Ultima dois semanas,Brazil

The last 2 weeks in Brazil went away so quickly it almost felt like it never happened. I was torn between just staying back in Rio and dancing away every night or heading to Florianapolis and lying around in the beach or diving in Ilha Grande or taking a boat ride down Pantanal (the Kerala of Brazil).... But, then I figured that it involved 20 hour bus journeys or 2 hour boat rides, both I was sick and tired of.. So, I just decided to head to Sao Paulo and attend classes at the Capoeira Academy and do the 'oh so brazilian things' and 'some not so brazilian things' before leaving...

I drank Cerveja.. lots of it..

I ate Acai.. tons of it..

I overdosed on Guarana..

I ate at the cheap Comido por kilo places.. Ive now perfected the art of loading the plate only for 10 Reals or under..

I ate at the Japanese quarter of Sao Paulo... (Incidentally, some of the best Jap food in the world is served in Sao Paulo)

I ate at the best pizza place in the world .. (Thats what my host Luiza calls it)

I drank loads of coffee.. and bought lots..

I ate Pasteils in the Mercado Municipal.. (Mauricio in Chile. i did try to ask them if they would deliver in Santiago .. I remember your request... and they said thats not possible..)

I drank Caipirinhas.. (and even volunteered at a street fair trying to make some)

I drank Maracuja juice.... mmmmm,....

No guesses.. I am a foodie... In between all this eating and drinking, I did some Capoeira. I injured my wrist trying to do a stupid move that I cannot do and had to stop doing classes.

So, I decided to Samba instead... I went to my favourite Samba club and was amazed that I could sing a lot more than I could 5 months back.. the band remembered me and the singer (who looks like an ex boss of mine) even dedicated a song to me..

I learnt to click my fingers like the Brazilians.. (am still learning).. my right fore finger is almost green..

I bought some backless tops.. (god knows if I can wear them in India)

I went to a Brazilian waxing parlour and experienced excruciating pain... (they are not kidding when they say Brazilian women go through a lot of pain to look beautiful)

I shopped for Brazilian porn for an American friend... (and learnt about the different grades of porn)

I spent an afternoon reading Vinicius Moraes Poetry with a dictionary and fell in love with him..

I watched an Israeli film with Portuguese subtitles.. I think my Portuguese reading and comprehending level is way better than Hebrew listening level..

I went to a circus rehearsal with a girl from Honduras..

I went to a film archive and learnt about film restoration..

I bought hawainas... (brazilian rubber chappals)

I paid homage to Senna... visited his grave....

I downloaded Season 4 of Prison Break and saw most of it... and Im tired that its going nowhere.. and Michael is getting fatter..

I watched Lost with Portuguese subtitles and fell in love with Sawyer all over again..

I chatted with a Lebanese liquor store owner and discussed a part of the world I knew nothing about..

I hung out with wonderful couchsurfers..

I watched the corporate world walk by Aveneida Paulista as I sat around eating Acai flovoured ice cream in backpacker clothes... its a thrill...

I tried to hand stands in Ibirapuera park..

I slept on a few bus rides and missed my stops..

I bargained in Portuguese...

I discovered my artistic side and made a fabulous looking belt...

I skype called everyone I missed...

I tried to flip coins everyday to decide whether I should stay back in Brazil or leave.. I even tried best of threes..

Anyway... I did board that flight on 11th March. Took the metro to Tatuape and the bus the airport and drank a Cerveja and a Caparinha in the 1 hour in the airport. Quickly ate Acai too. Boarded the flight and was disappointed to find only Hollywood films and English music. Searched Delta In-Flight entertainment desperately for a Portuguese film. Spoke to the airhostess in Portuguese though she spoke fluent English. Was extremely delighted to be sitting next to a Brazilian exchange student. Saw the night lights of Sao Paulo as the flight took off.. and cried a bit...

The flight started heading northwards.... it got colder (though the flight had temprature control, I could feel the warmth of Brazil being sucked out of me) .... When I landed in Atlanta, the welcome was the coldest welcome in my whole life. Will do justice to that by writing the bitchiest blog post ever very soon.

Now Im here... cold.... missing Brazil sooo much... craving for Cafezinhos... missing hearing music everywhere... all the oh so Brazilian things... and wondering whether I should have done 'best of 5' when I flipped that coin. Only meeting my 2 school friends is making up for leaving Brazil.