Learning Spanish in Quito

Ilha Grande turned out to be good, I´ve seen similar in Asia so I was not totally amazed but I had a couple of nice days there before me and four others left for Paratay a small town with a nice little old quarter. There we spent one night. Friday me, Simon and Sean took the buss to Sao Paulo, I spent a few hours hanging out with them before I left for the airport to hang out there waiting for my 6 o clock flight to Quito. One afternoon in Sao Paulo was for me more than enough even though a Brazilian girl diagnosed me as insane leaving Sao Paulo on a Friday without experiencing the nightlife. So than I left Brazil, despite all warnings, without being mugged, killed or assaulted in anyway and I didn’t see any dead people either.

After a long night, long flight and awful delay in Lima and no pickup at the airport and some phone calls I ended up at my new home for the next two weeks. I will stay with Marcia and Jorge while I do my language course. Very nice couple that do not speak English, therefore the dictionary has been my best friend the last few days. I had my first class today and I now know more than ordering beer and hopefully I don’t encounter more serious problems ordering at restaurants. More because in Paratay when it was dinner time I eyed some bacalhau on the menu, for me this is a tomato based dish with potatoes, olives and fish (often Norwegian) - it is delicious. However I did want to assure that it was bone free and since bone was not in my portouguese/spanish vocabulary I really made a scene by doing some drawings and involving half of the restaurant to sort this out and finally the waiter could confirm that there were no bones present in the dish. Anyway, it ended in me having four small fried fish balls for dinner (boneless). How could I know that bacalhau actually means just cod in Spanish…


Since I never got a picture of me at Ipanema here is one taken in Kirkenes visiting Gunhild this summer. The only appropriate way to wear a bikini in Norway, with wool underneath

Ilha Grande

After almost a week in Rio I have now arrived Ilha Grande, where I will stay a few days before I head towards Sao Paulo. My first week ha been awesome! The hostel was great, the tours were great, dancing samba to 4 o clock in the morning was even better! Night food being beef on a stick for 6 NOK is also something I can live with. People are nice and smiling, and gorgeous!! We are talking Gisele Bundchen at every other corner and not to mention hot grandmas with six packs.. and if you ignore the, too common, small Speedos there are loads of hot guys as well. Conclusion: go to Rio!! (but maybe not for your honey moon)

Ciao!

Svalbard

It is now less than two weeks before I leave for South America. For a small warm-up I have spent the last ten days in the opposite direction; Svalbard. Coincidences resulted in a trip by sail boat from Longyear town to Signehamna, slightly north from New Ålesund, and back again (for those who are not familiar with artic geography go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard). At almost 80 degrees north pretty much everything is the northernmost something. It is beautiful, it’s cold and the home to my new favourite animal; the walrus. Although it felt pretty good taking a shower after almost two weeks with limited washing possibilities and beginning dreads, I wish I could have been there longer. Everything comes to an end, but fortunately there are new beginnings ahead, Rio De Janeiro 13 days….