Hard Rock Cafe Rio de Janeiro

They are moving from Barra da Tijuca to Rua Francisco Otaviano in Ipanema (it may seem like Copacabana, but it's Ipanema according to the city "mapa dos bairros.") I think it's a good move considering most of the turistas are in the Ipanema/Copacabana axis. Barra da Tijuca is nice, but it's more Miami than Rio.

They're moving into this building, the old Bingo Arpoador. I think they could even construct a Hard Rock Hotel there if the "gabarito" permits. Don't quote me on that because that's pure speculation. But Hard Rock should hire me because of my wonderful ideas, it would have a great view of Parque Garota da Ipanema and the Garotas da Ipanema that frequent the park at night =/.

Have a nice night everyone!

Sloppy Saturday Nights....Addiction Edition!

Tonight is Saturday, and you know what that means...SLOPPINESS!

Anyway, I wanted to share my list of addictions that paralyze my life.

- Diet Coke: I need this every morning like normal people need coffee. I guess if I move to Brasil I need to get used to coffee. The only coffee I'll put in my mouth at this point is chocolate covered espresso beans.

-The Cheesecake Factory: I already told you about this one. Probably my most deadly addiction rather than the cocaine and heroin.

-Victoria's Secret Models: We all know the hottest ones are Brasileiras. Hello Gisele, Alessandra, Adriana, Lais and 99% of the rest.

-Brasil: This one is the one that I need and enjoy the most. The people, the geography and almost everything about the place calms my nerves and puts me at ease when things get tough. It lets me dream!

Anyway, I'll leave you a picture:

Lençóis maranhenses, Maranhão

Two weeks till I get the hell outta here!

THANK GOD!

I'm leaving and going to Hawaii in less than two weeks. This is going to be amazing.

The nice breezes, the millions of Japanese tourists, and the mai tais. Too bad I'm not legal.

But anyway, I've been to Hawaii a handful of times before and freakin' love the place. Its very Jurassic Park meets Japan. We are weird so we'll be in Waikiki for 2 days, then we fly to Kauai for 6 days then jet back to O'ahu for another 7. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

For those of you who are planning on going to Hawaii, make sure to stay at these hotels, these are my favorites..

In Waikiki the best options (were we will stay) are the Moana/Royal Hawaiiian and the Hilton Hawaiian Village. They are very different from each other, but both absolutely fantastic. Moana/Royal Hawaiian are both right on Kalakaua Avenue, the Oscar Friere or Garcia D'avila of Honolulu (and consequently right on the beach.) They have great access to everything. The Hawaiian village, while not far from anything, is a little more removed but still within walking distance to Kalakaua. That being said, they have everything you need inside the resort including luxury retailers, awesome Japanese restaurants, and POOLS galore.

In Kauai, stay @ The Saint Regis Princeville. That's our choice. It's a stunning location looking out onto the famous "Bali Hi" view, complete with over 100 cascading waterfalls that flow down the steep cliffs. It is just spectacular, no words to describe it. Google it, It's wonderful.

In Maui (were not going this time...boohoo...but it's actually my least favorite island), stay at the Four Seasons. It's to die for.

On the big island, there is nowhere better than the Hilton Waikaloa Village. It's gigantic, has a man made canal system with boats that transport you from section to section of the resort. If you feel like getting air conditioning while traveling to your room, no problem, they have a electric tram system that takes you there too. They have over 1,000,000 restaurants and bars to chose from, plus POOLS POOLS POOLS and BEACHES BEACHES BEACHES. Just watch out for the sea snakes, which pack a lethal punch (saw a couple in the lagoon and almost stepped on one...that would have ended badly.)

Only drawback with Hawaii is the ridiculous flying time. I mean, Brasil is closer to my house than Hawaii! It will be a long 12 hour flight for sure!

Going to Hawaii only makes me more excited to see Brasil, because the natural beauty that Hawaii has drew me in. I know Brasil has the same natural beauty, but Brasil has the people that melt your heart like Paula Dean melts 45 sticks of butter in her mashed potatoes, while in Hawaii people are largely the same as here.

Brasileiros are the best! Love all of you!

I will update later,

Beijos,
Alex

Visas and Stuff

Alert: this post is all about questions.

So, for those of you that know about immigration to Brasil, could you please chime in?

I know that its somewhat difficult to get a permanent visa in Brasil. The easiest ways to get them apparently are by marrying and brasileiro or having a brasileiro baby. I probably already have one of those, come to think of it....

But lets say I don't want to get married or have a kid right away. If I wanted to be single and free in Brasil but still have residency, how would I go about doing that?

I know I can get a work visa, which could work. In your opinion, do you think that it would be difficult for a foreigner, with college degree, that speaks Portuguese with almost no accent (my Portuguese teachers mistook me for a Belorizontino each time I met one of them) to get a job in Brasil?


Can any of you offer any advise or ideas as to how I can stay in Brasil long term, and what the chances are of me securing a good job there?

Abracos

Touchy Topic, but It needs to be discussed.

Please don't be annoyed by this topic.

All my life I have been told by the media that Brasil is a dangerous place. I read on the news of the problems with the drug trade, and how recently the country has fallen into another crack epidemic, which sucks.

I know statistically things are getting better with less street crime and significantly less murders, but I have to ask: does it feel safe?

Feeling safe and being safe are two completely different animals. I can walk down the street in Philadelphia or Washington DC and feel safe, but not actually be safe. Hell, Philadelphia has a higher homicide rate than Rio at this point!

But my question to my fellow bloggers is: Do you feel safe walking down the street in "Big City' Brasil? I know its a vague question, but if you have any expertise in the area and any stories to share I would be quite happy to hear them.

I know it's not as bad as they say, but I don't want to be naive either.

Again, fellow Brasileiros who read this blog, please take no offense to this post. It's just something I've been sort of thinking about for a while.

You can call me stupid, but even if Brasil were as violent as Baghdad, I don't think it would change my opinion on wanting to move there.

Abs!
Alex

Whacha think of Salvador?

With the possibility to traveling to Brasil in the near future, it looks as if Salvador may be a destination that we could visit.

I have heard many things about the place, some of them conflicting. Some people like it, others not so much, others not at all. My Paulista freind Lilia did not like it..."Foi taaaao cheiooo, nao gostei" she said. Funny cause she lived in Sao Paulo, although she's from Sao Jose dos Campos.

I think personally it looks like Havana in the pictures I've seen, except much larger but just as grimy in the old areas like Pelourinho and Cidade Baixa. The new areas like Paralela looked nice though in the picutres. One thing that is for sure; the construction boom shows how fast the economy of Brasil is growing.

                                                              Novos empreendimentos

So, what do you all think of Salvador? Anything I should be advised about?

Valeu gente & abs!

I might be going to Brasil soon!

Hi everyone,

As some of you know, I have been doing an internship with a development company that owns hotels, shopping centers and commercial real estate. I have been working with the Vice President of the company for a few days, and in the beginning he made a remark about how he is very interested in Brasil and it's economy. I told him that I speak Portuguese, and that I have a love affair with the place and I too believe that its a great place for investment.

                                                                          Skyline - Salvador, Bahia

Well the other day he asked me to start to put together a tour of Brasil for businesspeople! He wants to go to Rio, Sampa, and the Northeast...probably Salvador. I'm in the process of putting an itinerary together, which is exciting! He wants me to go with him because I can translate! I'm not sure when it will be and I don't know if its 100% set in stone as of yet, but it sounds promising! I just hope its before August 16th and after September 1st because I don't want to miss my Hawaii vacation either.

I'll keep you updated!

My last weekend as a free man...

Unfortunately this is the last weekend of summer for me...for a while at least. I'm going to be starting an internship on Monday with a local development company that builds and manages commercial real estate, hotels, retail centers and the like. I'm really looking forward to this, because the business area is a giant interest of mine. So yes, looks like I'm gonna finally have a full time, 9-5 (or longer) job! I'll be a slave to my work for the next nine-or-so weeks! Hopefully I make some good change to stash in the bank for my Brasil fund, which we all know needs as much cash in it as possible. After this I get to enjoy summer again and go to  the Hawaiian Islands for two weeks! More than a fair trade off, I think!

City vs. City

I am still very undecided where I think I want to live in Brasil when the time comes. Of course, there are close to 1 million factors that come into play, some of which are out of my control including jobs, and possibly romance.

Ew.

But, seriously. if I take all the uncertainties and pace them aside, I have mainly three places where I am really interested in. Of course, the two obvious firsts are Rio and Sampa, but my other is Recife. From what I've seen of Recife, it looks great. I know it has one of the highest violent crime rates in all of Brasil, but like the majority of cities in Brasil the crime is relatively centred in the favelas and drug gangs.

                                                            Boa Viagem, Recife, Pernambuco

So, convince me where to live! Tell me why where you live in Brasil is the best place to live in Brasil. Or tell my why another city in Brasil would be a better place to live. I can still be swayed out of my 3 main choices! I want to hear your opionions! Comment please!

JLo wishes she was Brasilian!

I don't know if any of you know the new song by Jenny from the Block (aka JLo aka Jennifer Lopez) ingeniously called "On the Floor", but I was flabbergasted the first time that I heard it. I think it may be the most blatant ripoff of any song I have ever heard.

Listen to it for a few minutes.
Then, listen to this.

Yes, that's right. Jennifer Lopez ripped off the forbidden dance. Unfortunately, nobody in the USA knows about the Lambada, and therefore does not know that Jenny ripped it off. She's clearly lacking in the creativity department. I mean, who replaces melodic Portuguese lyrics with "LALALA?"

Hello Cyberspace!

Hi there everyone!

Don't let the title of this post fool you! No, I'm not looking for you to take your top off on webcam (yet.) Also don't let the mushy name of the blog make you throw up too much. 

My name is Alex, and I currently attending college in the United States.

I'm going to tell you a little about me, whether you like it or not!
Ever since a few years ago, while watching the Victoria's secret fashion show on TV (airs around Christmas), and finding out the good hunk of the beautiful goddesses were Brasilian, I had my eye set on the place. They started the obsession, but I know now that there is so much more to be obsessed with in that tropical land than just the "glamazon" women that strut down the orla. I now am much more educated on the country, and I am madly in love with her. The language, the culture, the people. Just about everything. I know there are significant challenges that need to be faced in Brasil, but I know that deep in my heart Brasil is where I belong. I have saudades every minute of a place I have not yet been to. Sounds a little psycho but don't judge me!

This blog will track the steps that I will be taking in order to make my move imminent move to Brasil. I will use this to hopefully help other people in my position in the future, as well as for my stories that are bound to occur. I hope to make friends this way also, because from some of the blogs that I've read of American expats in Brasil, I am sure we would be great friends!

All right guys, I'm in this for the long haul. I don't graduate for another 3 1/2 years, but with my study abroad program that I WILL take to Sampa, I hope to meet some of you sooner. Oh yeah, I'm still weighing the options of where to live...Rio or Sampa...hard choice, right?

Valeu Gente!