We're Going to BRAZIL!!!

And so our eight day journey begins... we head for the airport in our most comfortable gear, fully-equipped with coffee, bagels and my mom's special crab salad. Mmmm.



Boy do we look enthused! I'm all thumbs up. And Ingrid, we're going to a place that's blisteringly hot, with temperatures in the 90s,... do you really need to bring your scarf? Ummm, nevermind...



There is only one regret I have about the entire vacation, and you're looking at it. I should have bought this damn eyemask. If not to provide Ingrid with better sleep, then to provide me with better sleep, because throughout the trip I heard countless comments from her ranging from, "We should have bought that eyemask!" to "Why didn't we get that eyemask?!" to "Don't these people sell eyemasks?!" to "I need an eyemask!" Honestly, people,... during the entire trip, I must have heard the word "eyemask" more than I heard the word "Brazil," or even "food". I recall asking the workers at this store (and other stores along the way) if they carried the eyemask with open eyes drawn on the outside... apparently, from the reaction of the various workers, I was the only one who found this funny (with the exception of some lady in Texas who I'm not sure understood what I meant).

Here's Ingrid getting her final dose of Hollywood gossip from Us magazine, before she's deprived for eight days of all Hollywood exposure. I swear I could have taken this exact same picture when we landed in Miami on our return trip, where she quickly picked up the next publication of Us. Unfortunately for Me, I was subjected to all the latest news while we waited for the flights. "Jennifer Aniston's birthday party was attended by Brad Pitt, but readers shouldn't get excited about a reunion, according to friends of the Friends star"... great. And when we returned, "Brad Pitt apparently has a new girlfriend, but a spokesman for Brad denies the two have ever met." Again,... great.



I must admit, this entire vacation almost didn't happen. Allow me to run though just some of the numerous hurdles we had to overcome in order to get to Brazil. Here goes... We both misplaced our passports a while back. On the Monday before we leave, we make appointments to get super-expedited passports. On Tuesday morning, we show up at the federal building in Westwood with our passport photos in hand, which were taken only minutes before. Oh, I forgot to mention, I recently lost my driver's license, and Ingrid doesn't have a birth certificate... ugh. We miraculously got around these issues by showing my law school yearbook and paying fees to run a search for Ingrid's birth certificate. On Wednesday morning, Ingrid's at court and I'm closing two deals, so my mom is nice enough to pick up our passports for us, and after Ingrid gets out of court, she meets my mom to get us visa's from the Brazilian consulate. After an truly oscar-caliber performance by Ingrid at the consulate window, which involved groveling and making dramatic claims such as, "I'll will honestly die if I don't get to Brazil !!!" as tears formed in her eyes, Ingrid and my mother are finally told that visas, which normally require 6-10 business days to process, will be available for Friday pickup (our flight is Saturday).

That said, in classic Ingrid and Kevin form, above is a picutre of us making last-minute hotel reservations as we wait to board the plane...



And here we are celebrating yet another narrow escape... We got the reservation for two nights at a five-star hotel! Amazing.



"Are there any eyemasks here?"



My very first view of Texas.

Ingrid had flown in to Dallas before for a friend's wedding and recalled passing by a tiny winery carved out of the terminal. After asking several people if they knew of such a place, we finally sumbled into it near terminal 42. It was a perfect place to share a glass of wine while we waited for our next flight. It was the first of many tear-jerking toasts we shared over the next week. If you ever have a lay-over in Dallas, you have to stop by this place.

"Since we didn't get that eyemask, I'll just use these sunglasses, even though the sun is on the other side of the Earth right now. Ahhh... much better."



As soon as we arrive in Miami, Ingrid is already feeling ill. Clear foreshadowing of what was to come... "Boo hoo!" ("Why didn't we buy that eyemask?!")



During our brief encounter with the people of Miami, Ingrid and I formed an opinion of the locals... Miamians are rude.

We saw this Florida lottery stand and, feeling lucky, Ingrid decided to buy a scratcher. As we approached this booth, the attendant lifts the display containing the scratchers and begins moving it behind the counter. As he is setting it down, Ingrid asks if she can purchase one of the scratchers. His reply? "No, I already took that down. It's closed."



Fine... let's eat. "That doesn't look so good."



Yes, this lady was rude too. She was irritated by the flash that went off when I took this picture and gave me a dirty look. And this was just shortly after I was kicked out of the airport bar for resting on a barstool when they were already closed (depite others still sitting at the bar finishing their drinks).



"The lights are sooo bright in here! We should have bought that eyemask!"



Our first view of Brazil.



This water body was so still it was like a mirror.



What better way to celebrate our arrival than with some Duty Free shopping!!! And what better way to prepare for our stay than with some bottles wine and Level vodka (by Absolut)!!!



"Yeah, it's Burberry, beeyatch!"



So we have great seats close to the exit at the front of the plane (row 10) and we're one of the first people through customs, but as you saw, we made the critical mistake of stopping by the Duty Free shop. The things we purchased may have been duty free, but we certainly paid a hidden price. We had to stand next to a guy with terrible B.O. and wait in this tremendously long line which zcontinued from where we're standing to the end of the room and then doubled-back to the front of the line, marked with a red arrow. Ingrid can't even get herself to look. Welcome to Brazil...



The hotel lobby... finally!!!



"You see where I'm pointing? This is where you can find me for the next few hours because I'm not moving from here."



Who could blame her? The view from our balcony was amazing...



Very amazing...



Very very amazing... for Darren, that is (the person for whom this picture was taken).



The locals were appropiately dressed for the 28°C (82.4°F) weather. It seemed much warmer, though.



After a few hours sunning by the pool drinking Caipirinhas (the traditional Brazilian cocktail), it was time to hit the beach!!



Where's Ingrid?



There she is!

Where's SKOL?

There it is!

Yes, this is me enjoying my very first (of many) SKOL beers!!!!! It's "the beer that goes down in circles"?!?

We didn't know it at the time, but this was the closest thing we would see to another Asian person for the duration of the trip.

As if me being Asian didn't make me stand out enough, I wore this bright orange shirt I picked up in Texas... It says, "Texas is the best," or something along those lines. Hey, who cares?... I was on vacation!

"It's finally getting dark. No need for an eyemask!"

"Turndown service? Complete with chocolates?! This is the life!!"

But the night wasn't over yet. We still had dinner plans and after all that walking, we had both built up quite an appetite.

Here we are at the first of many great meals... As usual, Ingrid is curious about another party's conversation. Her nosiness may have been the cause of the tumble she took as we left this fine establishment. Either that, or making unreasonable arguments later that night.

Day two of our trip began after some much needed sleep and it just so happened to be Valentine's Day! Along with the new day came warmer weather (32°C = 89.6°F). It wasn't until we got back home that we learned it rained cats and dogs during the entire time we were in Brazil. What perfect timing!

I won't bore you by tellling you about the history of that peak in the background... and also because I don't know what it is. But it sure makes for a good picture, doesn't it? Ingrid's got the "wind-in-my-hair look" going on here. So cute!

"You see what it says here? So true, so true..."

A closer look at my shirt shows that "all you need is love."

I just might have found it...

Again,... I just might have found it.

After I topped off a quick Skol, we resumed our search for the House of Feijoada restaurant, which brought us to the shores of Ipanema beach. The waves here were much bigger and the area was much nicer than outside our hotel at Copacabana beach.

I mean, look at this. It's awesome.

Ahhh.... we finally made it to the House of Feijoada. When we got there, we were served the most delicious black bean soup we've ever tasted. It was more like a puree of black beans with bits of meat mixed in.

One more serving?... Why not!

Oh yeah! Scrumptious!... And so was our meal (although we didn't eat feijoada, the national dish of Brazil).

This contraption automatically brewed fresh coffee for us at the table.

Ingrid seemed unimpressed...

Back at our hotel room, we enjoyed our beautiful evening view from the balcony.

"Kevin, can you believe we're actually in Brazil at this beautiful hotel with this breathtaking view?!... You're so awesome!! You have to be the most wonderful boyfriend in the entire world!!! You're my favorite person on Earth!!!!" Okay, maybe she didn't say those exact words,... but she was thinking it... trust me.

There was no way we were letting the night end, so it was time to change clothes and head out to the streets of Ipanema and Leblon! After all, it was Valentine's Day! Bling! Bling!

Some things never change, no matter where in the world we go...

Yes, Ingrid, I know... Shoes and purses and more shoes... every woman's dream.

Too bad it's 10:30 and the stores are closed (*wink wink*). All we can do is window shop.

Here's a sign for me.

And a sign for Ingrid.

It's unclear in this picture which sign is more applicable to Ingrid: "Bella" or "sale"...? Hmmmmm.

So after some window shopping and a bit of wandering in the streets of Ipanema, we arrived at the perfect place for us to enjoy our Valentine's Day dinner. At this little cafe, we shared a tasty plate of assorted cheeses and breads, along with a glass of wine. Another toast, please...

I'm lovin' it...

I don't think she was "lovin'" my previous pose for the camera, though.

But she definitely loved this expression of my love.

Ahhh, back at the hotel lobby to lounge...

... and pose, for this semi-crooked picture taken by the doorman.

Before we call it a night, it's time to make some calls to our parents like good sons and daughters should.

With day three comes more of the same, but this time we take advantage of a wonderful hotel amenity that Ingrid discovered -- a private area on the beach with chairs, cushions, towels and umbrellas... not to mention an occasional complimentary skewer or two of fresh fruit. It makes all our hard work worthwhile... almost.

The only thing that comes to mind when I see this picture of me standing in the Atlantic Ocean is how pale and skinny I am. That, and how my shorts are nearly falling off me (they're my brother's trunks). I would have doctored the photo to adjust the contrast/color, but those damn tanned Brazilians in the background ruined that plan... damn!

I took a swim out pretty far into the sea, where I treaded water and held my hand up to wave to Ingrid while she snapped this shot. Please note that this picture captures only a moment in time... a long time... nearly a minute and a half of treading water without the benefit of one arm, while Ingrid casually stood on the shore, fiddled around with the camera, held the camera up to her face repeatedly, and appeared to have technical difficulties with the camera. Needless to say, I almost drowned.

One of the great things about Brazil is that people are topless all along the beach. Because I promised (and only because I promised) Darren that I would take some pictures (with Ingrid's consent, of course) of people on the beach, I felt obligated to take some pictures some of the locals.... As you can see, I couldn't get my camera out in time to get a frontal image, but capturing the image of those long blond locks (and the sunbather on the chair in the foreground) is clearly proof of my efforts.

Fortunately for Darren, it was apparently time for some afternoon exercise.

And this time I was ready with my camera...

Here you go, Darren!!! I think he's waving to you. Eww! Where's that eyemask when you need it?!

We couldn't stop laughing... Ahhhh, this trip couldn't get any better.

... and neither could this view. Here's a video of the view from the hotel. I didn't mention it before, but that peak in the distance is the famous Sugar Loaf. At the foot of the 887 foot-high peak is where Rio de Janeiro was originally founded in 1565. Its strange name originates from its resemblance to the loaves of sugar used by the Portuguese colonists. Despite our many half-hearted efforts to visit the attraction, we never got much closer than this. But we did take these pictures...

"Why do we look so dark in this? Here, Ingrid, why don't I just take a picture of you..."

This obviously didn't work either...

When it came time to eat lunch, we wandered the streets of Ipanema hoping to come across a new find. After walking aimlessly for several minutes, we grew slightly discouraged and decided to eat at this fancy establishment we had seen the night before. What a mistake! The food was fine, but the place was freezing cold. And what better way to catch a cold than to go from extremely warm, humid weather to a super-cool, air-conditioned room? Sure enough, we both caught a cold as a result (although I'm a firm believer that Ingrid caught the cold initially, and then passed it along to me).

After spending another day vegging at the beach, it was time for dinner. We headed to a place in Leblon that we read about in a local tourist magazine that was supposed to have great food and we were not disappointed. Ingrid gave her filet mignon the thumbs up (as well as the "this-food-is-hypnotizing-me look") despite feeling a bit under the weather, and my seafood (scallops, fish, octopus, lobster and crab) lasagna was to die for . Honestly, the dining over there was so wonderful that it became crucial to get the maximum benefit out of every meal. Filling our stomachs with anything less than the best Brazil had to offer was forbidden. And shortly after eating each good meal, we'd wait anxiously to get hungry enough to eat the next.

Speaking of good meals, it's day four and here we are having breakfast at the hotel. We actually ate here all three days we stayed at the hotel, and man, was it worth it! Imagine an all-you-can-eat buffet filled with a variety of freshly-baked breads, cold-cuts, cheese, potatoes, freshly-squeezed juices, and a chef who will prepare your omelette/scramble/waffle any way you like. Then imagine eating that meal out on a beautiful, open-air terrace overlooking the beach. What more could you ask for?... Other than, extra cheese please! Seriously, I must have eaten 6 eggs each morning. Obrigado!

Although, at the time, we appreciated the spectacular dining atmosphere, we didn't fully appreciate the wonderful breakfasts we were served. We soon became nostalgic for the tasty "Sofitel Breakfasts" after realizing that, from what we could tell, Brazilians aren't all that big on breakfast. On many occasions in following days, we were served/offered ham sandwiches for breakfast. Apparently, a standard breakfast in Brazil consists of a ham sandwich (thoroughly discussed five entires below).

What the hell is going on in this picture, you ask? Here's what happened. As Ingrid and I were lounging on the beach, various vendors came by (as they do throughout the day) with goods ranging from necklaces and sunglasses to beach towels and hammocks and other forms of junk. One of the vendors, however, was offering something that piqued Ingrid's interest -- henna tattoos. Ingrid proposed the idea of getting a henna tattoo, and I figured, "Why not?" As we perused the albums of designs, a group of Russian men sitting close by decided to get henna tattoos as well. The first guy (on the left in the picture) decided to get a tiger perched on a rock. Quite pleased with the result, he, along with his friends convinced their good-natured buddy to get a tattoo of the villian from Scream on his arm. The concept (and resulting tattoo) was so silly, everyone couldn't stop laughing, including us. The idea of having to brandish that image on his shoulder all across the beaches of Brazil for the duration of his trip was hilarious! We snapped this picture to memorialize the moment and to serve as proof that we weren't the only ones doing silly things on vacation. One thing's for certain, though... There was no shame in these guys' game.

After a gut-wrenching laugh, it was our turn. Ingrid emerged with an attacking panther on her shoulder and I got a slightly larger panther that appeared to be climbing my massive python arms (evident in later photos... the panther, not the pythons). RRAAAWR!!

Alas, it was time to leave Rio and head for our next destination -- BUZIOS!!! Rather than take an expensive cab ride or private car to Buzios, we opted for the three-hour bus ride which cost only R$20 (US$8) for the both of us, plus this cab ride to the bus station, during which, I was able to take one final shot of Copacabana Beach.

And this artsy shot as well.

The cab ride brought us the closest we would ever get to Sugar Loaf. If you look closely, you can see the cables leading from the peak, down to the right that transport visitiors to the peak. If you look closely, you can also see that the guy is riding a bike with different sized wheels.

Here's a picture I took at the bus station and despite what might be your initial impression, this lady isn't manning the turnstiles that lead to the loading area... she's manning the turnstiles that lead to the unloading area, and charging a "taxa de utilizacao" or "utilization tax" of R$1 (US$0.40) for unloading of any nature. And nature called for the both of us, so we paid... and unloaded.

This bus station is also where we were "forced" to eat our first Brazilian ham sandwich -- to be distinguished from the ham sandwiches we in the States are familiar with. Brazilian ham sandwiches differ from American ham sandwiches in that they consist of a large loaf of bread with a somewhat chewy texture, cut in half, with a single thin slice of processed cheese and an even thinner slice of ham inside. Brazilian ham sandwiches are something you would expect to be served in prison... ...in Cambodia. But we were hungry so we shared one. I made the most of my half by putting cheese puffs in it just like I used to do in elementary school making mine, all in all, not too shabby. Ingrid on the other hand, reserved to our afternoon fate, declined my suggestion and ate her half dry.

"The Place! The Place!"

I slept on the bus from the moment we embarked until the pit stop we made half way to Buzios. Just enough time to pick up some cheese and bread from the nearby winery and, of course, a ice-cold Skol. Oh yeah... and we also had time to take these cool pictures too.

Buzios at last!!! Ingrid may deny it now, but she was a bit anxious toward the tail end of the bus ride, as we were unclear whether we had passed our stop. Luckily, she took the initiative to talk to another passenger on the bus who just so happened to be in the business of connecting tourists with hotels in Buzios, or "pousadas." Not only did that lady let us know when we finally arrived at the correct stop, but she also got us a ride to a posada that she recommended, the Saint Moritz. It had so-so accomodations, especially when compared to the Sofitel, but our room had its own private balcony overlooking the marina and was substantially less expensive than the Sofitel.

It was dusk when we finally arrived, so after we dropped off our baggage, we immediately headed downstairs to the restaurant where we were immediately seated, as shown above. We ordered a whole fish with rice and black beans that was simply delicious. Either that, or we hadn't really eaten anything since the Brazilian ham sandwich at the bus station and were starved. As Ingrid dug into its tender cheeks, I feasted on the more meaty portions of the fish. Mmmm!

After dinner, we took a brief walk along the coast to downtown Buzios! It was there that we got our first taste of paradise. Unlike Rio, Ipanema or Leblon, there was no shadiness going on here, nothing to cause concern on the streets, no City of God neighborhoods.

This is where Ingrid fell in love,... but not with me. Rather, she fell in love with this ice-cream/coffee/drink shop called Valentino's. Fortunately for me, I also found a favorite item there that I enjoyed many times over the next few days -- Caipivodkas (pronounced, KAI-pee-VOTCH-kaz in Portuguese). Woo hoo!

As I mentioned, our room had its own private balcony, and to the left was this amazing view of the marina.

This was the scene to the right. This spectacular view came at great cost, though, because in order to get to our room, we had to climb about eight flights of stairs... EIGHT FLIGHTS! Phew!

We had read somewhere about taking a boat to a nearby island where we could swin with giant turtles. Ingrid supposedly confirmed this with the lady we met on the bus, who showed up at our hotel in the morning and purchased us two tickets for the boat. There's our boat, La Bella, in the background there.

"Hmmm... I wonder why the boat hasn't arrived yet! It was supposed to pick us up 15 minutes ago... why is it just sitting out there?"

Well maybe the boat didn't arrive when we thought because Ingrid was mistaken about the boarding time. Maybe she rushed me out of bed for no reason. Maybe she caused us to eat lousy Brazilian ham sandwiches in an effort to get to the dock on time. Maybe she didn't see the time written on the ticket itself. Maybe...

Well, after a slight delay, we finally made it on the boat, but not before all the seating areas had been occupied by other passengers. Go figure... we arrive an hour early, only to be the last ones to finally climb aboard. And as we climbed aboard, we noticed that not a single person tried to make any room for us. With that, Ingrid and I moved to what turned out to be the perfect spot on the boat that the other passengers didn't even realize was available for seating... or shall I say, available for lounging in the sun. Others tried to encroach on the area we discovered, but we had first dibs and the best spot. Oh yeah!

Here's the view of the shore as we rode out to sea.

And here's the view as we passed by a topless beach. I put my camera on full zoom for Darren, but this is the best shot I could get.

Of course, complimentary caipirinhas were abundant on the boat and I enjoyed several. There was also a slightly insane woman who found a market for herself as a picture-taker on the boat. It was her job to document the entire boat ride in pictures and then put the pictures to music on a CD with other information about Buzios that we could buy. She had the most obnoxious way of trying to make people smile for the camera. Rather than saying "smile," she would yell "WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!" in the most irritating voice. It was so retarded and strange that it became funny after a while. And even the other workers on the boat joined the passengers in laughing at her chant. WOOO HOOO!

Every now and again, the boat would stop near small islands and we could get jump off and swim around. Ingrid used a primitive floatation device and made me push her around. Well I guess she didn't make me push her around, but if didn't, it would have taken her the entire afternoon to swim back to the boat. As you can see, Ingrid didn't care much for the chilly water.

Ahhh... we finally arrived at the island (or so I thought). Where the hell are the turtles? No turtles here, but plenty of fun. I later learned that we weren't even on an island and that the boat had simply taken us to another beach that was accessible by foot... but that didn't stop us from having a blast thinking it was an island!

It was beautiful!

We rented this kayak and took it out to sea for a romantic outing as our meal was prepared. I'm not clear why Ingrid brought her oar because she never used it. Or shall I say, she never used it effectively.

That's right. It was me doing all the heavy-lifting as usual.

After we came ashore, we feasted on an entire fish that was grilled and seasoned perfectly, along with some tasty calamari. We dined at a table set up right on the beach and enjoyed the beautiful views and cool breeze as we ate. It was truly a magnificent and memorable meal. Of course, I had a Skol to go with my fish, and after my meal I walked out to the ocean where Ingrid snapped this photo... I didn't realize it at the time, but I was about to be tested. As you can see, I spotted Ingrid taking a picture and turned to her for a better shot.

Just as I turned, this girl in a bikini walks across my field of vision. I was thinking to myself... "Don't turn your head... look forward and just keep drinking your beer..." It was a good thing because I later learned that Ingrid was on shore monitoring any head movement I may have had. The result of the test? Pass!... although I can't say the same for the guy in the background.

After our delightful boating adventure to "the island" we showered and headed to downtown Buzios for a night out, but not before we were joined by a gecko guest in our room.

Of course, Ingrid reunited with her love, Valentino.

Now that I think about it, it wasn't Valentino that Ingrid loved,... but rather, it was what Valentino had to offer. Ice cream, smoothies and sweet coffee concoctions are really the things that captured Ingrid's heart. In this picture, it's clear how eager she was to get her order.

Hey, another sign for me. Foca you too!

It was here in Buzios that Ingrid had her best meal. Despite her sense of smell being slightly inhibited by a minor case of the sniffles, she couldn't stop talking about how delicious her lobster was.. and I believed her. I mean, c'mon... have you ever seen anyone make a face like this while eating?

After dinner we stopped by a open-air curbside bar and had some wine as we looked out on the marina. Just offshore we could see a cruise ship that was ferrying passengers back and forth all night and all morning long. Unfortunately for the both of us, the wine we ordered was the worst we had ever tasted...But we did compensate for the poor wine with a fine toast...

... and even better conversation.

After our brief pit stop at the bar, we headed to Chez Michou for drinks, drinks and crepes. The place was so full, the crowd overflowed into the street. It seemed like half the cruise ship was out there partying.

Ingrid got a little tipsy, and for some reason demanded that I eat the entire ham and cheese crepe rather than let it go to waste.

All of a sudden, we caught a glimpse of this guy painted in blackface. Clearly not a native to Brazil or the States, we guessed he was a passenger on the cruise ship. I suppose no matter where in the world you go, you'll always come across a jackass or two.

I know, Ingrid... he's an idiot. Take it easy.

It must have been about 4 in the morning when we decided to head back to our room. On the way, I snapped a picture of this bronze statute of Bridget Bardot, a French actress who made the small town of Buzios famous. She's immortalized here posing on a suitcase looking out over the ocean.

The next morning, we rented this buggy, which turned out to be the best idea ever. It gave us mobility and allowed us to explore all of Buzios. The only problem was that the buggy was in such horrible condition, that it was difficult to drive. I could hold the steering wheel completely straight, yet the buggy would swerve abruptly to the side without warning. Ingrid didn't seem to mind, though.

Once I got the hang of driving the contraption, it was great. Ingrid kept making fun of me for wanting to drive all over the place, but the real reason we did a lot of driving is becuase I didn't know my way around the city at this point and really only knew one way into downtown. So whenever we explored an area, I always had to make my way back to the main road to get back on track.

Despite having a new found mobility, we ended up at Valentino's and enjoyed some cheese, meat and bread... a favorite of ours. Of course Ingrid had a sweet coffee drink and I washed my meal down with a caipivodka or two.

After brunch, we headed out to explore the outskirts of the city and also to find a new place to stay. We drove all around town, caught some beautiful sights and eventually ended up at this huge house we thought was a pousada. I think I'm standing on their front lawn.

Having the buggy allowed us to see the entire coastline in all its spledor. It was beautiful and refreshing.

I never wanted to leave at that point.

Eventually, we stumbled across this lovely little pousada that turned out to be the perfect place for our last night in Buzios.

After checking in, we drove down the hill and stopped to eat at this restaurant along the coast. We had what turned out to be yet another delicious meal of fish and baked potatoes smothered with garlic butter. Such tasty food, such an awesome view, such a perfect girl... I couldn't be happier.

Although I was happy, I don't think the fish of Brazil were happy after we ate so many of them throughout our stay. Ingrid thought I looked like this fish and made me pose for this shot. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on the beach and poolside at our hotel, wanting the trip to never come to an end.

For dinner, we headed back in to downtown Buzios and stopped at this great restaurant after doing a bit of shopping. Nothing better than a fine bottle of wine to wash down our meal.

I didn't mention this before, but to Brazilians, all Asians must look the same because I was told that I looked like Jackie Chan on several occasions. Here is my Jackie Chan impression.

I think what we felt that night was a combination of sleepiness and sadness over our trip coming to an end. We had been so long overdue for a trip together, and we both realized that it was everything we could ever have dreamed it to be, and more.

After dinner we headed back out for one final romp around downtown Buzios. And, of course, the obligatory stop at Valentino's for one final treat.

The next morning, we enjoyed a great complimentary breakfast at the hotel. I realized that since we were leaving Brazil, we better spend our Brazilian currency before it was too late.

After we got ready, Ingrid stepped out of our hotel and looked at home there on the porch. I wondered what it would be like to live in Brazil... to escape the daily rigors of our jobs and just live a laid back lifestyle in another country.

I thought about just having this cool buggy, rather than a shiny new BMW... It would definitely be worth the trade-off.

After breakfast, we drove down to the beach and enjoyed fruit cups in the sun. We had only a few hours left until we had to catch a bus back to Rio in order to make our flight back to the states. As we lounged in the sun, Ingrid noticed vendors on the beach were sellling sandwiches and was bold enough to try one... and were we glad she did! The sandwiches were amazing! White bread with shredded chicken, lettuce, french-fry-like potatoes, and plenty of mayonnaise. I swear, it was impossible to have a bad meal in Brazil. After eating half of Ingrid's sandwich, I bought another. And after topping that one off in a matter of seconds, I got two more for the road. They were that good!

Just offshore we could see La Bella and passengers jumping into the water, taking the same boat tour we had taken earlier in our stay. Ahhh, how I wish it were a few days before.

Finally, it came time to leave our beloved Buzios. We bought tickets on an air-conditionless bus becuase the departure time allowed us to stay as long as we possibly could in Buzios. But when we the bus arrived, we realized that our tickets were for the previous bus which departed an hour earlier. Ingrid quickly ran across the street to the ticket office and got us the correct tickets. Pheeww!

Before boarding the bus, I grabbed a Skol for the road. Almost as soon as I got on the bus I fell asleep. Ingrid took this picture of me as I slept with a Skol in my hand.

Even in my sleep, I kept a firm grasp of my brew...

The bus made the same pit stop as it made on our way to Buzios. There we enjoyed those tasty sandiwches we purchased from the vendors on the beach. I took this picture when Ingrid was expressing to me how good the sandwiches were. Mmmmmm!

We reboarded the bus after eating our meal and Ingrid was so satisfied, she didn't even bother to fix her crooked shirt.

On the ride back, I decided to snap some pictures of the countryside.

There was a soccer game being played just off the highway.

I also noticed graffiti pained along side the road. Interestingly, it appears that rather than using spray paint like the vandals do in the states, vandals in Brazil must bring a bucket of paint and a roller.

Structures like this were all over Brazil, usually just outside of the tourist areas.

Here's some more housing I spotted.

I thought this was an interesting scene, with industrial, residential and commercial structures all within very close range of each other.

As we began our approach to Rio, I spotted Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado Mountain.

If you look at the highest peak in the background, you can just make out the silhouette of Christ the Redeemer overlooking Rio.

Ahhh... We were loving it.

When we finally got to the airport, we realized we arrived there much earlier than expected. So early in fact, that we decided to head back to Rio and enjoy one final dinner. We consolidated our bags, checked the large ones and put the smaller ones in the airport lockers. The funny thing was that I had used up most of my Brazilian currency and gave what was left of it to a little Brazilian boy who was asked me for some money... well I guess he didn't "ask" me, but held up a coin, pointed at it, then pointed as his open palm. I got the picture... and he got the money. That left us with no change to open the locker. ATM machine, here we come again.

Once we placed our bags in the locker, we headed out and hailed a cab.

As luck would have it, the cab driver needed to fill up his tank so we stopped at a gas station along the way. Of course he didn't bother stopping the meter and both Ingrid and I got irritated. When he got back inside the car, Ingrid pointed out that the meter was running and he said he'd deduct 50 Reals, which was slightly less than the actual amount that had accrued while he pumped gas, but whatever... we just wanted to eat.

I took this cool picture as the cab driver explained that this was the most dangerous part of Rio and that many people are killed there each day. He told us that whatever we did... we should never go there. Now at this point in our commute, the cab driver was cool. But then something happened... As we're driving back in to Rio, Ingrid decides that she wants to return to the House of Feijoada to taste the black bean puree for one final time. She explained to the cab driver where we wanted to go and he offered some alterate suggestions on where to eat. We considered them but ultimately went with what we knew. Despite communicating this to the cab driver, he proceeded to turn away from the direction of the House of Feijoada. When Ingrid asked him where he was going, he told us that he was taking us the the place he suggested. Ingrid responded that we didn't want to eat there and requested that we be dropped off at the House of Feijoada, a request which seemed to really piss the cabbie off. He didn't utter another word for the remainder of the drive. I mean really though... we'll eat where we want to eat. What does he care?

When we finally arrived, I knew we had made the right selection when I saw this look on Ingird's face.

Ingrid and I could've stayed there for another ten days. We eat and drank all we could before leaving that place.

By the end of the trip, I was daaarrrrrk. I must have got more sun during our trip to Brazil than I had over the past three years.

Apparently, Ingrid was still hungry and in the mood for some Japanese finger food.

Eventually, we caught a cab back to the airport after dinner and enjoyed our final ride through the city.

By the time we got on the plane, we were both exhausted.

As you can see, still no eyemask for Ingrid.

The monster dinner att the House of Feijoada together with the loads of alcohol we consumed left Ingrid feeling ill.

Here Ingrid is again at the drug store feeling ill. Definite deja vu of the trip over to Brazil.

It was a long flight and this sign says it all.

We finally at LAX and each gave an enthusiastic two thumbs up to the trip. We'll be back, Brazil!!!