Amazing Race 13: Brazil has crappy taxis, beautiful beaches and travel lessons worth learning

by Jamie Rhein on

This week’s Amazing Race dash from Salvador to Fortaleza, Brazil showed how much crappy taxis can affect travel, and pointed out how much mood and personality play into a person’s good time.

Travel lessons in episode 2:

  • Exchange money at the airport before you leave one destination for another in order to have money on hand when you need it.
  • If you are in a broken down taxi, find another one. Better yet, pick out taxis that look like they run.
  • If you are going to be making a quick stop in a remote location, have the taxi wait for you. This will save you from being stuck without a taxi and unable to easily find another one.
  • Write down names of the places where you want to go in order for someone to help you with directions. Showing people the names of places ensures that you will be understood, particularly when a location is hard to pronounce.
  • Don’t run-off willy nilly without paying attention to your surroundings and what other people are doing. Keen observers have a better chance at successful travel.
  • Knowing a bit of the local language can help make life easier.

Recap, observations and cultural highlights:

The before the crack of dawn start times of this game would just put me over the edge. The first team, bro and sis duo Nick & Starr, left the Pit Stop at 4:07 a.m. for the airport in a taxi with a thing for speed.

“He’s going a little fast. It’s making me a little nervous,” said Starr.

Yep, I’ve been in a taxi with that kind of driver–Nigeria, to name one place. White knuckles and heartfelt prayers of don’t let me die are not the best start before a morning cup of coffee. Close behind was the married, but separated pair, Ken & Tina.

After finding out that the next plane for Fortaleza was not until 11:30 a.m., the two couples refused to believe that nonsense and found a flight departing at 6:45 a.m. One catch though, there was only one seat left.

So what? Here’s a Travel 101 lesson that sometimes works. Refuse to leave the ticket counter and plead–or look flummoxed. A “no” can turn into a “yes.” I’ve looked flummoxed on a few occasions and it once put me on a Japan Airlines flight out of Tokyo when the Korean Airlines flight was sold out. I had a non-refundable, non-transferable Korean Airline ticket.

In the case of our Amazing Race friends, pleading worked like a charm. Tina’s perseverance led to a bigger plane so there was room for everyone. That included dating team, Anthony & Stephanie whose taxi belched smoke all the way to the airport, the first indication of woes to come. “Looks like you’re burning a little exhaust,” quipped Anthony.

At this point, Terrence & Sarah were having the biggest travel dissonance. Terrence, an emotional train wreck, relies on Sarah to make life better for him with kisses, band-aids and apologies. He bumps his head, whines for a band-aid and she gets him one. My word, Terrence, you’ve hardly begun this journey to be falling apart so soon.

Once in Fortaleza, all headed pell mell via taxi to Plaza do Cumbuco and their first task. With a knack for picking out clunkers, Anthony & Stephanie’s taxi stalled. Determined, Anthony tried to get the driver to pop the clutch while he pushed. After dumping that taxi for another, he observed, “Everything is broken in this country.”

At Plaza do Cumbuco, the teams road along the beach in dune buggies, a happy task for all.

“I love Brazil,” cried out one of the South Carolina blonds as the wind whipped her hair. Even Terrence, who has had a hard time deciding if he’ll ever have fun or not–ever, was pleased with the ride and felt love was all around.

On the way to Plaza Cumbuco, Anthony & Stephanie looked at the run down houses and said, “Makes you appreciate what you have,” followed by Anthony’s, “If they learn how to fix a car, they’ll make it rich.”

Humorous, in a way, but there is a point he missed. Fixing items is often a money flow problem. Of all the couples, Anthony & Stephanie are the ones who were shown noticing a bit of Brazil’s economic issues. Perhaps, if their taxis hadn’t had issues, they would have sped by the signs of economic distress as well.

The next task was to “Beach It” or “Dock It.” With Beach It, the teams had to push a traditional boat with the help of a two-man crew a few hundred feet across the sand into the ocean, a process that used logs to roll the boat along.

This task also gave a nod to Brazil’s traditional fishing industry. The other task pointed out Brazil’s role in the shipping world. The teams who chose this task were to head to a shipping yard and look for a specific container out of hundreds that held their clue to the Pit Stop.

Finding the container involved scrolling through the computerized list of all the containers, finding the corresponding area on the dock that held their container, and then finding the number match. Of course, this was right up Mark & Bill’s brain brawn alley.

Southern Belles, Marisa & Brooke also wanted this task because neither of them see themselves as physically strong. Not brainy either, they made a mistake and ended up at the boats instead of the shipping yard. To their credit, instead of whining, they got busy giving their boat the mighty heave hos to get it in the water.

Moving a boat across the sand is not easy, but the logs worked like a charm if placed correctly at the bow–just in case you’re ever in the situation where you need to move a heavy boat.

During this segment, it was evident how maintaining calm and paying attention to details affect outcomes. Terrance & Sarah didn’t pay attention to their surroundings and missed the taxi stand which seriously put them towards the rear of the pack.

Divorcees Kelly & Christy got their tasks mixed up and dug around in the sand for a container after they finished moving their boat. Once they realized their mistake, they sped off to Parque de Vaquejada in Ceará for the next task and another mistake. They forgot to tell the taxi driver to stay at this place that does not have a taxi park.

Who hasn’t had one of those travel days where it’s one thing after another? Hmmmm? Be honest.

At Parque de Vaquejada, one person from each team searched a wall filled with Portuguese words, several of them ads, to find the name of the place of the next Pit Stop. When in doubt, write down every word that looks like a location. It works like a charm as each team eventually discovered.

The Pit Stop, Cidade da Criança was built in Fortalesa as an “oasis for children.” What is an “oasis for children” exactly. It’s a park.

Ken & Tina hoofed it to the oasis, running neck and neck with Mark & Bill, and landed on the mat first. No children were bowled over by the efforts.

What Ken & Tina won: Two off-road vehicles.

Why Mark & Bill don’t care they didn’t win this leg after all. They said that if Ken & Tina’s marriage could be saved, it’s worth two off-road vehicles. How sweet.

Eliminated: Anthony & Stephanie. I was sad to see them go since they seemed to be the two people who were getting the most out of international travel.

Their words of travel wisdom:

Be thankful for what you have at home.

Anthony ran down the list: house, people you love, your looks. You name it, be thankful was the basic message. In his case, I’m sure he’s thankful for having a car that runs.

Irritating behavior to never do while traveling:

Kiss people you don’t know on the cheek. Starr kissed each of the two men who were to help them push their boat into the water. Her reasoning was to give them extra motivation. Gaad.

Funniest part: When Terrence saw an ice-cream shop and wondered if they should stop to get one. Sarah said, “As if we are on a tour.”

For last week’s recap, click here.

Man Caught at Airport with 200 Birds in his Suitcase

by Josh Lew on

A man was arrested at the airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil after 200 canaries were found in his suitcase. The smuggler is a resident of Brazil and had just gotten off a flight from Peru. Over 60 of the birds were dead. The others are being returned to Peru by a more humane means of transport. The man has been charged with animal trafficking and is currently being held by police in Sao Paulo.

The birds were found after a routine x-ray at a security checkpoint. They were stuffed into 4 cages inside a large suitcase. The deceased birds had succumbed to suffocation and dehydration.

Of more interest to authorities was the fact that the particular species of canary is considered invasive and would have posed a threat to similar birds native to Sao Paulo. Exotic bird smuggling is a huge problem worldwide. Not only are certain birds endangered or considered a threat to local wildlife, there is a risk of viruses and diseases, like H5N1, spreading because of the illegal importation of exotic birds.

Airlines Touting Brazil as New Hotspot

by Josh Lew on

South America’s destinations are hard to travel to. For people with samba fever outside of a few major hub cities (like Miami), a trip to Brazil means at least one connecting flight in the US. Anyone who plans to spend time outside of the major cities of Sao Paulo or Rio will have to catch another flight once they arrive in the metropolises. These extra flights can add up.

Soon, it will be easier (and cheaper) to get to Brazil’s cities from the US. And just in time for the Southern Hemisphere’s summer. American Airlines is offering flights to the northeastern city of Salvador beginning in November. AA is also planning on providing service to the nearby coastal town of Recife. Delta is taking it a step further, offering flights to the Amazonian city of Manaus from Atlanta beginning at the end of the year. American is offering introductory rates for people traveling from major east coast cities like Boston and New York. Prices average $425 one-way if purchased before December 2nd.

10 tips for smarter flying


Amazing Race Season 13: Excitement begins and new destinations

by Jamie Rhein on

As much as I enjoyed watching I Survived a Japanese Game Show, there is no better way to vicariously travel than watching the Amazing Race when it comes to reality TV. It’s been months since T.J. and Rachel, our favorite hippie couple won the million in Season 12.

In last night’s episode, the first of the season, a different cast of characters headed off from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in a pell mell dash for LAX airport and the first leg of their journey to a fortune. And if not a fortune, a heck of an adventure. The teams ranged from a separated middle-aged couple looking to see if they can salvage their marriage, to an older hippie bee-keeping older couple wanting to love the world, to divorcee women friends who think their bad marriages have honed them for the challenges of travel.

True to real life, the airport proved to be one of the biggest hurdles as some of the teams tried to find the right ticket counters and delt with overbooked flights as a result of standing in the wrong line.

First destination: Salvador, Brazil

Recap and impressions and cultural sites:

In the midst of gearing up for completion, there were friendly hellos and glad to meet yous when there wasn’t much else to do but wait for a plane to board.

Although Salvador, the first colonial capital of Brazil, is known as being a fun and easy going place, our eleven new couple friends didn’t have much time for frolic. From the minute they scrambled out of their American Airlines and United Airlines flights after a plane change in Rio de Janeiro came the unnerving task of making it around a bustling city they didn’t know. That was after the stress of delayed and over-booked flights.

Salvador looked like a stroll-worthy city with it’s gorgeous architecture and narrow streets that meander through markets. Instead of strolling through the bounty, the teams first headed to a O Rei Do Pernil sandwich shop where they learned they were to push a loaded vendor’s cart to Praca Da Se, a popular square where they would find the next clue.

The carts were piled with snack food candy that dropped off with the tiniest bump on the cobblestone. That was no wonder. From what I could tell, the carts weren’t much bigger than a balance beam, probably so that they could be maneuvered through crowds.

The candy with the most camera time was Blong (the pink and blue boxes in the picture). I have no idea what it tastes like, but I’m curious. If I’m ever in Brazil, I’m trying some.

Although candies fell off the cart like rain at times, the couples kept their cool for the most part–everyone’s still in that “I’m a good little traveler mode.”

Traffic didn’t present too much trouble as heavy as it was, and no one went the wrong way despite language barriers with the taxi drivers once the cabs were found. At least, I didn’t pick up on unbearable tension.

Once the teams delivered their carts, they were off to a military base to spend the night in the jungle with mosquito nets protecting them from attack. I assume there were mosquitoes, but no one talked about them. The jungle stay did point out that this part of Brazil is lush with rain forest.

On the second day out, the first stop was Pelourinho, the historic center that is the original town. Dating back to the mid 1500s or so, it is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The first details of the day’s task was found at a gorgeous church.

There were two tasks to choose from: “Hard Way Up” or “Soft Way Down.” Everyone but Andrew and Dan chose Soft Way Down.

Soft Way Down meant scaling a rope webbing down the 236 feet of Elevador Lacerda, a building with an elevator that connects the upper and lower sections of Salvador.

The view from the top was stunning, but like one of the blonds said, “I cant’ even enjoy the view because I’m about to pee in my pants.” Once the height factor was dealt with, scaling down wasn’t too difficult. They were strapped into a safety harness so no one would go splat and ruin the show.

The Hard Way Up involved climbing a serious off weathered stone stairs leading to the cathedral Escadaria do Passo on hands and knees. Devotees do this, we were told. Although not exactly fun, the task wasn’t particularly difficult except for the samba drummer who stood at the top playing loudly the whole time. Once at the top, Mark & Bill were asked the question, “How many stairs?” Since they weren’t into stair counting the first time up, back they went to do it again. Number of stairs? 53

From the Elevador Lacerda, the next stop was the Pit Stop at Forte Sao Marcelo, a floating battlement off the shore. accessible by boat. From the elevator, it’s quicker to walk then take a taxi as brother/sister team Nick and Starr found out. They arrived at the Pit Stop first due to their quick thinking.

For their first place standing, they won a five-day trip to Belize.

Eliminated: Anita and Arthur, the hippie bee keepers/blueberry farmers came slightly loping in last, but seemed okay with the elimination. How many people can say they scaled down a 236-feet building in Brazil?

The moral is, if you don’t want to come in last, you have to hustle. Anita and Arthur’s speed never revved up. The heat held them back, they said. Being from Oregon proved to be a liability for this gentle team.

Their words of travel wisdom: You can be assertive, but treat people well.

Travel Tips pointed out in 1st episode:

  • When driving in Los Angeles, use the commuter lane on the left. It will save you loads of time.
  • If you ever have to wind a vendors cart, or any kind of cart and things keep spilling off, wrap your jacked around the loot. It works wonders as Mark and Bill discovered.
  • When in Portugal, it helps to know some Portuguese like Sarah does and helped put Terence and her in the front of the pack.
  • Ask for help from local people. One woman helped one of the teams push their candy cart and because Starr and Nick asked
  • Spend time in Pelourinho if you’re in Salvador. An important detail, not mentioned on the show, this area was central to the slave trade. For its counterpart in Senegal, head to Goree Island.

Who I am rooting for: It’s too soon to tell. No one popped out as a total idiot, or root-for worthy yet. I did like that Andrew and Dan were the only two to climb the stairs. I’d have felt bad if the drummers were all set to play and no one showed up.

Why to stay tuned: Which teams lose their cool first? Plus, new destinations where the show has not been filmed in the past are on the horizon. The teams also go to India, one of my favorite countries.

((Photos from Amazing Race Web site.)

Orlando Gets Closer to Brazil

by Josh Lew on

In the past, most people flying from Orlando to Brazil, or most other country in South America for that matter, had to first catch a connecting flight to Miami. Therefore, the recent announcement by Brazil’s top airline, TAM, was a welcome one. The airline will provide a direct flight from Orlando to Sao Paulo. Given major airlines’ current aversion to adding new flights, this is big news, especially for Orlando.

As I wrote above, many area residents have to go to Miami, a hub for American Airlines, before continuing to their international destination. Though the TAM Orlando-Sao Paulo route seems trivial when compared to the numerous flights heading abroad from Miami, it’s always nice to see a mid-sized city sticking it to a big city hub that is controlled by a major airline. Perhaps more foreign airlines will begin looking to mid-sized cities to boost their business.

TAM was drawn to Orlando after it found the city to have ample demand, a willing airport and a complete lack of competition. So next time you are in Orlando, sweating away your holiday in a theme park, just remember, Sao Paulo is only a flight away.