Well… I think I may have squashed that cynic, perhaps for good. And I think I’m okay with that, after all, who can complain about being happy and satisfied with their life?

I don’t mean to be all Pollyanna , but things are good in my life – I have a job I enjoy and am constantly challenged by. Even better is the fact that I recently received a promotion at work which means I now have pretty much the best job security a person can ask for and I make enough money to officially be my boyfriend’s sugar mama. Speaking of the beau, things are going well in that department. Admittedly I suffered from a bit of stupid self-induced girl insecurities, but I’ve worked through it, with a little help (prodding?) from my boyfriend. Things are going well, we’re doing great, and he contributes to that happy, satisfied feeling I’ve got.

But I know you miss the postings about bad dates and so I want to introduce you to a friend of mine, Carla- she serves up stories of awful encounters with a dose of humor, sarcasm, and bit of cynicism. Of course, she mixes it up by also including the occasional happy date story, just to keep it interesting. So go ahead and check out her blog, No Love For You, and get your daily dose of dating gone wrong. Because believe me, I’m happy to not be telling dating horror stories – goodness knows I’ve had my fair share.

They have more fruit than I can identify. Below is a case in point. This odd thing was in Raph’s fridge and when we couldn’t decipher what it was we cut it open to see if the inside gave it away. The ”meat” of the fruit tasted terrible as did the slimy seeds. Turns out it’s a passion fruit.

My favorite fruit I discovered while there is the acai berry. This deep purple berry is mashed up and served like a smoothie. A thick, delicious, highly-caloric smoothie.

While out shopping one day Raph suggested we stop and get a coffee, which in Brazil means an espresso, and so we did, letting him order it for us. When it arrived he explained that they put chocolate in it to sweeten it. Quite a bit of chocolate. The espresso needed no milk or sugar as the chocolate did an excellent job of sweetening it. It was delicious.

All the women in Brazil carry big purses. All of them, everywhere. I never spotted a woman with a dainty little purse. I felt like I should be lugging my Coach bag around to fit in.

While out walking one day I spied a shoe store with a fabulous pair of heels inside. Later I purchased them but they are a little big, so my foot slides in them. Regardless, they’re still lovely!

Their money, the real, is much prettier than ours.

In addition to the usual handicap parking spots featuring a stickman in a wheelchair, they also have this parking spot reserved:

While in Iguazu I saw this giant toad. I tried to get my flip-flop as close to him as possible to be used to measure his size.

I still think these critters are cute:

I ordered this salad one day (dark greens, tomatoes, goat cheese – this one had asparagus in it, and balsamic vinegar) and since returning I’ve eaten the same thing several times (minus the asparagus, the goat cheese here doesn’t come like that!). It is simple and delicious!

To be honest, now that I’m back in the cold winter weather, I miss the warmth of Brazil a bit. Not enough to go back mind you, but a little warm weather would be nice. And while vacation is wonderful it’s nice to be home and back in my usual routine. My next vacation destination will be Germany, Italy, or Egypt, as I have friends in those places that I’m intent on visiting (don’t worry Erica, I’m almost positive it’ll be Italy!). That vacation won’t be until sometime in 2011, and really, that’s fine by me.

Yesterday, my coworker brought in the cookies I’d purchased from her daughter’s troop and handed them over. Walking to the metro I realized I looked a bit like a sugar junkie carrying two plastic grocery bags filled with cookies. I shot a text to several friends, telling them, “On the metro with my girl scout cookies. Must protect them.” Virginia, who is currently at home recovering from a bad car accident replied, “You must. I just emailed my contact and told her that since I have been home I have destroyed mine and will need more asap.” Notice how we talk about them as if they are actually something we’re addicted to?

Of course, for long time readers you may remember a post from years back. More recently, during part of the Snowgasm that hit DC, I picked up some ice cream when the grocery store had little else. The flavor: Edy’s Girl Scouts Tagalong Cookies with Peanut Butter & Fudge Swirls in Vanilla. My boyfriend had never had it before, but after a spoonful he too was an addict.

So Wednesday evening I happily carried home my annual cookie binge. I would like to note that not all the cookies in this picture are mine – I’m not that much of an addict. The stack on the left is for a friend who’s deployed in Afghanistan. And the stack on the right contains three boxes that I bought for my boyfriend because I don’t eat Samoas (yuck, coconut!) or Thin Mints. So really, of the twelve boxes shown, only three are mine.

Of course it’s actually horrible timing as I’m on a bit of a post-vacation diet (too much gluttonous eating and drinking while in Brazil), so I’m not eating my beloved Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos just yet. I realize one cookie won’t ruin a diet but really, who can eat just one of those delicious little cookies?

After giving us a google map of the neighborhood, Raph tossed us the keys to his apartment and he headed out for a brief escape of his own. After showers and naps to recharge, David and I set out to get a cup of coffee.

We discovered two things quite quickly: 1) Few people speak English, so knowing a little Portuguese (or having a translation app on your phone!) is really quite helpful, and 2) very little is open during Carnival.

After getting some coffee and wandering around a bit we hit the pool before crashing early. The next day started with a 4-mile run (yes, I run on vacation) and a bit more wandering of the area before we hopped in a cab and caught our flight to Rio.

The flight to Rio was quick and easy and soon another cab was dropping us off at our over-priced hotel. After ditching our stuff we headed out, where the partying of Carnival was in full swing. Roads are closed as people flood the streets in a big, country-wide party (remember what I said earlier – precious little is open during this holiday – nearly all shops and stores close, though the restaurants and bars stay open). You couldn’t walk more than 50 feet before there was someone selling cold beers. We wandered around, had a few beers, and watched the people around us.

The next day we did a city tour. The first stop – Christ the Redeemer, or as I like to call it – the Big, Scary Jesus.

From there the tour stated we were stopping by a famous church in Rio. We assumed it was an old church until the guide stated the church’s construction had been completed in 1984. 1984?! I’m seeing a church that’s younger than I am?! Turns out this church is huge (apparently it can hold 20,000 people) and is unlike any church I’ve ever seen. While the stained glass inside was pretty, overall the rest was not. In fact, if felt like I was in some sort of sci-fi movie. The below picture captures what I thought of the church’s design.

From there we hit Sugar Loaf Mountain which requires two trams to get to the top. The view is quite spectacular from there and as I looked down the steep incline I said to David, “I wonder if people climb this thing?” Guess my limited experience with climbing affected me. Believe me,  I don’t yet want to attempt any sort of crazy climbs, or even outdoor climbs yet, but still, I found myself gazing down the side of the insanely steep rock, wishing I could see people climbing up it.

The next day was spend wandering around Rio more and observing the craziness that goes along with Carnival. Even though I didn’t see the big parades with the elaborate costumes, I did see plenty of people in costumes. Including a couple of guys wearing silver body paint from head to toe and little else.

That afternoon (it’s Tuesday by now) we hopped a flight to Iguazu. Once there, another cab to our hostel. I’ve never stayed at a hostel before, so this was new for me. It’s basically like camp (I slept in a bunk bed for the first time in YEARS!), but they served good food and there plenty of English speaking people to mingle with. This was a nice change after having spend the previous 3 days with the same person and talking to few other people. Even friends run out of things to talk about after a while. So that first night at the hostel I chatted with two Irish sisters, an Aussie, and a couple from – of all places – northern Virginia.

Wednesday morning we caught a bus to Iguazu Falls. The first thing we saw were these cute little critters called coati. I immediately wanted to take one home, but then realized Daisy would try to eat it and that game would get old quickly. So instead I settled for taking a few pics with them. You’ll just have to trust me when I say they’re even cuter in person.

Heading down the paved path to the falls, this was my first glimpse at them.

From there it just got better, as you walk closer to the falls and see more and more of them. They seem to go on forever, the intensity and power of them is amazing.

After spending a few hours there, we trekked over to a Bird Reserve. Admittedly, I was a little cranky by then but we headed in. And I’m glad we did because we had a good time there, even if I was slightly freaked out by the toucans.

Of course, I should have been scared of this big, ugly guy:

Or at least the macaws:

And then we walked by this scene and stood laughing hysterically. To get “in position” the tortoise moved surprisingly quick. Once there however, all movement stopped and we wondered if anything was actually occurring. After about a minute the female scrambled away and the male lit a cigarette and had a dopey smile on his face, so I can only assume he enjoyed himself.

From there it was back to the hostel for another night before flying back to Sau Paulo the next day. At the hostel I spent more than an hour, lying in a hammock, reading my book and enjoying the warm weather. Not gonna lie – that’s my idea of relaxing.

The next day we hopped our flight back to SP and that night we went to dinner with Raph and his friends at a very cool hotel called Unique Hotel. Here’s a picture of it, the restaurant is on the top!

Dinner was fantastic – in fact, I had foie gras for the first time in years. And yes, I know, it’s terrible the way it’s made, but damn does it taste good. So I happily spread it on bread and washed it down with some red wine.

The next day, after a nice run, Raph took us around the city. While I’ve found disputing facts online as to where SP ranks as far as population, it’s somewhere around 20 million people. It’s huge, the skyscrapers are never ending and the city just keeps expanding outward.

We grabbed lunch on the 41st floor of one such building and from the wrap-around balcony I snapped these pictures of the city:

The next day we headed home, and to be honest, I was ready to leave. At 11pm we sat on the plane headed back for the states and while the trip back to DC was shorter (around 18 hours), it was still a long day. Ultimately, it was a good vacation, but I’m happy to be home and getting back into my regular routine.