Bem-vindo ao Brasil!

"Welcome to Brazil!"

I made it, and other than being somewhat uncomfortable (it was kind of cramped in tourist class) on the eight-hour flight from Miami to São Paulo (at least I had a window and not a middle seat!), I'm none the worse for wear. Well, actually, I need a shower. Just ask around ...

I'm in Porto Alegre, in the far southern part of Brazil. It's really more European here than anything -- in fact, with my German features (blond hair, green eyes), I actually look like the natives, which surprised me. The architecture reminds me a bit of Spain or France (or maybe Portugal?), and it's actually kind of cool (or, as they say here, "legal") because not so many people speak English, at least not like they would in heavily touristed areas like Rio de Janeiro or even São Paulo, which is an international business center. So, my Portuguese for Dummies book already is coming in handy! (And it's Brazilian Portuguese, too, which is a lot different from how they speak in Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries like Angola.)

Porto Alegre is a bigger city than I expected. I tried to snap a picture as we landed (from the aisle seat, not the easiest thing to do), but maybe you can get an idea of the number of tall buildings here (click on the image for a larger version).

My friend said "think of it as Cleveland," meaning there's stuff to do here and you can have fun, but it's more industrial/working class and not near a beach, etc. I don't mind. I like Cleveland.

Let me get a little rest and maybe I can be snarkily political (or politically snarky) a little later on. Tchau!