Christmas is quiet : I guess because peoplel have the summer to celebrate here it's not the intensive commercial orgy it is in the UK. In fact Christmas turned out to be pretty quiet. My special students even wanted lessons on Cristmas day. We went to the house of Mikes Mother for a meal at midnight on the 24 th. Thats when they exchange presents. The 25th was also a holiday. They have some special foods , but nowhere near as many as the UK.  

BRAZIL IS A BIG COUNTRY My friend Nelson from Teresopolis couldn't leave as early he planned and because of all the rain we have been having he thought it was too risky to go on the dirt roads to Mato Grosso. (28/12/98)  Instead I stayed with him at his sisters house in RP for a few days. Then we went upto Parque Nacional Sierra De Canastra just over the border in Minas Gerais. We drove 750 Km saw some hills and a waterfall and came back the next day. I can appreciate that in Brazil the distances are vast,  in other places you can travel a lot less far and see more impressive scenary. But in this region from Araraquara.... sugar, sugar, sugar, coffee, sugar, sugar etc for hundreds of kilometres. 
New Year was pretty low key, but I could see the fireworks over RP.  

I came back on Jan 1st and I've been preparing the new January course. It began on Jan 6th , but not with as many students as expected. Many people went to the  beach without paying their bills first. 

Went to watch some of the students jump at the local parachute club... absolutely mad ! 

Samba : beautiful women pity about the music : I met a great guy called Cobra at Paulista's bar..he can speak good Engish and he only learned from records. I think it shows that having an open mind is the most important thing when learning English. He took me to a few Samba parties incuding one at Banco Brasil Club. (with Fabiana, Lolo, Patricia etc ..) It's certainly the place to find the best looking women. But I still can't get into the music it's boring and repetitive. Pity about the torrential rain and the crowds. Cobra predicts that I will be buried alone... I agree. 

I had to extend my visa. When you arrive at the airport they only give you 3 months, so I had to go to the Federal Police in Ribeirão Preto. I went on Dec 31st and of course they were closed for 2 weeks for Christmas. Then I went with Michael one week later. I waited 40 minutes then the guy gave me a paper and said I had to go to Banco BrasiI to pay the charge and since he was just closing I would have to come the next wek. So I had to make another 150 Km journey ...The third time ..Brazil : The home of paper and bureaucracy. (it only took me 1 hour 20 minutes of queuing at Banco Brasil) And it was good to meet Rubens again in RP. 

Getting Poorer Everyday : When I arrived in Brazil I got R$2 for 1 pound so it seemed very expensive now the Real has drifted down 35 % so I would get R$2.70... pity I'm earning in Real 

I scanned the new photos in , so now some of the previous pages have new pics.  
Aguaquara : Since Christmas there has been really heavy rain almost every other day, but now it's hot like real hot 39 C every day ! 

Another strange thing I was walking around wasting time the other day, when these kids started talking to me through their garden fence. I was in two minds whether to ignore them or not, but I started talking to them. They said that someone in their house had lived in the UK for 2 years (Andre). So then their mother came out and invited me in . Turns out that two girls who live in London one Brazilian one Portuguese were visiting, so the children had thought I was with them. I end up talking with the whole family and being fed an enormous banquet.

Carnival is pretty low key in São Paulo state so at the beginning of I plan to go up to Bahia and the North East and travel around there. Maybe to spend carnival in Olinda or João Pessoa? 
Many people live their lives like a train going along the tracks 

• BRAZIL INDEX