Dia Um em Belem

Raul drove Helene (below), Marisol (right), and I to the hotel Formule1 (below) from the airport and shared with us the horror stories of the rest of our classmates' failed flights to meet us in Belem. Our teacher had been at the airport for 6 hrs and was only able to pick up 3 out of the expected 6 of his students...

View from our hotel on the 9th floor (below)










To read the blogs from the other students for more airport details on lost luggage, mixed up boarding times, and overnight in the airport... you can follow Patrick , Karissa (karissaenbelem.blogspot.com), or Stefanie (wandering-belem@blogspot.com)

So for the three of us who did make it to the hotel, we checked into our hotel and paid 49 reais EACH for a week of internet and asked for food recommendations, the suggestion being PIZZA

The last thing we expected to hear, but complied easily and put in the order for a "grande pepperoni pizza" and Coca Cola.

Through ordering our first Brazilian pizza we learned two things: 1. not all of the pizzas include tomato sauce (ours did not) 2. when ordering delivery you must request him to bring change "troco" because they won't carry bills on them if they don't have to. (preventative measure of being mugged?)

Well we experienced the different ways of pizza making and delivering then explored the (minimal) space of our hotel rooms and squeezed ourselves and our stuff where we could fit.

With the night sky very dark but the hour still young (10pm in Belem, 6pm CA) we searched our newly paid for-internet for a movie. Well, we came across "Turistas" an American film taking place in Brazil about a group of college-age American travelers on their way to Belem....who get kidnapped and harvested for organs.
But we thought, hey there will be some Portuguese spoken and we will see some scenery? Actually, I'm not sure what we were thinking because my roommate (Marisol) was a WRECK through the night paranoid that someone was either breaking in or that I was possessed? It was a strange first night in Belem and our hotel room, and there wasn't too much sleep happening under those circumstances.

When the morning arrived and our alarm got us out of bed we got ready for our first DAY in Belem starting off with our "café da manhã" (breakfast) in the hotel's downstairs cafe. They served lots of bread and fruit and both the Orange Juice and Passion Fruit Juice were INCREDIBLE!


 



                                          

                               
After leaving the University we drove towards the water at Los Docas (The Docks on the left) to check out and experience the giant and fresh open market where we saw every fruit, vegetable (giant carrots! bottom left), nut, fish, and spice.
















The freshest foods and beautiful and authentic crafts were a lot of fun to see and I want to go back to get better pictures of their jewelry and ceramics! (and get some cool gifts)

We went from the docks to an indoor and air conditioned buffet where they charge you by the weight of your plate. Excellent food and prices AND they take American Express!

From the buffet we walked over to an ice cream shop and I tried their Acai Sorvete, which was delicious and so different! It was kind of like a cold, pasty candy?

And after sorvete Raul dropped Marisol, Helen, and I off at the local mall to explore and shop! The prices in the mall are very similar to ours. They did not have any chain department stores that we have back home BUT did have a McDonalds (that only served their ice cream)
Many of the styles are similar to LA, but they have shorter cut tees and show off their stomach and back much much more.
At the mall which they call "shopping mall" in Brazil, Helene and I bought Brazilian Bikinis! That's right, we are gonna tan our butts! (not actually us on the right)

We left the shopping mall and hailed a cab to take us back to the hotel, where we waited for our other classmates' arrival.

Soon Raul, Patrick, Karissa, and Stephanie checked into the hotel and we were all together and reunited!! But, Patrick was still without his luggage (damn Delta) and we were all thirsty/dehydrated. Raul parted with our group and headed back to visit with his mother (in Belem) while Patrick and Karissa joined Helene, Marisol, and I to walk over to Y.YAMADA which is the local supermarket to get water bottles (you can't drink from the tap) and fresh clothes for Patrick.
When we arrived to Y.YAMADA (only three-four blocks from the hotel) we explored the very large supermarket with focus in the liquor section where they give samples of different liquors and wine! YES! What a great kick and refreshment!

The first one I tried was very similar to a Smirnoff Ice drink, only stronger! The next was a kind of red wine which tasted sparkly/fruity/ delicious and me and my roommate bought the last bottle!


After some samples we searched for the clothing section which ended up being on the second level. Marisol and Karissa rode up the handicap elevator/rig with the shopping cart while the rest of us took the escalator.

On the second floor there were workers setting up a red carpet for a bikini and speedo bathing suit fashion show! WILD! (no pictures allowed, but you can take a guess how sexy these Brazilians are) two thumbs up! But, I definitely felt like a perv getting excited to see this surprise fashion show when not one of the locals there had a smile or look of interest on their face...It is probably normal here to see these men and women with amazing bodies strutting through a grocery store in revealing bathing suits.

After my friends pulled me away from the hot bods we purchased our bottles and Patrick's Brazil soccer jersey.

On the walk back from YYAMADA we were all getting hungry and had planned on calling Raul to meet with us for dinner. Well the front desk prohibited us from using their phone and told us we needed to use a calling card for the ones in the lobby. One of us had one but it was the wrong kind? Hmm...okay, o we tried skyping...nope an error had occurred....walked down the street to payphone....nope, busted....the next payphone: struggles...Made at least fifteen attempts to make a call and NADA! So we were on our own for dinner and realized that because our teacher doesn't have internet at his mother's place and we don't have a cell phone, we actually don't have any way of contacting our professor...SCARY. Well we went down to the front desk (almost no one in Belem speaks any English) and tried to ask for suggestions of where to eat. They determined for us that there was no where to eat other than the supermarket we had just walked back from (in walking distance). So a woman suggested several places we could take a cab to.

The six of us got a cab out front of the hotel and all the girls squished into the back seat and Patrick sat up in front. When we arrived to our first destination O Gaucho it was closed! So we asked him to drive a block further where we found the next restaurant open and took a chance.

It was an excellent gamble because the pricing, serving, and quality was amazing. Our server was from France and very nice and helpful We talked to him as much as we could and really enjoyed the evening at Recanto Paraibano restaurant!