Ahoy hoy m'laddios & m'laddias.
So, what news of November? Well, it's been a busy month by my hazy lazy like, kind of crazy like, South American way, with extra lashings of beef, motorbike shootouts, birthdays, anniversaries, melted mozzarella balls, and telling lies to small children. Totally bumper!
I'll start with Death Bus 2012 - it's the same crazybus I've complained about before, the windy mountain mental crashmagnet. We were coming back in the early evening last week and we suddenly heard gunfire breaking out as we crossed a busy intersection. It didn't really sound like I expected gunfire to sound, it was more like the noise you'd get from a toy capgun. But there was a motionless body in the street and lots of others lying on the pavements for cover which suggested it wasn't as pathetic a weapon as it'd sounded. Before we all ducked for cover and told the driver to leg it I saw someone on a motorbike being hauled off by two cops. I guess he won't have had a pleasant evening last Thursday, in jailz. There was nothing about it on the news, but that was maybe because there was another shooting that evening in a different dodgy part of the city, with two fatalities. Maybe two's the minimum for coverage? Anyway, I'm pretty sure it was a one-off. The area round there used to be fairly dangerous but it's much safer now, and there's plenty of hotcops around to look menacing.
For Hugo's birthday we went to a couple of all you eat before you die in a shootout restaurants, which was most excellent. The first was a churrascaria overlooking Guanabara Bay in Botafogo, with a nice view of the beachfront and the bay. The amount of meat is ridiculously brilliant, and the staff are constantly bringing fresh things for you to gorge on. Highlights included the picanha (as always), and the introduction of tasty hot mozzarella balls about halfway through the meal. Nice arrive, cheese.
The next day we went to an all you can eat lunch buffet, which was also pretty darn good. You can pretty much have anything you want - meats, salads, italian stuff, japanese, brasilian dishes, and other stuff. Suffice to say I was feeling like a fat bastard the next day. Fantastic!
It's also been just over a year now since I've moved here, so a couple of celebratory cocktails were imbibed. It's strange to think that it's been a full year - I'm noticing the rather odd juxtaposition of Santa Claus, Christmas trees, bikinis and sunshine again.
And to top off an exciting month, we now have four confirmed guests for the carnaval shenanigans! I've started to look forward to it a lot now; I can't wait to see Helid, Linda and Chris again, and I suspect it's going to be one to remember. I'm glad I know my way around a lot more now, considering the last time I'd only really been here for 2 or 3 months, and didn't know my arse from my elbow.
And that is that, for now.
Oh, some young kids were asking me excited questions at football last week, and when I said I'd lived in Manchester, they asked me (I think - a lot was lost in translation) if I had played for United, and whether I knew Cristiano Ronaldo. My double affirmative caused their jaws to drop, which was kinda funny, even if lies do make baby Jesus cry.
