This is just a quick post, as I've just arrived back from a trip to Brazil, part business, and quite a lot fun. I think you're only allowed to have fun in Brazil, they probably stop you at the airport if you're looking a bit glum. So, much as I'm always banging on about local food, I've just spent the past week burning carbon like it's a new idea. But it's only for a week, and I learned lots, had a great time, and am therefore excusing myself the indulgence of it all.
The purpose of the trip was to see an Exhibition of local Arts and Crafts funded by the Brazilian government for trade purposes, but being me I love to see local food markets and botanical gardens, so we had a number of detours from the official schedule and although we may make some longer term business associations, we also saw lots of local colour, and ate and drank some fantastic stuff. And we certainly met some lovely people - Marco our interpreter, who couldn't do enough for us, taking us round all the local markets, Edouardo our taxi driver/narrator, who showed us all we wanted to see in Rio and lots that we didn't,(they do football there you know), Roy the owner of a gallery the size of MOMA from Michigan who talks for America, and made us laugh, the utterly charming flower children from Colorado, Gunther and BJ who is obsessed with Quinoa, and does 5000 sit-ups a day, and many more. And not forgetting of course the representative of the Brazilian Inland Revenue who gave a brief talk of not more than, oh three hours or so, on compliance issues in the business taxation and administration departments. Riveting.
Here's a picture of me with a coconut. I hope you're jealous. 
