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Our first adventure was meeting Ela's grandfather in Salvador. He brought us lots of things, including a baby ar seat, and ela's baby clothes (her mum kept them). We took him with us to Serra Grande to meet our friends and the ocean, and he left a few days later to continue his round-the-world travel.
We stayed, not knowing exactly what to do. We had reasons to come back to Salvador (a film we put to develop and friends to visit), and my parents said they plan to come visit, and many of the gang left to Bolivia. Our reasons to stay were mainly a parcel that my parents sent and hadn't arrived, trying to register our car in our name, and Sequoia loved the ocean - the best way to keep her hapy was to walk on the beach with her.
Now, we bought the car from Aniha, who had bought it from Sandra, and haven't registered it yet, so it is officially Sandra's car. We didn't know Sandra, but by a pure coincidense she became Marcus's girlfriend, so she managed to find us and ask us to do it.
So we went to the DETRAN office, and they said we need a CPF card. So we went to get one and they were closed so we came back the day after, and we had to go to another office and anyway it will take a month to arrive,but we got the CPF number, so we could go on.
So we went to DETRAN and they said that Sandra's signature on the transfer papers is not authorized by a judge, and we have to find her and she should go to some office and do it, but if we pay him $50R he'll do it for us. We sent the papers to Sandra and waited for a long time.
Meanwhile, we checked the post restante in Serra Grande for our parcel. Turns out that there is no post office there, so we went to the post office in urucuca (only 40km on dirt road away) in the beginning of june to find it. They said it hadn't arrived yet, so we called them once in a while to see if it arrived. And we waited.
By the end of june we were ready to leave since we didnt want to rent it for another month, and just waiting for small things ... we e-mailed Marcus to ask sandra where are the papers, and instead of replying they just showed up in our house. By another pure coincidence Sandra used to live in our village, and has friends here to visit, and she wanted to help us do the registration.
Armed with a Portugese speaker, things seemed easier and hopeful. Sandra is a business woman, and knows how things go... we went to another DETRAM, and found out that we need (listen): A proof that we have lived in Brasil for more than two years, copies of lots of staff, a check that the car is road-worthy, payments and signatures, etc. AND we hsve to wait two weeks AFTER handing in the papers before we can leave Bahia.
So ... they agreed that two years is two much, so we signed a contract on our house for two years, starting the day we arrived in brasil. We had to take him to town with us to confirm his signature (forgot to say that 'town' - Ilheus - is 40km away from where we live). This trick worked. Being road worthy was worse, because I came there without translator, and they wouldn't tell me what things I need to check in my car because we didn't have some stamp on some paper. I said "please, just tell me what I need to fix and I'll go to a mechanicand fix them", but they wouldn't talk to me without the stamp. They all refered me to some womanto talk to, and she bluntly ignored me. I talked, she looked and me, and went on writing something.
I snapped, took her pen from her hand, and shouted (in English) "Talk to me!", but she just left the counter and walked away. I came back to the car, crying to Ela that I had enough of Brasil and I want to go home.
But I didn't. We got the stamp instaed and went home to ask Sandra's help.
Meanwhile, on the parcel front: I asked my parents if they can track the parcel from home, and they did. I guy named Rodolfo took it from Urucuca on 29/5 - a week before we first came there! We called to ask, and it turns out that Rodolfo lives is Serra Grande, and once a week he goes to Urucuca and takes all Serra's mail. So why didnt they tell us first time we were there? Anyway, we found Rodolfo, and HE said he just drives the municipality car, and gives the letters to the administracao. The administracao guy said he gets only the letters, and the parcels are with Rodolfo. And Rodolfo again says he gave the parcel to Jilson who works in the Posto de Saude, and there they said that he left town and moved to Minas Girais, and maybe his ex-wife knows where the parcel is. She didnt. Neither did his mother or the cleaning woman. We searchedthe house, and within a few days everyone in Serra was looking for it as well.
The only hope was Rodolfo leaving a messge for Jilson is his office, waiting for him to call back.
Back to the car: we went back to DETRAM, I'm hiding from the witch woman, and Sandra convinced them to look at the car. Main problam: the back-light cover is a little broken and must be replaced (Sandra says it has been broken for two years and it is impossible to find a replacement - she looked all over for one). What to do?
A mechnic who was ambushing there caught us, and said he'll fix it. He'll go to the DETRAM guy and ask him if we can do it in his home, after work, and the guy might want some compensation for his overworking... so we left the car over the weekend to be fixed and overlooked, and went home to discover that finally Jilson called, and said he gave the parcel to the guys in Aldeia Mata.
Aldeia Mata is a resort, 600m from where we lived, and Bruno, the owner, is a good friend of Sandra. But that parcel wasn't there, nor in the other nearby resorts (all owned by Sandra's friends, apparently).
Monday, finally, we put all the papers in. The woman who accepted them said she can't guarantee that they would go through. We should call her in a week.
Jilson was supposed to come home last wednsday. Rodolfo promised to corner him and get the parcel, and on Tuesday we went to Salvador.
We stay in Arembepe with Brandon and Luana. Marcus is around with free internet which we abuse. We went bowling and I got 125 (third time I ever bowl, and I won!). And life is (hopefully) ok.
plans: (go on laughing, God) - my parents arrive in Rio in two weeks, and we plan to drive there and meet them. Than we go to Sao Paulo for consulates staff (Aussie and Israeli pasports for Sequoia), then we head south for the Patagonia gathering in December. Then we go up (flying?) to Costa Rica for the worls gathering in March, and by then we will probably run out of money, so we'll go to wherever I can find a job. Probably Israel, but there is a Brasilian option as well...
Be happy.
Love, Moddy.
Today is a good today to break your internet addiction.
After two weeks in Arembepe, we decided to go back to Serra Grande, and try to pick the car papers. Calling Marcia at the office, she said they will be surely ready on Thursday, July 31st. That morning we said goodbye to everybody, and drove to Ilheus, only to find out that, "Huston, we have a problem". That is, the date written on the tranfer card was rewritten. Explaining that the pen ran out and so I had to go over it again with another pen didn�t help, because the card is now useless.
Funny thing was that the car was already registerd in my name, and I got the papers, but I couldn�t get the paper that will enable us to sell it again. The people in the office were very helpful, and the even called the big chief in Salvador and asked to have mercy on us. The langauge barrier made everything more difficult, especially because usualy, after an hour of talking, just when we understand what we should do now, another guy comes in the office, gives contradicting information, and everything starts over again.
The final word was that Sandra, the former owner of the car, has to come back to Ilheus (only 1000km from where she lives) to sign a paper, and then I have to sign a paper, and it all has to be done in two weeks, or else ... If I was Sandra, I wouldn�t come, but Marcia assured us that she will - "I�ll call her, and she Will come", says she. On top of that, my parents were coming to visit us, landing in Rio on Wednsday, and we planned to drive south to meet them and go on to Argentina.
That was Friday afternoon. We were discussing several options - my parents fly to Ilheus; we take the bus to Rio and come back; we fly to Rio and then I take the bus back to Ilheus, take the papers and go back ... The good side was that we could spent our time in Diego�s beautiful house, and he said we can stay as long as we want, since he was flying to Florida and he would leave us the key... And Christoph said he can find us jobs ... I thought we might want to stay there forever... Oh, and the long awaited parcel finally arrived in our hands (don�t ask).
Anyway, On Monday morning we went back to Ilheus and got the results of Marcia and Sandra�s conversation: That Sandra will go to Ilheus, and good chances that we don�t have to back there at all ... So we hit the road down south. 1300 km.
It was our first time out of Bahia, and we found out the many ideas we have about Brasil are actually only about Bahia: prices (Bahia is way cheaper); accent (nobody understood us in Rio); roads (no potholes!); drivers (usually obey signs); etc. The three day drive was tough, and Ela became sick. Not that she was very healthy before,but she got cold sores, cough, unhealing mosquito bites, ear ache, just to name a few simptoms. We arrived tired to a soft landing in my parents� four-star hotel in Copacabana. Comfy room. Hot shower. Buffet breakfast. Valet parking. All the usual things we are accustomed to.
Meeting my parents was great. They loved to see Sequoia, and brought lots of gifts to her (A dog and a book which she loves very much), and letters from my family (which made me homesick), and other stuff. We spent three days in beautiful Rio, while Ela got more and more sick, and I became more and more frustrated. Ela and my parents didn�t get along very well, and I was in the middle. I realized that, in the end, I want to live in Israel, but Ela doesn�t, and it may not be possible for us to solve this. On top of that, my best friend from Israel decided she won�t speak to me anymore because I�m patronizing and a hipocrite. A big blow.
As I said, Rio is beautiful and has good energy. Many old buildings, superb beaches, friendly people, and a big forest in the middle of it all. We stayed four days in the hotel, and then my parents left and we had to find anohter place to live. We found a cheap room (for Rio), and decided to stay until Ela feels better. Meanwhile, we went to the Israeli and Australian consulates and found out that in order to get passports for Sequoia, we have to go to Brasilia. Bummer.
These were stressful days. Ela in bed and getting worse; Spending too much money; Not being able to see the city nor finish our missions in town (usual Brasilian bureaucracy). With Ela�s health situation, we decided to go for a "real" doctor - not the free clinic which didn�t help us ever. We went to the lonely-planet recomended clinic in Copacabana, met a GP and a specialist, had some tests done, and paid $500R. This is half of our monthly budget. The fact that Ela�s insurance ran out a week before didn�t make us any happier. Also, we called Marcia and learned that we need to go back to Ilheus.
An unexpected light was that I met Jurema in the post office. Jurema was at the gathering, and she was supposed to be Ela�s midwife had she sayed longer in the gathering. She offered us to move to her place while we are in Rio, which we happily accepted. We stayed with her a few days, and Sequoia met her granddaughter. After a few days, though, we left Rio and drove back to Bahia. Two long days which ended in Diego�s house again.
A part of our gang is still here - Ashe, Luka, Eve and Marwan, and also Eve�s friend Jess and her 15 month old daughter Liliana, who became Sequoia�s best friend. We begin to rest. It�s not easy when you have a baby to look after, diapers to wash, mosquitos to avoid and unkown future to ignore. The car papers are not ready yet, not that we expected otherwise. Life is mellow.
Love, Moddy.
Today is a good day to do absolutely nothing.
Hi Queridas,
So we lived in Bahia for a while, in Diego�s house. Our friends next door coming to visit, and we manage to rest a little, thoeretically, on days that sequoia feels happy and doesn�t screem. The most eventful thing that happened was that we got the car papers, and this happened to be on my birthday. Ela made me the best chocolate cake and baba ganush and labane ... really good.
We were still tired, but less. The constant tiredness began to show in our relationships, and we were fighting a lot, and generally agreeing that we need some time away from each other, but how? Sequoia gives two adult full-time-job, and Ela needs my help.
We decided to make it slowly to Brasilia, where we will get for Sequoia Israeli and Australian citzenships. However, I just remembered that the Jewish holidays are coming, and if we go too slow it will slow down the process, and we won�t make it to patagonia! This was very stressful, and we had our biggest fight in the morning we were supposed to leave. Ela almost drove without me (but with all my luggage). Eventually, we started late that day.
The drive to Brasilia was long. In the second say we got out adventure: We started a 180km strech of road which has nothing in the middle. After about 10kms we saw a middle-aged couple, nicely dressed, waving to us as if their car broke down, but there was no car around! We stopped, and they told us that 7 armed bandits forced them to stop and took the car. We drove them back to town, and went on.
After an hour, we heard a big bang. The car began to fill-up with smoke. We stopped but couldnt see the problem. A few hundred meters more it was evident: the tire exploded.
Upset, but not overwhelmed, we changed the tire. A minute later the spare exploededas well.
Now we were stuck. We waved to cars, and eventually a truck stopped. The driver couldnt help us much, but with advice - that we should not stay the night here, because it is very dangerous. He just heard on the radio that 7 armed bandits in a stolen car robbed the local bank. He said we should just drive slowly on the rim to the nearest farm, and they may help.
So we did. The helpful farmers called a tow truck for us and gave us dinner. We were towed 70kms to a small conglomerate of a gas station, hotel, garage and a restaurant. Reminded us of Caf� Bagdad. The next day, we bought new tires and a new suspention. Turns out that it broke, touched the tires and ruined them. The suspention had to be brought (by taxi) from the nearest town... it took us half the day to get out of there, and we arrived in brasilia the same day (Wednesday).
Brasilia, like all planned city, is wierd. It is divided to squares, each has a number, and is supposed to be easy to navigate, only the roads contradict logic. Somehow, you can never tell where you should go. You expect a right turn, but get a left instead. You you try to get to a paralel street but manage to jump to a farther paralel street without warning. Streets have no names (and therefore no signs). We made an illegel turn, and the cops let us go because "we are not locals, so how can we know?"
The embassies were easier than we expected, and we didnt need all the extra documents that we asked our parents to send. Lucky we were, since those documents didn't arrive.
We found the youth hostel and stayed camping. The staff adored Sequoia, and therefore loves us. She becomes cuter every day, getting stronger and smarter and saying dadada. We even took her to see a movie in the drive-in (shity movie, but at least we went out).
We stayed the weekend to finish the embassy business, and Ela got sick again. We waited until it got really bad, and went to the hospital. The time we waited happened to be Brasila Music Festival, with shows of Alanis Morrisete and Live. We didnt go, but could here them from the camp.
Hospital day was 9 hours of waiting in lines, having tests (including 4 x-rays), and seeing 3 doctors; While waiting, we read the posters on the walls, warning us that if we have some simptoms, frighteningly enough exactly what Ela had, we might have T.B. and "dont worry. It is curable".
The tests and doctors found nothing and gave Ela antibiotics just in case.
During our stay in Brasila, a new plan arrised: that Ela and Sequoia will fly to Australia for a month, and because of the generous wellfair policy of the Aussie gevernment it will not cost us. It�s a gamble, but we decided to do it. Flying out in two weeks... however, we couldnt find places on the flights in mid-October, so we took the only available date - today.
So, this morning Ela and Sequoia started a 48 hour journey, with 5 connecting flights and a lot of luggage. I really hope they make it right. I will send this message only in a few days, since she wants to surprise her parents and I need to keep the secret.
I already miss them.
Love, Moddy.
Today is a good day to accept whatever happens.
So ... Ela left, and I had a morning of missions - sell the car, pack, etc. In the afternon I received a phone call - Ela from Sao Paulo. She has one houre to catch the connextion to Chile, and they wouldnt let her go since she doesnt have a letter from me that authorizes taking my daughter.
I had to run to the Poilcia Federal in Brasilia, and send from therer a fax to Sao Paulo, and make it all in time. I convinced a hostel's worker to come with me, while the others called the Policia and found out whom to talk to. I drove like crazy, hoping no police will stop me. Arrived there and ran inside shouting that I have only 10 minutes ... but they made me move my car from the entrance, I wrote a dictated letter in misspelled Portugese, and when finally the officer took the paper to send it, I colapsed crying from overadernaline ... It was 20 minutes before take off, and they made it.
In the same day, I got e-mail from Sangit, a rainbow brother who lives in Brasilia, that he'd love to meet us. Funny we knew we have friends in Brasilia only after Ela leaves ... anyway, I met him and some of his friends, and we spent some good time. He was much help since I sold Johana Carlsberg and he has a car.
I took a 26hours bus to Foz de Iguacu, and while i waited for the local bus to take me to the station, Sangit arrived. He felt the urge to see me this morning before I leave. Turns out that there was a local bus strike, and if he hadnt taken me I would have missed my bus. Rainbow magic works.
I Iguazo I stayed in the youth hostel. The coolest palce ive been to since the card bored box in Namibia. A pool, a bar, and lots of interesting people. And, of course, the falls.
They are amazingly beautiful. The argentinian side is better since you can come closer, and it is actually not one fall, but an area full of bigger and smaller waterfalls, all in a middle of a jungle with Tucans and other strange animals. Comparing? I prefair Vic Falls, but I was a minority.
And one of the people there said he just came from Barriloche, where he snowboaorded ... and the seaon will be over in a week. I therefore took a 43hours bus ride to Barriloche, and arrived today. Seems that season was over last week. Sucks. Therefore, I go to meet the rainbow scouts, of course after I rest and look at this beautiful town (a blue lake and snowi mountains...)
And happy Sukot!!
Love, Moddy.
Today is a good day to call home.
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