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Published: November 16th 2009
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Planet Brazil
This was how our entry for Brazil started:
“The cuiser's landing shook me awake from cryosleep. Status: no immediate threat. My chronometer read 1300 ZULU, but it was clearly morning outside....wherever “outside” was. I reached for my blaster. Asteroids! Blasters have been outlawed on transports for all non-military personnel...my “official” designation on this mission. The boys at Control have some sense of humor.
The navigator came on the comm link and gave perfunctory information about air temperature and pressure readings. Enviro suits not required for this mission. Whew! No need to worry about a poorly aimed sneeze blocking my view! Still hazy from my reanimation sequence, I tried to remember my mission details and planned rendezvous coordinates. Missions tend to blend across the parsecs.
Out the window was a green banner fluttering in the sky. It had a yellow diamond in the center framing what appeared to be a dark globe. At first, it appeared to be the flag for the United Federation of Earth, but that wouldn't exist for another 235 years, and that flag would employ a chartreuse field (to placate the newly resurgent Prussians, but don't quote me on that). Clearly,
this was some other timescale and destination.
After processing, our landing party boarded a runabout to enter a nearby city. We then proceeded to perform a quick reconnaissance of the surroundings, focusing on a nearby botanical/aquatic/recreational zone. Still unsure about galactic location, we continued to observe the local inhabitants for indications of location.
There didn't appear to be any dominant racial group, which complicated our locational analysis. Automobiles abounded, but drivers had the option to use various fuels. We considered the possibility that we perhaps were in late 21st century America. It would take about that long for alternative fuels to become available there.
And yet the proliferation of modern architecture coupled with a decaying urban environment seemed to be indicative of late 20th century America, perhaps the early 1980's. Choice of fashion amongst the inhabitants underscored this possible location and timescale. Yet we were unable to hear any Duran Duran or Spandau Ballet. This much is true.
We could only conclude that the cruiser had navigated to a parallel dimension en route. Somehow, in this world, the Portugese had colonized America, not the English. And while urban planning was not their strong suit, the local
inhabitants had perfected the art of barbeque, or “churrascuria” as they call it, and likewise enjoy playing volleyball, but with only their feet.
Reconnaissance ongoing.”
Once the caffeine kicked in, the alternate dimension theory failed to hold up, and we recognized our “galactic location” as Sao Paulo, Brazil, timescale: early 21st century.
Kristin was kind enough to allow “the away team” to stay at her place in a nice area of Sao Paulo called Itaim Bibi. The apartment was walking distance to Ibirapuera Park (the “botanical/aquatic/recreational zone”) which we enjoyed the few days we were there.
Next, Rayma and I went to see Iguacu Falls. These falls are near the border with Argentina and Paraguay, and also near a massive hydroelectric dam called Itaipu Dam. We visited Itaipu, and naturally, they had a tour custom made for geeks like me. The Dam is situated on the border between Brazil and Paraguay, and is a joint venture between both countries, providing 90% of the power for Paraguay and 20% of the power for Brazil. The crazy thing is that Paraguay doesn't even take all their share of the power - all 5 million Paraguayans can't use it
all. They sell what they don't need back to the Brazilians.
The falls were likewise beautiful. The pictures should give a good idea. Like Niagra Falls, you get a different experience depending on which country you view them. The view from Brazil is much more panoramic, and generally downstream/below the falls. While the view from Argentina is from on top of the falls looking down. If you fall in from the observation deck, well, make your prayers short ones. Both sides are an absolute must to see, though.
The other great thing about visiting these the falls is that, since they're on the border with Spanish speaking countries, most people on the Brazilian side speak Spanish....a huge relief. Portugese remains a riddle wrapped in a tudo bem inside a caipirinha.
Next stop was Rio de Janiero, where we rented an apartment on Copacabana beach. As soon as I could, I grabbed the paraglider, and went for a quick sled ride from the local site, just 2 beaches down. The site itself reminded me of a site I fly on Lantau Island in Hong Kong: south facing, tropical, with a landing zone on the beach. The locals pilots
Rio De Janerio
Our one and only photo. were very friendly, and the operation was very professional and organized. On the way back, a pilot (Fernando) offered me a lift. Turns out, he's a tour guide as well and his English is excellent since he lived in the US for many years. Fernando said he could show us a few of the sites, and Rayma and I eagerly hired him.
We agreed to meet to go see Petropolis, a royal retreat in the mountains above Rio. Brazil is perhaps the only country in the Americas that ever served as the seat of a European empire. We can thank Napoleon Bonaparte for this. As he was rampaging through the Iberian peninsula, the Portuguese Emperor said “sayonara!” and moved the seat of Empire to Brazil. Take that, Napoleon! It was perhaps our favorite site in Brazil. Naturally, we have no pictures, so we "borrowed" one from the web.
When we returned to our apartment, we received “one of those emails” with “Urgent” in the subject line. It's never good to get one of those. You hope for something like “Urgent: your tax refund has arrived...where do I send it?” Or, perhaps: “Urgent: the answering machine is blinking...what do
I do?” But deep down, you know it's going to be something really bad, and in this case, we learned that my dad had passed away quite suddenly. The next day, we blasted off from Planet Brazil, bracing ourselves for a rough ride home.
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sean
non-member comment
Headed Back to HK..
Hey Guys, Funny you should mention Lantau. When I ws there in Sept, I went to go see the "largest seated outdoor Buddha". First, DON'T take the bus...way too long. Take that nice tram. Second observation is that I can see why you paraglide there; the whole island is like one large 60 degree takeoff ramp. Beautiful natural beaches too. Anyway, I am heaed back to HK on Dec. 10-11, though I am pretty certain you two will still be on your walkabout. Enjoy (I am still insanely jeaoulous). sean