Rio Grande do Sul has a culture and cuisine akin to neighboring Argentina and Uruguay: cowboys, meat, pampas, and wine. They also have harder "r" sounds in their speech. Discussion of regional sotaques, or accents, is reliable small talk here. Brazilians understand me when I note that I learned Portuguese from a professor from Lisboa - they "eat" their words - and in Bahia, where the language is even, smooth, and slow. An acquaintance commented yesterday that Brazilians think American English sounds robotic; it doesn't have the same melodic song to it that Portuguese has.
Some unordered thoughts on the last week in Rio:
1. I'm in the market for a good book on Leonel Brizola, and would appreciate suggestions. All state politicians in Rio de Janeiro tend to fall into three camps: those who are brizolistas, those who were brizolistas but split with the old man at some point, and those who made their career out of opposing Brizola. For example, former state governors Anthony Garotinho and Marcelo Alencar fall into the second group, and present governor Sergio Cabral is from the third. From what I've heard and read, Globo hated the man. (The twice-governor of Rio de Janeiro and once-governor of Rio Grande do Sul passed away in 2004.)
2. I attended a very enjoyable house-warming party at Jim's new place in Gloria/Santa Teresa last night. On my brief walk there, I passed by the usual collection of ladies of the night that prowl the streets of Gloria. One spoke to another in a voice that could be described as "deep Kristie Alley." I passed, and chuckled when I thought of the title of Garcia Marquez's last novel, Memory of My Sad Whores. I thought that I might address them as such on my walk back.
On my eventual walk back, instead of passing the harlots, I walked past a twenty-something blond girl comforting a second twenty-something blond girl as the latter threw up on the curb outside a club. I asked if they needed help, which they declined. Of course they were Americans; Brazilians just don't get that drunk.
3. I think all Rio bus drivers have an ongoing bet with their fare-takers: "How fast do you think I can drive this bus?" Similarly, all taxi drivers see pedestrians crossing the street as a signal that they should aim and speed up.
4. I may have to go down to Copacabana and Ipanema more often if I'm going to train for the Travessia Mar Grande-Salvador. Gustavo put the idea in my head; we'll see.
With luck, I'll take some photos in Porto Alegre. Here, every time I thought to take a picture out the window of Christ, it was too cloudy to see him. Forgive me.
Instead, a view of Potrero Hill, taken when we first moved to San Francisco.
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