The Chinese Stereotype


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South America » Brazil
January 3rd 2011
Published: September 30th 2017
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Bus Station Lunch ...Bus Station Lunch ...Bus Station Lunch ...

Came out incredibly fast, so I commented about this to the waiter with great surprise. Then he realized it was for someone else - d'oh!!! The salsa was sour, the beef dry and tough, all served with the obligatory farofa and rice ... all pretty average, but what you do expect from a bus station restaurant?
Geo: -5.79448, -35.211

I've had some interesting discussions the past few days about the Chinese stereotype amongst South Americans, with some of them being - surprise - a lot like the stereotypes from Canada! The first was that all of us are rich - a common belief around the world, especially obvious in places with lots of street vendors and beggars. The next came from an Argentinean, saying that they believe we know everything about anything, that we're full of random facts, that we're some type of Jeopardy whizzes. The third was that we were all quiet and introverted, this one coming from Washington, because he lives next to a Chinese family that never says a word. The first night meeting A&W, they even commented with great shock that I spoke so much for a Chinese guy. So I managed to shatter all these perceptions, since I spend far too much money on travel to be rich, I don't know shit about most subjects, and I talk far too much. Plus, I'm too dark to be Chinese, something a number of Brazilians have already commented on. I'm the anti-Chino!

Anyway ... today was an eight hour bus ride to Natal - crappy.
Love the Name of the Fifth Wireless Network ...Love the Name of the Fifth Wireless Network ...Love the Name of the Fifth Wireless Network ...

"Nao poude roubar" means "you can't steal"
The problem with South America is the long distances and crappy roads, making for some tiresome and uncomfortable journeys. Especially when the lovely smell of the on-board bathroom wafts through the bus, and more so when you're sitting just a few rows away from it. Mmmm ... raw sewage ... then about an hour out of Natal, the bus broke down. Nice ... after about ten minutes, the driver was able to start it up again, but sans air conditioning. Even nicer ...

Seven hours later ... Natal! Both the hostel and the guidebook's directions to the hostel are quite annoying - "Take the #66 from the bus station and get off at blah blah blah." Cool. So I'm sitting at the big bus stop with probably 30 other people, and I wait. Then I wait some more. Then just a bit more. 30 minutes pass, and then I see a #66 go the other way. Hmmm ... I notice every other bus travels in both directions, so I figure it's a matter of time before another #66 comes in my direction - it is now after 9 PM, so the buses probably don't run as frequently. Then after over
Crappy Cookies ...Crappy Cookies ...Crappy Cookies ...

I ate the whole package onboard today just to get rid of them, I'm tired of carrying them around. As the cookies disappeared, I could magically feel my ass grow.
an hour in total, I see another #66 come by - in the opposite direction. Sigh ... is it so tough to add one extra line in the directions, saying that the required bus stop is across the street from the bus station?

It was now getting close to 10:30, and the area was becoming a bit more deserted and sketchier by the minute so I said screw it, and grabbed a taxi. What kind of backpacker am I becoming??!?!??! My backpacking brethren would be so ashamed of me!!!


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A Sign ...A Sign ...
A Sign ...

That I should re-adopt my South American Rafa persona and move to Brazil, opening up a little shack.
It's Not Make Love, Not War ...It's Not Make Love, Not War ...
It's Not Make Love, Not War ...

It's do math, not war.
Another New Brazilian Fruit Juice ...Another New Brazilian Fruit Juice ...
Another New Brazilian Fruit Juice ...

Caju - one more Brazilian fruit that defies description. Good stuff.
Wannabe MacGyver ...Wannabe MacGyver ...
Wannabe MacGyver ...

The curtain on the bus kept blowing shut, so I made use of this pop can to keep it open. I felt such a sense of accomplishment.


13th January 2011

Esse foi o que me fez rir mais! Good Stuff!

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