Brazil

[rogwar]

I just arrived back in Texas yesterday morning after just completing what is likely my 40th to 50th trip to Brazil. I spent the last 4 days in Rio de Janeiro before returning. I've been to Rio many times in the past. It is an incredible city. Yeah it's got crime and is dangerous but so do many big cities. You just have to be prepared.

I was just curious if any others on here have had the chance to experience Brazil? Particularly Rio as a single male traveler. I always have difficulty refocusing and concentrating on my work for several days after I return. Like I am doing right now.

In my opinion, Brazil has some of the most beautiful, fun, and friendly women in the world, particularly the Cariocas (people from Rio de Janeiro). I've traveled a lot so I have a good database from which to compare

Sunday I was hanging out on Copacabana beach with two beautiful girls in their early 20s. I'm 38. Today I'm in the office in Texas. Sometimes the transition seems amazing, and I've been doing it awhile.

Note: These were non-pros, although I have nothing against the pros and semi-pros. You can meet some real nice girlfriends during a visit in all of these categories. Conversational Portuguese is very helpful and almost a requirement for the first category.

At least I go back next month in August. This 3 week multi-climate trip is going to be difficult logistics wise. I have to go to Chile (where it's quite cold), and then in Brazil to Amazonas (where its very hot and very humid), and then to Minas Gerais (where it will be cool), and then to Parana (where it will be a bit cold). I am then going to spend Labor Day weekend along with 4 days of vacation in Rio again. With the luggage weight restrictions nowadays, I'm actually going to have to ship clothing in advance. Oh well it's not all fun. The work is with the mining and cement industries and it's often in difficult areas.

[ra]

i hate you

[narsus]

yeah ra has got it right...

I hate you too.

[Gunthr]

I love the Brazilians I know here in Florida... generally very friendly, hospitipal, and they will share whatever they have with you.  Hard workers too. They want you to know thier families - all their relatives and their relative's kids too. Pretty soon, you will know a hundred Brazilians! I agree, the women are hot  -  I love the skin, etc., but its thier very friendly warm nature, too. I hope to travel to Brasil one day. It sounds pretty exciting.

[Mini D]

Do you work in the aircraft maintenance buisness?

I have a friend that's had 4 wives from Brazil... all of them beautiful and very nice.  His current girlfriend is a 19 year old Brazillian.

MiniD

[rogwar]

Originally posted by Mini D
Do you work in the aircraft maintenance buisness?

I have a friend that's had 4 wives from Brazil... all of them beautiful and very nice.  His current girlfriend is a 19 year old Brazillian.

MiniD

I work with instrumentation and process control systems for the minerals processing and cement industries.

The women are both very hot and very nice. I am not sure I would like a Brazilian wife yet. I really don't want to limit myself to just one.  Many Brazilian girls I know particularly in Rio always tell me, "Voce e muito safado", which means something to the effect that I am very shameless. It means like a guy who has a lot of women. However, it's a very liberal society, especially the Carioca lifestyle. One still always wants to make sure to have your bio-warfare gear handy as well as in plentiful supply.

Also, as a word of warning, if you get some hot Brazilian girl fired up, you better be ready for extended interval training. Last Saturday night I got back to my hotel with a friend at almost 3:00AM and we finally went to sleep around 8:00AM. It was great. First activity for awhile, then 30 minute walk on Copacabana beach to watch the sunrise at about 5:30AM and then back for round two. Only in Rio.....

[Mark Luper]

Actually "Safado" means naughty. I grew up there. Fui criado em Fortaleza, Ceara. I was 2 when my parents took me down there in 1948 and spent most of my first 16 years there. Portuguese was my first language then I learned English.

I left in 1965 and have never been back.  Ahh the memories...

[osage]

Mark,

Nordeste rocks.  Recife, Fortaleza, Joao Pessoa...

Most people think that Rio and Sao Paulo are Brazil.

I saw more of Brazil than most Brazilians while doing feasibility studies for an industrial agriculture project.  I even went to Piaui, where the birds only fly with one wing because it's so hot.

Few Americans visit the Northeast of Brazil.  It's mostly Germans and Italians on vacation.  The Northeast is my favorite place.

It's a totally different world, and a most pleasant one at that.

Even though I speak French fluently, know Spanish and was a Latin star in high school, Portuguese totally flummoxed me for a few months.  Until I got an enamorada who took pity on me and showed me the tongue. Uma lingua dificil.  Closest to Italian I think.

Duas caipirinhas, favor!

[Mark Luper]

Well, with an "enamorada" using a "lingua" it must have provided you with some encentive for sure!:D.

I would say Portuguese, from my viewpoint is closest to Spanish that is pronounced like Italian. Does that make sense? The grammer of all three are very similar but I havn't had the opportunity to be exposed to much Italian so I may be way off base here.

P.S. As a sidenote: Most of my friends and I could go to the movies and understand Spanish ones but for some reason most of the Spanish speaking people I have known have difficulty with Portuguese too. Wonder why that is?

[osage]

Originally posted by rogwar

At least I go back next month in August. This 3 week multi-climate trip is going to be difficult logistics wise. I have to go to Chile (where it's quite cold), and then in Brazil to Amazonas (where its very hot and very humid), and then to Minas Gerais (where it will be cool), and then to Parana (where it will be a bit cold).

Minas Gerais (translation General Mining) is a trip.  As soon as you get off the plane you'll notice a weird rusty smell (which you soon don't notice at all).

The earth of the place is so rich in iron that they just load it into boxcars and take it to the smelter.  The place is fascinating geologically.  You can see red iron ore in the mountains everyplace you look.  It's also the capital of the world for semi-precious gemstones.

Most of the Brazilians I meet in New York seem to be from Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais).  Amazingly friendly, trustworthy and loyal people, in my experience.

[osage]

Originally posted by Mark Luper
Well, with an "enamorada" using a "lingua" it must have provided you with some encentive for sure!:D.

I would say Portuguese, from my viewpoint is closest to Spanish that is pronounced like Italian. Does that make sense? The grammer of all three are very similar but I havn't had the opportunity to be exposed to much Italian so I may be way off base here.

P.S. As a sidenote: Most of my friends and I could go to the movies and understand Spanish ones but for some reason most of the Spanish speaking people I have known have difficulty with Portuguese too. Wonder why that is?

You caught that pun, hehe.

You're totally right, Brazilians seem to take pride in the fact that they understand Spanish and Spanish speakers are clueless when they hear Portuguese.

For example, take "Estados Unidos."  Spanish people pronounce it pretty much as it's spelled, but Brazilians say "Eshtahdoosh Unidoosh. "

It takes a while to get used to the beautiful, relaxed slurs of pronunciation.

Italians seem to adapt the quickest though.

Viva Brasil!

[Mark Luper]

I find the "chiando" or "shhh" softness to word ending more a charactaristic of the south than the north and northeast but in Ceara there are (or were 38 years ago) a lot of people taking it up.

[osage]

We had a translator of German descent from Santa Catarina do Sul  (read Ex-Nazi) and she always scolded me if I didn't "chiando" enough.

Eventually I got to the point where the cabbies quit ripping me off

[rogwar]

Mark Luper,

Your translation is much more correct as in "naughty", although the typical dictionaries don't do justice. How are things in Ft. Worth? as I live all the way over here in Bedford...small world

And all the other folks, yeah northern Brazil is great as well. In fact, the only city I don't care much for is Sao Paulo (as well as Santos and Macae). Rio is my favorite, followed by Salavador and Fortaleza. It's difficult to compare because I've had a blast just about everywhere in Brazil.

Skol is my favorite beer! in Brazil that is....

Anyone ever heard of Help disco in Rio?

As for the language....I speak and write Spanish very well. I have taken some classes in Portuguese and picked it up along the way. A Spanish and Portuguese teacher told me that it's easier for someone who speaks both Spanish and English (with English being the first) to speak and understand Portuguese because of the softer sounds which us English speakers are more adapted. He was a professor in a local college by the way.

[Mark Luper]

Rgwar, we'll have to get together sometime and tip a few. Yes, it is "um mundo peqeno"