We explored the whole south of the Etosha pan, including the campsites which date from the 60's, time of the Apartheid. The archtecture of the few builds reflect the preference of the Europeans, having nothing to do with the native Namibians. LET THE PICTURES DO THE TALK. (just a sample of so much seen) ... read more

"Gorie more" (good morning) All. I arrived after 39.5 hrs, but it took my bags an extra 20hrs. By than I had been already been " adopted" by Hester, an Afrikaan (western african) and her family and friends. I met her at the in Johnasburg airport, and next morning I'm being picked up for shopping city tour and lunch at her home. I am not joking: she does talk more than I do, and I feel right at home. People here are very friendly. Lunch started with a entire raw, skinned lamb presented for chopping by this electric machine. Namibians are huge meat eaters, to my surprise, and like to hunt too. I let than know, gently, that I hardly eat any type of meat/flash at all. "How come????" was the question, over and over again. ... read more

"Hola" again. The most interesting sight in Panama is without a doubt the public buses. We suspect they were all American school buses on their "young" days, but now on the streets of Panama they star as renovated moving art. Dressed in incredibly colorful attires, they are all unique, displaying names and splashing drawings of loved ones, particularly kids, religious figures, sayings, etc, etc, etc. I wish the joy displayed vibrantly on the outside of the old buses also reflected the mood of the passengers inside them, but that is to wish way too much. How could anyone be cheerful inside such humid, hot and invariably fully packed vehicles, which move living behind great trail of dense smog? On a more serious/political note, let me share with you that our hotel was just a half a ... read more

Hey All. This entry will be in Portuguese,, since it's about some differences in the elections here in the US and Brazil. Falando com a Andrea por telefone no domingo, a zuadeira no fundo era infernal, tao intensa, que as vezes nao dava pra dialogar. Tratava-se da gritaria amplificada sobre os candidatos politicos, nos carros de propaganda. Lembrei dos comicios, imaginando que ainda existam por ai, das faixas nas ruas, de muros pixados. Sem querer adimitir, imaginei que os votos cabrestos ainda funcionem, que os semi-analfabetos ainda sejam coagidos nas filas. Mais um tanto de lembrancas vieram a tona, de palanques a brigas, e muito mais. Ja se passaram 20 anos, e imagino se algo mudou, principlamente pra melhor, sem muita esperanca, eh bem verdade, ja que o pouco que escuto nao soa nada bem. Minha ... read more

Hello there: It's hot here in Florida, between 95 and 100F practically daily. Thus, nothing like escaping to the beach for a few days. After visiting the University of Central Florida, the second largest university in Florida, we headed to Sarasota and Saint Petersburg, 2 cities on the golf of Mexico. Beaches packed with people provides quite a scenario for an addicted people watcher like myself. A display of the ever so growing American body, literally speaking ( 67% of the American population is now overweight), families, tourists,... Very different from the beaches in Brazil and the springs around gainesville. Many languages could be heard, primarily German and Spanish. An Italian guy played tones from his homeland, a group of Colombians played the instruments from their native home, dancing to their hearts content. An interesting observation: ... read more