Thursday, March 30, 2006
The Biz!
Hi there!
Just wanted to tell you a little about "The Biz" because then, when you're in Fortaleza, you can drop by. You'll need to call me to get directions because we're not in the tourist area.
"The Biz" is a small "lanchanete" in Portuguese. It's really a little hole in the wall but with great food and good company!
It's on a street called Carlos Vasconcelos, 2054, if you can find it.
We have everything from Cafe in the morning, to drinks and various finger foods in the evening.
And everything is priced to be within reach for everyone. After all, we have to cater to the local Fortalezans in the area, and even though the lanchanete is situated in Aldeota, one of the higher rent area of the city, people here are not tourists and are paying in Reals, not US dollars or Euros!
Say hello to my beautiful Brasilera Thieny when you're there. She's in charge most days and her sister Guaraciana is a fantastic cook.
If you're a client of MY little company, "Fortaleza Adventure", you're bound to have visited at least once!
Just wanted to tell you a little about "The Biz" because then, when you're in Fortaleza, you can drop by. You'll need to call me to get directions because we're not in the tourist area.
"The Biz" is a small "lanchanete" in Portuguese. It's really a little hole in the wall but with great food and good company!
It's on a street called Carlos Vasconcelos, 2054, if you can find it.
We have everything from Cafe in the morning, to drinks and various finger foods in the evening.
And everything is priced to be within reach for everyone. After all, we have to cater to the local Fortalezans in the area, and even though the lanchanete is situated in Aldeota, one of the higher rent area of the city, people here are not tourists and are paying in Reals, not US dollars or Euros!
Say hello to my beautiful Brasilera Thieny when you're there. She's in charge most days and her sister Guaraciana is a fantastic cook.
If you're a client of MY little company, "Fortaleza Adventure", you're bound to have visited at least once!
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Still truckin'
Hi there!
Life goes on...but I STILL do not understand Brasileiras!
I think Brasileiras must be the most jealous women in the world!
The best advice I can give Gringos who want to have Brasileira girlfriends, or perhaps aspire to marry one...don't cross them!
They make awesome partners in many ways, but they also make just as awesome enemies!
Fortaleza adventure has a new client coming to town next month and it looks like a couple more in May as the summer season unfolds north of the Equator.
If you have a friend who would like to see Fortaleza and what the Northeast of Brazil has to offer, please put them in touch.
The weather here right now tends to be a little sticky because it's the rainy season and there is more moisture in the air. Typically we get a couple of showers in the morning between 4.30-5.30am and then the rest of the day is sunny with a few clouds.
Sometimes there are days that are mostly cloudy, but they are very few.
You remember that Fortaleza is famous for having over 3000 hours of sunshine a year! If it's raining a lot that won't be happening.
Not too many tourists here now but I did meet Clarence from Portland and originally from Texas on the street right outside my building the other day. He was with another Texan named Rob who has been here for several months. Clarence was here a month ago and just came back for a couple of weeks. He is staying in the pousada just down the hill from my building. I'm surrounded by pousadas. There's one on the other side of the building as well.
One of the best pousadas in town is called Aquarius and is on Msgn Tabosa in Praia de Iracema. It's owned by Europeans who keep it extremely clean, and their cafe in the morning is terrific!
I have been doing a fair amount of voiceover work lately but it never seems to be enough.
I'm also working on a "podcast' and I'll tell you know more about that later.
Tchau for now!
Life goes on...but I STILL do not understand Brasileiras!
I think Brasileiras must be the most jealous women in the world!
The best advice I can give Gringos who want to have Brasileira girlfriends, or perhaps aspire to marry one...don't cross them!
They make awesome partners in many ways, but they also make just as awesome enemies!
Fortaleza adventure has a new client coming to town next month and it looks like a couple more in May as the summer season unfolds north of the Equator.
If you have a friend who would like to see Fortaleza and what the Northeast of Brazil has to offer, please put them in touch.
The weather here right now tends to be a little sticky because it's the rainy season and there is more moisture in the air. Typically we get a couple of showers in the morning between 4.30-5.30am and then the rest of the day is sunny with a few clouds.
Sometimes there are days that are mostly cloudy, but they are very few.
You remember that Fortaleza is famous for having over 3000 hours of sunshine a year! If it's raining a lot that won't be happening.
Not too many tourists here now but I did meet Clarence from Portland and originally from Texas on the street right outside my building the other day. He was with another Texan named Rob who has been here for several months. Clarence was here a month ago and just came back for a couple of weeks. He is staying in the pousada just down the hill from my building. I'm surrounded by pousadas. There's one on the other side of the building as well.
One of the best pousadas in town is called Aquarius and is on Msgn Tabosa in Praia de Iracema. It's owned by Europeans who keep it extremely clean, and their cafe in the morning is terrific!
I have been doing a fair amount of voiceover work lately but it never seems to be enough.
I'm also working on a "podcast' and I'll tell you know more about that later.
Tchau for now!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Latest Developments!
Hi there!
It's been quite a while since my last post, so what I'm doing here is trying to catch you up with highlights of the past several months.
Up until about six months ago, things with Thieny, Israel and I were basically normal for life in Fortaleza.
Our existence is not exactly what most permanent residents experience because we still rent our condo, but we will rectify that in the future by purchasingour own place, probably another condo and probably also in Aldeota...maybe not quite as close to the beach as we are at the moment.
A couple of months ago, Thieny and I along with my good friend, John Mueller, who also blogs here, became partners in a small luncheonette (in portuguese "lanchanete") in an area of Aldeota far enough away from the beach that it doesn't get any of the tourist traffic.
I suppose you can look at this as "good news-bad news".
On the one hand, you don't have the European and North American tourists coming to our place, but on the other, we don't have a "season" either...just constant customers.
It was an existing business we purchased from Francisco, who had been the owner for eighteen years! He also has a barraca on the beach in Iguape and has always wanted to put his entire effort into that. Now he can.
The lanchanete had been closed for two months when we purchased it so its taken a while to build up the customer traffic again. Thieny has done a super job of organizing the place, buying supplies and hiring a garcon, or waiter. Thieny's older sister Guaraseanna, cooks for us because she has many years experience in the restaurant business and is an excellent cook.
It takes many hours a day for the business and the start-up has taken its toll on Thieny. She is exhausted! We need to take a long weekend...or more, soon!
I am still doing my audio work, commercials and marketing presentations, with my home studio for clients back in North America. I'm only doing English conversation with one student, Marcus, at the moment, but really enjoy our talks twice a week.
But I have an additional venture now as well, called Fortaleza Adventure!
When I first came to the city, I helped a number of others who also visited or moved here. I did it free of charge because I enjoyed helping them discover the city I love.
Then I decided that if I was committing all this time to the assistance I gave, why not charge a small fee and make it into a business.
I have had a number of clients, mainly from North America but from Australia and Europe as well, who have taken advantage of my assistance.
I cover everything from pickup at the airport to finding accomodation to organizing beachtours to shopping to pointing out where the nightlife can be found. If a longer stay is involved, I can assist with the CPF card, which is needed to buy any "big ticket" item, including cell phones, and arranging real estate agents and legal help if there is interest in buying property, condos or houses.
So life is a little different now.
Thieny is at the lanchanete from 8.30am until the early afternoon, then back around 5pm until closing...never really sure when that is...whenever the last customer leaves!
I'm usually stuck in front of the computer or doing something for one or another client...out to the airport for a change in ticketing, a tour of the big shopping center, Iguatemi, or just coffee at one of the favorite ex-pat gathering places in Meireles, Deli Italia, on Desembargador Moirera.
Israel is changing schools to one that happens to be right across the street from the lanchanete. Very convenient.
That's it for now, but if you're planning a visit to Brazil or Fortaleza, please visit the website or email, andy@andyneill.com, and maybe I can be of help.
Till next time.
It's been quite a while since my last post, so what I'm doing here is trying to catch you up with highlights of the past several months.
Up until about six months ago, things with Thieny, Israel and I were basically normal for life in Fortaleza.
Our existence is not exactly what most permanent residents experience because we still rent our condo, but we will rectify that in the future by purchasingour own place, probably another condo and probably also in Aldeota...maybe not quite as close to the beach as we are at the moment.
A couple of months ago, Thieny and I along with my good friend, John Mueller, who also blogs here, became partners in a small luncheonette (in portuguese "lanchanete") in an area of Aldeota far enough away from the beach that it doesn't get any of the tourist traffic.
I suppose you can look at this as "good news-bad news".
On the one hand, you don't have the European and North American tourists coming to our place, but on the other, we don't have a "season" either...just constant customers.
It was an existing business we purchased from Francisco, who had been the owner for eighteen years! He also has a barraca on the beach in Iguape and has always wanted to put his entire effort into that. Now he can.
The lanchanete had been closed for two months when we purchased it so its taken a while to build up the customer traffic again. Thieny has done a super job of organizing the place, buying supplies and hiring a garcon, or waiter. Thieny's older sister Guaraseanna, cooks for us because she has many years experience in the restaurant business and is an excellent cook.
It takes many hours a day for the business and the start-up has taken its toll on Thieny. She is exhausted! We need to take a long weekend...or more, soon!
I am still doing my audio work, commercials and marketing presentations, with my home studio for clients back in North America. I'm only doing English conversation with one student, Marcus, at the moment, but really enjoy our talks twice a week.
But I have an additional venture now as well, called Fortaleza Adventure!
When I first came to the city, I helped a number of others who also visited or moved here. I did it free of charge because I enjoyed helping them discover the city I love.
Then I decided that if I was committing all this time to the assistance I gave, why not charge a small fee and make it into a business.
I have had a number of clients, mainly from North America but from Australia and Europe as well, who have taken advantage of my assistance.
I cover everything from pickup at the airport to finding accomodation to organizing beachtours to shopping to pointing out where the nightlife can be found. If a longer stay is involved, I can assist with the CPF card, which is needed to buy any "big ticket" item, including cell phones, and arranging real estate agents and legal help if there is interest in buying property, condos or houses.
So life is a little different now.
Thieny is at the lanchanete from 8.30am until the early afternoon, then back around 5pm until closing...never really sure when that is...whenever the last customer leaves!
I'm usually stuck in front of the computer or doing something for one or another client...out to the airport for a change in ticketing, a tour of the big shopping center, Iguatemi, or just coffee at one of the favorite ex-pat gathering places in Meireles, Deli Italia, on Desembargador Moirera.
Israel is changing schools to one that happens to be right across the street from the lanchanete. Very convenient.
That's it for now, but if you're planning a visit to Brazil or Fortaleza, please visit the website or email, andy@andyneill.com, and maybe I can be of help.
Till next time.
