Recife, Brazil

Recife is famous for three things: (1) a rocking Carnaval, (2) having the highest murder rate in all of Brazil, and (3) having the most fatal shark attacks of any city in the world. Most of the attacks -- some in only waist-high water along the shore--involve the particularly aggressive bull shark, which is why so many result in fatalaties. (That, and the fact that pollution and over-development along the shore has decimated the sharks' natural food supply and they are basically starving and majorly peeved.) Above is one of the warning signs that line the entire beach.

I actually had to do a fair amount of paperwork in connection with the MBA program, so I booked ahead and made sure I got a reasonably priced hotel room with high-speed internet included in the price of the room. To make a long story short, there was a snafu of sorts, whereby after I arrived, the Golden Tulip Hotel repeatedly confirmed that there would be in-room internet access for free. Hours later, they changed their minds and informed me that they would have to run a cable into my room and the cost of internet access would be about three times what I was paying for the room. Nice.

Fortunately, I know my way around a snafu. I gave a delightful little performace at the Golden Tulip, then stormed out during the city's busiest tourism week of the year (it was the eve of Carnaval, after all), and booked myself into a 26th floor beachfront suite at the swanky Beach Class All Suites hotel. (Budget, schmudget--right?)

The Beach Class is the left of the two highrises in the photo on the right.

Once I checked in, I did a little work on my laptop in the south wing of my suite, before retiring to the balcony, where I scrutinized the shoreline for hours, hoping to see some shark activity. No such luck, but I really can't knock the view (below).

Somehow, I think I managed to spend 5 days in Recife and not take a single photo of myself. I met up once again with Tiffany, who had taken a detour to Joao Pessoa for a couple of days before coming to Recife. We enjoyed some fabulous homemade caipirinhas on my balcony, and after the 4th or 5th, we were sure we were seeing sharks in the ocean...

After finishing up in Recife (and avoiding the beginning of Carnaval altogether while I was there), I headed off for Salvador. As far as Carnaval is concerned, this is the equivalent of jumping right from the frying pan into the fire...

Last glimpse of Recife.

Next up, Salvador!

A bit more Pipa...

Okay! So I've been a little deliquent on the ol' bloggy! Sorry about that. Let's get up to speed, shall we?

I was in Praia da Pipa with my peeps from February 8 to 12. After all the anxious anticipation before--and massive relief after--receiving the good news from HEC Paris, I settled into a few days of chilling by the shore.

Above you can see me at a pizza place obviously right on the beach. (You might need to click on the pic for a bigger version, just to see how blue my eyes are!) Below are some more shots of Pipa. I think they make it quite clear why I'm hiding out down here while all you guys are battling snowstorms in the Northeast. ;-)

By the way, props go out to Tiffany, who took some of these beach pics. ;-)

Pics of Praia da Pipa

Here's the Fab Four getting ready to dig into some Pipa pasta. That's Tiffany on the left, and Sandrine and Michael (remember them from Fortaleza?) on either side of me. Gosh, we're an attractive bunch!

Here we are in front of our Pripa pousada, the Pousada Praiana. I'm so glad my footwear doesn't stand out whatsoever...

While in Pipa, Sandrine, Michael and I mounted up and galloped across some dunes. (By "gallop," I obviously mean a painfully slow -- and bouncy -- trot.) Here is Michael swirling his cap dramatically in the air over his head. What you can't tell from the pic, however, is that his horse is practically standing still. Yee-ha, baby!

Here's the view from the driver's seat. Followed up by a video.

Last glimpse of Pipa from the bus as I head off for Recife. *sniff*

Praia da Pipa, Brazil & other news...

Tiffany and I spent Tuesday exploring the Art & Cultural Center in Fortaleza, then doing some window shopping. The real excitement was going to come on Wednesday with a big group trip to Beach Park, a water park about 25km outside the city. We made it an early night on Tuesday so we could get up at 7:30am on Wednesday to meet the rest of the group and catch our bus to Beach Park!

Well, Beach Park turned into a rather Wally World moment for us, as we were on the road for 45 minutes when the guide got a phone call that the water park was closed for the day. Our souls were crushed, but we decided to make the most of the day by going to the nicest beach within the city of Fortaleza, Praio do Futuro. It was my first time in the Atlantic Ocean on this trip and the water was amazingly warm and it was a perfect beach day – sunny, warm and a light breeze. (Not to mention incredibly affordable drinks and food being brought to you all day long – fabulous!)


The whitest guy on the beach at Praio do Futuro!


Michael and Sandrine, the cool French couple Tiffany and I hung out in Fortaleza with. I think they’re planning on going to Recife for Carnaval and then Salvador after that, so we may be seeing a bit more of them. (They also gave me a great opportunity to practice my French a bit!)

After leaving the beach Wednesday evening, we collected our stuff and headed over to the bus station for an overnight bus to Natal, with an onward connection to Praia da Pipa. I wish I had an easier time sleeping on buses, because this was basically just sitting in a small seat for nearly 12 hours in total darkness, sort of zoning out but never really falling asleep. :-(


On the last leg of our bus journey to Praia da Pipa.


Just outside Praia da Pipa

Pipa is a hip beachtown of about 3,000 people in the Northeast of Brazil. In addition to Tiffany and the French couple, we’re also traveling with a couple of German guys and a Swiss guy. It looks as though we’re all going to be here at least a couple of nights before continuing down the coast towards Recife, where at least some of us will be for Carnaval (which begins next week!).


More shots of Praia da Pipa.

But the big news from today is that I just got word that I was accepted into the MBA in International Business program at HEC, a short distance outside of Paris, to begin this September. I’m incredibly excited, as this was my first-choice program. There are about 200 students from 55 different nationalities represented in the program, which runs through December 2008. Usually, the classes are all taught in English, but I am now toying with the idea of committing to a bilingual MBA, which would require me to complete about half the coursework in French. My French language skills are definitely not up to snuff right now, and I’m not sure they will be by September, so I need to think a bit more about that. But for now, the exciting news is that I was admitted!

I really owe a huge debt of gratitude to Lori and Sarah, who wrote amazing letters of recommendation on my behalf, thereby ensuring my acceptance into the program. They rock!

In other news, in exactly 4 weeks I will be flying back from Rio to New York City. The rhythm of my trip really seems to have suddenly changed, as I feel as though I am coming into the home stretch and feeling really sad about having so little time left in South America. It has been such an incredible experience, and there are so many places where I would love to spend more time (e.g., Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, etc.). I really hope to come back for a large block of time in the future at some point.

For now, I’m just trying to figure out how to spend my last 28 days. I think I will be here in Pipa for a few more days, then will continue on to Recife for a few days. Then Salvador, follow by Rio before flying back to New York. But, although I’m excited to see all these places, they are all on the coast, and I would really like to break that up a bit by traveling inland a bit – perhaps even to Brasilia. We shall see… ;-)

Fortaleza – The Reunion! (a.k.a. Instant Party -- Just add Cachaca!)

On Monday, February 5, I flew north from São Paulo to Fortaleza, Brazil to meet up with Tiffany, my long-lost best British bud from Roraima. She had spent most of the intervening time in Venezuela and was now traveling south along the British coast and arrived in Fortaleza the same day. We met up pretty late in the evening, but didn’t let the fact that it was a Monday stop us from tearing the town to shreds.

Let’s set the scene for a messy reunion night. Fortaleza is a sprawling fishing port on the Atlantic Ocean, known for its wild party atmosphere and thriving prostitution industry. On the night in question, we first had a rather civilized dinner with Sandrine and Michael, a fun French couple Tiffany had been traveling with, who then retired early (i.e., around 1:00am). Tiffany and I then made the caipirinha circuit through the beachfront bar district, and ultimately found ourselves drawn to one of the more sedate bars that happened to be playing great music.

Now, I won’t make any suppositions about the professional backgrounds of the other patrons, but let’s just say there were about 34 rather young women wearing next to nothing and 2 somewhat older gentlemen. Oh, and Tiffany and myself.

Anywhoosie, as I mentioned, the place seemed a bit sedate upon our entrance – but didn’t remain so for long. Tiff and I followed the tried-and-true 9-point plan for turning any “boring bar” into “happening hotspot”:

1. Jump up on the bar and coerce fellow patron up there with you. Check.


2. Goad aforementioned fellow patron into mooning entire bar, while continuing to provide much-needed support and encouragement. Check.


3. Set the bar on fire. Literally. Check.


4. Cozy up with fellow patrons in front of resulting fire. Check.



5. Sneak behind bar and usurp DJ responsibility. Check.


6. Initiate “train dancing” throughout bar. Check.


7. Gyrate uncontrollably on top of the bar while holding up the ceiling. Check.


8. Fight off the inevitable swarm of paparazzi. Check.


9. Be sure to thank the doorman warmly for his hospitality. Check.


Tiffany and I slept soundly that night, basking in the sense of accomplishment of a job well done. Next time, we’ll have to also incorporate the “Bend…and Snap!”

São Paulo Walking Tour

Well, I survived my two interviews, and now it’s just a matter of waiting and hoping for the best. Here I am in my new suit – hopefully I cleaned up okay:



After ambling about aimlessly for several days, I finally set out with a guidebook to do a proper walking tour of the historic center of the city.


Edifício Itália (Italy building) – one of the tallest buildings in the city. Over 5 million Paulistanos are of Italian ancestry.


Ladeira da Memória (Memory Hill). In the foreground you can see the base of the Piramide dos Piques, and in the background is a fountain where the city and cattle dealers were supplied with water. It’s now dry and these kids are using it as a soccer field instead.


The requisite street fight. Since all the shouting was in Portuguese, I have no idea what it was all about, but it went on for some time and was pretty vicious, actually.


Teatro Municipal. This baroque building is the pride of the city.

Me in front of the Teatro Municipal.


Steps down to Praça Ramos, with the Teatro Municipal in the background.


Me in front of the fountain in Praça Ramos.


Drama Queen in Praça Ramos.

São Paulo Walking Tour (Part II)

View over Parque Anhangabaú.


In front of the law school this is one of Brazil’s most controversial works of art – a statue depicting a Frenchman kissing an indigenous woman. (Seems a bit odd this would be controversial in a city teeming with interracial couples, but there you have it.)


Catedral Metropolitana, in Praça de Sé. Can accommodate 8,000 people!


Inside the Catedral Metropolitana


View of Praça de Sé from the doors of the cathedral.

São Paulo Walking Tour (Part III)

Solar da Marquesa, the last remaining residential structure in São Paulo from the 18th century.

Praça Patío do Colégio. The statue and column at right mark the site where the city of São Paulo was founded in 1554.


Street market.


Monumento a Mae Preta (Monument to the Black Mother), depicting an African slave woman nursing a white child, while her own children must go hungry. :-(


Intersection of Av Sao Joao and Av Ipiranga, considered the most famous in all of São Paulo, but I couldn´t figure out why...

São Paulo Metro

Also, during my last weeknd in São Paulo, Luis paid me a visit. Luis and I had been carrying on a torrid online love affair for over a month, and so it was nice to meet up in person. We had a great time walking around the city, doing some shopping, checking out some new neighborhoods I had not gotten a chance to explore on my own, etc. Luis was totally sweet and adorable, but unfortunately I won´t be able to see him again on this trip, and so I guess we will have to see whether our paths ever cross again. (*sigh*)


Me & Luis in Bela Vista, the Italian neighborhood.


Me & Luis in front of Spot Restaurant (São Paulo´s answer to Chelsea´s "Cafeteria")


Me & Luis

Next up, Fortaleza!