Hey Everyone,
I realize that it has been forever and half since I wrote last. A lot has been happening, and I will try to fill you in on the important stuff.
I was back in the US for a week in October, because my paternal grandmother passed away. She had been sick with liver cancer for a couple months, so we all knew it was going to happen, but that didn't make it any less sad when it actually did come to pass. I found out on a Saturday morning that she was gone after I had slept for just two hours in the past twenty-four. I called my parents and my boss, bought a plane ticket, packed in hurry, and flew back to the US that same evening. When I arrived in the airport in Grand Rapids twenty-two hours after I left Macaé, my luggage didn't. I was jet-lagged, sleep deprived, and grieving, and I almost lost it in the airport. I ended up getting my bag back that evening, so it was okay. My family went over to Milwaukee, WI for the funeral. The circumstances were really sad, but it was really good to be with my family (immediate and extended).
Three weekends ago, I went to Niterói, the city across the Guandabara Bay from Rio de Janeiro and hometown to my good friend, Bruno. After months of invitations, I finally went to visit him and his girlfriend, Louise. I stayed at her house, and they took me on a "passeo turístico" or tourist circuit. It was really fun. We went to to Pão de Azucar (Sugarloaf Mountain) on Saturday morning. It was pretty hazy up around the top of the mountain as we drove over the bridge over the Bay, connecting Niterói to Rio. I rolled the windows of the car down and did my best to blow the clouds away. We arrived at Sugerloaf and decided to pay the fare to go up to the top in spite of the haze. I'm not sure if it was my amazing lung power or some good luck, but as we got to the top of the cable car ride, the clouds had cleared enough to enjoy the beautiful views of the city- from sandy-white beaches, to green mountains, to the pockets of towering, white buildings, with the Christ statue looking down over everything. It was amazing that right when we decided to head back down, the clouds swooped down and completed covered the mountaintop in fog again. It was all in all, perfect timing.
We drove along the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema,had a late lunch at a great restaurant in Ipanema called Gula Gula (pronounced GOO-la GOO-la- which is fun to say, I don't care who you are), and headed back across the bridge to Niterói for naps, showers, and went out for frozen margaritas in the evening. It was fun to hang out with their friends, and I had the best nachos I've had yet in Brazil. They were regular tortilla chips instead of nacho flavored Doritos!! I don't know how some many people can mess up something as basic as nachos, but they manage to do a great job of it.
Sunday, after lunch, we went to a beach in Niterói to hike the mountain/hill (henceforth referred to as The Peak because if it's precipitous nature) that rises above the beach. I somehow missed the memo to bring along appropriate gear for a HIKE. I was dressed in a jeans skirt, white halter top, and cute little tennis shoes that weren't made for anything more athletic than normal walking. I decided that I was up for a challenge, and that we should do the hike anyway. The first part was fine. It was through the woods, along a trail that was pretty well defined. The problem came when we hit the tree line. I came face to face with the face of The Peak. I started climbing up. I leaned forward slightly climb with my feet and hands (it was a pretty steep angle). As I started my ascent, all I could seem to think (or talk) about was, "How the heck am I going to climb down this thing?!?" Climbing up was somewhat of a perilous task, but at least on the way up, gravity was working to keep my velocity steady. I kept picturing myself slipping on the way down and rolling, out of control, down The Peak, occasionally hitting a cactus and changing direction.
At one particularly difficult patch of rock, I really freaked out. I "sat down" on the slope and debated continuing up or turning around. The view was already pretty cool, and I really value my life. Haha. Bruno was telling me that the worst was already over, and that I was going to have to go down the hard part anyway, so I might as well keep going to the top. During my period of mental turmoil, I saw a group of people walking down. They were not freaking out at all. It was rather embarrassing. They were dressing in swimsuits and flip-flops. At that point, Bruno promised that if I didn't make it to the top, he would make fun of me for the rest of my life. Louise told him to be nicer and agreed to let me use her tennis shoes. The combination of the new-shoes-instilled confidence and desire to maintain my dignity encouraged me to keep climbing. Five minutes after I decided to keep climbing, we saw a guy with his little dog climbing down. I got made fun of again because the little dog had no problem on the hike.
I did indeed make it to the top. The view was great, and I felt quite proud of myself. We started to head back down with enough time to be down before the sun set completely. I took my time climbing down. I pretended I was skiing and cut back and forth along the diagonal whenever possible and scooted down on my bottom when necessary. The satisfaction resulting from making it to the top was eclipsed by my joy resulting from reaching the bottom. I conquered The Peak!! Maybe that's a little messed up, but that's okay with me. I never claimed to be normal. Haha.
Anyway, this has become a really long email. Bruno is still telling the story to everyone who will listen and laugh at me. I'm heading offshore this afternoon. I'll give you more info soon.
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