Brasil 5. ônibus e Kombi

As you know, Rio de Janeiro is very huge city.
It is not strange even it takes 2 hours to move from one side to the other side of the city. It is really huge city. In the morning and in the evening, there's a rush hour to have a heavy traffic jam. It's quite similar to Tokyo in some way.

However, there's one thing it make two city very very different. that is public transportation "ônibus" and "Kombi".

ônibus

ônibus is a so to say ordinary bus, but there's a so many different lines and it is quite tough for new comers to know which bus goes to which place.
(I heard even local people can't know if it is the place not familiar, therefore it's nessecary to ask the route etc.)

Kombi

Kombi is a small wagon for rather short distance, and there's a incredibly huge different lines!
I felt like a if you know the proper "Kombi route" you can arrive exactly in front of everywhere!
And this in the case of Kombi, they are rather running by private bussinesses, therefore, probably nobody in the Rio knows how many lines do they have! lol!

I was just impressed to see my friend jumps from one bus to another bus and changes the lines from one after another and manage to arrive the exactly the place where she want to go!

The last funny thing(at least for me) was the fee of "ônibus" and "Kombi" was always fixed, regardless to how long you will travel(costs 1.5-4 reals, 0.5-2 euro, 80-300 JPY, usually).
Therefore I travel for 1 hour from center to outside and I paid 2 reals, sometimes I paid 1.5 reals for 5 minutes...

Today's song: "Glamurosa Rainha Do Funk" by Mc Marcinho

Yves Larock

"Yves Larock"
is My recent highly recommend artist. Music is sort of party music (house?).

As well as swinging and catchy sounds, he produces nice music videos!
Check it out!

Rise up! the scenery and the acrobatic and comical performance are quite cool!

http://www.yveslarock.com/

Today's song: "Rise up" by Yves Larock

Brasil 4. a description by a famous businessperson

"Brazil has an aspect which strongly attracts young people. This country has been keeping on changing but still it is in a changing"
"Brazil has a huge country, rich nature and resources. In that meaning it has large a potential."
"but when anybody tries to start things, they do recognize that it is very difficult to proceed the things there"
"then they ask "Why it is like?" with disappointing, but in the end they are attracted to the fascination the country"

by Carlos Ghosn, present President of Japanese car industrial company "Nissan".

カルロス・ゴーン経営を語る (日経ビジネス人文庫) (文庫)

The reason why he has words to Brasil is because he was born in Brazil until 6 years old and also he worked in Brazil for a few years.

He is one of the most prized bussinessperson, because of his outstanding achievement in reconstruction of "Nissan" since 1999. (at that time, Nissan stayed mired in the red, 7 times for the previous 8 years...)

PS.
He has a very interesting history in his life, so I just listed a part of it (ref. book above)
He was born in Brazil as a sun of the family
whose grandparents (of Carlos Ghosn) are from Levant.
However, he and his family moved to Levant when he was 6 years old and went to a school where education was carried out by a method from France. After highschool he left Levant and entered the one of the most famous school in Paris, "École polytechnique" and "Ecole des Mines".

After school he started work in the huge tyre company "michelin" in France as an elite candidate,
Assigned a the president of the branch in Brazil of "michelin".
Assigned a the president of the branch in USA of "michelin".

Headhunted by the French car industrial company "Renault"
Due to affiliation of "Renault" and "Nissan", Carlos Ghosn came to Japan! for a reconstruction of management.

Brasil 3. Rio Scenarium - One of the Top 10 bars of the world -

In one week end, my friend took me and other friend from Russia to the Bar "Rio Scenarium".
It locate in a area called Lapa. "Lapa at night pounds to infectuois Brazilian rhythms, its night clubs and bars teeming with locals and tourist alike (by The rough guide to Brazil)"

The place my friend took me was very cool place, indeed the place. Indeed, Rio Scenarium is listed in between the top 10 bars in the world ;)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2006/nov/28/bars (information by Ayla)
Although we didn't know it was written in many articles etc... when decided to go!

Very nice atmosphere was there with live music and building decorated with antique things.
It's very interesting and funny that even old TVs or bicycles etc are used as a decoration and it is not at all strange!


Today's song: "Weather with You" by Crowded House

Brasil 2. Praia -Beach in Trancoso-

In fact, August in Brazil is not in Summer. It should be a winter but such a kind of things a nothing to do with NorthEast of Brazil. Water is more than warm enough to swim and weather was great to take a sun! It is always the best place to relax.

Pictue, Beach in Trancoso, Bahia, Brazil

Some more pictures are uploaded in Flickr as well!

Today's song: "Tesouro Do Pirata (Onda Onda)" by Axe Bahia

Brasil 1. River of January - Rio de janeiro -

The trip to Brazil (Brasil in Portuguese) was just great experience.

but on the top of everything, I really really like the city of Rio de janeiro.
As it is seen any big city, it is very lively atmosphere; noisy and very cloudy traffics, so many numbers of buildings and people, and also possessing certain problems such as crimes etc. The scale of city is just huge.

However, the one of the most biggest things which differs the city of Rio de janeiro from other city is on its unique topography. Rio de janeiro consists of the mosaic patchworks of the modern buildings and beautiful coasts and steep rock shaped mountains. All those amazing things are in the one place!

The high building is standing even in front of the long straight beach, but it doesn't lose the energy emitted from the active city, but that cloudy and rushed city doesn't lose the cheerful and swinging atmosphere of the coast side. I could never imagine such a kind of things can be mixed and melted into one place and each atmosphere can still brilliantly remain there.

It is not only beautiful, not only lively, not only chaotic and not only swinging. I had just impressed that this city make such a impossibly fusion of the everything.
I have also nothing to say the mood and landscape in the coasts in the time of sunset.
It was more than beautiful or picturesome and I even can not find the expression for it.

Pictures. all in Rio de janeiro

Today's song: "Aquarela do Brasil"