Sometimes I wake up and think, where the heck am I? This is a picture from our patio -- you wouldn't even know that we're only a half mile away from the busy city roads that we navigate on a daily basis. Driving was intimidating at first, the police really don't enforce road rules here, it's really monitored by video cameras that send you nice tickets in the mail (that you can't challenge in most cases) -- Cathy and I racked up 5 tickets last year (for the record, Cathy got 3, I only got 2). Once you have a Brazilian license, you can only get 4 tickets in a one year period -- get five and your license is suspended! Surprisingly though, I find driving in Brazil more relaxing... there is very little road rage and the drivers are very courteous. I have become much more patient in the last year based on my driving experiences in Brazil, of course this only happens once you accept the fact that you can only go as fast as the car in front of you. Now don't get me wrong, traffic is insane in this country, traffic jams frequent, flash floods in the Summer months and motorcycles can drive anywhere they want (skimming your car by inches, or even clipping your side view mirror on certain occasions). It's similar to go-karting -- bumpy roads, speed bumps, hills everywhere, constantly jockeying for position and the list goes on -- I find it fun! Some people down here may not share the same feelings I do, however if I ever get bored of my current job, I could become a NY City taxi driver with ease (I now make those guys look like 16 year-olds in Driver's Ed).
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