A Typical Sunday

A crazy thing happens in downtown Manaus on Sundays. Everyone stays home. The street in front of our house is normally packed with people, thank you very much university on our block, and also has a very steady flow of cars all the time. It's not that it's a bad thing cause without the students there would be no inexpensive food for sale on the street - hello, $2 chocolate cake!!! But it is a very good thing to feel like there really is a day of rest here, and the closure of many stores and restaurants makes you enforce it in your own life. 
Last Sunday we were sitting around watching some movies at home, and our friends called to invite us over for a swim. We got our stuff together, took a cab to Ponta Negra, and spent the afternoon chillin poolside. Our friend's dad has a penthouse condo there, and when we had enough of the sun, we went up and enjoyed the amazing views. Ponta Negra is the more posh area of town with lots of tall condominiums right by the river and a boardwalk with rides and games for the kids.

Balcony view of the Rio Negro

View from the other side of apt. 

Rainforest as far as the eye can see.

After relaxing a while, we decided to continue our lazy Sunday at an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. Yes, Jay and I are huge fans of this place, and I have already written about how much we love them, but this time I had my camera. (Sorry, Jay!) We all ate until we were stuffed, and I think I had about 7 slices of dessert pizza alone, but who's counting?! By the way, this is something totally lacking in the American culture- pizza with chocolate, white chocolate, strawberries, peanuts, doce de leite, bananas and cinnamon, chocolate and coconut. Why are we restricted to just boring cheese, pepperoni, or sausage? I am all about the pizza doce!!!

What a face... not sure what that means.

Heaven on my plate --->

White chocolate, sonho de valso, and choco/coconut

The slice on the right is Hot Dog pizza... not good. 

A kid next to us put ketchup and mayonnaise 

on top of his and seemed to like it just fine. Ewww.

Summer and Luiz in their carb-induced coma!

Since Luiz's car is in the shop, he has been driving around his "tricycle." Of course, it is nothing like the tricycle you are probably imagining and can only be called one because of its three wheels. We had some fun taking pictures on it in the parking lot though and couldn't help laughing the whole time knowing that he really drives that thing around town. Pretty sweet ride, right?!  

Summer and me

That's how we roll....

Is it Sunday yet??

Easter Barbecue

Everyone has a rooftop barbecue for Easter, right? Well, there may not have been a typical ham or Easter egg hunt like in the States, but anytime a grill, meat, and chocolate are together in one place, it's bound to be good.
Since most all of our friends here are far away from their families, we like to spend our holidays (and weekends) hanging out with each other. We celebrated Pascoa on the roof of our friends' building with about 20 people, mais ou menos. Everyone brought something to throw on the grill, and we ended up with lots of steak, chicken, and fish at different times throughout the afternoon. It always starts off as a feeding frenzy when the first plate of meat hits the table cause we're usually all so hungry at that point!

The Chef doing his thing at the grill 

The first mad rush for food :)

I missed EVERYTHING from that plate 

to take this picture... those people are quick!!

In honor of my hubby, I made deviled eggs for the party. The brasileiros had never seen them before, and I have to admit, Jay and I probably ate almost all of them ourselves. It's the thought that counts though, right?! 

One of the cool things about this building is the amazing view of the city from the roof. I mean, it's certainly not NYC, but it's still nice to be able to see Manaus from every direction. We would definitely have had a great spot to see the sunset, but it ended up being too cloudy by that time. 

The Amazon River behind us.

Buildings, buildings, more buildings.

Part of Centro, downtown

One of the different traditions they have here is to give people these huge chocolate eggs for Easter. They are not into the Easter egg hunt or basket full of various small candies or treats. They are all about the big chocolate egg! Starting like a month ago at the grocery stores here, they put up long tunnels of hanging chocolate eggs. We're talking like surrounding you on all sides and above your head of every variety of chocolate available (at least in Brasil). You can choose from dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate with peanuts, with cashews, with Brasil nuts, with puffed rice, with cereal and nuts and raisins, with coconut, and the list goes on. It is really quite impressive!  

Anyway, we were all told to bring an egg with us to trade with our secret friend at the festa. After we drew names to see who our secret friend would be, we got in a big circle facing each other. It was just like our Secret Santa at Xmas, and we had to say some clues about who our person could be. I got lucky and drew Jay's name, so when I described my person as "um homem que é muito gostoso" (a guy that is very hot), everyone guessed right away who that was! 

Our new chocolates

Our stash: 

from the party (2 eggs on the left), 

a gift from my boss, the Secretary of Culture (the box of chocolates),

and a free chocolate egg from the mall for shopping. 

Not bad for a girl that doesn't even celebrate Easter!!!!  ;) 

Alter do Chão... Part 2

To continue where I left off about our vacation to the beautiful and calm city of Alter do Chão...

After watching the beautiful sunset over the Rio with the man I love, we returned to the mainland for some dinner at one of the handful of restaurants there. Despite being a tourist destination for Brasilians and foreigners alike, the food was actually much cheaper than here in Manaus. Not exactly sure why that is the case, but food has to travel so far to get to us in Manaus, and they certainly pass the cost on to consumers. Anyway, we were able to eat 3 delicious pieces of picanha (steak), rice, beans, and farofa for only $8R per person there! Needless to say, we ate there and ordered that a lot!

The next day we had a bit of an adventure with Mark and Débora as we decided to hike up the little mountain on the island. It took us a while to figure out where exactly the trail was, but after some meandering and more random iguana sighting (thanks, Jay), we were on our way. 

The view of the city from the top. 

Much better view in real life. Trust me.

After hiking back down the mountain, right as we got to the end of the trail, it started to rain on us. And then it started to pour on us. We decided to make a run for it from the trees we were hiding under, and then we all just got soaked. So we stashed our things under a cabana on the beach, stripped down to our swimming suits, and kept ourselves warm in the river while it rained. The water there is a perfect temperature, a bit on the warm side. It continued to rain the rest of the day, but we didn't mind having a break from the scorching sun since we were already sun-burned by that point.

Taking cover from the sun. 

Our last full day there was spent on the beach relaxing with our friends. We took advantage of all of the small and convenient restaurants on the water and had a steady flow of fried food and caipirinhas brought to our tables. Jay taught André and Andrea how to play poker, while I did what I do best- read a book. When the sun started to go down, we took a walk down the beach and enjoyed our last night of vacation. 

Love me some fried sardinhas! 

Shrimps with their heads and legs!

Caipirinhas... traditional drink of Brazil. Yum!

Their friendly game of poker. They used

fried banana chips as poker chips :)

Chillin on the beach with my new henna tattoo on my ankle.

Sunset on our last night.

We actually had part of another day there, and since we had to check out from the pousada in the morning, of course we went back to the beach. Everyone pretty much tried to stay out of the sun cause we were already varying shades of pink and red... some worse than others... (Jay)... We stayed under the shade of the umbrella on our table and ate more fish and soaked up the last moments together with our good friends. We've never taken a real vacation with any other couples, and it was definitely a great experience. Not only is it fun to have other people to hang out with and to explore with in a new place, but it's nice to know we will always share these memories from our trip to Alter do Chão. 

Alter do Chão

At the beginning of February, we got some time off in honor of Carnaval, and we finally went on our first real vacation in Brasil. We had all heard a lot of good things about this town called Alter do Chão in the state of Pará, so we planned a trip there with two other couples. The city is very small and tranquil with no stoplights and just a few restaurants, and everything is within walking distance to the beach.
When we arrived at the nearby airport after the short flight from Manaus, it was still the middle of the night and raining on us. The airport there is super small with only one terminal, and you walk from the plane to the terminal. For some reason, I think it is just so fun and dramatic to arrive that way!

After our flight. Thanks for the umbrella, Tam! 

Since we were vacationing the week before Carnaval, we weren't able to find a hotel that could accommodate all 6 of us. One couple ended up staying at one place, and Debora and Mark shared a 2 bedroom "suite" with us at another pousada. We were all rather underwhelmed upon seeing our future home for 5 days, but after some nervous laughter, we figured we wouldn't be spending much time there anyway. Plus, the owner of the pousada was very nice and helpful, and the complimentary breakfast was quite good. 

So it's no Holiday Inn....

 

Well, we really didn't spend much time there except to sleep cause we all preferred hanging out at the beach. The beach is actually on the river (part of the Amazon) and the amount of sand depends on the season. When it is dry season, the water disappears and leaves a lot of beach. The time of year when we were there, we had a good balance of sand and water, and we had to take a canoe to get to the Ilha do Amor. 

Ilha do Amor, the most popular and closest beach

At the port- that is the island behind us. 

In the dry season, that water is gone, 

and you can just walk across to the other side.

The second day we were there, we hired a guide- John Lennon was his name!- and he took us on his boat to a more remote beach. We stopped at a few places along the way to see hidden lakes and some wildlife, and we all remembered how fun it is to be cruising the water in a speedboat. 

TOURISTS!!!

This is a hidden lake we stopped to see.

My girl Débora and me

The almost deserted beach John Lennon took us to visit. 

We stayed there all morning and afternoon, swimming in the water,

eating delicious fish, hanging out with friends, 

and of course, getting some sun.

That is Jay out there.

The little froggy was jumpin in the water, 

but I already have my prince ;)

A big iguana that was chillin on the step!

Eating a small, fried fish. Mmmm!

This was before a little bone got stuck in my tongue and 

Débora had to work her magic.

Lunch is served! Fish, chicken stew, pasta, beans, rice, farofa.

After a really fun day there, we got dropped off at the Ilha do Amor where we stayed until the sun set.

Sippin on some fresh coconut water. Super refreshing after a day in the sun.

TO BE CONTINUED.... 

A Morning at the Market

There is just nothing like having a fridge full of fresh fruits and veggies! We've been kind of going through a bit of a slump lately when it comes to cooking around here, and I think it is safe to say we are both ready for a break from our normal daily diet of coffee, sandwiches, ramen soup, and quesadillas.
While I was at rehearsal this morning, Jay went out to the market with our friends/neighbors. They returned with tons of fresh fruit, vegetables, spices, and fish. By the port of Manaus near the river, there is a huge outdoor market that has rows and rows of stalls with vendors selling all sorts of food. I had only passed through there a few times before on our way to take a boat trip and remember having to hold my breath from the stench of meat, fish, and vegetables all in one place. According to Jay, the market wasn't stinky this time and was "bustling with energy." I'm guessing it helps to avoid the area that is stacked high with slabs of beef and pork and whatever miscellaneous meat products they have available.
Anyway, he came back with watermelon, bananas, apples, oranges, limes, mangos, lettuce, carrots, squash, green bean-ish things, onions, chives, avocado, tomatoes, kale-ish thing, eggplant, and a couple veggies I have never seen before. Plus, he got some fresh fish (on the menu for dinner tonight) and lots of bulk spices. All in all, it was a great adventure for Jay with his portuguese and has already been a much-needed inspiration to us in the kitchen!!!

A small assortment of our bounty

The bananas came on the stalk, and we have both

little red ones and yellow ones. 

How exotic, right?!

It's About Dang Time!!!

YES!!! We finally have stepped back into 2010 and have internet at home after about 2 months without it. At first, it was kind of nice to be a little disconnected from the world, but I gotta tell you, that sentiment wore off pretty fast and was replaced by a persistent annoyance. But lo and behold, we are once again able to use our own computers in the comfort of our own home again. So now I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog and no excuse anymore!
Since I haven't posted for so long, I think it's best to start with some recent happenings. Let's see... The orchestra has been busy rehearsing for the Opera Festival since February, and we should start performing them in the middle of April. Until then, we basically just rehearse them and make any corrections that need to be made. All three operas are by Brazilian composers, and the parts have some editing issues and have a fair amount of errors. Makes for some slow rehearsing at the beginning, and some solid book-reading time for the trombones (shhh, don't tell anyone)!
I started teaching trombone lessons at the music conservatory last week. The students are all beginners, and I was a bit surprised how much I enjoyed teaching them. They do things a little different than we do in the States, and in general at this school, the kids share a lesson with one or two others. The lessons last for an hour and half, and most of the kids check-out an instrument from the school before their lesson. I still haven't quite figured out how and if they can practice if they don't own an instrument, but I guess I will find out soon enough. It's a cool environment though and everyone seems super nice and supportive of the kids there.
Jay has been steadily acquiring English students from among our friends. It's kind of funny how he just can't get away from teaching wherever we live, but he's really good at it, so why not? He also started Muay Thai, a popular type of martial arts, about a month ago. He goes everyday, and it's definitely starting to show. I know I feel a little safer walking the streets knowing my guy has some "official" training!
Last but not least, we have a little doggie now!!! His name is Teko, and he's actually not really ours. He belongs to our neighbor, but since she has to leave him alone at home all week while she works outside of the city, we said we would keep him with us. He is a little Yorkie and is very well-behaved (at least when there are no cats around). He is super sweet, too, and I swear he is always smiling at us!!

Could he be any cuter??!!

Oh, and one more quick thing. If you're ever in Manaus and find yourself craving some good ol' American-style Pizza Hut, don't bother. I mean, the normal pizza menu is good, but we were so disappointed with the rodizio aka All-You-Can-Eat pizza there. Here I was thinking we would get stuffed on greasy, thick Pizza Hut and the pizza was thin crust (ok, at least you can eat more) but the service was super slow so by the time they bring around another slice to your table, you've been waiting 5 minutes. Not to mention the fact that they only had one pizza, cheese, for someone that doesn't eat pork. Boo... and you have to pay an extra $5R for a drink other than water-downed Pepsi. Serious fail for Pizza Hut. We certainly learned our lesson there. Now we are definitely gonna stick to the other pizza rodizios around here that keep steak pizza, chicken pizza, margarita, portugues, corn, palm of hearts, and many others coming at you faster than you can eat. Now that is what I'm talkin about!!!

Time Flies

Time certainly has flown by recently, and I really wish I was able to post more on the blog here. We still unfortunately do not have internet at home, and as you can plainly see, that has made it difficult for me to keep everyone updated on here. It turns out that the guy with our modem sold it to someone the day before he had an appointment to come set up our internet. It is just one of those kinds of things that you get used to the longer you live here, and you almost don´t even bother wondering why in the world he would do that. As if that is not annoying enough though, it turns out there is no way to find another modem in the whole city cause it was the last one. So we are out of luck until who knows when... 
Anyway, I still need to post about our awesome vacation with friends to Alter do Chão, which was a few weeks ago, and we´ve been out on a boat trip and had some fun party nights with friends recently, too. I guess the proof that we actually have tans now will have to wait.
Just to give a short update for enquiring minds, we returned from our vacation right around Carnaval time, and I went back to rehearsing for the opera festival soon after that. A lot of things get put on hold around this time of year here because of the planning and celebrating of Carnaval. The orchestra had more than a week off, and all of Jay´s work was postponed until post-Carnaval time. Now that we are into March, hard to believe!, Jay has begun teaching English lessons to some friends of ours. So far we´ve traded services (free haircuts from one, a closet from another) for some of the lessons, but we are hoping to get some actual cold, hard reais one of these days! I had my first interview all in portuguese last week at the music conservatory- not too painful, and I will start teaching there in a couple weeks. We´ll see what happens with Jay´s teaching there, but he should be starting soon, too.
I will try to write more frequently on here, and hopefully I can post some pics sooner than later. Here´s to hoping this week brings us a modem!!!! ;)