Sometimes we spend our precious day going in circles, checking social media, commenting on friends posts and with that we really lose precious time we could be doing other interesting things.
Perhaps a walk at the beach or a hike somewhere near our house. We could also be spending time writing on a journal and creating anything fun, like oil or acrylic painting, reading a good book or even writing a book, because why not?
We can do, literally, anything we want. Of course I understand that there are some of us that don’t have the time to do any of these, but I challenge you and tell you otherwise. Yes, you can create time to do things you enjoy. It doesn’t need to be anything that is going to take you all day long. If you stop checking social media and put your phone down, you will realize that you have an amazing amount of time.
Procrastination is a big deal and I know many people who does that, and that includes me sometimes. You see, I’m free to do things and go places, whenever I feel like and I feel so incredibly grateful and thankful for the life I co-created for myself. I know that it was a bit of lucky to but I also know that I was the one who went after this incredible job that I have as a Resident Manager and yes, sometimes I want to kill a tenant or two, but most of the time is total bliss and I couldn’t be happier.
Because of this flexibility I have with this job I can work as an Actor and I can write and I can go places. Recently I started to review products. Did you know that people pay you to do that? To give an honest review on their products and I’ll be honest. I pick and chose what I want to review because no amount of money will make me review something I don’t like, just for the money. That wouldn’t be fair to those who buy stuff.
Now guys, I would like to ask you a favor. If you read a book and like it, you would do a great favor to the author because reviews, good, and sometimes, not even so good, help them a lot. My mom used to say, if you nothing good to say about something or someone, don’t say anything at all. Wink, wink!
I hope you enjoy this little update, well, not really an update but, just my thoughts for this Friday!
Enjoy your weekend guys and remember, do something fun for yourself. You deserve it.
If you would like to connect on Instagram or Twitter that would be awesome.
Bye for now.

Hi guys!

I know you are new to me here and I'm new to you but I've been blogging for over ten years and I just wanted you to know I have another blog, someplace else, other than my website.

I just posted a new post there to let my friends there that I also have this blog here!

It's very confusing, just like me, but hey, who cares? Oh, maybe you do. Oops, I'm sorry, I just wanted you to know that I'm a crazy and confusing woman who has too many outlets to post stuff... but I have fun doing it anyway, so join the fun with me.

Without further ado, here is my other blog: belcrisc.wordpress.com/2021/08/14/too-many-places-to-share/https://belcrisc.wordpress.com/2021/08/14/too-many-places-to-share/
so you know more things about me and what I've been up to all these years.

That's all I wanted to say today guys. Thank you so much for putting up with me.

Cheers,
Isabel Canzoneri or Bel if you wish!

Hi everyone!

I have been posting in my other blog and haven't had time to post here as it's not a matter of copy and paste.

So many things happened in my life since my last post here. I have been working as an actor in San Diego and LA and have lots of projects, including a couple that I wrote and directed myself.
Deep In Her Heart just finished its festival run and it won a couple of awards. I also created a web series called Resident Managers and is now on its third episode. 

I've been working on my second book, this time a romance (kinda). There are various others wip manuscripts and I hope they will be ready to publish soon.  Would love for us to connect on Amazon... if you follow me there, you will know when I publish other books. You will also see all my posts from the other blog there! :-)

After insistence of friends I finally joined Instagram. And I'm still on Twitter. I like Twitter because I have many fellow authors/writers and they are fun to interact with.

What are you up to. Let me know in the comments.

Cheers.

Isabel Canzoneri

Last week I read an article from Brazil that the motels are changing their decorations and removing mirrors from the ceiling for the World Cup... This way they will be able to offer accommodations for tourists that don't know what they are about.

Do you know the difference between Hotel and Motel in Brazil?

Check this out and you might be surprised!

http://belcrisc.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/hotel-and-motel-do-you-know-the-difference-in-brazil/

Hi guys!

I wrote a blog about the World Cup in Brazil at the end of April and I received a few requests to break down the cities so I did it today... But, as I received these requests from my followers from my other blog, I posted them only there.

If you would like to check them out, I would love to hear from you giving me your feedback.

I write my blogs for you, so it will be you that I will think about when I write anything and I will only listen to my followers when they request me to talk about an specific city or place to visit in Brazil.

Here is the link: http://belcrisc.wordpress.com/ There will be a breakdown for the twelve cities where the World Cup will take place and I hope you will enjoy them.

I broke down the cities separately and this is the complete blog with all the cities! http://www.isabelcanzoneri.com/1/post/2014/04/lets-go-to-the-world-cup-brazil.html or http://belcrisc.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/lets-go-to-the-world-cup-brazil/

Enjoy and have a great day!

Is there any other Event as excited as this? Perhaps not… at least not for soccer fans! So, let’s talk about the cities that will be hosting this huge event in Brazil.

A couple of months ago I wrote a blog about the world cup, informing you that people in Brazil were upset about the World Cup being held in Brazil and protesting on the streets. That’s because of the bad public services that are considered priority by the population: Education and Health Care.

I agree that Education and Health Care are very important and that the government should and need to address those issues immediately. However, the World Cup is happening regardless and protests are probably not going to help with anything. Hopefully after the games Government will improve the lives of people by investing the revenue in the more than needed areas.

So, with that said, let’s have fun in Brazil. I will give you an overview of the cities that will be hosting the games so you know what to expect and what to do in each city and surrounding areas.

As you are getting to know Brazil a little better, you will find out through the World Cup, that Brazil is not as bad as someone would think. Of course there are many concerns about security but let’s be honest, there is no place in the world that we can say it is free from violence, of any type. We don’t know much about them because we are not living day by day in these other countries. But if you live or visit the country even for a week or so and you know the language and watch the local news, then you will find out that even the United States is full of crimes, every day. So let’s not worry so much.

I’ve been seen some news about Brazil here from a very respected media in the USA that not even my friends and family in Brazil know about it. Seems to me that someone is getting the news from the worse newspaper and sending here perhaps to try to boycott this event and scare people off. That’s my opinion, I’m sorry if I offend anyone. That’s not my intention so let’s put this way. It might be because of language barrier.

So, to keep safe and enjoy your time in Brazil, just use common sense and check out my tips and I found another great source of information from the LAPD about crime prevention and travel tips from them as well. And here is another one from SDPD. I’m sure you can find them in all cities’ PDs. Use them for your own protection. They apply to any place you live or visit. Brazil is not different guys, just unknown, and that’s what scary us, the unknown.

Okay, now that you feel more secure to travel to that beautiful country, let’s talk about the cities where the World Cup 2014 will take place. Here they are: Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Cuiaba, Salvador, Recife, Natal, Fortaleza and Manaus. In this map from the FIFA’s website you can have a better idea where they are located at.

These are all great city with many attractions. Let’s start with Porto Alegre and make our way up to Manaus.

Oh, and before I forget, I need to mention that the World Cup will coincide with the festivities of June called Festa Junina or June Festival! They are everywhere… in little squares or streets, schools… they draw a lot of people to them. It is a family oriented event where kids and adults dress in costumes, woman and girls dress in colorful skirts or dresses and man and boys pants with checkered shirts with hats and they have mustaches and fake freckles painted in their faces. Girls also have the freckles painted in the face, to represent country people. I found another thing for you to familiarize what it is about, just click in this link from YouTube. It is a lot of fun. These festivities are to celebrate Saint John. It has music, dance, games and the decoration is very colorful with little flags. Oh, and they have all kinds of food made with corn: corn cakes, pamonha which is like tamales but sweet, cural, which is a type of flan and many other things. All made with corn! And of course Pop Corn! You also have to try the “Quentao”, which is a drink made with Brazilian rum and ginger! It is delicious. You are going to have a lot of fun, that’s for sure!!


*the above carton is created by Mauricio de Souza and it represents our Festa Junina. He is the creator of "Turma da Monica"!

Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre is the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. People in this city, as you will find out, are very friendly and fun, like most Brazilians. The majority of the population is European descent because when the process of immigration started a lot of people from Germany, Italy and Poland, made their way and established themselves there. 

They are called “gauchos” and have very typical costumes. One of them is the way they drink tea, the so called chimarao. You will see people drinking tea everywhere with cute little cups that I’m sure you will bring one home! Come on, it is something you will not find in many places in the World.

The churrascarias (barbecue places) are another huge part of the lives of these people and the servers wears a traditional pair of pants called bombacha. You will see them all over the place. Even in other churrascarias in other states.

The gauchos have their unique costumes and are citizens very proud of their culture and state. You will see many presentation of their “danca gaucha”, gaucho’s dance, in restaurants, shows.

There are incredible museums and great hotels there. And you can visit some of the cities in the surrounding areas always referred to as Serras Gauchas. They are Gramado, Canelas, Bento Goncalves, Caxias do Sul among others. They are very cute and they are destination for romantic couples or honeymooners. The predominant style is German and Italian.

Curitiba

Curitiba is the capital of Parana (state I was born). According to some magazines, Curitiba is one of the best cities to live in Brazil. It is a very clean city. People often refer to it as a city model.  Like Porto Alegre, Curitibanos descend from European.

There are many attractions in Curitiba to visit, such as parks, museums, historic constructions that are worth seeing. While there, visit the Botanic Garden, a “Opera de Arame” and the Santa Felicidade neighborhood with many Italian restaurants.

Oh, and sometimes it can snow a little bit there. Not as much snow like you have in the US or other countries but yes, you might get some.

And as you are there, how about visiting Iguacu Falls? One of the most monumental waterfall in the world and it will be totally worth seeing it. If you can, try to see if from both side, Brazil and Argentina. You can drive to the other side easily.

*Check with your travel agent about Visa, if it is necessary. I don’t think you will need it because my husband, who is American, didn’t have a Visa and we had no problem when I took him there.

Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo is the largest city in Brazil. In fact it is the third biggest city in the world. Did you know that?

Everybody knows that the traffic in Sao Paulo is bad but Sao Paulo has its beauty and charm too, with interesting places to visit, such as Teatro Municipal, MASP Sao Paulo Museum of Art, Park Ibirapuera . Museu de Arte Moderna,  Obelisco de Sao Paulo, Avenida Paulista Aveneu (the financial center of Sao Paulo), Museu da Lingua Portuguesa (Museum of the Portuguese Language), Pinacoteca do Estado, Edificio Italia (Italia Building), Edificio Copan (Copan Building), Estacao da Luz (Luz train station), Praca da Se (Se Square),  Mercado Municipal (Municipal Market), Largo de Sao Francisco (Saint Francis ), Monumento da Independencia (Monument of Independence), Museu do Ipiranga (Ipiranga Museum), Estadio do Pacaembu (Pacamebu Stadium), Estadio do Murumbi (Murumbi Stadium) , Instituto do Butanta (Butanta Institute).

There are also some interesting neighborhood to visit such as Liberdade (Japanese immigrants), Bexiga (Italian immigrants), Higienopolis, Cerqueira Cesar, Vila Madalena, Moema and Jardins.

Sao Paulo prides for its nightlife and the nightlife in these neighborhoods is intense. With plenty of nightclubs, bars and restaurants, Paulistas spend their nights in these places with their friends.  And there are no funnier people in the world like people from Sao Paulo.

An interesting fact about the river that cuts the city and stretches all the way from the Guarulhos International Airport, actually it goes beyond GRU, all the way to the other extreme of the city is called, well, there is two names for it (from GRU until Rodovia Castelo Branco it is called Tiete River and from that point forward it is called Pinheiros River). In the past it was source of fresh water and people would swim on it. Salesopolis is the city of the rising river and the rising location was discovered only in 1954 where it was still a clean river. Unfortunately now it is completely polluted due to the industry and wastewater discharges. Despite that, you still see families of capivaras here and there swimming along it. The last time I visit though, I realized that they have them in an enclosure, a very large are for them to grow as many time they would cross streets and get hit by cars. I’m against any kind of captive for animals, but I have to admit that sometimes, it is better for them and for their own safety. We are invading their lives and space!

Typical food in Sao Paulo is very diverse with see food, pasta, meat, salads. Rice and beans are part of the daily diet, not only in Sao Paulo, but in the entire country. Also a variety of stews, including feijoada (black beans, all kinds of pork meat on it and served with rice, collard greens, chop filet, fried egg and “farofa”,  and moqueca (seafood flavored with coconut milk) is always part of the menus in restaurants.

If you are going to Sao Paulo and have some extra time I strongly suggest you to go to Campos do Jordao! It is about 90 kilometers from Sao Paulo and it is worth seeing it. In July they have the Winter International Festival. The style, like the cities of Serras Gauchas, which you will know about when you get to Porto Alegre in this blog, is European.

Rio de Janeiro

I guess I don’t need to say much about Rio. Who doesn’t know the most famous city in Brazil. Rio is one of the most visited cities in Brazil and it is known for its beaches Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon and Barra da Tijuca, among others. Ipanema and Leblon are the best ones in my opinion, with beautiful people.

Carnival here and in Sao Paulo is the most beautiful festivity in the country and attracts millions of people from all over the world every year to see it and to participate in it.

Ask any musician about Bossa Nova and they will tell you all about it. The Girl from Ipanema is one of the songs that every musician knows as well and it was written by Tom Jobim and interpreted by many other musician in Brazil and around the world. 

Rio is home of famous landmarks and among them it is the giant statue of Crist Redeemer, Corcovado Mountain, Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar), Sambodromo (where the Carnival takes place), Maracana Stadium and more.

Rio is also known for its favelas (slams) and Drug cartels. About a couple of months ago I came across with an article which lead me to a Facebook page promoting certain type of accommodations that some of the favelas were or are offering for tourists during the World Cup.

Come on, seriously? I’m not saying that people who live in favelas are all bad people. No way, most of the people who live in such places are really wonderful people that happened to have no other place to live due to high cost of living and or lack of work or whatever other situation they have.

But, on the other hand, everybody knows that in those same favelas, live the worse drug dealers in Rio de Janeiro and very often there are “wars” between the different favelas because the leader of one wants to control the other and their war starts and believe me, you don’t want to be caught in the middle of a gun fire. So, please, don’t be fooled by such invitation. I wouldn’t. Perhaps if I knew the Leader of the favela that is offering the deal, then I would consider… but only if I was a personal friend of the leader, because then I would know that I would be protected by him and his group, other than that no thank you.

If you have friends in Rio, connect with them and they will give you all the tips so you can feel comfortable and safer.

Belo Horizonte

If you stay in the neighborhood Lourdes or Savassi, you will enjoy alamedas with trees all over with stores with famous clothes and charming cafes where you can relax.

Pampulha has many architecture from Oscar Niemeyer. He is famous for his work in many cities in Brazil.

One of the best things about Belo Horizonte are not the places but the people. They are very sweet. They speak very calmly.

The hotels in Belo Horizonte are business oriented and most hotels are in Downtown and has easy access to other areas of the city. A lot of people fly to BH every day for business purpose so the hotels are discretely decorated and has good services, such as gym, business center and Wi-Fi.

The gastronomy is very good with delicious and distinct flavors.

Some good options for your to enjoy are in the Praca da Liberdade (Liberty Square), with gardens inspired by Versailles Palace (France). There are museums such as Memorial Minas Gerais, Centro Cultural do Banco do Brasil (CCBB) and the Church of San Francis of Assis.

There are many bars and it is said that if you visit BH and don’t go to a bar is like going  to Rio and not walk in Copacabana or Ipanema.

I found a very useful website that is in English for you to be familiarized with Belo Horizonte. It has lots more information for you. http://visitbh.pbh.gov.br/

Brasilia

You will probably going to find Brasilia different from all the other cities in Brazil. It is a flat land with lots of interesting architecture. Oscar Niemeyer, Lucio Costa, Burle Marx and Athos Bulcao are all over Brasilia’s architecture. Brasilia is an art itself in the form of an airplane. So much so that the addresses are South Wing, North Wing (Asa Norte, Asa Sul).

Most of the hotels are located in the Sectors North and South that are also near the Mane Garrincha Stadium, around three kilometers. Food I’m not talk about the food again. Everywhere you go in Brazil, the food is just delicious and restaurants in Basilia are no different.

You can do your tourist thing visiting Congresso Nacional, Palacio Itamaraty, Palacio do Planalto, Catedral Metropolitana and Memorial JK.

Cuiaba

Cuiaba is the capital of Mato Grosso and it is a huge center of agro business in the country.

Warm all year round and it doesn’t rain much in June or July.

Cuiaba is a typical country city and has its tourist attractions such as museums, parks, Jaguar Ecological reserve among other. But if you are in for a great adventure I suggest you to go see Chapada dos Guimaraes which is approximately 70 kilometers from Cuiaba but it is worth seeing it. I refer to it as Brazil’s Grand Canion!

Salvador

Salvador is a mixture of race, religion and colors. Music and traditional culinary are a huge part of the Bahia culture.

Wherever you go in Salvador you will see people doing Capoeira. Capoeria is a type of martial art dance that brings a lot of fast and vigorous movement. It is fascinating to watch it. It is part of their culture.

There are many attractions for your to see there, like churches, beaches, Pelourinho, Igreja e Convento Sao Francisco, Catedral Basilica, Elevador Lacerda (Lacerda Elevator). This elevator connects the High City to the Low City. And of course the Model Market, Church Nossa Senhora da Conceicao da Praia, Arte Sacra Museum, Convento de Santa Teresa D’Avila, Carlos da Costa Pinto and Museum of Modern Art. At the end of the day, don’t miss the Sunset at Farol da Barra and don’t go home without a suvenier from Igreja do Senhor do Bonfim. This little ribbon has all kinds of colors and each color represent a different Saint from a religion from that state. It is to be wore on your wrist with three knots. With each knot, you have one wish, so you can have three wishes!

Because of its growth the traffic is not good and unfortunately the violence increased but I would say it is no different from big cities in Brazil. You just have to stay alert like you have to at any other place that you’ve never been to. Enjoy it!

Recife

Again, another city with beaches and more beaches! Sun, hot weather, friendly people, good food! What else do you want?

Here you will find many museums among them, Instituto Ricardo Brennand and the Oficina de Ceramica Francisco Brennand. A must see is Recife Antigo with its baroque constructions and great restaurants.

You also want to go to Olinda (only 10 kilometers away) and Porto de Galinha (around 80 Kilometers away), which are not far and you are sure to be enchanted. Olinda is one of the hot spot for Carnival where gigantic pupets are part of their festivities for the Carnival. Basilica de Sao Bento and Convento Sao Francisco are things you can go see in Olinda as well.

Natal

You don’t need much to be happy in Natal. With tons of things to do from beaches to gigantic dunes that you can explore in a buggy, which you can chose to be regular or “com emocao” (with emotion), which means that high speed limit and radical curves!, restaurants, resorts, etc… you will have plenty of things to do in Natal. There is a huge cashew tree of Pirangi do Norte and it is about 28 kilometers of Natal. It has the size of a soccer field. It is the biggest fruit tree in the world by the Guinness Book.

Again, do your research and enjoy!

Fortaleza

The combination of sun and warm weather year round, sea, hotels “pe na areia” with lots of things to do, make Fortaleza one of the most perfect places for those who enjoy the beach. People from all over the world visit Fortaleza and love it. The food, as everywhere in Brazil, is something I love! The people in Fortaleza are very friendly and will make you feel home, wherever you are. Although English is not spoken by many you will probably not have problems with the language in the hotels.

At Avenida Beira Mar you will feel as you were in Copacabana, RJ. If you are going only to watch the World Cup I would suggest you to stay near Avenida Beira Mar but I have to say that Fortaleza has many other great beaches and other places to visit that are a little farther that are worth to visit so if you have some time, do a research on them and go for it!

Manaus

What can I say about this place?! Wow, it is going to be the adventure of your life! You will be close to one of the most incredible rainforest… the Amazon! Now that will be an adventure. If you enjoy wild life, you couldn’t ask for a more and you must go there! You can’t go to Manaus and not visit at least the encounter of the waters, which is amazing! You must have heard of them and if not, please, check them out. Rio Negro and Solimoes! These two rivers meet to form the Amazon river but what makes this extraordinary is that the water do not mix immediately. It is like seeing oil and water together.

From downtown you can take a boat and go check it out. There are packages to go into the forest as well so, take your must have friends with you, sunblock and insect repellent and hat!

Perhaps you will be better off wearing long pants with thin material as it will be hot and the mosquitos don’t give mercy to anyone! If you are that adventurous you could spend one night in the forest. They have accommodations that might interest you. I have to tell you though, that some accommodations might be expensive but what the heck, you will be in the Amazon rainforest, perhaps the only opportunity of your life! If you decide to do that, be aware that some accommodations are designed for those people who really enjoy the wild life so there might be not hot water or electricity so ask about that before you book so your vacation will not turn to a nightmare. Yellow fever vaccine is advised ten days before your trip. You’d better check into that as well.

Most restaurants in Manaus will be nearby downtown in the neighborhoods  of Adrianopolis and Nossa Senhora da Graca.

As you can see, there are many other things you can do nearby the cities you are visiting! I hope you will enjoy and please, when you come back, feel free to send me your pictures and tell me about your great adventure in my Brazil!

I hope you will enjoy this post!

PS: if you would like to Google to see pictures of the city, just write the name of the city and add pictures next to it in the search box. I did that for you already, so if you click on the cities it will take you to the search and you will see the photos! 

I happen to know a lot of people with SCI (spinal cord injury), because the I'm the Manager at a place that offers accessible accommodations, and people come from all over the world for therapy in Carlsbad.

I met JD and his mother Sherry about a year ago when they came and stay with us for about five months.

DJ history is no different from many other heartbreaking histories of people that suffer an accident and get themselves suddenly paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Being paralyzed doesn't mean that these people are disabled. They can do almost everything we do on a day to day basis and sometimes they do even better. You can see examples like this that are extreme talented people and great athletes!

JD is a very bright young man that got hit by a truck in front of his house almost three years ago.

Insurance doesn't cover alternative treatment like therapy or any expense related to these type of injury so it is very difficult for the family to maintain and pay for all the extra cost of any treatment so they rely on friend and family to help and fundraisers are another way to keep up with the high costs of surgery or any other treatment.

I can only imagine how it is to suddenly be in a wheelchair. We take things for granted. As we are not around these people all the time, we have no idea what they go through when their life change in a split of a second living them paralyzed. Some lose movement of part of their body, depending on the level of the injury. 
They have to learn how do do things in another way. They need help to do things that before they did with closed eyes, like scratch their head, nose, face.

When I see people talking on their phone or texting when they are driving, it gives me chills. A split of a second, it's all what takes for a life change accident happen and the journey these people go through it is so hard. This was not the case of JD or many other people I got to know and became friends with. Accidents happen all the time even when we are paying attention let along when we are distracted by a cell phone or anything else. Life is too precious. There is nothing in our lives that cannot wait a few minutes or hours or even a day. 

Check out JD's fundraiser's website and if you can, help by donating, even a small amount or share the information with those who can give a little, it would be wonderful.

Thank you!
Isabel Canzoneri

bit.ly/1tOie6p 

On my last visit to the dentist the hygienist recommended me to use one of those powered and rechargeable toothbrush.

I was somehow a little upset because I though she was trying to sell me something I didn't need.
Note, she didn't pull a powered toothbrush from her drawers and handed it to me. She gave me a flyer or little folder with information on those products from an specific brand. Well, she probably was trying to sell the product, I guess.

I went back home and did a further research in those toothbrushes and tabled the subject.

The other day I went to a store and for no specific reason or further notice I grabbed one of the brands that was on sale and brought home. I read on the little manual that I could return it withing 60 days if I was not 100% satisfied (gross, I thought). That was part of their Satisfaction Guaranteed! :-)

Okay, so now I had it and I wanted to see how it would work.
I was a little concerned that I would receive a shock when I would use it. Oh well, I'm a traumatic post induced accident creature, what can I say? :-) This is a funny history.

Anyway, I charged the thing and when it was ready I went to try it.

I will never use stop using them again! The cleanliness sensation was felt immediately! It was like I went for a dentist visit for hygiene and they brushed my teeth with their little machine.

As there was two of them, I asked if my husband wanted to try it and he got hooked too. So now, we both have one and I will use it as recommended, twice a day and in between I will use the regular one.

Love it and recommend it!

I’m not a gym rat or a super fit person. Yes, I go to the gym on a regular basis, four to five times a week, depending on my work schedule. So I guess I fit in the average crowd.

I don’t think it is a bad thing taking your kid to work out with you. However, sometimes I think, fathers want their kids to grow their muscles way ahead of what I would consider normal.

First of all, I believe a ten year old child should be doing things that are more appropriate for their age, like playing soccer, basketball and all that great outdoor sports.

Yes, I’m suggesting you to go play with them instead of bringing them to your world. For that you will have a better time.

Okay, let me explain my why I’m talking about this. I was working out at the gym yesterday and I couldn't miss this big guy doing his routine exercise right in front of me. He was working out on this shred shoulder machine and he had two forty five pound on each side. He had his kid with him, a cute sweet looking skinny boy, probably 10 or 11 years old. No more than that.

I’m 5.1 with 105 pounds, so I’m not a big girl. That boy was shorter than me and I don’t need to say his weight was way lower than mine. His father, on the other hand as a tall guy, I’m a bad guesser but I would say that if I get close to him my head would probably fit under his arm if he extended his arm on a 90 degrees angle, so you figure his height and I’m not going to guess his weight as I would never get it. He was not fat but he was not that fit either.

When he finished his set he instructed the boy to remove one of the 45 pounds free weight and leave one on each side.

Then, for my surprise and disbelief it was the boy’s turn. I was in shock. Seriously, I really was. That skinny boy was going to do his first set with 45 pound on each side of the machine!

No, that was not possible that that father wanted his child to do a shred shoulder with that much weight on it.

The boy positioned himself and could barely reach the two handles and his proud dad was there instructing him how to place his feet, his body, etc.

Another girl passed by them and looked at me and rolled her eyes and shook her head. I return the head gesture.

The kid made an extreme amount of force to lift the weights and his little body was all shaky in the first attempt. I was almost jumping from my machine and grabbing the father’s shoulder and throwing him out of the gym. That’s what I wanted to do.

The body of the boy was all over the place. He shredded in a weird way for three times and couldn’t do anymore.

When he literally dropped the weights down he put one little hand on his back and another on the back of his neck. My heart broke instantly and although I’m not a mother I had a mother instinct right there and I wanted to run to him and hug him and tell him that he didn't need to do that, that he didn't need to please his crazy father and that he would get stronger in the appropriate time, at with the right age, not working out in the gym, not now.

I can’t stop thinking about that poor kid and I regret I didn't break the rules of etiquette. I should have talked to the father but I was concerned I was going to do something way out of line. Perhaps I should talk to my friend Elaine about this one.

How could his father not realize that that was too much for his kid, for any kid for this matter?

When I go to the gym I see all kinds of people doing their routines without any knowledge of what they are doing but to I see a father pushing their child to an extreme like this it’s not acceptable.

I think gyms should have age appropriate rules for machines or at least someone from the gym should be watching this discrepancies and approach whoever is doing an exercise incorrectly and help out.

Gyms here are different from Brazil. In Brazil when you sign up in a gym, you are assigned to a professional that will put a program together for you and go over the exercises and machines with you and then you receive a workout sheet marking the order of the exercises, how many times, how much weight you should do, etc. You will stick with that program for a certain period of time and then when it is time to change they will come to you and go over the new exercises and machines and so forth and so one. And whenever you have a problem or doubt you just check it with them or they come see you on a regular basis to correct your position etc.

It is probably like what they do here when you hire the personal trainer. But in Brazil it is a standard.

I can’t say how many times I see people wandering around the gym trying to figure out the machines. Some give up and go to another machine, some manage to figure it out and do the exercise, but I wonder if they know what is that for, what benefit they will get from it. No wonder why most of people that go to the gym can’t get the results they expect. They don’t have any instruction. It’s all a guessing game and that’s probably the reason many people give up after they go for a couple of months.

Ahhhh, look at this picture!!
Fernando de Noronha is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful places to visit in Brazil. It’s been featured in various famous world travel magazines. It is an ecological sanctuary and it is protected by IBAMA as a National Marine Park.

It is an archipelago that belongs to the State of Pernambuco that occupies an area of 17km2 and has 21 island and islets although only Fernando de Noranha is inhabited and its population is approximately 3,000 inhabitants.

There are many ways to explore its attractions: by boat, by jeep or buggy, or simply on foot. It is ideal for those who enjoy a good walk, snorkeling, diving, take great photography or simply relaxing, enjoying silence and peace with the sound of the ocean and its natural beauty as a gift for your eyes.

Dolphins, sea turtles, stingrays and even sharks made this place their home and a huge variety of colorful fish that can be seen swimming in the clear warm waters.

I’m all for nature and as an animal lover, to see the Dolphins and other animals in their habitat is something that is priceless to me. The amount of Dolphins you can see playing around, jumping and spinning in the air in the Dolphin’s bay is unbelievable. Precious!

From December to June or July is the time when sea turtles go there and to other beaches, to rest or to make their nest and place their eggs. Unfortunately among other factors, natural predators are a big problem as the birds take advantage of the opening of the nest and they catch little turtles before they can make their way to the water when their nest is opened. Thanks to the great work of Project TAMAR, many of the little turtles are able win this battle and survive. Visitors can make arrangements with them to go see when they open the nests. It’s a great experience for adults and kids and they learn about the importance of protecting the species and environment. Kids get very excited and perhaps a new future Marine Biologist will come up from the experience! For more information about visitation to this great project check out their website http://www.tamar.org.br/base_ing.php?cod=20.

The access to Fernando de Noronha is made exclusively by the cities of Recife, capital of Pernambuco and Natal, capital of Rio Grande do Norte. So if you are visiting other cities, be aware that you will have to take a connection flight in one of these two cities.

By the way if you will be in Recife or Natal anyway for the connection flight, I suggest you to take a couple of days to visit the city. Natal and Recife are great places to visit as well. Natal has beautiful white dunes that end in the beaches and you can rent a buggy and explore the area and have lots of fun. Recife is a great option too, with its beautiful beaches, some really famous that drowns tourist from all over the world. So do your research and decide for yourself.

Oh, and if you are going to the World Cup to watch the games in these two cities, it will be another great opportunity for you to go and visit Fernando de Noronha.

The visits in Noronha are controlled and you pay an environment tax at the airport on your arrival, so be prepared for that.

For me the best time of the year to go is September, October and November as it is low season, it doesn't rain and the visibility of the sea is 50 meters.

I have a friend who says: “I pay more but I don’t give up on comfort”.

So every time I travel I think of her and her “quote” or when I talk to another friend about travelling, we always joke and say her quote, as we both know her.

The same is valid for the other group of travelers who, like another friend of mine would say and I quote “you will stay all day out and go back only to sleep, so why pay more?” He has a point too.

Whatever your choice is, I’m absolutely sure you will love Noronha!

The prices of the Pousadas varies and some are simpler than others and there are a few options that are more expensive and of course offers the luxury you are looking for and it is up to you to decide whether you want to treat yourself with a five star accommodation or prefer to stay in a more modest one. It will depend on your budget. Everybody can visit and be happy in Noronha! 

If you go for a more upscale I suggest you to go for Pousada do Ze Maria. It has great location and you are going to love the accommodations and amenities. They combine comfort and elegance with simplicity and has great atmosphere with very helpful staff. Ze Maria, the owner, is a very cool and laid back guy that understands the art and concept of receiving well a guest and he makes sure the services provided have high standard and quality. The rooms are decorated with great taste. Everything is just beautiful with all the attention to details. No wonder why artists and other famous personalities in Brazil stay there.

At Pousada Ze Maira the food is out of this world and if you like seafood you will be in paradise! Seriously! 
And every Wednesday and Saturday from 8pm there is the famous Ze Maria Gastronomic Festival where it is served a rich banquet with dozens of dishes to please all palates, especially the paella, various fish, shrimp and other seafood, in addition to bread flour, jack-fruit rice, meat, pasta, salads and Japanese food, with fresh fish. Then there are the marvelous desserts, including pies, cakes, mousses, fruit salads and other options.

They suggest to book in advance by phone +55(81) 3619-1258 or by email. 


Check them out on Facebook and Twitter and see for yourself. Visit their website too!

https://www.facebook.com/PousadaZeMariaNoronha /
https://twitter.com/pousadazemaria
Their website here: http://www.pousadazemaria.com.br/index-en.php

 
When to go: Dry/high season (from September up to March) and rainy/low season (from April up to August)

See some pictures of Pousada Ze Maria bellow and check out his website for more information!

Fernando de Noronha bellow... enjoy! *All rights reserved to Pousada Ze Maria and photographer Jose Henrique.