This morning we awoke to find our employers made it safely amongst the latest terrorist scare in the States. The vibe in South America, I can already assess, is pretty non-chalant. Aside from the crazy traffic and taxis weaving in and out of lanes at warp speeds, the locals are friendly enough, seemingly passionate about their soccer teams, and really into their flip-flops. These things are everywhere… green, blue, pink, rainbow, you name it, they’ve got it! I haven’t really bought into it yet, as I don’t think I need a pair, but will likely buy one to commemorate my trip to Brazil. I was thoroughly amused with Clare and Cristina’s intent on finding the perfect pair of flip-flops as they weaved, much like the taxi’s in traffic, in and out of the closet-sized stores. They did get a few pairs, so their efforts proved fruitful and I was able to get the local price points for tomorrow night’s trip to the flea market, the exchange rate is 2:1 (Realis to Dollars)! I did learn a few things in following the crazy flip-flop shoppers… I was talking to one of the store owners who wasn’t a born citizen of Brazil and I was asking her why her flip-flops were 3 Realis more and she mentioned that as a non-native shop owner, she had to pay taxes on her items and rent for her space. Apparently, from what I gathered with my intermediate Spanish skills and lack of Portuguese, those that were native didn’t have to pay some of the federal fees imposed on others that were non-native. Interesting economics…

SugarLoaf was a real treat… a local wonder, this two-loaf looking mountain connected by a tram takes you high above the city of Rio to breath-taking views. A few of our employers actually caught some monkeys hanging around the trees. No, it wasn’t me, they were real monkeys! The sights were truly amazing though and the tram ride, although scary, was a real sight! One of the main sightseeing destinations is the Christo, a huge statue of Christ that is on a high peak overlooking the city. If you look up Rio, aside from Carnivale, the Christo is a well known tourist destination. We weren’t able to make it there, but we did catch some great views both during the day and at night.

We later met our Brazilian agents and employers for a team meeting and some dinner at a fancy Brazilian barbeque restaurant. For those of you who haven’t been to such a restaurant, there are literally dozens of men that walk around with meat on a stick and knives that look like machetes that ask you if you’d like a chunk of what they’ve got… there’s anything from chicken hearts, to beef tenderloin, to lamb, and yummy ostrich. It’s a meatlovers paradise, or a Kansans! You can also busy yourself with fillers- food like salads, rice, beans, bread… but who’d want to do that when you can eat MEAT!!! With a nice local drink called the Caparinha one not venture, for all she needs is what’s in front of her- MEAT & ALCOHOL! The sights of Sugar Loaf were even more amazing at night with the lights a glow in the backdrop of our evening outing. A great time was had by all with cameras eagerly waiting for a goofy face or a silly waiter to appear.

A quick trip to the local flea market to show our new visitors the ropes and a run to look at tomorrow’s venue, we ended up back in our rooms to end the day answering work emails and blogging to loved ones… enjoy!