Sao Luiz - A wonderful experience!!

São Luiz is a capital city of state Maranhão here in north of Brazil. I have many workmates from there and I always heard from them that it is a beautiful place to visit. Also as I am counting my last few days in Brazil, (that's what I believe as on today, God knows I may come back) there was a desire to discover Brazil before I leave. These two reasons were enough to make my mind to visit this place but in addition I got a beautiful reason to be there. I came across another online friend, Silvia and she was from Sao Luiz. While I was discussing that I have Sao Luiz on my mind to discover, she showed keen interest to help me. For me by now it was easier to visit Sao Luiz than any other place in Brazil as I have got a local acquittance there. So I booked my tickets to and fro for Sao Luiz. I was not expecting much from Silvia as we never met and it has been just 5 days since we met online, when I booked the tickets. But as the day of my travel was coming closer and we were talking to each other, I really looked forward to see her. Still till the time I landed in Sao Luiz I did not expecting much from her. Chatting is one thing and reality is another and I always know this and it turned out likewise only. She was much better than I ever expected in everything!!

The time I landed in Sao Luiz was a great surprise to me. I told her that I will reach there at 2:40 in afternoon but I reached 2:10 pm. I sent her SMS that I reached and she was there at airport to pick me up by 2:30. I saw her trying to locate me and as soon as I approached her she did the same. We ended up in a warm hug!! I was not believing her that she is really looking forward to meet me when she used to say that on chat. But her hug made it very clear that she meant it. I was impressed with her at the very first moment. To my next surprise, she drives very well unlike many women! She took me to her university on the way to hotel, and it was a beautiful place to be. It made me remember my college days. By the time she was busy in some work there, I met Gabriel and Larissa, kids of the attendant . These kids were lovely and as they could not pronounce my name correctly, they give me a name Felipe, name of their best friend. Later she took me to the hotel which she already reserved for me. She choose a location near to the beach to give me a comprehensive view of the beautiful beach at Sao Luiz. We talked for a while, before she left me for her home. I got a lot of time to settle for the day, have fun at happening beach and enjoy the cold wind which was dominant that day on the beach.

She came early next morning as I had less time to cover up her city. We had break fast together and then she took me to the French historic centre. She was showing me all the land marks of her city on the way. I was shocked to listen to my favorite Hindi songs in her car the next day during the ride. I think she noticed that yesterday I was not playing much attention to the music. She has asked me during chats which songs I like. I had sent her a few. I was amazed to listen to the same songs! She has reached the best of all hospitality. Sao Luiz was named so because of a french king, she told me. For the time I was there in her city, she was my host, companion, guide, translator, driver- all together! I was completely dependent on her. We were walking through the various lanes of the only french colony Brazil had and she was guiding me about it. Lastly she took me to a shop where I bought many typical things as the memory of the city. After that walk, agua de coco (coconut water) tasted better.

She asked her friend Milena to join us for the rest of the tour. By the time she became ready, we waited on the beach. The trio later left for "Wang park" which was Chinese theme park and a must visit place. We roamed around the park and took many photos around before lunch there. I got my options to eat.
After that we proceeded to the town named Ribamar. It was having a very beautiful Church, statues of characters from the story of Bible, an open Bible statue, a cave where Jesus was shown crucified, a very big statue of a saint named Sao Jose, and very beautiful surrounding of beach nearby. Time was running quickly there, but my heart was stopped at that place. Agua de coco again made us fresh there. It is really a boon at all the beaches here in Brazil.
We came back to the city when it was already dark and when I was back on hotel, I was tired. We had dinner together before she left me for the day. Silvia and Milena was a nice company all together. The city appeared more beautiful with them. Next morning she came early at break fast and I had a flight mid-day so we preferred not to stretch it further to one more place as it was a hot day outside. We preferred to stay together at beach and talk. She dropped me at airport and it wasn't easy for both of us to accept that our time was over. May be we will never see each other again!! It was heavy. The hug lasted long. Saying bye was painful. We chose to say see you! A silence took place before we chose towards our destinies. Memories will remain forever!

This is second time I came across a beautiful relation online. I am investing in faith and reaping in relations. I have a heart to believe and may be it may harm someday, but I wanna give it a try, always!!

P.S. : Friends can have a detailed look at photos on my Orkut profile.

Invest in faith, reap in relations!!

It is about an incidence worth to share, happened here in Brazil. I have an online friend named Valeria from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. We never mate. But used to talk about India and her Indian love. It was very interesting to mention the way we met online too. She came across my less active profile in a community in Orkut long time before and she scraped me saying she loves India and want to add me as a friend. I replied her casually and never bothered about her. After few days, when I logged in again on the same account, I saw regular scraps from her about occasions and festivals in India. I was amazed with this and kept on replying her. But then it happened that I did not log on the same account for a big gap like five months. But then when I logged in there, I found she still did not give up and the scraps for all festivals and occasions were still there. I was really impressed and added her to my regular account. She was my first friend in my active account which I did not know personally.

"My friend Valeria"

So as I added her on my account she was added automatically to my chat. As I went on chatting with her, I was thinking she is little crazy to fall in love with an Indian to whom she never met! Because I was a person who will even not add people as friends to whom I do not know personally. I could only believe her when she really planned a trip to go to India to visit him. It was a huge investment to travel to India for her too. I thought, she is still in fantasy and covering him with India. She was planning a month visit as she had complete January as holidays. But her visa took too long and she left with just 8 days to visit India. I was surprised to know that she still preferred to go India. Such a big investment to see an online date!! Then I was doubly sure that she loves him and she is going there just to visit him!! I made second mistake with the same person. First time, I did not believe her and took very long to add her in my account and second time I did not believe her that she really loved him!!!

Her visit to India was so sudden and so unsure that when she got it through and booked tickets she was so much stressed. This was her first flight to anywhere and she is going to country which doesn't speak her language, nobody to receive her at the arriving airport and moreover very less time to get prepared. The day of her departure she was trying to book a ticket from Mumbai to Trivendrum where her love lives! She could not get it through because the online booking sites did not accept her credit card, her love was not so updated to do that for her and out of nowhere she asked me to the same for her. Again as I am, I said her to send me money online by visa transfer and I will do it. She has never done that in her life and she said she can believe me.

Then I gave it a thought and decided to book a ticket for her based on my two previous experiences. I confronted her and sent her ticket. Advised her about what to do and not to do, etc and wished her best of luck and safe journey. I never believe people so easily so it took me long to believe her and more longer to believe her love. I was worried about if she is going to a wrong person in India too. But with all mercy of God, he was also the genuine person and everything went smooth. She came back and returned me my money.

"Valeria and Vipin"

So the whole loop was completed and this girl has invested in faith and reached her destiny and made me believe in faith. She made me believe that some productive relations can also be valued even without meeting. This girl has really taught me a lesson which actually can hurt sometimes but it can help us to reap very good relations. Still there are people worth to believe in this world and investing in faith can help us reap very good relations!!

Thanks a lot for being my friend. I believe you now and I value our friendship. Stay connected!!!

Brazilian food and me!!!!!

I have been strictly vegetarian in my life till the date and I intend to be through out in my life. The day I reached Brazil I was not knowing a single word of Portuguese and I was only accompanied by Niraj who has been here for just few days before me. He showed me what veggie options I have and a thought came in my mind that life seems hard here. What I could have from the menu was white rice, noodles or salad. I thought it is impossible to drag it this way. But as I preferred to come by my choice and interest and also I prefer to be veggie as well, I decided to take it as an "Wrat (Rule)" and enjoy whatever I can eat. But as I started living here in Brazil soon I realized that food is not that bad what I thought of and I have many options to eat as well. It was just a matter of some words to learn and teach them to cook the way I wanna eat it! It was simple, either you change the system or you change yourself and I prefer always to change the system!

Before I came I was having an idea of what I will face here more or less. So my luggage was packed up with the maximum possible food options. I took pickle which has helped me a lot during my first days when I had white rice with boiled potatoes for few days. I was also packed with snacks because I knew I will miss it. During first trip to Brazil my preparations helped me a lot. For next trip, I was having customized food down here to the extent that I even felt that carrying anything is not necessary now.

There at every site I worked, I customized my food to the extent that it was absolutely unnecessary to order the food for me. All the staff of restaurants were knowing what I wanna eat. Even all the dishes which I customized and ate were famous with my name. Call it Baba arroz (Baba rice), Baba speggetti (Baba noodles) or Baba pizza!!!! It was amzing that few restaurants added that in menu card as Indian food!!!
The food in Brazil is just full of meat. But I just loved it by taking meat out of it. The food is not as spicy as in India but it is reasonable in taste and there are enough spices to give a good taste to your mouth. I even started loving Brazilian food to the extent that when I reached India after completing 11 months in Brazil for the first 3 days in Pune I just missed the food a cook used to cook for me there in Icarai site. I still get puzzled that it was her love for me or the taste in food that I missed her so much!!!!
I loved the Brazilian food and only thing which I felt is incomplete here is break-fast. I personally never had bread-butter-jam, fruits, juices, etc as break-fast. I never missed a lunch or dinner of India. But everyday I miss the Indian break-fast. My beloved tea!!!!!!!!! But it is alright now.

Just few pictures of the Brazilian food I am adding here for you all to just get a crux of actual instead of my customized.
Mouth watering na(Obviously for meat monsters) [ha ha ha]!!!!!!!!!!