Yesterday made for a very long day. It started with an early morning trip to the lab to drop off a urine sample which only cost only 30$ US bucks! In and out with no complications. Although the girl couldn't figure out why I needed it done since I told her I didn't have any problems. I thought it was pretty apparent that I was pregnant but I guess not. She finally said your not pregnant are you? I laughed and said yes... should I have considered that a problem because I think it's the greatest thing in the world!
Then Nate and I made the long dreadful drive to Rio which I has become very old. Checked into the Windsor, since it was the only hotel with an availability this week, not the Sheraton. I find it so weird that Rio runs out of hotel vacancy so fast. I am sure that we could find somewhere to stay in a random hostel but that's not our style when your here for business. Anyway, I digress. We had to bargain with the hotel taxi who said they were giving us a special deal with the hotel car..... for double the price of a yellow taxi! The guy said I give you a ride for R50 and we said no. Then he said well I usually charge R100 and that's when I started laughing at him! Yellow cab took cost us R35. Ahhh I feel so bad for tourists who think they are getting a good deal.
We arrived at the ultrasound place with all my nerves intact. The ultrasound guy did half the consult in Portuguese which wasn't hard because it was just listing off the body parts he was talking about. Most of the medical terms are very similar in Portuguese so I had no trouble following. Then he switched to English when I didn't understand Renal Arteries. Hell, half the US population wouldn't know what that was in English :)
Isabelle is doing great! (We switched from Isabella to Isabelle since we want to call her Belle. Just makes sense). She is still a girl which is something that I was worried about. When we found out at 14 weeks it seemed kinda early to be 100% sure but I guess our guy is that good. Right now she is completely average and is measuring for the same due date given on our first doctor's appointment. August 1st is her date and we are planning on staying in Rio for the last two weeks of July until she is born.
She has all 10 fingers and 10 toes, four chambers in her heart, two kidneys, ventricles in the brain look normal, all the bones are appropriate length, no cleft palate, two eyes, and that's about it! It's so neat to see her heart beating inside of me. You can see all the chambers working together and you could even tell where the foramen ovale was! I always loved see the echocardiograms done in the hospital but now it's even cooler that it's my baby!!!
I have a ton more photos to post for you but I don't have a scanner here in the hotel. They will all have to wait until this weekend when I get to my parents house. I really cannot wait to get home and see my whole family and all my friends. I might just cry when I see them. Ya, that's the emotional part coming out. Well off to a movie with a friend!
Tchau,
Sara
It looks like Rio turns people in Brazilian PHDs in no time ;)
ReplyDeleteI have had the same kind of situations with taxi cabs.
Also, had an awful hard time to find availability in Hotels in Sao Paulo and Rio. If I had a ton of money I would definitely invest in new Hotels for Rio and Sao Paulo.
But then again, I have also had a hard time to find Hotels in New York, Dallas and even London...it depends what time of the year and what kind of conventions or events are going on around the city.
I remember being ripped off by those "White Cabs" at Barra when I stayed at the Sheraton. Our Convention was at the Windsor, which was full at the time.
Not to mention the time I had to stay at that awful old Sheraton in Sao Conrado for a Convention at Barra Windsor again and another time had to stay at the Marriott in Copacabana for a Convention at Barra. Not a fun commute, I will tell you :(
I have thought the same thing about investing in hotels here! Especially in Barra. I know it's not the cool place to be but there is so many international business and people that rotate through here. All of Nate's conferences are in Barra, the olympic village will be in Barra, so it's in need of some new places to crash!
ReplyDeleteYou brought up a good point for me. I don't know that I have traveled to a large city consecutively to notice whether they sell out of hotels fast... I only notice Rio because we come here at least once a month and Nate once a week.
All I have to say is, "there's a Sheraton in Sao Conrado?" ha! I can't imagine that taxi ride....
Sara
Sara,
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a HUGE Sheraton in Sao Conrado, half the Hotel has beautiful ocean views and the other half looks straigth into Rocinha's living rooms, at the same eye level.
There was a Bank Convention at that Hotel back in 2004 and I was late by one day because of a snow blizzard in the US, I lost my connection in Miami.
When I arrived, some of my friends told me the night before there had been a shoot out at Rocinha and the Hotel employees told guest to place their mattresses against the window for protection and stay away from their balconies :)
Needless to say, we never had Bank Conventions in that Sheraton again. The Hotel is encrusted on the rocks, with a small beautiful paradise like beach, but it is too close to Rocinha for comfort and their small beach is full of favela residents playing soccer and volleyball and just intimidating the Hotel guests that usually stay confined to the Sheraton's swimming pool.
Our Conventions are usually held at the Windsor and we stay at the Windsor, the Sheraton at Barra or even at the Marriott in Copacabana, a favorite with the bankers because it is close to the brothels in Copacabana ;) Yes, they do pay for prostitutes with American Express, Visa or Mastercard and expense it as client entertainment and then "We" the people bail them out...how ironic...
Yeah, the taxi ride is a trip, thank God for Blackberries to catch up with emails and facebook while sitting in traffic :)
Ray