Maceio, Brasil

Maceio def had to be on the top 3 highlights for this trip so far. I was sort of on the offbeaten track of any backpacker and also a last minute decision both Josh and I agreed on. Our destination that we had in mine was Natal, Brazil but from where we were, it was a long bus ride. So, with the help from meeting and befriending a new friend off myspace, we thought Maceio was a good spot to check out.

Our first experience there was arriving at 7 in the morning from an overnight bus. Josh took this relaxer pill for the bus ride so it didn't quite wear off yet. It was funny. We then spent a few hot morning hours trying to find a place to stay. Little did we know, there was some sort of lawyers convention happening in Maceio so places to stay were limited. But finally after checking in, we thought it would be perfect to hit the beach and take a nap and just do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! After spending a rememorable experience trying to order french fries (now we know how to say it in Portuguese, Batata Frito) and a family of 15 helping us figure it out, we realized this wasn't a common backpacker town and we were in for an experience. But joyfully, hours later, we were invited by locals to play with them in some beach volleyball. Now watching so much olympics and just being inactivate in sports this whole trip, it was great playing 2 on 2, 3 on 3, beach volleyball for hours. Of course we were rusty but let me just say that when Josh and I finally got paired together on the same team, we were unstoppable. Everybody kept claiming it was China vs Brazil. And China got the gold! It was fun times people because our new friends started to open up and attempt to speak english when we couldn't speak portuguese. or espanol for that matter.

day 2. I finally got in contact with Poi, my myspace friend and she agreed to come out and meet for some ice cream. She brought along her little brother who probably looked like Winfield was he was young. oh wait, he was skinny was he was a kid. I treated them to some ice cream and sat and got to know each other. She's a university student studying journalism and has a passion behind the camera. AND I found out she's half Chinese. WAHT!!!!! crazy. so instantly, we had something in common. or so i thought. she loves christian heavy metal and is just a sweet girl. she graciously invited us to her house the next day to meet her chinese father. and since we didn't have plans, like we ever do, we said sure, why not.

day 3. it was a task to meet up with Poi. she gaves us directions. where to get off the bus but when we got there, the phone conversation was hard. its always the hardest on the phone to communicate because at least in person, we can use hand gestures. so finally after waiting for an hour for her, i called again and put the lady selling batata fritos next to me the on. we finally met up and we were starving. she brought along her younger sister this time. we ate and went to her home. I wasn't sure what i was feeling because i thought maybe her dad would be weirded out that her daughter is bringing home some Gringoes.
so we met and started talking... in cantonese. he was from guangdong. thick accent, kindly like my gung gung. i think Hoi shan, near Toi shan (bad spelling there). He had lived in Brasil for the last 55 years. His first wife had past and remarried to a Brasilian. I told him about Josh and I traveling and our experiences of brasil up to that point...then all of a sudden, he gets up and goes to the back. he comes back with another chinese dude. it was his friend he brought over. and this guy was funny, full of energy, typical chinese guy, talkative and joking. Spoke cantonese i could understand. Josh and I were having a great time. THEN all of a sudden, they invited for us to stay for dinner. Josh and I were taken back. We didn't know if we should or not, but being the chinese hopsitality people they were, they insisted. So we agreed and they went to work. And from there, the story gets crazier and crazier.

long story short, they grew their own vegatables, made their own noodles, and was a house of half chinese people, and the other half, portuguese kids. The dinner table was so fun and interesting. check out the video and pics. the experience we had was amazing. from having ice cream to waiting on the corner for an hour to chowing down to our first chinese meal in brasil the RIGHT WAY with bombass chinese food. It was amazing....

chatting


the dinner (might be sideways)


Poi and her brother and sister


Group shot





Meeting Chinese People in Macieo, Brazil from Anson Ho on Vimeo.


Maceio, Brazil Part 2 from Anson Ho on Vimeo.

F#$@ Bush, Like Obama

I know I said I would continue with my Maceio trip but this is too good to wait. We finally checked into a pousada (guesthouse) that had decent cable tv and have been catching up on the news. For instance...Niners won last week-wha what! JT BABY! Stock market crash and bail out situation. I've been reading it online but seeing and hearing about it makes it all come to perspective. How much more will go wrong with Bush in power? 5 more months of this idiot. Why do we want poor tax paying citizens bail out rich money grubbing companies? I'm so confused. A devestating news that Paul Newman past. It only makes me appreciate the choices I've made in life, traveling and seeing the world and different cultures as much as I can. Def never regret traveling. And some latest news about the prez debate that just happened.

I didn't get to watch it but have been watching the post game wrap up stuff. i love how fox news is so on John McCains old dry and saggy nuts. Um, were they the same news channel that declared Bush the winner over Gore or something. CNN has been looking at both sides and showing both McCain and Obama's flaws and positives about the debate. Overall, there has been a feel of a strong passion around the world for Obama to be the next prez. Not just Brasilians, but many travelers I've met on this trip and talking about their countries feelings about our elections. And trust me, the world is watching our elections. If world politics is a large part of our new prez and changing what Bush has destroyed and corrupted, shouldñ't that say something. Though, sadly, I know how the voting works in the US. And I know for a fact that my vote WON'T count because California is already a democratic influenced state. It comes down to a few states, let alone a few communities that will decide this election. Very sad, but very true. Why should such a powerful and influentual country have such a flawed election system? No f!@#ing clue. I can only shake my head and hope that people make the right decision. A decision that will help yourself and this country.

I would just like to leave you with this video we shot in Salvador, Bahia, Brasil with a local we were chillin with. And on my next trip to the computer, I'll tell you my Maceio story. GO NINERSSSSS!!!!


F!@# Bush, Like Obama from Brazil from Anson Ho on Vimeo.

Some Pics to Follow the Stories

Catching Up

Hey everyone, its been tough to get on the internet only because I try not to use my time to surf the world wide web but since I've been having a great time and moving along up the eastern coast, i'll try and catch up a bit.

I left off in Salvador, a city in the state of Bahia. Its more of the traditional Afro Brasilian cities in Brasil but people have warned me about the poverty there and the crime. But just like Rio, with common sense, nothing happened. After our tuesday night town party and after sleepin in BO hostel, Josh and I gave ourselves the city walking tour. In the day time, Salvador is amazing. Cobblestone roads, rich historical monuments, and friendly people (other than the beggars).

We debated on taking a samba class or an afro drumming class. And since Salvador is about 80% African ancesty, we opted for the drumming class. BUT, funny thing was, we arrived late to the class. We stopped to eat at a local spot and lo and behold, the guy running the joint was a Chinese dude. So I had to stop and talk to him. Straight up Cantonese. We chatted for a bit, feeling good about my cantonese flowing. He said he had been here in Brasil for 50 years now and all 3 of his children married Brasilian. It was interesting that the cantonese people were here too. I think its just common all over the world for cantonese to settle. It was fun learning about his history and having all his workers stare at us while we spoke Chinese.

So, arriving late to the drum class didn't stop us from getting my jam on. This was def one of the highlights of the trip so far. I mean, I've been hearing the locals jam and the music in Brasil just makes your body move. Those beats were always just in my head. So we started off with simple beats. Then everyone split off to different instrumentals, bass drum, bongos, a few snare-like drums and the teacher accompanied us with his bells. We played some samba, and some others. But for a beginer class, we were def jamming.

After the class, we packed up and headed to the bus station for our first over night bus. Its been a while since I've taken an overnight bus. The closest was the overnight ferry in greece with Val. Of course it was painful but with my wetnap bath and donut pillow, in the end, we saved money and time since we traveled during the night. A backpacker's best option!

Right now we're about 11 days into the trip and I have to tell you about our next city Maceio. The random town we picked to go to which turned out to be INCREDIBLE. I'll try my hardest to post some pics cuz we got some good ones.

Salvador is Offfffffff the HOOK

Just made it to Salvador. And when I mean just made it, i mean it the way where everything just went lucky. Arriving to a new city at night sucks beyond all suckage. Long story short, didn~t have a place to stay , took the bus into the center of town where tuesday nights are suppose to be the all out "town party". as we got off the bus and looked for some places to stay at 8pm, we assumed the bus dropped us off at the spot where the map said. instead, it missed by a good few blocks. but me, compass savy traveler, directed us to the center of town, didn~t realized this. luckily, and i mean luckily, a policeman stopped us cuz us GRINGOES with huge backpacks on were walking right into the center of the "ghetto". so instead the policia escorted us to the right place. Man, I hate arriving at night.

We found a place quick style and already was hearing the music calling us from the streets. I would describe it as a block party in the middle the the town square but all of a sudden, a brasilian drum group came by the square with loads of followers. we joined the crew and marched down through the town dancing and chatting with the group along with about 50-70 other followers. all in all, it turned out to be a great night. even though i~m about to sleep right next to some strangers in the hostel room where the BO is massively strong. instead of complaining, i loaded up on beans tonight to add to the brew.

i must say, writing and getting onto the internet is a chore but always fulfilling. instead of describing the rest of Rio, i~ll list my highlights of it. starting with the greats ones in my head now.

el misti workers taking us to lapa for crazy fun. street partying, drumming, drinking, ending the night at our first funk party. def funk partys are off the hook in Rio.
visiting santa teresa and riding the old cable car with new friends karen (santa cruz) and carolina (colombia)... in the RAIN!!!!
watching Linha de Passe in straight up portuguese. but it never stops me.
finding a restaurant which had awesome northeast brasilian cuisine...so good, we ate there again the next night and josh somehow got deep fried frog!
rain, rain, rain! always rain when i travel. oh well, makes things more interesting.
christ the redeemer and suger loaf view which u saw in the pics
beaches, beaches, and beaches
acai (ah-sah-E), the drink of choice in brasil
and finally, finding a chinese family with a quick stop food store and chatting with them in chinese about RIO and their lives here.

all in all, its been going great. trying to figure out how to upload some video, cuz i got some good ones. but we have been missing out on some great pic opportunities just cuz we wanna play it safe. and safe is always good. GO NINERS BABY!!!!!!!JT!!!!

Quick Pics of Us

Wassup everyone. Just using a new friend's "Karen from Santa Cruz" computer to upload these pics for you to see. ENJOY!!!

Made It to Brasil, Already Loving What I See

So after a lay over in DC and about 18 hours of traveling, I made to it Rio safely. I must say, checking in online at United probably saved me at least an hour in line. so fyi to all, always check in online when you can.

anyways, i found josh at the airport since he arrived 2 hours earlier than me. luckily, he picked the right terminal to find me, so i already knew our traveling skills were back in action. of course, we hit the beach instantly after we checked into our hostel, el misti (awesome place, great staff, great people, kinda crazy uncontrollable music, with triple tall bunks). we went to cobacabana and ipanema beaches where everyone and everything i read about was right, beautiful sand and beautiful girls. there was a term in the lonely planet book about the brasilian girls, fio dental (dental floss). in other words, thong th-thong thong thong. sisco was playing in my head. soccer circles, footvolley (volleyball with your feet) and lots of sunbathing filled the beach atmosphere. surely nothing you can complain about. and for some reason, i was totally incline to try something new on traveling, getting a hanna tatoo. i was considering maybe investing in a real one, but i thought i would try out a temp one to see if i liked it. (pics will follow once i figure out how).

we rounded out our first day by hitting the night life in Lapa where we heard a funk party was going on. we ended up checking out some other bar which had some vibe that we could handle instead. the funk party was saved for day 2. anyways, it was a brasilian rock band and another band that did interperative dancing which at first sounds WEIRD but turned out to be a rockin time where we danced with the whole club, joining hands at times til 3 or 4 in the morning. it almost felt like a close gathering at a wedding or something. but it was just really everyone drunk off their asses. and of course being jetlagged and all, we slept in til 2 the next day. but by far a great way to start our trip to Brasil.

next post will be the rest of our trip in Rio including a list of highlights so far. We~re trying to figure out our way now to Salvador in the next state up called Bahia. DUDE, Brasil is huge. If we could take a bus to save money, you know I would. but a 26 hour bus ride just wasn~t in the plans. Peash.

2 DAYS TIL LIFT OFF

I just checked off another thing off my list of must needs before Brazil. My yellow fever shot. I can't be giving these brazilian people my yellow FEVER!!!! I totally thought i already had that shot before since the Navy made me immune to everything, polio, anthrax, hot girls. but i checked my records and no go. i never really had problems with shots. i guess its part of the military training to deal with pain.

true story, when i joined, we had to walk down this gauntlet of med people with these futuristic guns filled with drugs. my closest comparison would be those guns from demolition man . seriously, i would take one step, get shot in both arms, take another step, shot again, and repeat. it was down to a science. like all of a sudden, we all became these badass killing mofo's, turning us into steroid using Ivan Drago from Rocky. but instead we just got treated like bitches for the next nine weeks getting spit on and yelled at when they were drunk or high.

but anyways, everyone's been asking me if i'm excited. and, of course, its the obvious question but i never really get excited to see a new place until i actually step foot. until i don't have to think about money, or clients, or watching the season premiere of Entourage (i better tivo that shit), then i get excited. stepping out of the airport in some strange but not strange world gets me pumped. new faces, new cities, new food, bring it on. my Survivor/Amazing Race show has now began.

so, am i excited? fuk yeah. its brazil... but mentally, i'm still stuck in america. in bush's regime. i may be going into the unknown but thats what i like. this is my school. i am excited, trust me. But you should be asking if brasil's excited to have me.

Just Letting my Mind be

I know, I know, I think we can all TALK our ears off about how stereotypical asian americans are portrayed in hollywood...corrections, asians(same same but different). but lets be real, unless china teams up with japan and korea and takes over the US tomorrow, like charging from each coast and borders and shit, then the yellow face is just another what I like to call, "keep the accent, lose the face" kinda guy. you can't call it success until you've failed. so fuck it, fight the fight.

So, in a weird sort of way, i want to go back to the old days when i was innocent and still riding my bmx bike EVERYWHERE cuz it was my ride and just share some moments that i hope my children see someday too. ha. I'm naming my top 3 glorious moments in american cinema history from back in the days. (at least whats on youtube) happiness can only last for a moment. after that, its finding the next one.

NNNNUUUUUMMMMBBBBEEEERRRRR 3!


NNNNUGGFUUUMMMMBBBBEEEERrrrrrRRRR 2!


NNNNUUUUMMMmmMMMMBBBBEEEERRRRR 1!

My First Blog EVER!!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhh yeeeeeaaaaaaahhh!
I've never done a blog before so bare with me. I thought it would be cool to finally start one as I'm getting ready for my travels through Brasil. Also this could be a place to share videos and whatnots to friends and family who don't use myslowassspace and facebook. I'm not even sure what this blog is capable of but who cares right. But I would like to thank my old buddy Kim because I bookmarked her blog like years and years ago cuz she always post great recipes. So why not have people bookmark this one for off the wall videos. Wait, does this site let me put up videos. hahaha.

So if you didn't know, in the beginning of the year I got to work on Justin Lin's new hollywood movie, Fast and Furious. Yes,yes, the fourth installment. But lemme be the first to tell you, shit is dope! I got the privileged to be Justin's assistant and experience the glamor of working on a BIG BUDGET hollywood movie. I met great people and learned a lot about the industry. Now I shall attempt to post the trailer they just released as well as a few pics I took. Enjoy!



Left to Right - Bobby, Me, and David
Night shoot outside the club. Justin made us dress up. And so we found this bike from Akira!

Just another day at work.


Lexus IS 350 I think. The one of many cars I got to drive.

This is McAdoo. Justin saved him while we were shooting down in Mexico.