Brasil - Rio De Janeiro - Paraty - Sao Paolo

Hey guys!

Sorry for being MIA for the month of November! Anytime I go and come back from vacation there are many things to take care of around the house. Keeping a house hold running is not an easy task!

I went to Brasil for one week. Taking shuttle buses, over night shuttles buses around the country and local buses and subways is a very safe thing and not at once did I feel sketched out. Although everyone speaks Portuguese in Brasil my friend and I found the common language of hand signals works fantasically!

Do not go to Brasil thinking things are cheap because they are not! One night my friend and I wandered into a clothing store and the quality of the goods there were not so great but the prices were way higher than in Canada. We also saw many signs with 5x or 10x assuming it was an in store reward point system they had. It was not. The lady at our hostel in Sao Paolo informed us they were monthly payments, 5 months or 10 months. People in Brasil finance their clothing. This was something new to me and my friend. Imported products get taxed heavily and are prized in Brasil. Goods made in China are an everyday common thing to us Canadians but in Brasil they have a dedicated tag to themselves 'importato producto'.

Not everything is ridiculously expensive in Brasil there are street vendors and markets as well. My friend and I randomly wandered to a craft store that can rival those in Hong Kong. It was at least 5 stories high! A must see is the Saturday flea market in Sao Paolo, this is one true antique flea market. We were also lucky enough to catch the Sunday Hippie Market in Rio before I had to fly back home.

Side note: do not think you can tour around the fancy hotels in Rio De Janeiro. My friend and I decided to take a look inside the ballin' Copacabana Palace ... we did not make it past the second step inside the lobby ... we got escorted out not by one but two security guards in suits and ear pieces :D  

Would I recommend traveling to Rio De Janeiro - yes. Sao Paolo - maybe. Beach town of Paraty - yes but one day is enough if you are not doing the wilderness excursions.

I'm back I'm back I'm back!!!

My trip to Asia was a world wind! I went to Taipei, Seoul and Hong Kong. Flying 6 times especially with two 13 hour flights, it took me a while to get my bearings when I got home.

I was in Taipei for a weekend getaway and the main purpose was to eat their street food and street meat! I never new Taipei was known for their street food, they put other cities and countries to shame.

I did do my nails prior to leaving Vancouver thinking I will get a blinged out Asian manicure while I am away. Let's just say it did not pan out as I thought it would. My friend and I were exhausted from a day filled with shopping and eating so we decided to go get a manicure. Mind you, this was about 10:30PM. We were in a pretty bumpin part of town near our hotel. However, I did not recall ever seeing a tattoo shop or a body piercing place. Hummers parked on street corners in Asia. So gangster. Regardless, we finally saw a nail salon that was open!!! We practically ran in because we wanted someplace to sit and get pampered. Boy oh boy were we in for a surprise. This two seater place also had a bed in there for girls to get eye lash extensions ... in the open. We sat down and we knew it was a mistake. The vibe from the place seemed like they catered to a specific type of late night career woman. Then the girl doing my nails started FILING off the polish instead of using nail polish remover. I almost cried. Because they only spoke Mandarin, I was in no luck. I was locked in for the rest of the ride. Turns out the polish was Shellac-ish. I had the worse time getting it off when I got home and my nail underneath was scratched up :(

So ladies, don't go to some random hole in the wall at around 11 in the night to get a manicure. Wait until daylight when you are well rested and level headed.

I thought I would score lots of cute DIY knick knacks while I was in Korea. But no such luck and no such time. However, while I was in Hong Kong my BFF Vivian took me to the fabric district. I was in HEAVEN. It was basically blocks of stores selling fabric, trims, beads, buttons, bindings, findings, crafting goods ... just EVERYTHING!!! This area is called Sham Shu Po in Kowloon.

One of my favorite places in that area is Accessory Republic Company Ltd. Not only was their selection HUGE but their prices were so CHEAP (to the eyes of a Canadian crafter that is). The ladies working there were more than helpful! If you have a project in mind they will let you know exactly where each component is and would give you detailed tips and tricks as well. Let's just say these ladies know their stuff and around the neighborhood too. If they didn't carry something they will direct you to a shop nearby.

All in all it was a good trip! I didn't leave my heart in any city but I did leave one of my best friends in Hong Kong. Technically, I didn't leave her there, she moved there hahaha. Vivian, I was glad I got to be with you 24/7 for a couple of weeks until the next time I see you!