Rio de Janiero, Brazil

Location:  Rio de Janiero, Brazil

Rundown:  Spent the Dieciocho week in Rio soaking up sun, sand, and cachaça!

Rented an apartment with friends in Copacabana, a few blocks from the beach for our Dieciocho break in Chile!  Patriotically left the country.

Samba-ed our way around the marvelous city.  We are unaccustomed to not speaking the language.  Portuguese sounds a little like Spanish, but isn't commutative.  They may as well have been speaking Greek.

Walked to Pão do Açucar, bulding out of the peninsula and took a cable car to the top.

Spent a few hours with the other gawkers watching the sun set and the lights of the city fire up.

Obligatorily went to the statue of Christ the Redeemer.  More sweeping views and hordes of people, but amazing, friendly atmosphere.

Getting ready to go out we made dinner and caipirinhas, which of course led to lime juggling.

Getting our Brazilian on.  I counted all the little hearts on this bag.  There were a brazilion of them.

Had a few great beach days (and evenings) on the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches.

Got a little surfing and the like in.

I love Rio.  People wear bathing suits they have no business being in, and rock the heck out of it.  Good for them!  I unabashedly busted out the tiny swim shorts.  Fire up chips.

After our friends headed home, Miranda and I moved to a chic hotel in Lapa, the hilly, artsy San-Fran area of town.

 The city is very dynamic and vibrant.  You wouldn't guess it by the subdued locals, hey?

We walked the town and soaked up the local flavor.

Great things to see around town, and though it didn't feel dangerous, you were never far from a favela.  Just watch where you wander.

Lots of great food to be had, interesting things to see.  Great people and great caipirinhas!  

And then, it was back to Chile and a language I kind of understand!  Ciao Brazil!

Nick's Wedding!

Location:  Traverse City, MI

Rundown:  Back to the states three weeks after returning to Chile for my buddy Nick's wedding!



Flew out of Santiago at 7PM on Wednesday, August 28th, hopped to Huston, then Minneapolis, then Detroit at midday.  Nick's gregarious, good-timing Aunt Ann was so gracious to pick me up at the airport despite a unexpected flight delay and drive me five more hours clear up to Traverse City.  Pulled into T.C. at 7PM Thursday, August 29th, after twenty-four hours of non-stop travel.  Only a few schmucks are worth this.  Nick Brown is one of 'em.

The boys were out on a sailboat in Grand Traverse Bay, off Power Island, already getting their sea legs.  Aunt Ann passed me off to Ian's dad, who drove me out to Mission Peninsula.  Ran out on a dock, and the fellas threw me in a dinghy and motored me to the boat!  Felt like the John Candy movie, Planes Trains and Automobiles.

Happy to be back and stationary (besides the rocking of the boat).  I hadn't seem my buddy Tony in six years or so.  We had some catching up to do, and so we went into the wee hours of the night doing so.  There may or may not have been skinny-dipping.  Buncha dudes... that's weird.

Hard to tell in the morning how 'overboard' one was the night before when you're on a boat.  Everything is listing and rocking.  Sometimes it cancels itself out, like negative interference of wave anti-nodes, but other times...

Peeled ourselves out of our berths and on deck under cloudy skies spitting a touch of rain.  Within an hour the clouds had vanished leaving sunny skies and a fabulous northern Michigan summer day.

Spent the next day doing all the pre-wedding festivites.  Got to see a lot of old friends, Nick and Ian's families, whom I haven't seen in years.  Got to wear blue shirts with my buddies.  I don't know how we got so lucky to randomly have been put together in dorms all those years ago.  These are among the best friends and people I know.  Just don't tell them that.  It'll go to their heads.  Jerks.

On game day a trolley drove us all over Traverse City taking shots.  We had a ball.  Can't beat getting dressed up with all your buddies and being driven around town with a stocked cooler.

More photos, fun, and time to catch up.  Shot photos all over.  Parks, waterfront, abandoned buildings, and forests. 

Well done Mr. and Mrs. Brown.  Look at those beautiful children!  Sorry about the middle one though.  Your daughters make up for his oddity.

After a beautiful ceremony we ate, drank, and danced through the night. 

The SO's, Breanna and Jesse were also in good form and tearing up the dance floor.

And a good time was had by all.  The next morning I caught a ride back down to Detroit and flew back south!  Round Trip Travel Time:  96 hrs.  Total Time in T.C:  96 hrs.  Time well spent.