recent photos
Social
where am i?
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Current Time: 21:33, Thu
Where next: Copenhagen, Denmark (Aug 19)
Phone Number: 778 785 9786 (forward to skype)
Cell: +27780247595
Address: #413 8 Vesperdene Road, Green Point
Cape Town, South Africa
8005
Current Time: 21:33, Thu
Where next: Copenhagen, Denmark (Aug 19)
Phone Number: 778 785 9786 (forward to skype)
Cell: +27780247595
Address: #413 8 Vesperdene Road, Green Point
Cape Town, South Africa
8005
Oh my goodness. I actually have goosebumps. Cannot believe Sam actually tried this. And was giggling!!! But I do have to agree with you guys - just too weird to not try!
a market isn't the same as a mall. markets are much more fun... even when i don't buy anything :).
Yeah, I'm not brave enough to try things like that yet :)
Crazy!! I hope you all knew the address of where you're staying. I'm amazed at your fascination for going to markets, Scott. I always thought you had a mall (shopping) allergy. Also, any hint of what that is in the picture? Is it alive? Oh I just looked at the caption. How did it taste?
yeah, I've read that book. probably part of my inspiration to go to buenos aires last year. All the technology exists to make it work in your line of work, but the mindset isn't there yet ;). There's also a lot to be said for being one-on-one and in person when it comes to learning.
Hey Scott,
Looks like you guys are living the high life over there! Haha...looks like a lot of fun though. Have you ever read "4 hour work week" by any chance? Seems kind of like what you guys are doing...running a company and yet living your lives at the same time. Unfortunately I can't do that in my line of work. haha.
Been trying to keep on top of my social media stuff as much as I can lately ;-). Plus I finally feel like I have stuff to write about again. I think I know of the hot spring baths place you're referring to.. we tried to find it one night, but ended up just getting lost :).
I'm up too late when I should be sleeping and wandered in here and sat down to read the last few entries. Really enjoyable writing, you're hitting your stride with this blogging thing :P
One of these days I need to uproot and take this show on the road too. Squeeze Sam for me, and see if you can find a noodle shop while you're in tokyo. Oh, and there is some hotel downtown that has hot spring baths in the basement. The memories are a little hazy from the last time I was there :P
here's the facebook group: MacLeod - Canadian Clan MacLeod Society
I joined by meeting Ian MacLeod in Richmond and paid him my $35. He is a retired Lawyer. Emma Halford(MacLeod)Forbes, is the editor and I stayed with her parents in Scotland. I want to go back there next year, so am looking for a rich man or a job like you have. Actually I like the rich man option., Know any? 45 - 65, nice, good looking, and good you know where. Ha ha.
Haha, we don't understand anyone ever here :). We're never really sure what we're going to get or what's going to happen when we go somewhere. As Sam put it... it's kind of like we're in a cartoon and we have question marks floating above our head everywhere we go :).
Btw, what is the Clan MacLeod magazine?
I agree with you about strange things seeming normal after a while. I just wrote an article for the Clan MacLeod magazine, and had to look up the things I found strange when I first got there.
Are there many times you can't understand anyone?
I easily spent $226 on sushi in Vancouver and i was there for only a month :P hahaha but i was eating it in copious amounts and at a variety of places. I probably could have been more thrifty, but it was a delicious month!
... Pencil-chopsticks would be really useful. I sometimes get good ideas while eating sushi. Not all the time, but sometimes.
Dude that totally makes *me* want to go to the farm. *sighs* One day I'll get back there... it's so beautiful.
Hey! There...
I like your post. Really interesting and encouraging.
You have responded to most of my questions...of cause, you've got it right went you say: "..Most common theories include my secret drug dealing on the side and rich parents who mindlessly hand over their hard earned cash to me".
Really like your tips and will forward your post to many friends of mine who always look up to a such life style
Thanks man
I'm glad you haven't bought any kids yet...they're expensive :)
Nice post dude! You're right, I'm sure lots of people don't get your situation. People who have never contracted often don't understand that part of the equation, and working remotely seems even more far fetched.
I think the requirements to get into a situation like yours are being very responsible, reliable, and extremely good at what you do...of which you have all 3 :) Without those I don't think you'd be able to last very long.
But not too big, or you might kill him. We know all about your big hugs.
AWWWWWWW hadfields! i miss that mike, you better have given him a big hug for me!
I'm trying to create a custom trigger and it doesn't show up on the triggers page for some reason. I've tried implementing hook_hook_info() correctly from multiple modules and they just don't work. Am I missing something?
Thanks.
I don’t get it, what do you mean by the 3rd paragraph?
If you ever travel to India you will find many a familiar brands in completely unfamiliar flavors such as Cibaca Colgate and Masala Doritos.
Hi, Scott:
It has been awhile....
Dec 2007, I flew via Argentina on my way to/from to Antartica partially on the same airline.
Luckily the plane arrrived Miami in one piece although we were 3.5 hour late (almost missed our connecting flight to YVR) and flew over the roughest weather that I can remeber.
Keep in touch,
Chao
it's my car's 1st birthday today. i'd like to wish my car a happy birthday as well :)
the new Name should be : Dante's Inferno
that is one hot chip!
ok more...
you write:
The other difference between your standard third world squatter camp and favela's is the quality of life. The favela's in Rio actually house many lower-middle class families, not just the poorest. These are full on communities with everything from grocery shopping, cell phone sales, clothes, butchers, bakers, everything you'd normally find in a regular city or town. Housing is simply far too expensive in Rio for the average Brazilian.
I write:
there is truth to favelas now having lower middle class people living there or moving in..The strange thing that is now hapening is foreign peoples are now moving in. In Rocinha, I see diferent levels of poor people. In Roupa Suja and Macega there are people who still live in shack without eletricity or runing water..most people who live in favelas live there becase they have no other option, not becase they choose to. And if you are born in the favela, unles you are famose singer, entertainer or footballer, chances are if you move out of the favela, people will not acept you anyways..you will always be the "favelado" (slumdweller)!
How can a person move out or up out of favela if they are making slave wages? My father earns 600 reais a month, where outside the favela can he live?
you write:
They're also supposedly very safe if you live there... and very dangerous if you don't.
I write: depends on the favela and the controlling gang and atmosphere of current fight between police and gang in control..I can only say about Rocinha. Rocinha is safe for anyone who is not in another gang or a police officer. As I said before, the gangs main thing is to sell drugs and yes they have people who are "Olheiros" or watchers, but they are looking for things they see as a threat to them or their busines..I have never had a problem inside Rocinha. I had more problems with the police. If you were to walk in to Rocinha right now, nobody would stop you. There are not gurards armed at the entrance to Rocinha. Other favelas in zona norte area can be more dangerous for anyone. Depends on current climate of the favela. I have not heard of foreigners being killed in favelas..I did read about some lost tourists getting their car shot at because they got lost..things like that happen. But I can tell you in Rocinha, this does not happen becase the gang is well organized and they want the place to be safe so outsiders can come in and buy drugs.
you write: Each favela has a single gang that runs all of the drug operations in that community.
I write:
true.
you write:
The gangs make up a large proportion of the younger people living there.
I write: depends on the gang..the CV (Comando Vermelho are crazy and it is comon to see 12 yrs old with guns..here in Rocinha, the majority of those with guns are 18 or older. One of the security guys that works for the dono is 38 yrs old..so ADA (Amigos dos Amigos) has a older crew of gang guys.
you write: Each favela has people on the lookout for unfamiliar faces.
I write:
True they are called "Olheiros" or watchers and they are the first line of defense for defending the favela from threats.
you write:
Someone suspicious will be shot on the spot.
I write:
This is not true. I do not know who tell you this but, this is absolutely not true! If you look "Suspicious" they will aproach you first and question you. If they do not like your answers the worst they would do is escourt you out of the favela..unles of corse you come in the favela with a gun shooting, then yes, they wil shoot you. Again, there main thing is to make money, they prefer not to have kill anybody, even police.
you write:
The gangs are very paranoid of undercover police, spies from neighbouring favela gangs, and journalists who may take photos of gang members.
I write:
This is true, but they are not going to shoot anybody unles the have some proofs that the person is actual threat to there busines. I saw a tourist take a foto of one of the drug guys and the guy took the tourists camera and told the tour guide to make sure the guests do not take fotos..but never has a tourist or guest been shot for taking fotos...now back a few years there was a journalist who was caught filming stuff and they did kill him..I am not make excuse but the gangs do not like the media at all. But this guy who was killed had come into the favela before filming and was at a baile funk party acting strange. Usually 47 yrs old people do not go to baile funks. The interesting thing is at baile funks you can see many people having a good time and taking fotos..the diference is, they know respect for the gang guys and would never take their fotos..now, if you know people in the gang and are friends, it is possible to get fotos. I know I have many fotos of the guys, but I do not sell them or exploit this. These guys let me take there fotos, but they also KNOW I am NOT a rival drug gang and I am NOT police.
you write:
After they've killed you, they'll check your ID and plant drugs on the innocent so the police won't investigate ("a drug related homicide").
I write:
Again, I do not know where you hear this, if this happens, it is not comon becase I never hear of this from drug guys...Now, I do know that police have done stuff like that to people.
you write:
Both Sam and I felt a bit odd on the tour we took of one (since we were with a local, it was "safe"). It seemed a bit invasive to their community. But it really was an eye opener.
I write:
So let me ask, after your tour, did you still have fears? Too bad you did not take a tour with me becase you probably would have had a great time meeting all my friends and learning truth about ROCINHA!
I need to write that I am talking about my home Rocinha, other favelas I canot write about becase I do not know about them. But I know almost everything about Rocinha becase I am born and raise here..
you write: Rio is probably one of the only places in the world where the poorest people have the nicest views.
I write: This is true, best views are in favelas, this is why I live in Rocinha near the top because I have nice view.
you write: In North America, a favela might be referred to as a shanty town.
I write: Yes true or slum they call but we do not like these words..we prefer favela or "comunidade" or comunity.
You write: All electricity and phone lines are illegal, there's no proper plumbing, and no proper sewage or garbage removal. The houses are slightly better than the corrugated tin houses in most third world ghettos, but not too much better.
I write: This is NOT true, at the bottom of Rocinha is the company called "LIGHT" which give eletricity to Rocinha residents. Are there people who make "gatos" or ilegal eletricity yes, but somebody have to pay, they do not get for free. They have to pay the person who they hook their line to, the diference in the "LIGHT" bill. So nobody get for free.
We do have legal fone system too in Rocinha. There is a fone hook up company not far from where I live on the Estrada da Gavea main street very close to Paul Brito.
There is plumbing but it is not to standard to the first world correct, but we do have it..In my house we have a toilet and shower, but never you see bath tub in Favelas.
The prefeitura picks up the garbage twice a day, or so they are "supposed" to. We have drop off places in the street, and yes, this is aweful becase it attract rats and other potental problems..Why the goverment will not give us big metal containers to put the garbage in I will never know??
Houses: Yes very true, the houses are not so great but it is all we have..I am happy and like my simple house and it cost only $2.000 and when I get more money, I can make it better. Now that we have land rights in Rocinha, you will always se change and people building to make better their homes when they get money..
You write: The houses have limited foundation, and when you want more people or more family to live with you, there's nowhere to build but up. During heavy rains buildings often collapse and slide down the mountain
I write: Yes the foundations are not so good but there are many people in the favela that have good foundations for their houses. Yes true, only can build up now but there is a rule for families that you can not build more than 5 floor becase it is dangerous. For people who have special permits can build higher but has to be business or somebody who have conection to have the building build to safety codes. In two areas where the really poor in Rocinha live, Macega and Roupa Suja this was very comon until they build a protection wall at the base of the mountain to prevent the rain from washing the houses down the hill. If your house is not build into the rock and you are high up under the two brothers mountain this can happen..