Testing out the New Camera

While walking I am taking along my new camera. I purchased a Canon G15, following the recommendation of our friend Adi, who is a professional photographer in Tel Aviv. I could not imagine taking the big Nikon and its big lens along. It would be too heavy, too cumbersome to carry around in a hike. I like to take photos, but I would be afraid to actually come back with some damaged equipment.
So now that my pretty cute and light G15 as arrived, I am playing and testing it around. What better time to do than than during my morning walks? The light is great, adding a glowing yellow tone to everything.

Getting Ready

After 2 weeks of pain and 8 weeks of super boot, I am now free!

The hike we planned is coming soon. I need to get ready. Here is what I found online, to do in 7 minutes, total. I hope it works!

You can read about these exercises here. (note, to scroll down on this site you need to use your mouse like if it is your finger on your ipad).

Preparing for the walk

Tonight, a bunch of us gathered at Miss E's house, who kindly offered to mix some caipis, to discuss the details of a special expedition. Similarly to an earlier yoga escapade, we are planning to escape our responsibilities for five nights, leave our darlings behind and put our lives in the hand of a cute guide to walk over a great number of km around a remote area of the province of Bahia on a historical trail called Chapada da Diamantina. This is a hike entirely set in a out-of-cellphone-network-coverage area (How many of you have done this recently - gone entirely offline for a few days?).
Despite my ski boot, I have to admit I am quite excited. We discussed very important details - like the hiring of a mule or not (general consensus is positive), the size of the backpack and the type of water container to carry. A number of elements still need further clarification - will we need to carry the week's worth of provision among ourselves (or the mule might?), will we have possibilities for showers along the way? will we carry our whole day worth of water? Should we take along a pocket knife or a flashlight? We also discussed the relevance of a nail cutter and tweezers. I also sensed some doubts about my capacity to recover promptly enough to successfully complete this hike, but it happily provided everyone with a great excuse to hire this mule, with its capacity to carry my dead body if ever so the circumstance requires it.
Yesterday night, we were nine moms getting excited to follow the steps of some gold diggers. With the difference that we will probably walk around like a bunch of girls freed from their daily responsibilities: enthusiastically. The caipis probably helped us forget about the future blisters.

Be reassured, I love my kids and my hubby, but my love resurface even stronger after moments like these, in the wild.

Shopping Habits

Similarly to when I lived in other emerging (or depressed) economies, supply chains in Brazil do not always equal demand. In other words, you might find a lot of an item one day and never see it again later. For example these large jars of sun-dried tomatoes in oil that were available in Carrefour in the fall, and completely disappeared since. Or I might never find a specific item, until I stumble on it in a very unusual store - recently here I found blueberries, fresh. Or at times some items are getting the exotic tax (so the blueberries are US$30).  The taxation has a lot to do with this unreliable supply of goods. Who would pay for US$10 for asparagus or 15 for endives - apart from me?

In terms of shopping habits, it means that if I see something I might eventually need later, I buy it now, and usually in quantity. Or I might not remember exactly where that specific store was in the row of these very nondescript facades. Or some items are so hard to come by I might as well buy a collection of them, for the future. Or just because I hate waiting in line for these things I need week after week. Any of these are essentially a good excuse for really bad shopping habits, and make it difficult to achieve my ideals of simple living.

In practice, for us expats, it also means using our visitors as mule. Our friend D came one time with a delivery of cereal and mac&cheese boxes. My dad carried kids underwear, cereals and French language exercise books, all for the kids. Another friend lugged gin bottles. My husband shrugs to the idea of going to the US, as the terms "mission" aptly applies. The kids are always thrilled when we have visitors, except when they carry alcohol. 

It also means that when I travel, I already have a list of items to purchase, mostly food items. This latest trip to Tel Aviv was a special stocking moment, an unique occasion to fill my pantry with fresh spices, sun-dried tomatoes, cheeses, olive oil, yogurt, typical israeli snacks, bread, what not. I came back with 35 kilos of goodies. I just could not help myself.

As I am writing this post I realized that you might find me slightly neurotic. Until you come over for dinner.

Stomach Talk

If there is a thing that makes me really really really ecstatic about Israel, it is the food. It is the land of the fresh, plenty, delicious. The variety of the dishes is rich, as rich as the multitude of origins of those who call themselves today Israelis. And in all the restaurants we go, little mezzes (small dishes and salads) are served until the real meal is brought, a joy for the hungry stomachs like mine.
Now that we live in Brasilia, where the market selection is often limited, where the prices are crazy, and where the variety is limited, going back to Tel Aviv is like a gourmet tour, whether at our family gathering, our tour of the grocery store, at our friends' table or at the restaurant next door.
Have a look!
I returned with 35 extra kilos (in my suitcase!) Now you know why.

Middle Eastern Diversion

Here we are! Back to the Land! We are all very happy to see everyone again. And solely minutes after our reunion with the family, we get our first medical assessment. I was joking that both Emmanuel and I's accidents were planned to have to visit the best doctors ever, since my father-in-law and his nephew are both orthopedists. Upon looking at the X-rays, Sabah confirmed that Emmanuel is ready to loose his cast, and proceeds to removes it right there. My foot, on the other hand, needs the super-booth as indicated. 

The rest of the week was spend among family - playing, eating, chatting, walking, shopping, eating, cooking, and chatting even more. The kids had a seriously good amount of fun, it is great to see that the connection is there despite the distances. Traditional dinners at home and at Gocha, afternoons playing with the cousins, reunion with with old friends, we just did not have enough time, and we enjoyed every minute of it!

The kids had a few moments of grace, spoiled like ratinhos by their aunts and granny Safda. They could not ask for more, it was too much!

In the end we did not escape the bad weather; it was cold, windy, rainy, nothing like the usual Tel Aviv Spring I know. My dream to sit every morning by the beach did not materialized until the last morning where, despite the need to pack our millions gifts and purchases, I pulled my little boys by the water. It was well worth it.

Flying High

So despite the odds (a broken foot, a kid with a plastered arm, a 23 hour journey), I would not cancel this trip. Kids are off school for two weeks - French system oblige - and what am I going to do with them during all that time, specially with the rainy season that is stretching itself well into April? So off we go!
Travel tips for parents of young kids: take all the screens you can - for us it was one portable DVD reader and its DVD selection, and fully charged with games, 2 ipods and one ipad (without counting my own computer). Bring unusual snacks (M&Ms, new types of cookies, raw veggies), some new workbooks, stickers, small cars (take a count before each landing). Take the usual suspects (doudous or blankies). Socks, light long sleeves. A book. And then, broken foot oblige, reserve a wheelchair service with the airline (luxury!). And some patience too. At take off, a glass of some alcoholic beverage if you can. 
We did get a little delay in Sao Paolo, waiting from midnight until 4 before flying out towards Rome yikes! I had initially booked my tickets for them to sleep on flight. They ended up being so lovely, coloring, watching DVDs or playing on the ithings - thank you airport power outlets. The good thing with this delay: my boys were fast asleep on the second leg, faster than the boarding. We later needed to wait one hour in Rome for a wheelchair (which delayed our flight), but the plane waited, and I could drink a real italian cappuccino (ooh! joy!)... We also were able to get various rides in the process: bus, train, small electric car, mommy's wheelchair - what fun! The grand finale: our welcome committee waiting for us in TLV airport - everyone was relieved, happy and excited to be together again.

A Wild Tour with Rafa

Dad and June went to Rio and Sao Paulo, and I had put them in touch with a well recommended guide in Rio, thinking it would be more fun (and safer) for them. Rafa planned for them a pretty dense program, touring all the most important spots of the city. Here is the visual report of the time they spent there...

Grand-Papa is Here!

If there is something that makes the kids super excited - apart from another plane ride - it is the visit of their dear Grand-Papa. And what a treat this visit is! Arriving on Easter weekend, we did a round of the friends and their best tables. We toured the monuments of Brasilia (more here here and here and here) and we also went to Pirenopolis, the little colonial town near by. A mandatory stop in the sanctuary of Vaga Fogo, where we splurged in a luscious lunch made of local treats and delicacies. It was nice to have my dad around, and to spend time with his girlfriend June.

The Veadeiros

So we headed with some friends to one of the best natural attraction near Brasilia, the Chapada (plateau) dos Veadeiros. There is a national park listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 2001, with a huge number of waterfalls, natural basins and  pools. An even greater number are accessible from private properties.
We landed in the Vale da Lua, a valley with strange rock formation.
With us, two other couples and their kids, and Antoine, our photographer friend. We stayed in this very interesting house, a circular house with a round oculus... Roof out of dried palm, rammed earth walls, open loft for sleeping all the kids. A lush garden. And the hosts were very creative in their cooking. (Amazingly they would travel a mere 220 km to Brasilia weekly to do some of their errants).  And very relax place to be.


With Antoine I was supposed to do a small photo training. Here are a few shots of my most photogenic subject of the weekend. Unfortunately a portion of my inspiration and energies were sapped by a very intense allergic reaction to this superb house. Slowly. And to wake up like a complete rag the last morning and beg for forgiveness as we headed back half a day early...

Getting out of Brasilia

We drove out of Brasilia into the state of Goias. I am posting these pictures gathered on our way to our weekend destination, and back. I love these landscapes with these amazing clouds - they make me feel like I want to paint them. And I just want to roll myself in the wheat. Or the soja.

A Walk Down Under

With so many miles on a dirt road, combined with no internet and cell phone coverage, gave us the appropriate level of remoteness. The main road in front of the possada had for any traffic a rare beaten-up car, a pick-up filled with people or materials, or a few horses lead by a cowboy. This is deep into Gaucho country. A few times each day an old school bus would pass by us, bobbing and hopping away on the road to the nearby county school. A confirmation that kids here go to school. Yet how much time would these poor guys spend shaken in this tin can?
With an official mommy ban on all electronic screen, the kids - big and small - had to find new entertainment types. Our little carry-on suitcase filled small games, toy cars and a soccer ball did it. The hammocks and other found objects did a good job too.

Every night we sat around a bonfire. In the morning we ate a wonderful selection of the best homemade cakes and cookies, to the delight of our palates. Later we would take off to visit one cave or another. Because that is why we came all the way here in Terra Ronca.
When we arrived we encountered along the road some strange mountain formation, something similar to what is found in the dolomites. I regretted not having any climbing partner in our group. These formations are in fact over the entrances of these deep sets of galeries. In the area, there are more than 200 of them. With our youngest crew member, only 2 were available for our exploration without danger. Despite our limited exploration, it was very impressive.
It was not crowded, to say the lease. It was not so much due to the fact that we were the only tourists, but also to the shear size of these holes. I mean, you could built a 5 or 6 story high building in them! The mouth of the cave makes 96 m high and 120 m wide, just to give you a bit of an idea.
The cave itself has been formed by a river running into its dept. Inside, the formations are quite large, and so is the main room at the entrance. A small altar was raised near it, with the locals still coming to pray some saint at specific times of the year.

I have to say I am not really a fan of humid dark underground places. But in a way, these galleries were so vast and so high that the feeling of oppression that one could imagine while picturing oneself in there did not occur. But again we visited the easy stuff. My little one did not really like the portion of the adventure where we experimented without the flashlights. It is really dark in there. I mean, darker than you can imagine.
In any cases, the rest of our days would be also spend in one of the many cachueras (waterfallls) found around the area. So far, from our explorations, it seems that they are so numerous that you can be on your own in most of them... Isn't there an add from Brazil Tourism that present a bunch of skimpy bikini clad women bathing under a waterfall somewhere on TV?