Welcome to the Jungle

It's a funny thing that you must learn as an entrepreneur, discipline. I've always had a strong sense of discipline since the time I was very young, but the real test doesn't begin until you've grown up (is that too much of a stretch for me?), been through a serious job or two, and then been re-released into the wild to figure it out on your own. There is a simple routine in a corporate job: you wake up, head to the office, and wait for the work to come to you. Sure, you have to come up with ideas here and there and creativity is sometimes required (haha), but for the most part you just sit tight and wait for the work that you know is heading your way. This whole entrepreneur thing is the polar opposite. If you sit tight waiting for something to come your way, it's going to be a lonely journey (and one where you'll end up on the streets!). Nobody is looking out for you, and you better be willing to go out and get yours. It's kind of like what I would imagine would happen to a gorilla, for instance, that has lived his whole life at the zoo and then one day is released into the jungle. In the zoo, everything the gorilla wants is provided for him: food, shelter, companionship, etc. Then one day he is sent out to the jungle to figure it out on his own. I can only imagine that this would be an extremely difficult transition, if not an impossible one. The gorilla has to find ways to acclimate to this new world and, most importantly, find a way to survive. He no longer sits in the big gorilla playland with regular meals being fed to him. In the unknown world, he has to go out and make it happen on his own. Now, from a business perspective as a human, it's one thing to find that idea to make to make it on your own but you have to turn that idea into reality. I live on an island full of beautiful beaches and even more beautiful girls so it requires an even deeper commitment to discipline. You can easily get distracted here, and it's something that I see every day. There are lots and lots of people here that have just settled into the easy routine. If you're searching for a great quality of life, Floripa is definitely the place for you. But if you're still young and searching for the next great opportunity in Floripa, you better dig deep for that idea and you must work very, very hard to make that idea a success. There are hundreds of distractions every day and you're not confined to an office. The world is your oyster but you need to swim out to sea, search the ocean for that oyster, find the oyster, nurture the oyster, and then just hope that this oyster is the right one. Perhaps the oyster was not the right one so you need to cut your losses, forget about it, and move on. It's not a simple task by any stretch of the imagination and with all of the distractions, it's even more difficult. Discipline is definitely the key. A wise man once said that, "Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments" and he couldn't have been more right. I'm living in the jungle, baby, and it's time to go hunting for some food....

Bureaucrazy continues to be a hilarious obstacle every day. As I prepare to open my new business, I've unfortunately had to get my hands dirty again. We've been in contract negotiations for at least two months with a shopping center here, and I would argue that we have been as agreeable as possible with our terms. Did you know that all shopping centers in Brazil charge double rent for the month of December? In any universe, does this make sense? My favorite part of their contract is that very last clause that they so conveniently place in the contract. I'm paraphrasing (and some words might be lost in translation) but more or less the clause states "You can ignore anything written above as the shopping center can decide what to do when it wants with no notice whatsoever." It's definitely my favorite part. We're also working with architects, contractors, designers, and God knows who else. Sometimes we'll send a simple question to our graphic designer and we won't hear from him for four days. It never ceases to blow my mind. You'd be out of business in a week if that happened back in the U.S. Also, we've been opening up new companies and dealing with the funding of these companies with international wires. These things all seem so easy but here in Brazil it's like climbing Mt. Everest every day. A funny anecdote - the other day I was having lunch with a few American friends who have a business here. One of the partners was discussing how he just opened a LLC for the company in the states so they could start exporting to the US. A Brazilian guy who was with us asked how long it took him to open the business. My friend responded, "About 45 minutes." The Brazilian was literally dumbfounded and I mean DUMBFOUNDED. We all started cracking up and at the very least, this moment of laughter made us all forget how crazy some of this stuff really is.

I've come to the conclusion that the bureaucracy is the Brazilian government's way of employing as many people as possible. Everyone here seems to work for the public system in one way or another, and it seems to me at least to be such a strange way of going about business as it completely lacks efficiency. And the more people working for the government, the more hoops you have to jump throught. Based on how many hoops I have jumped through in the past few months, I would estimate the number of government employees in Brazil to be about 750 million.

Outside of all of this, all is good here in Floripa. Spring time has arrived along with its best friend Sr. Chuva (Mr. Rain). I can only hope that we don't see the amount of rain that we saw last year. That almost killed me. You can only spend so many days in a cafe drinking coffee. I was more wired last spring that Tom Cruise on Oprah's couch. Everyone continues to anxiously await for summer. As a business owner, your whole year relies on what happens in the summer months so I'm making sure that Tatsuya is completely ready to rock. It's going to be a wild one, and I couldn't be more ready. May God be with me....... ;)

Friends, Family, and More

Well, I just returned from what seems to now be my annual trip to the United States. From all of the stories I have heard about the economy back home, I was expecting a ghost town or at the very least some clear signs of a blood bath, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Maybe it was because my expectations were what they were but I found things to be not as apocalyptic as I was told. Sure, there were plenty of For Sale signs on houses and quite a few stores that I used to visit are now closed. However, there were still lots of people out shopping, going out to dinner, and just overall contributing to the economy in some fashion. Of course, I was only there for a few weeks, and I have no doubt that those living in the US have a much better grasp of what's happening there than I do. My only point is that it wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected. It's just one man's opinion, but I sure hope that I'm right....

Besides being able to spend time with my family and friends, one thing I love about going back to the US is being able to actual shop for the first time in a year. I will literally go an entire year (or very close to it) not buying a single material thing here in Brazil. It is just something that I have never been able to justify. The sunglasses I would wear cost $1,000USD, the Nike shoes I would need cost $250USD, and so on and so on. The Brazilians pay it because they aren't aware how much they are getting ripped off and also because they don't really have another option (like being able to go to the US to shop). The Americans down here just know how absurd it is and nobody buys a thing. The Brazil economy has rebounded fairly rapidly, and I can assure you that the Americans are not responsible. Anyway, it was great to be able to pick up a few necessities and, of course, I couldn't help but bring back more Cholula sauce, waffle mix, and other food that I miss so much. I'm no Bill Gates for sure but I think it's fair to say that I did my share to stimulate the US economy!

Far more important than shopping was the opportunity to see all of my friends and family for the first time in a long time. As I've said here a few times before, Brazil has been an incredible place in terms of meeting new friends who quickly become your new family, but there is just no replacing the history of the friends and family from home. Plus, it's just fun as hell to laugh like a kid again and that only happens when you are with the people who you know so well that all it takes is one word and you're laughing about something that probably happened 20 years ago. I also got to spend lots of time with my niece. She is 2 1/2 years old and is absolutely adorable. Kids grow up so fast so when you only see them once a year it's like seeing an entirely different person, and I'm just glad I get to catch a few moments along the way because no one made me laugh more than her. God bless my sister for having the 24 hour energy to watch over her. As if I needed a reminder but this was a pretty clear sign that I still have quite a bit of time before I'm ready for kids. I had a dog for four days and a cat for six and each one almost killed me. A child? God help me....

As for some quick highlights of the trip, they go as follows in no particular order:

LA - my first Chinese food meal in a year at Chin Chin, laughing hysterically at the first bar on the first night where last call occurred at 11:30PM (that's dinner time in Brazil!), massive flip cup tournament on the 4th of July in the Malibu Colony, Jonathan Club in Santa Monica where I'm either now an instant lifetime member or no longer welcome (that has still yet to be decided)

SF - having dinner with my old Merrill Lynch colleagues at Betelnut (still one of my favorite restaurants in the world), Friday night at Ana Mandara with great friends, walking down Chestnut Street and reliving some amazing memories, playing tennis and just hanging out with my cousin, a long great talk over drinks with JK

AZ - hanging with my Mom by the pool (it's been a LONG time), seeing my best friend's new baby (and watching the "what in the hell am I doing" look on his face), Saturday night out at Jackrabbit with the old crew, dinner with Dad (who drove hundreds of miles for a few hours with me), Tuesday night at Z Tejas with a few famous chambord margaritas, lunch at Uncle Sam's with Mom, sis, and niece (I can't tell you how much I miss a good philly cheese steak),

NY - the drive into the Hamptons (the scenery is shockingly beautiful), a Coors Light and a long walk on the beach with my bro, the rehearsal dinner at The Surf Lodge in Montauk (and watching a GILF try to attack my friend like a famished lion at the bar), Preston's beautiful wedding at the Most Holy Trinity Church (not to be confused with the Holy Trinity Church - this one is by far the most holy), having my sis clean up her dress after her daughter decided it was appropriate to pee all over her during the ceremony, Sunday at the Georgica beach with family and friends (including an old roommate who took the train out from Manhattan just to spend the day with us)

After three weeks of traveling across the US, I must say that it is good to be home. Living out of a suitcase takes its toll, and eventually all you want to do is sleep in your own bed. Following three glorious weeks of sun, I must admit that it was a little depressing to return to cold and rainy weather. I was bummed out for a few days but the weekend re-energized me. I went to Green Valley, which is a club basically in the middle of the jungle an hour and a half away, on Saturday night. I can't believe what I've been missing out on. The place is seriously unreal, and for all of my future visitors, I will be sure to take you there. It's a place you don't want to miss. In the end, though, it was just great to see everyone from Floripa again. We cranked it up a notch as usual and left at about 8AM. "Last call" in the US was suddenly a long forgotten dream....

Honeymooning in Floripa

It seems like the longer I live here, the more hesitant I am to write a post. Certainly, during the "honeymoon" phase it was much easier to update because everything was so new and different, and I felt so encouraged to update everyone on my life here. I'm starting to feel more accustomed to everything in Floripa, and I sometimes get the feeling that I don't want to bore anyone with any stories that don't tip the amazing scale. The first year was so unbelievable that as I enter into my second year here I wonder if it can ever be topped. The truth, however, is that it doesn't need to be topped. Like with anything, the beginning of something is always the best whether it be a relationship, a job, a new car, whatever. The sign of something really great is when you pass that honeymoon stage and everything continues to be wonderful. I would say that I'm safely in this zone now. While the first year was full of new adventures, the second year has started off with much of the same only with a slightly different focus. I am still very much enjoying the parties, beaches, friends, and everything else. It's impossible to live here and not enjoy these things. The only change is that now I'm more seriously focused on putting together something that will allow me to stay here for an extended time. Business at Tatsuya continues to be good (we continue to get great feedback regarding the food, drinks, ambience, service and everything else) but as with any business in Floripa, the winter time is very difficult. The tourists are gone, it's a lot colder, and all of the businesses just buckles down into survival mode. By the time summer rolls around, we will be a year old and very well positioned to take advantage of the summer rush. While I'm doing my best to avoid being so cyclical and totally relying on the summer, I must say that, from a business perspective, summer couldn't some soon enough. Thank God Brazil has taught me a lot about patience because December isn't exactly coming tomorrow....

With Tatsuya fairly well in control, I am currently working on my next project with my partner, Dave. We are very close to closing a deal in Iguatemi, the biggest and best mall in Floripa. This is a business that we strongly believe Brazilians will embrace because it's such an obvious void here, and it's something that we both know very well. We have chosen the mall because of the obvious foot traffic that it offers although obviously that comes with a price. It's going to require a lot of work, but we're both up for the challenge and very much looking forward to it. Now, I apologize for being vague on the business, but when the time comes and everything is secure, I will happily describe the details. Until then, I have promised to keep my mouth shut....

Everything else in Floripa has been amazing. It's been awhile since my last post so I'll try to give a quick recap of everything that has happened since then. I had another house party back in May when some friends in LA were in town. It was another incredible party with lots of action, including several celebrities. Marcelo D2 and Seu Jorge, two of Brazil's most popular music artists, showed up to the excitement of everyone. They were in town filming a music video and had heard about the party so they decided to stop by (how cool is that?). It was great having them there and as with any event when celebrities are in the house, the energy always cranks up a bit, which was amazing. Each party keeps getting better so I'm going to have to come up with something extra special next time. Anyone have Justin Timberlake's phone number?

A few weeks ago I went to Curitiba with a group of friends for a legendary costume party. The party has been going on for twelve years, and everyone talks about it like it's the Holy Grail of costume parties. Therefore, I had no choice but to go, right? Well, all I can say is that it lived up to the hype. There were probably 4,000 people there, and it was an absolute show. There was incredible music, strippers (guys and girls), midgets, amazing costumes, and pretty much everything else you can imagine. I have never been to a costume party like that in my life, and I'm pretty sure that I will never see another like it so I'm super glad that I went. Outside of the party aspect, I really enjoyed being in Curitiba. It's known as the most progressive and green city of Brazil. I actually was there last year but only for a day so I didn't get to really see the city. This time we stayed in Batel, which is considered the nicest of the neighborhoods there. The thing that I was really impressed by were the restaurants. We went to this area that has about six super cool places right next to each other each with their own theme: Russian, Mexican, Irish, American, Asian, etc. We went to three of the restaurants and each had at least a 45 minute wait to eat. That would NEVER happen in Floripa. It was just very cool to see that the restaurant business is booming there with lots and lots of people out spending money. Now if only we could get that in Floripa!!!!!

This last weekend in Floripa I had the chance to enjoy Winter Play. Winter Play is basically a three day party up in Jurerê. Literally thousands of people from all over Brazil come here from this thing. It's an expensive party so I decided not to go on Friday, but I did end up going on Saturday. Let me tell you, you've never been to a party (and I realize that I say that a lot!) until you've been to this thing. It would be difficult to explain here. It's essentially just thousands of people all staying in two hotels just going for it the entire weekend. What I can say is that it's worth the trip if you ever make it. For those of you with Facebook, I just posted a few videos so you can get a feel for the vibe by checking them out there. Just don't cry that you missed it. All you can do is make sure that you come next year!

Now that winter has set in here, I am making my annual trip to the U.S. I will be leaving on June 30th and returning to Floripa on July 21st. I will be heading to LA, San Francisco, Scottsdale, and NY. It's always great to get to spend time with family and friends so I'm definitely looking forward to it. The tough part is trying to manage to see everyone in such a short span, but I will do my best as always. The one funny thing is that I always miss Floripa the second that I leave. It's like no other place that I've ever been. So, while I'm very happy to be coming back to the U.S., I know that deep down Floripa will be seducing me back. And what can I do? It's the honeymoon that never stops...

Custard's Last Stand

After almost six months straight of visitors, it's hard to believe that I'm on the final stretch and I will be going back to "normal" life very soon. You have to understand that it's hard to continue doing your day to day routine with a friend (or friends for that matter) in town. You basically throw your routine out the window. You might be able to squeeze in a few errands here and there but essentially you're doing just enough to get by so that your life doesn't fall completely apart. And sleep? Well, that's not really an option. Tuesday night and you want to be mellow? Forget about it. We're going out! Sunday night, movie night? Yeah right! El Divino here we come! I used to live in a city (San Francisco) where I used to have a lot of visitors, but it's so much different here. What I realized several months ago is that people coming down to Brazil are coming here completely blind, and when you throw in the language barrier, you realize just how much guidance guests need. It's a 24-hour job with no breaks. But the thing is is that I want my friends and family that come here to like Floripa as much as I do. A lot of people, especially my family, must have wondered what kind of place would have made me make such a leap of faith. Therefore, it's very important for me to "show off" Floripa as much as I can when I am lucky enough to have my family and friends down here. Now if only I could find a way to get paid for this.....

I never had a chance to write about it after he left, but I think it's safe to say that my Dad REALLY enjoyed Floripa. I can't say that I was worried that my Dad wouldn't like it, but of course you never know. The one thing I was a little concerned about is that Floripa, like the rest of Brazil, runs on a different time schedule, if you will, than we are accostumed to in the United States. My Dad is one of those people that really engages in that promptness. However, my Dad couldn't have been cooler during his time here. He went with the flow in a big way, and we ended up having a great time. There was lots of tennis, lots of beach time, and of course a few parties. I think what my Dad appreciated most about this area is how green, lush, and protected the environment is. My house is literally surrounded by a lush forest, and my Dad loved that. We ended his trip here with an unbelievable night at P12. It was a proper send off, and I think he left here with all smiles. Actually, I take that back. He definitely left here all smiles. Just look at the pictures!

Last week one of my closest friends was in town. It was really great having him in town. It goes without saying that the hardest thing about living down here is being so far away from family and friends. And no matter how many great new friends I have made here, it's impossible to replicate those friendships that have been created over many, many years (and even decades at this point). As usual, we had a great time. We are definitely in the "off-season" of Floripa by now, but my buddy is married with a kid on the way so it was a good combination. Summer time in Floripa might be a little bit of an overload for a married guy, and God knows I don't want to be responsible for that!!!!

As my final days of visitors comes to an end, I look back at the last six months with many incredible memories that were only made better because I shared these moments with the people that I love. It's been one hell of a stretch, and honestly I can't believe that I survived with minimal wreckage (although I'm sure my liver would completely disagree). Floripa has been my Little Big Horn and the parties have been my Sitting Bull. But now it's time to get back to focusing on my life and my work and the new things that are hopefully on the horizon. But for those that know me, you understand that I couldn't go out quietly. Therefore, I will be hosting one more house party tonight. If you're going to go out, you HAVE to go out with a bang! Truer words were never spoken.....

50 Differences Between Floripa and San Francisco

50. We don't hug or shake hands when we meet someone in Floripa. We go straight to the kissing.
49. Champagne is a regular part of the diet in Floripa.
48. Every guy I know here seems to have a magic touch with a soccer ball. It must be in the blood.
47. In Floripa the term "playing through" doesn't mean allowing a group of golfers behind you move ahead. Rather, it means going directly from one night of partying to the next night without sleeping.
46. Often times girls in Floripa won't return your text messages not because they don't want to respond to you but because they don't want to pay the money. Unfortunately, this leaves many a guy wondering if the girl is blowing him off or just short on dough.
45. It costs me R$0.38 every time I send a text message in Floripa. I have had to learn how to actually call and talk to people again just so I don't go broke.
44. I haven't touched a washing machine in 13 months while in Floripa and I couldn't be happier about this development.
43. In San Francisco I can't buy a pair of shoes and get the option to pay for the shoes in 12 monthly installments.
42. I pay R$50 per month to have a bank account in Floripa. If that's not a crime I don't know what is.
41. Driving in San Francisco is not a life threatening experience.
40. If I want to park on the street, I have to pay some random street "bum." If I don't pay him, I might not have windows when I get back.
39. Mexican food is actually good in San Francisco. I'm pretty sure that I had a burrito last week that was covered in pasta sauce.
38. In Floripa carrying around a camera doesn't make you look like a ridiculous tourist. It makes you the most popular person in town.
37. I eat dinner no earlier than 10PM in Floripa. In SF, that's almost last call.
36. I don't need to run a bar tab in Floripa. You receive a card once you enter a club that essentially acts as your tab. It seems annoying at first but it's actually quite effective.
35. Nobody flips anyone off in Floripa. Everyone drives like a maniac and it's just accepted as such and therefore, no one ever gets pissed. It's quite novel actually.
34. Pedestrians have rights in San Francisco.
33. I wouldn't touch McDonald's in San Francisco. In Floripa, the golden arches are just that.....golden.
32. People actual use payphones in Floripa. In SF, payphones are about as extinct as the Model T.
31. The houses on the hills with beautiful views in Floripa aren't Pacific Heights-like mansions, they're favellas.
30. In Floripa keeping it mellow tonight means getting home around 3AM.
29. No means Yes in Floripa. Just kidding!!!!! Sort of.....
28. Tennis is played on clay in Floripa.
27. Tattoos, and there are many of them, are considered beautiful and sexy in Floripa.
26. It's illegal to have the photo radar avoiding reflector on your license plate in San Francisco but in Floripa the DETRANS (DMV) actually makes them for you for $40 reais extra (much to my amusement, I personally experienced this yesterday).
25. In San Francisco I wouldn't go out to a place that was farther than 1o minutes from my condo whereas in Floripa I have no problem driving two hours to go to a club.
24. Cops in Floripa drive with their flashers on at all times. I can't possibly think of something more confusing than this for Americans. Should I pull over? Should I stop? What the hell am I supposed to do?
23. When I pick up a friend at the airport in Floripa and park at the curb to wait for him/her I don't get accosted by 17 cops in 20 seconds.
22. In Floripa I don't need sleep to work. I need sleep to go out.
21. Strangers actually want to help you in Floripa and most of the time they even add a smile.
20. Having a two hour coffee in Floripa isn't such a strange concept.
19. When it rains in Floripa I'm surprisingly excited because that means I might take it easy for once.
18. A crazy night out in San Francisco means hundreds of people getting drunk and going wild. That's a slow Sunday in Floripa.
17. The citizens respect the government in Floripa like San Franciscans respect Republicans.
16. There is no sound of an alarm in Floripa (at least not for me!).
15. People actually train their dogs in San Francisco.
14. When I go the beach in Floripa it's beautiful, warm, and clean.
13. A perfect 10 in San Francisco might qualify as a 7.5 in Floripa.
12. When I go out in San Francisco, there isn't a decent chance that I will see Alessandra Ambrosio or any one of the other Victoria's Secret models.
11. In San Francisco I don't need to wait in line (in person, mind you!) to pay my bills.
10. The average temperature in Floripa ranges about 15 degrees between the summer and winter. I could be on the shaded side of Chestnut Street and walk to the sunny side and experience this same temperature variation.
9. Only in Floripa can you go home with a girl from a club in separate cars, watch this girl cause a drunk driving head-on collision, have several cops show up, watch the girl fumble through her purse looking for an ID only to see her give the cops her Confraria VIP card, and still be home making out with her in less than 45 minutes (obviously, this is a story that deserves its own entry but for the meantime, understand that every bit is true).
8. In Floripa the cops can show up at your party to see if everything is ok and you're having fun.
7. Going out with a group of five guys in Floripa won't get you barred from a club because there are already so many girls there that they essentially need the guys.
6. The crab is actually real in San Francisco.
5. Restaurant waiters acknowledge your presence in San Francisco.
4. Somebody else pumps the gas for me in Floripa.
3. When I surf in Floripa I'm not searching the water for sharks.
2. San Francisco, which is a fairly lax city when it comes to enforcing the law, looks like Singapore compared to Floripa.
1. I see more hot girls having a coffee in the Lagoa than I will see in one year in San Francisco (no offense SF - I still love you!)

A Different Kind of Tax Season

If there is one thing that can snap you back to reality in a heartbeat, it would have to be paying taxes. Every American citizen, no matter where you live in the world, has to pay taxes in the U.S. Now, I certainly wouldn't say that I have ignored the situation, however, I just haven't payed as much attention to it as I have in the years past. In the past, I have had folders, spreadsheets, diagrams (jk), you name it. This year has been a lot different to say the least (I'm slowly turning into a Brazilian). When you are receiving a paycheck, paying your taxes isn't such a big deal (although don't get me wrong, it still sucks). However, when you haven't received a paycheck in a year, it seems that every dollar counts and it's tough to face the reality of giving more money back to the government (somehow this is always the case with me). With that being said, I've gotten my act together the past two weeks and faced the fact that as much as it sucks to pay taxes, you have to do it. The great news is that since I'm living in Brazil I am no longer a California citizen. From a tax perspective, I couldn't be more pleased about this. A few more days and we'll all be done and then we can go back to figuring out when in the hell this economy is going to turn around. Who has 2011 in the office pool?

On the bright side, things continue to be marvelous here. The weather has been as good as it's been all year. I know I've said it a hundred times but I'll say it again. This is absolutely the best time of year in Floripa. In the last two weeks, I have had two friends here as well as my cousin. It's been an amazing time but an unbelievable balancing act. I'm trying to entertain, translate, work, sleep, and essentially coordinate everything. The good news is that everything has been fantastic. I had a blast with my cousin. Even though he was only here for three days, we did in those three days what most people would do in a month. It was outrageous. Including in the three days was my first trip to Lagoinha do Leste. The hike was MUCH harder than we thought but the payoff was insane - an incredibly beautiful, secluded beach straight out of the movies. Since I don't get to spend much time with my family these days, it was really great to have these few days with him.

I had another one of my house parties on Saturday after the arrival of an old friend from San Francisco who now lives in Liverpool. It was, as usual, an insanely good time. I put this one together very last minute but the results were the same. I had a few guys renting my house for the weekend and we thought it would be a good idea to have a house party since. A house party might be an understatement. It's more like a house "club." I got the same complaint a few times and they were all from girls. The complaint was that there were too many girls at the party. Now, I'm not being picky, but who in the world would complain about that???? I know my buddy wouldn't complain. He is already on his way back home to Liverpool where I'm guessing things aren't quite the same as they are here.

Speaking of family, my Dad is making his trip to Floripa and will be arriving this Thursday. No one in my immediately family, except my brother, have been able to visit me so this will be a lot of fun. Of course, I will have to slip back into the host mode (honestly, I think I'm permanently on this mode now). The most interesting thing will be the fact that my Dad wakes up around 5-6AM and this is precisely when I make it home from a night out. Now, one choice will be to cut back on the parties, which certainly I will have to do. However, I can't not go out for 10 days, right? Honestly, I think that's impossible at this point. The first real test will be this Friday, which is a holiday, when Sasha will be playing at Warung. The holiday, Pascoa (or Easter), is something that Brazilians take very seriously (although I tend to think it's just another reason to party). The party is going to be outrageous and, well, you can't really miss it. I usually get home from Warung about 10AM since it's located about an hour and a half from my house. I might have to send Danger Pete on a photography mission on Saturday (I'm sure he can find something interesting to shoot on the beach) while I sleep it off. There is always the option of showing my Dad what a real Floripa party is like by taking him to Warung but I really think his head would explode....

My Favorite Time of the Year

Maybe it's because I arrived here last year during March and those first months were so memorable or maybe it's something else, but all I know is that I just love this time of year in Floripa. The weather is fantastic, most of the tourists are gone (it's great while they're here but it's pretty damn hectic), the waves start picking up a bit, and the parties are still amazing and, luckily, not as frequent (it's good to take break once in awhile although I never seem to do that). During the summer time everyone around here is flying around at a 100 miles per hour and doing a million things at once that there is literally no time to relax. It's basically just party, party, party. Now is the time to relax a bit and enjoy the beauty of Floripa. There are 42 beaches in Floripa and I still have yet to see so many of them. Last weekend I went to the north of the island to a beach called Lagoinha and it was stunningly beautiful. Since I live at Praia Mole, I very rarely venture out to other beaches. It's just too easy to walk across the street. However, after being at Lagoinha, I realized that I really do need to get out and see some new beaches. The good news is that I have a few visitors coming the next few weeks (including the first visit from my Dad!) so maybe I could use it as a good excuse to get out and venture a little more. Next stops will be Lagoinha do Leste and Matadero....

On an unrelated note, I always have to laugh as I consistently run into the same situation. I can't tell you how many times this has happened. A group of American guys were here this week, and I was introduced to them on Tuesday night while they were at Tatsuya. I talked to them for awhile about Floripa and everything that goes on. They had just come from Rio where they had a great time. Anyway, they were bummed because it was so slow their first few days here. They arrived on Sunday and not much was going on the first few days. I tried to explain to them that it's typically pretty mellow here in the beginning of the week. During the summer time, there are parties every day of the week but after Carnival things go back to normal. They had commented about the NY Times article, and I think they were expecting Floripa to be just one non-stop party, which it's not for those of you who have never been here. It's difficult, however, to explain this to people who want to be out every night. My response to people like this is always the same, "Just wait and you'll see." By Thursday they were still not believers and I wasn't even remotely worried. I've seen this exact thing happen 100 times. Unfortunately, the group had two guys who were leaving on Friday before things really got started so I knew they were going to miss out (I actually tried to convince them to stay because I knew Saturday's party was going to be one you wouldn't want to miss). Well, the ending of this story is always the same. The two guys who were here said yesterday was the best party of their lives. They were completely blown away, and keep in mind that these are people who live in Los Angeles and have great lives. It's not like they are living in the woods of Michigan or anything. It's just that if I know one thing about Floripa, it's this: Floripa never, ever disappoints....

I didn't have my camera last night so I don't have any photos of that party yet but I have friends who took tons of pictures. As soon as I get the photos, I will post them. We took some classics...

Carnival in Brazil - An Experience of a Lifetime

I just spent the last week contemplating what to write about Carnival in Salvador and came upon the only logical decision. There is literally no way that I could describe it. It's just one of those things that if I tried to explain it to someone and filled them in on every last detail, it still wouldn't come close to capturing the experience. I always believed that a great writer (and I'm not saying that I'm one of those people!) could describe anything and make the reader really feel everything about the moment. However, this is just one of those things that you could only fully understand if you experienced it in person. I've never seen so much ENERGY, passion, and enjoyment of life in one place. It is literally overwhelming. Try to imagine an entire street (and I mean a looooooooong one) with the hundreds of thousands of joyous people in the world all singing and dancing to one incredible rhythm non-stop for a week straight. Add all of the lights, the production and, most importantly, the surrounding beauty and you have one unbelievable scene. I can honestly say that I got the chills several times. And to be honest, the first night I was there I really didn't like it at all. I had no idea what to do, it was really dirty, and basically I was clueless. However, by night number two I decided that I just needed to go for it (you definitely need to try hard to ignore all of the trash and the overwhelming smell of urine) and make the best of the experience, and that's exactly what I did. It helped a lot that I was with a great group of people. Everyone who gave me advice on Salvador said to just stay in the camarote (VIP area) the whole time. That would have been a huge mistake because the action is definitely down on the street. We followed the trio electricos (the huge semis where the bands play), hung out in the pipoca (which means popcorn but in this case it means the people on the sides of the street who are not in the trios), and basically got ourselves in the mix as much as possible. It was just an overall unbelievable experience, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone with a little taste for fun.

We were fortunate to have a local, Diego, from Salvador in our crew. He was the greatest host of all time, and the coolest thing he did was take us to Liberade. Liberade was the first neighborhood in Salvador and is 100% black. He took us there to see how this little neighborhood celebrates Carnaval and, most specifically, to see the incredible drummers who cruise through. It was really, really special. There is a group of about 100 drummers just walking the neighborhood and playing incredible music. The whole place was jamming to this rhythm. We were the only white people that I saw the whole time (with the one exception of a BBC camera crew), and it was a special deal because without Diego we would have never had the idea or the balls to make this happen. Thank you bro!!!! That was insane!

After Carnaval was over and we finally got some sleep (not to mention getting back to a normal eating schedule), we headed out of town to visit some other places. The beaches in the Northeast of Brazil are beautiful. I felt like I was in Hawaii with all of the palm trees, white sand, and turquoise/warm water. We stayed overnight in Praia do Forte, which is not only incredibly gorgeous but also happens to be one of the best surf spots in Northeast Brazil. We had a long session followed by a cool dinner in a little area with tons of shops, restaurants, and bars. I wish I had more time there because it is a very beautiful place. I will definitely return there in the future. After waking up on Friday and regurgitating some of the week's tasty treats, I finally made it back to Floripa the next day. I will never forget my first Carnival in Brazil. It was one of the best times of my life, and the only thing that I can say is just trust me on this one. Go! You will not be disappointed!