NITEROI NITE A WHAT

NITEROI IS A CITY JUST EAST OF RIO DE JANEIRO. YOU CAN TAKE A FERRY ACROSS THE GUANABARA BAY OR RIDE ACROSS THE RIO-NITEROI BRIDGE. IT'S JUST UNDER 8.5 MILES LONG. I TOOK THE FERRY ACROSS. AND FOR KICKS I TOOK IT DURING RUSH HOUR! IT'S A QUICK TEN MINUTE RIDE BUT PROVIDES HORIZON LINE VIEWS OF BOTH RIO AND NITEROI. ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF THE BAY THERE IS FISCAL ISLAND/ILHA FISCAL. IT'S A TINY LIL ISLANT WITH A LAVISH ORNATE CASTLE LIKE BUILDING. MY BUDDY TOLD ME THAT ONCE IT WAS COMPLETE THE LAST/THIRD KING IN RIO SUMMONED A BALL AND THE NEXT DAY THE KINGDOM WAS TOPPLED BY SOME OF THE BALL'S GUESTS. ONCE IN NITEROI I EXPLORED THE OUTDOOR MARKETS. THE ACCENT IS REALLY DIFFERENT IN RIO/NITEROI. MORE RASPY, MORE ELONGATED WORDS. I WAS TOLD TO TRY THE SITE SPECIFIC MINEIRINHO SODA. IT'S ONLY FROM NITEROI AND CATCHING ON IN THE NEIGHBORING STATES. IT'S NOT REALLY COKE BUT RESEMBLES IT IN COLOR AND IT'S NOT AS BUBBLY. IT'S A GUARANA SODA. SWEET AND IT GETS YOU HYPE.

BOTANICAL GARDENS

ON MY LAST DAY IN RIO I VISTED THE 204 YEAR OLD BOTANICAL GARDEN OF RIO DE JANEIRO. IT WAS STARTED BY KING JOAO VI IN 1808. THE KINGDOM OF PORTUGAL MOVED TO RIO TO AVOID THE SIEGE OF NAPOLEAN AND THEREFORE NOT LOSING. ANYWAYS LONG STORY SHORT THE KING NEEDED SOME LUXURY AND BEAUTY IN HIS NEW SWEATY HOME OF RIO. SO THEN THE BOTANICAL GARDEN BEGAN.

I DID SEE JESUS

I HAD TO DO ONE TOURISTIC THING. THE VIEW OF RIO FROM THE TOP IS INCREDIBLE. THERE ARE A FEW WAYS UP TO JESUS. WE TOOK A SMALL TRAIN. THE POPE TOOK THE TRAIN, SO THE CHOICE WAS OBVIOUS.

PHONE SEX OR SEX PHONE

SOME PAY PHONES IN RIO PROVIDED INFORMATION FOR FUN. I GUESS I DIDN'T HAVE ANY FUN.

ACAI, CANDY, COCONUT, VEGGIES OH MY!

IN RIO I ATE VERY WELL!

OH! RiO

100 YEAR OLD RESTAURANT, FRIENDS, UNPASTEURIZED BEER KNOWN AS CHOPP, AMAZING FOOD(FRIED SARDINES!) AND SERVICE = OH! RiO

MY SALARY IS THIS BIG, E O SALARIO, O!

TWO TEAMS THAT NOTORIOUSLY DISLIKE EACH OTHER PLAYED TODAY. AS THE FIRST GOAL WAS MADE THE EXCITED PLAYER ALMOST PINCHED HIS TWO FINGERS TOGETHER AND RAN AROUND IN HIS CELEBRATORY GLOW THRUSTING HIS FIST IN THE AIR. THE CROWD WENT WILD. THIS GESTURE IS A REFERENCE TO CHICO ANYSIO, A BELOVED COMEDIAN/HUMORIST THAT RECENTLY DIED. CHICO WOULD DO THE SAME HAND MOTION IN A SKIT REFERRING TO HIS SMALL INCOME.

PEE EYE ZEE ZEE AY

I'VE HEARD NOTHING BUT BEAUTIFUL GLUTINOUS COMPLIMENTS OF SP PIZZA. I'VE HELD OUT HAVING ANY OF IT UNTIL THE LAST LEG OF MY JOURNY HERE. THE RESISTANCE STEMS FROM MY LACK OF CONTROL. WHAT IF I REALLY LIKED THIS PIZZA? I REALLY WOULDN'T STOP MYSELF FROM HAVING IT EVERYDAY. TROUBLE. PALMEIRAS IS A CHARMING DINER LIKE RESTAURANT TO HAVE MY FIRST BITE OF THIS CHEESY GOODNESS. HOLY FUCK IT'S CHESSY. HOLY FUCK IT'S GOOD. NOT LIKE PIZZA IN THE STATES. IT'S REALLY ITS OWN THING. UNBELIEVABLE. MOIST, ROOM TEMP, AND OOZING. I'M HAPPY I HAD A SLICE BUT REALLY HAPPY THAT I HAVEN'T HAD THIS EVERYDAY. 

CARNIVAL LEFTOVERS LINGER

SHANGRI-LA ON EVERY CORNER

THE BEST THING EVER!

ACAI BERRY PUREE TOPPED WITH FRUIT AND GRANOLA. 

OLD AND NEW

WE'VE HAD A FEW RAINY DAYS HERE. ON ONE OF THOSE DAYS I LEARNED A NEW GAME THAT WAS INTRODUCED BY A FRENCH CANADIAN TO A FRENCH GAL LIVING IN SP, RAPHAELLE FAURE. SHE THEN CREATED A BOARD AND SPREAD THE GAME TO OTHERS IN SAO PAULO THEN ME! 


THEN LATE ONE NIGHT A WONDERFUL PHOTOGRAPHER FROM THE SOUTH OF BRAZIL, ROMY POCZTARUK, READ MY TAROT CARDS. APPARENTLY THE CARDS I PICKED WERE GREAT PICKS. WE'LL SEE! EEEK I HOPE.

ALEXANDRE BARBOSA DE SOUZA

A POET, THINKER, INTELLECTUAL. I HAD A WONDERFUL AFTERNOON WALKING AND TALKING WITH ALEXANDRE. HE HAS DONE A LOT IN BRAZIL AND CUBA AND HE CONTINUALLY WRITES. A COMPILATION FROM MOST OF HIS WORKS WILL BE OUT LATER THIS YEAR. IT WAS A TREAT TO DISCUSS HIS PROCESS AS A POET AND COMPARE IT TO MY PROCESS AS A VISUAL ARTIST. HE'S A FATHER AND A HUSBAND AAAAAND HE IS A PROLIFIC TRANSLATOR. PATTY SMITH'S BIO, MOBY DICK AND MORE, WAY MORE I JUST CAN'T REMEMBER. HE TRANSLATED MOBY DICK!!!! WE DRANK BEERS. YES WE DID.

THINK DINER, HOPPER, RETRO, UNIFORMS, BURGERS, FRUIT JUICE, CANDY, SMOKES AND BEER.

THE SAO PAULO LANCHETTE IS A COMMON SITE JUST AS STARBUCKS ARE ON EVERY AMERICAN STREET CORNER. I'M TOLD IT'S A VERY SP THING. ALL TILED OUT WITH AN ISLAND OF SERVICE SURROUNDED BY COOL ROTATING STOOLS AND CONVERSATION ALL AROUND. WE DRINK BEERS HERE. REALLY COLD BEERS. OLD FELLAS EAT SANDWICHES AND WATCH THE TUBE. YOUNG LADIES WALK UP AND BUY SMOKES. IT'S FAST AND LAID BACK. 

WAYNE THIEBAUD REALLY PAINTS SAO PAULO

"ART IS MADE TO CONTINUE BEING ILLUSION: IF ONE ENTERS THE DOMINION OF REALITY, WE ARE LOST."

I HAD THE PLEASURE OF HAVING COFFEE WITH REGINA SILVEIRA IN HER STUIDO/HOME. SHE EMBODIES LIVING AND BREATHING ART AND SHE'S VIBRANT AND ENERGETIC AS HER WORK IS. SHE MADE THE CHOICE WAY BACK TO FOCUS AND STRICTLY BE AN ARTIST AND THE OUTCOME IS BLISS. 

A BAUDRILLARD QUOTE FROM AESTHETIC ILLUSION AND DISILLUSION TAKEN FROM AN ESSAY ENTREIMAGENS [INTERIMAGES] BY ADOLFO MONTEJO NAVAS.

IT'S THE SAME SKY EVERYWHERE

BECO DO GRAFFITI

THIS CITY, LIKE MANY HUGE MEGA CITIES, HAS TONZ OF GRAFFITI. I VISITED AN ALLEY DEDICATED TO THIS CRAFT.

IT'S REALLY REALLY HOT!

IT'S THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER HERE AND IT'S A BLAZING INFERNO DURING THE DAY WHILE THE NIGHTS ARE A PERFECT 67 DEGREES/20 CELSIUS. I'VE FOUND MYSELF EATING ONE HUGE MEAL IN THE AFTERNOON AND THEN EATING SMALL FRUITS THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. THE CHOICES FOR FOOD ARE FANTASTIC AND IT'S A GREAT CITY TO EAT VEGGIES.

CEMITERIO SAO PAULO

A TRANQUIL PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF A HIP NEIGHBORHOOD. LOTS OF RESTAURANTS AND BARS SURROUND THIS QUITE PLACE. THIS CEMETERY HOUSES FAMILY PLOTS WITH WHOLE GENERATIONS PLACED IN A VAULTED TOMB. THE SCULPTURES THROUGHOUT THE CEMETERY ARE OF CLASSIC RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS OR OF THE ACTUAL MORTAL FAMILY MEMBERS. SOME SCULPTURES EVEN DEPICT EMOTIONAL POSTURES OF PEOPLE DRAMATICALLY ENGAGING WITH THE TOMBS. 

THIS CITY DOES NOT HELP MY DRESS ADDICTION!

PARANAPIACABA

IS A SMALL SLEEPY TOWN TWO HOURS OUTSIDE OF SAO PAULO. IT WAS A COMPANY TOWN OWNED BY THE BRITISH FOR THE SAO PAULO RAILWAYS. THERE IS EVEN A MINI BIG BEN WHERE ALL THE RAILS WOULD HAVE ENTERED THE TOWN. LIKE MOST COMPANIES, WHEN TIMES GET TOUGH THEY PACK UP AND DIP OUT. SO NOW IT'S A RELIC TO THE PAST WITH EFFORTS TO IMMORTALIZE THE TOWN AND MAKE IT A DESTINATION FOR TOURISTS. IT'S REALLY SAD THE RAILWAYS ARE NOT USED THE WAY THEY HAD BEEN. THIS TOWN WOULD HAVE BEEN A STOP ALONG THE WAY TO RIO. 

LATE NIGHT HANG OUT WITH RAPHAELLE AND CARLOS AND DIDIER DE LA BLACHE

NEW YORK HAS CHINATOWN, SAO PAULO HAS JAPANTOWN

LIBERDADE IS A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH ALL THINGS JAPANESE WHICH MEANS AMAZING FOOD.

WARNING! THIS STRUCTURE CONTAINS MORE THAN 350,000 BOOKS.

MONK MADE CAKE

A TASTY SWEET HONEY CAKE COVERED IN CHOCOLATE MADE BY A MONK

STUDIO VISIT/HANG OUT DAY WITH DANIEL MURGEL!

DOLLADOLLADOLLA CIGS YALL?

OOOOH THE GRIDS I SEE

CHURCH AS MY RESTING PLACE/PRAISE TO LORD GOOGLE.

SEEING THE ORNATE PATTERNS OF CHURCH FLOORS HAS BECOME COMMON FOR ME. THE CHURCH OFFERS A PLACE OF SILENCE FOR MY LORD GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM TO GUIDE MY WAY. AS MY HEAD IS BOWED DOWN IN CONTEMPLATION, I LOOK LIKE IM PRAYING AND FIT "IN" AS I FIGURE OUT WHERE THE FUCK I AM AND WHERE I HAVE TO BE!

FRIED FOOD BASKETS FOR GIANTS OR GARBAGE CANS FOR PAULISTANOS?