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E-MAIL
LOG
3-29-03
RIO.
WE HAVE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT 6 HOURS NOW - ABSOLUTELY
GREAT - HAD THE BEST DINNER EVER - BLACK BEAN STEW
-THE NATIONAL DISH - WITH BEER, DESERT, COFFEE ETC,
FOR LESS THAN $6 FOR BOTH. WE HAVE LOST ONE OF OUR
BAGS - HOPE TO GET IT BACK, TONIGHT - IF NOT - WE
WILL DO WITHOUT IT WITH NO PROBLEMS - GLAD THAT WAS
THE ONLY ONE. WE HAVE TOO MUCH ANYWAY - WE HAVE ALL
THE IMPORTANT STUFF. THE FLIGHT WAS ABOTU 9 HOURS
AND EVERYTHING RAN RIGHT ON SCHEDULE. WE NEED TO GET
UP EARLY AND LEAVE FOR CUIABA EARLYL IN THE MORNING.
OUR HOTEL IS RIGHT ON COPACABANA - BUT IT IS NOT THE
GREATEST - BUT WILL DO FINE - THE WEATHER IS ACTUALLY
PRETTY GOOD - WARM BUT NOT UNBEARABLE - WE HAVE AIR
CODITIONING - LIFE IS GOOD. PLEASE WRITE - LET US
KNOW WHAT«S GOING ON - THESE INTERNET SPOTS ARE EVERYWHERE.
MOM AND DAD
4-1-03
All; We left Rio on Sunday, arrived in Cuiaba
around noon, then caught a taxi for Santo
Antonio de Leverger, this is where I spent my
Peace Corp time - we have met our friends - all are
here or nearby, I«m sending this from their home.
we have a room in a pousada with air conditioning
- although it just barely makes it cool enough. so
far it is really great - met all those we wanted to
meet - they all though i was killed in viet nam -
and it a pretty amazing experience. we did get our
bag back - same night - so that wasnt a problem. we
are going to the
pantanal tonight and tomorrow - we think. im not
using any puctuation or capitals because the keyboard
is differen. it is very warm and humid - cant do anything
in the middle of the day - it rained, thunderstorms
all afternoon yesterday - ok got to run - keep writing
- we will do the same. love mom and dad
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4-5-03
a quick note to let you know we have had a fabulous
time here - we leave tomorrow morning for Belem.
there are just too many things to tell you about and
not the time. we have met all of those we wanted to
- and still have great freinds here - we had a great
lunch in our pousada today - with 12 others from here
- and tonight we are saying goodby - they have given
us gifts and we are going to have to repay them some
how when we get back. it has rained every day - really
heavy today - and of course it is really hot too -
but we are surviving well - Belem
will be hot and humid too - just 3 days there then
on to Salvado
de Bahia this has been just fantastic - could
not have been better - it will be interesting after
this - but also not nearly as much fun. take care
- we miss you guys - write - we will probably send
more tomorrow from Belem - it~s at the mouth of the
amazon. love - mom and dad
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4-7-03/
Belem.
We are in the rainiest city in the world - just south
of the equator and at the mouth of the amazon. it
is very interesting although we haven~t seen much
yet. our room is amazing - huge, great aircondtioner,
two king beds, and a great walk in shower.= cost less
the $40 a night. we ate at a churasscaria (BBQ) last
nite is was probably the best yet and the food has
been better than great. today were going to go downtown,
then to the old city and finally set up a river tour
for tomorrow, we leave wed afternoon for salvador.
all flight have been just like in the states - big
jets and comfortable. dont know the downside of this
yet - it is not costing as much as expected - great
food - we both feel fan and are tanned - finally not
burnt. got to go love mom & dad
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4-9-03
I composed a pretty long emial yesterday then lost
it all about our last full day in Belem
- so im going to send these in parts. yesterday was
magical - we took a 4 hour tour of the river, leaving
at 0400 in the morning. we went to the ilha de papagios
- parrot island. we anchored about 20 feet off the
island before the sun came up listening to the night
songs of the birds. as it got light, all the birds
started to go at it - then one pair of parrots flew
off to feed on the island across the way - then another
- then maybe a dozen - all squawking loudly. with
each passing minute more and more became airborne
and the sound becamin almost deafening - at one time
there may have been close to a thousand parrots flying
over us - this went on for maybe 45 minutes. unbelievable.
the boat was a 35 ft passenger boat which holds 35
- 50 people - and we were the only toursist onboard
- plus the one guide - and a crew of two. Cost? -
it was 60 Reis for each of us - total was less than
$40 US for both. end of part I.
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4-9-03 I have one favor to ask of Mindy - would you
pass our emails on to Shari - so that Bill can let
my dad know whats happening - thanks. ok - today,
I`m sitting in the hotel lobby using their bank of
6 computers. we will check out around 1 pm then off
to the airport for a 3pm departure to salvador
da bahia via brasilia. we dont get to salvadar
until 10 pm or so. Belem has been very interesting
- they have a museum, zoo, botanical garden we also
saw yesterday that deals with all things of the amazon
district - this is a huge river , one second of water
flow is enough to supply new york city for 60 years
- i have lots of useless facts like that. we had brakfast
in the room this morning - coffee with milk, fresh
fruit (all tropical) bread with cheese and ham - and
of course, we had to add ham and cheese omlettes.
the rainiest spot on earth is not living up to it`s
billing as it only rained the first day for about
2 hours, and this is the rainy season. our portuguese
is serving us well - i remembered a lot more than
i thought - although at times it has been a challenge
- especially when people want to talk about the war
- i think we will be canadians from now on - about
90% of brazilians are against the war- and they all
think bush is crazy like saddam - oh well - can«`t
think of much more to tell you - we are trying to
get some postcards sent - what a pain in the ass it
is because you can only buy stamps at the post office
and you can only send them from the post office. i
think there is only one post office in this town of
some 1.5 million people ok - we are in Bahia
tomorrow and thursday, leave Friday for Belo
Horizante for a few days, back to Rio on Tuesday,
then leave late Friday nite. write - Love - Mon and
Dad
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April
11, 2003 we are in Salvado
de Bahia, staying in the best accomadtions we
have seen yet - a great hotel right on the beach -
and only about $60 a night. better than anything we
have stayed in for years. we spent the day wandering
about the city, it has a very strong african influence
here and the population is distinctly black. also
a lot of crime - poverty, etc. nevertheless, a very
cool place - but hot. we head for belo horizonte tomorrow
morning and are not expecting too much. it is well
inland, overgrown to almost 2 million people. used
to be neat place with some natural places to visit
- we havent even studied up on the place yet - then
couple days there and back to rio on tuesday for the
final 3. for matt`s challenge on belem being the rainiest
place and the figures on the amazon water production
(and why didnt i see that coming?)- i should say that
belem claims to be the rainest place/city - we did
have one day when it did not rain, but that was unusual.
i think it rains virtually everyday - but doesn~t
get the volume of water that other places get. as
for the figures on the amazon water production, what
i read said something like trillions of liters per
second. tour books are not known for their veracity
- expecially those produced here in the Brazil. ok
- we are going shopping today after our morning coffee
- which means coffee, milk, bread, sweet bread, ham,
cheese, juice and at lest 3 typs of fruit - normally
papya, banana, and pineapple. take care and keep those
cards and letters coming. love - mom and dad
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4-12-03
we are set in Belo
- been in the hotel about an hour looking for feijoada
for dinner and stopped in at an internet cafe - all
going well. going to art fair and zoo tomorrow - may
not be a lot to do here - but we only have 2 full
days and then back to rio on tuesday. we are going
to by the ring in rio. got to run - write - love mom
and dad
4-14-03
we are leaving Belo tomorrow = it has been about as
expected - OK - but we are having a great time - just
came from another churasscaia - we decided at dinner
that we have yet to have a bad meal. we are going
to stay in the hotel florida in rio - getting there
midday tomorrow (Tuesday). be home in oregon saturday
night - around 830 pom - we are on different flights
but get in about the same time. anything new with
you guys? write got to run love - mom and dad
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Finally
back in Rio - thisdamspacebardoesntwork-whatadrag
we arrived around noon and the hotel we planned on
was full- sowetook our taxi drivers advise -cameto
Copacabana - and it is great. weeven got some wash
done at a laudromat next to the hotel. for the last
week we have had cooler weather - the heat was getting
us down for the first couple weeks. we arranged to
stay in our hoteluntil 5pm friday- hopefully get somesleep
before the 28 hours of traveling we will bedoing.
cant take this keyboardanymore-we arehaving a greattime
- rio is an amazingplaceandweloveit comprende?????
love momanddad ps -mindy -- will you bemeeting us
orleaving thecar??
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We
are settled in in rio - we have bought a new stone
for your mother`s ring - absoluitely beautiful and
they will place it in the old ring making it all look
like new. it is going to look better - a darker color
aquamarine. i havent commented much on the email we
continue to get from all of you - but we really enjoy
it thanks for writing. we will call you guys when
we get to orlando. that will be saturday morning-
we clear customs in miami, then have to recheck our
bags for the hour flight to orlando, then we have
a really bad rest of the day - recheck our bags for
different airlines and then I have to wait almost
8 hours in orlando - your mother leaves there around
1pm and i leave around 4 pm - but again - we both
get to pdx at 830. i go to work the next day by the
way - a noon shift, so we are heading home from the
airport in portlnad. i thinbk i only work 2 -3 days
before getting a couple days off - it will be a tiring
day friday and saturday. ok - everything we wanted
to do we have done - we have to wait around till 4pm
today (it is now 840am) to pick up the rings - your
mother is having her wedding ring fixed too - it needs
a couple small diamonds replaced. tomorrow we plan
on gettting a ferry ride across the bay and who know
what else. friday everything is closed - Good Friday.
So - we will write again tomorrow. love Mom and Dad
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I
found a keyboard that works and has the puncutations
as on ours in the states - amazing. It costs about
a dollar to use the internet for 30 minutes to an
hour. We are finishing up Rio - went across the bay
today to a town called Niterio - we had never been
there - 50 cents for the ferry. Rio is breathtaking
- the weather is sunny but cool - probably a good
15 degrees cooler than when we first arrived. I took
you mom's ring back to get it adjusted - it was too
big - so we pick that up in abouty 30 minutes - then
we are finished in Rio. We were going to catch a boat
out to this island about 20 miles offshore tomorrow
- but it didn't get back until 5:30 and we need to
be at the airport by 6 - so we will find something
else to do. I will check the email once more tomorow
- so if you have any last minute requests - please
let us know. OK - this may be the last email from
Brazil - we will talk to you in a few days. Love -
Mom & Dad
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