an afternoon in Belem

Alanna came by to pick us up around noon so that we could go get some lunch. First she tried to take us to this place to exchange our money, but it was closed b/c of the Brazil game. Let's just reflect on that for a moment. In the US, most people don't understand soccer and many have no desire to watch it. But even for sports that we do love, such as American football, baseball, or basketball, have you ever heard of everything shutting down b/c of a big game? That's the way it is here. Traffic was significantly less than when we were walking around before the match and so many businesses were closed. The vast majority of the people are clad in yellow Brazil t-shirts and there are Brazilian flags everywhere: on cars, on balconies, etc. Some streets actually have green and yellow streamers overhead. There were outdoor parties in various locations throughout the city for the game.

Driving in Belem is also interesting. Some people don't stop at red lights. There are also motorbikes that don't really drive in lanes; they just pull up in-between cars, wherever they can find room. On some of the main streets, you cannot make left turns; you have to turn right and then make a u-turn to end up going the way you want to be going. I'm glad Alanna is doing all the driving!

We had lunch at a restaurant called Capone, which had pictures of Al Capone on the napkin holder. It is a buffet place with lots of choices, including a make your own pasta bar, so we ate well. For dessert, Alanna ordered us each a sampler plate with many different things. The center kind of looked like flan, except that it was really good. There was a chocolate mouse and an acai mouse, as well as a couple kinds of fruity ice cream. The center thing dipped in the chocolate mouse was amazing! Mmm.... We definitely ate our fill! Afterwards we walked outside the building along the river before heading off to our next stop.

We went to Mangal das Garcas, which was a park with birds and other animals. We first went into a butterfly and hummingbird house. Normally, I wouldn't go into an area full of butterflies, but Alanna had already bought tickets for us. It was actually very nice, with not a high concentration of butterflies. With the hummingbirds being there as well, I couldn't help thinking that my dad would be in heaven. After leaving the butterflies, we walked about outside, looking at all the birds, including one huge bird. I have no idea what kind it was, but it was tall and white and had a long black beak. Alanna said that it is a dangerous bird. We also saw lots of ducks playing in the water and two huge turtles. Then we took an elevator up to the top of this tower to look around at the park, the city, the river. Alanna said that Belem is a small city, but it is significantly larger than Louisville, which is what I would consider to be a small city. Apparently I need to adjust my thinking. Alanna took a couple of pictures of Brandie and I, but she wouldn't let me take one of her. Maybe I'll convince her b/f we leave in a few days.

After the park, Alanna took us to exchange money. By the time we got done with that, it was raining. Apparently it rains here almost every afternoon. We were thinking of going to a flower festival that starts at 4, but b/c of the rain, Alanna took us back to the apt. She suggested that we have a quiet night of sleeping tonight, b/c tomorrow she thought we could go out dancing. Brandie and I were both tired, so we agreed.

I would now like to take a moment to discuss the dress of women here in Brazil that I have seen so far. The vast majority of women wear jeans. Some do wear skirts and a very few wear shorts, but most stick with jeans, even though it is hot and humid. These jeans are typically paired with high heels, even when boarding a plane. I'm curious about the jeans. When B and I went walking this morning, we both wore shorts. When B asked Alanna what to wear to lunch, she suggested jeans. B asked if we could wear skirts, and Alanna said not short skirts. So we wore skirts and tops b/c we are hot, and just the thought of putting on jeans is too much to handle. By why jeans? I find it hard to believe that it is a modesty thing b/c ever woman wears jeans so tight they look painted on and tops that often leave little to the imagination. I'm just curious...