, after we cleared all this up—she was relieved, happy, and understanding, not angry—she took that note back and grabbed a Portuguese-English dictionary, and motioned for me to sit down.

She finished writing and pointed at the paper, then at me. It read:

My doll, joy, baby

I think I died. My family is the best! ;_;

P.S. Who did I encounter not once but TWICE more today, but Fabio, the man who so bluntly expressed his feelings for me at the club? The city must be a lot smaller than I thought it was… how awkward.

Hoy en la tarde junto a iPab y Gabby tuvimos la oportunidad de probar y monear un iPhone 3G.

A iPab lo contactaron de Diario El Comercio para recibir sus impresiones sobre este terminal. Tomando en cuenta que el iPhone 3G saldrá a la venta el 22 de Agosto, fue muy grato usarlo antes del lanzamiento con algo de tranquilidad.

Y si me preguntan ¿qué me pareció?, pues realmente genial: mucho más delgado, destella elegancia, lo usamos con la red Edge de Movistar (pues aún no tienen activa la red 3G), y demás características de este gadget.

Luego nos enteramos por @coberturasms que en Quito a media noche ser una iPhone Party en la central de movistar, a la cual asistiremos un batallón de macqueros. Allí se presentará oficialmente el iPhone 3G al público ecuatoriano.

A continuación algunas fotos tomadas desde mi iPhone 2.5G al iPhone 3G:

Post original de: El Blog de Palulo

Probando el iPhone 3G antes del lanzamiento en Ecuador

Adventure Holiday: A South American Journey

Vacation Type: Archaeologic and Historic Tours Nature and Wildlife Tours

Travel Location: South America Brazil

Visit spectacular sights as you travel South America from Brazil to Peru.
Ride a train to Machu Picchu and trundle past rural Peru.
Experience the market in Tarabuco, where villagers gather in native dress.
Children may participate.

Vacation Contact Detail

Tread Lightly Ltd.
One Titus Road
Washington Depot
Connecticut
06794
United States
Telephone: 203-868-1710
Fax Number: 203-868-1718

Beleza!

Viikko meni taas akkia. Tuli treenattua paljon ja paasin sitten vihdoin viikonloppuna pois SP:sta. Mentiin Matheuksen isan tilalle Casa Brancaan. Casa Branca on pieni kaupunki n.200km SP:sta. Tilalla oli uima-allas ja kaikkea muuta kivaa, joten siela oli oikein mukavaa vain rentoutua. Tuli sita kuitenkin yhdet treenit tehtya :).

Casa Brancassa mina olin pieni julkkis. Perjantaina kun tuli jotain porukkaa meidan kampille, olivat he ihmeissaan siita etta mita suomipoika tekee taalla. Lauantaina mentiin sitten jonnekkin festareille, siela sitten kaikki jo “tiesi” minut ja halus ottaa kuvia gringon kanssa. Illan aikana kuuluikin monesti: “Miko come here, take picture!” Kaikki oli oikein mukavia ja halus nahda suomipojan, seka koittivat kovasti jutella minulle vaikka yhteista kielta ei aina loytynyt. Yks asia mika ihmetytti oli se etta perus Brassi tietaa missa Suomi on, mutta jenkki tai kanukki ei todellakaan tieda. Vaikka USA ja Kanada on “kehittyneita” valtioita ;).

Nyt on ruvennut treenit sujumaan oiken hyvin ja kroppakin kestaa jo 2-3 treenia paivassa, aluks tuli vain paikat kipeeks. Viimeviikolla tehtiin paljon kuntoharjoituksia, eika niin paljon tekniikkaa. Toivottavasti talla viikolla tehdaan toisten, teen sitten ite omat lenkit yms.

Tassa reissussa ollessa on tullut monesti mietittya asioita. Eilen mietiskelin sitten yleensakkin koko reissua. Ja taytyy sanoa etta aika uskomatonta on ollut. On tullut istuttua iltaa monen tyypin kanssa, on ollut tunnettuja suomalaisia, muiden maiden valtion virkamiehia yms. Oon paassyt vieraaksi moniin juhliin, on kutsuttua saunomaan ja allasbileisiin. On tullut luotua kontakteja ympari maailmaa ja tulevaisuudessa melkein sama mihinpain maailmaa menen, on siela joku tuttu. Mietinkin etta miten sita on kaynyt nain hyva tuuri, mutta kait sillakin on jotain tekemista asian kanssa etta olen aika avoin tyyppi ja juttelen helposti muille ihmisille, vaikka ei yhteista kielta loydykkaan. Sanakirja kateen ja menoksi :D.

Jossain vaiheessa reissua tuli kirjotettua paljon siita, etta on koti-ikava yms. ja haluu kotia. Nyt sita on ruvennut tajuamaan (parempi myohaan kun ei milloinkaan etta ei se Suomi sielta mihinkaan katoa ja eika ne kaveritkaan. Itse huomasi sen etta kun reissu rupes maistumaan puulta (niin kuin Olli sanoin), oli aika silloin tehda jotain “uutta”.

Esimerkiksi Thaimaassa ollessani (silloin noin 4kk reissua takana) meni treenaamaan thai-nyrkkeilya ja vapaaottelua n.2kk. Sen raakin jalkeen jaksoin taas ottaa rennosti. Tai Indonesiassa menin Bunakenille sukeltamaan viikoksi, jonka jalkeen taas “normi” elama reissussa maistui jonkin aikaa. Alussa reissu olikin sellaista suorittamista, mentiin paikasta toiseen eika tajuttu nauttia hetkesta. Sitten sita oppi olemaan ja nauttimaan joka hetkesta, seka tekemaan valilla jotain muuta kuin pelkastaan “reissaamaan”. Mielestani kukaan ei pysty vain olemaan vuotta, ihmisen on pakko tehda jotain. Tai ainakin omalla kohdalla asia on nain.

Naihin ajatuksiin lopetan talta eraan, nyt treeneihin!

-Mikko

Ps. Perheelle tiedoksi, ei loytyny leijonaa. Taisivat pojat vedattaa suomipoikaa. Tai oli siela yks “leijona”

We literally just walked in after spending our Labor Day afternoon at the annual WIADP (West Indian American Day Parade) on Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, but to describe what we just witnessed as simply a parade would be akin to saying that scotch bonnet peppers are sometimes a little spicy, i.e. an enormous underestimation. The parade is the largest in New York City with upwards of 2million people flocking to it annually.

It was an unbelievable assault on the senses - the sights (thousands upon thousands of dancing people all decorated with their national flags and some astonishing costumes), the sounds (hundreds of different sound systems all turned up to 11 and all competing with one another as they slowly rumbled by on floats, accompanied by the ever-present encouragements for the dancers from some very vocal MCs), the smells (a myriad stalls selling Caribbean favorites, some better known that others), and the atmosphere (it is about 90F here today and there were some enormous smokers pumping out clouds of jerk-scented smoke, as well as many other “personal” smokers pumping out clouds of the other kind of smoke Jamaica is famous for).

Of course, apart from soak up the atmosphere, we did our best to sample the wares from as many of the stalls as possible. Sadly, our eyes were bigger than our bellies, and we frequently had the unfortunate experience of having to walk past many a stall not physically being able to eat anymore. Let’s face it, Caribbean food is not exactly light at the best of times, and on a scorching summer day, goat curry with roti, fish cakes, bake and salt-fish, all smothered in fruity hot pepper sauce, and washed down with spicy ginger beer, then shaken up and down with booming soca and dance-hall, is a recipe for a lot of sweating and the need for shade and a sit-down. Intense. Seriously intense.

My only touchstone for a carnival like this, is, well, carnival - the Notting Hill Carnival in London to be precise. And, not to offend anyone involved with that fun, enormous, crazy and, occasionally, violent Caribbean festival, the WIADP is a major step-up. The food, the sounds, the people, the culture, it’s all as much as you can take and more. It’s as close to being in a foreign country as I’ve ever experienced in America (note that, for me, America is a foreign country). It’s such a radical departure from what the area around the Brooklyn Art Museum usually looks like and where you usually see white couples jogging along behind three-wheel baby-chariots, that at first it takes you aback. Then, and suddenly, it just sucks you in, but, just as quickly, it spits you out again. It’s a lot to take and we had to retire for some shade and cold water, but we’ll be back. You should check it out next year, for once a year is enough to last you a while. That said, we’ll definitely be exploring more of our local Caribbean restaurants and trying to recreate some of their dishes and the ones we ate today now we’ve got a taste for it.

ShareThis

Meni sitten maanataille taa paivitys, no parempi myohaan…

Viime viikko meni oikeastaan niin kuin odotin. Treenit pari kertaa paivassa ja muu aika lepoa. Loppuu viikkoa kohden joudun tosin vahentaan treeneja, kun meinas tulla kipeeks. Silmatulehdus ei meinaa lahtea pois ja flunssaa pukkaa. Nyt on taas aika normaali olo.

Perjantaina oli pienet juhlat, koska Demian lahti jenkkeihin ottelemaan. Oli ihan mukavaa istua iltaa ja syoda. Osa sitten joikin, mutta brasilialaiset ihmetteli etta miten suomalainen ei juo. Ei pikku flunssassa maistunut :). Taalla on kovat ennakkokasitykset suomalaisita, tieda sitten johtuuko siita etta meidan salilta kavi kolmen nuoren jatkan porukka taalla 2006 ;).

Lauantaina kavin kattomassa uuden Batman elokuvan. Voin kylla sanoa etta paras elokuva mita olen aikoihin nahnyt. Heat Ledger veti jokeria niin hyvan roolin, etta valilla luuli miesta oikeasti hulluks. Ehka se jopa oli, kun on jo nyt kuollut huumeisiin… Mutta kannattaa katsoa jos yhtaa toiminta tai sarjikset kiinnostaa.

Jaipa viimeksi mainitsematta eras asia. Kun olimme toissa vkl katsomassa niita BJJ MM-kisoja. Jatimme kamppikseni auton parkkin kisapaikan lahelle, eraalle hienolle asuinalueelle. Autolle palatessamme huomasimme etta joku oli koittanut pollia autoa. Kojelauta oli revitty auki yms. Huoltomiehet saivat kuitenkin auton kaytiin ja paastiin kotiin. Aika uskaliaita rosvoja, silla auto oli pysakoity rikkaalle asuinalueelle, jossa partioi vartioita ja on kameroita asuntojen seinissa yms. ja varkaus yritys tapahtui keskella paivaa. Kuulma yleista taalla.

Nyt on taas uusi viikko alkamassa ja ollaan laitettu yhet kisat tavoitteeks elokuun lopussa. Saadaan jotain suuntaa treeneille. Tanaan muuttuu hiukan ohjelma ja koitan ottaa myos punttiksen mukaan treeneihin. Katotaan miten jumissa ollaan ens vkl.

Pakko mainita siskoille (ja muillekkin sushin ystaville). Ollaan taalla kayty monesti syomassa sushi buffetissa. 10e per nuppi ja saa syoda sushia niin paljon ku jaksaa. Eika kysessa ole mikaan sekunda ravintola, vaan tarjolla on aina tuoretta lohta ja tonnikalaa, seka suuri valikoima erilaisia sushi juttuja.

Nyt kun muut pojat on jo kotana, on moni kysellyt koska on minun aika. Sita ei kukaan tieda, en edes mina. Mutta toivoitteena olis olla reissussa ainakin 5.11 asti, sit vois sanoa vanhana pappana et on ollu VUODEN kiertamassa maailmaa ;).

Nyt on jo kahtena vkl peruuntunut “mokki reissut”, mulla alkaakin olemaan jo kova hinku pois kaupungin hulinasta. Pitaa koittaa tulevaksi vkl paasta rannalle, tai jotain muuta kuin treeniin liittyvaa pitaa tulevaa vkl tehda. Pitaa puhua pojille. Sita odotellessa voin kattoa vaikka vanhoja Indonesian kuvia

-Mikko

Ps. Kuvien lataus ei toimi kunnolla taalta “kotona”, joten niita kuvia tulee kun paasen jonneekin nettikahvilaan…

I’m currently working on the video section for this brandnew version of www.kitegabi.com - that you currently looking at - and can tell you already that once finished it’s gonna be niiiiice, however, good things come to those who wait and thus I would like to ask you for your patience.

In any case: today when going through my archive of videos, I looked at some old clips that I have not been watching in quite some times (perhaps even years!?) and got really emotional when watching ‘Kitegabi in Brazil’: a timeless, good-vibe kitesurf video that I edited myself in the winter 2003/04 during my (back then) second trip through Brazil. By now I have spent all together almost 2 years in Brazil and adore the country and its people.

Although already 4 years old, the clip is timeless, sick action - back then only the triple World Champ, Cindy Mosey, the current World Champ Kristin Boese and Kitegabi could do the ‘handle-pass’, the move that changed the face of kiteboarding forever - good fun, beautiful impressions, supported by Brazilian tunes.

Apologies for a rather bad quality but I uploaded onto several plattforms, this is as good as it gets on ‘foreign servers’, Google Video won the race. Check out ‘Kitegabi in Brazil’ & have fun !

Check also the ‘Stance DVD: Trip Brazil’ from that same year featuring six leading kite-chicks, amongst them me, rippin it up !! You can find the clip in Dailymotion, check it, u’ll love it 4 sure