... business trip .. leg 2 ... part 1

So after my grueling 28 hour trip ... I finally laid my tired body to sleep until after 2AM ... I slept until 10AM ... although I would have loved to stay in bed until 2PM ... but my body just does not do that ...

Warning ... almost all pics taken with my phone ... bad pic ALERT. :)

I ventured out of my room to ask about local places to run, the nearest beach and of course the breakfast restaurant ... I went to the 11th floor of my not very nice hotel ... it is actually not nice at all but the people as all Brazilians are top notch! 

As you all very well know I eat anything and everything, but when I love something I can't get enough ... I am a creature of habit ... if fruit is delicious my froyo will always be original and that is it ... mango and mochi ... and breakfast in Brasil (I know in English it is spelled with a z, I just like it with an s much better) ... will be no different.

Pao de queijo ... with another of my favorite combinations ... white cheese and pineapple ... I swear I am already dreaming of breakfast and even contemplating getting up just a tad sooner just to enjoy it without rushing.

You will be seeing this breakfast again! ;)

I have not been running since Monday ... my hours were just too long to fit even a minute of any structured exercise ... I was intent on running today ... so off I went to the Beira Mar ... 20 KM of a route that runs along the water ... perfect for a run ... there is a cycle route ... and some shops and restaurants along the route.

What a beautiful sight ... the day was cloudy so I mistakenly thought my 12PM run would be a good run ... WRONG, so very, very wrong. I had no water and I do not know what it was ... maybe my first run in hot weather since the winter ... 30 C is very hot after all ... what was I thinking.  I completed 3 miles ... what a hard run!  But at least I ran ...

I was very impressed by how the route was organzed ... there are stations along the route to exercise.

There are exercise machines that look almost like playgrounds, painted green to blend with the horizon.

I should have known when such a great route was empty that perhaps it was not the time of day to be out!

I walked back to the hotel in what seemed an eternity ... I had no money and the only thing I could dream of was getting hold of water!  (with ice) ...

On my way to the hotel I kept trying to convince myself to go to the beach ... this is my only rest day until May 7th and I thought best to hangout at the hotel to rest ... but I was feeling guilty that I would just let my Sunday slip away.

It took all that I had to gather my strength and take a taxi to the nearest beach.

The cab driver stopped the car to let me admire the view ...

Sights from the beach ... probably not the prettiest beach ... but it was great to be able to walk in the sand and feel the summer heat.

I love when there are rocks and mountains near the beach.

There was this very cute and very thin doggy roaming around ... it made me feel very sad and made me miss Dante!  I will have to tell you the story of my boss and stray dogs one day ... something to be admired. 

Cocadas ... I did not try them ... they seem very sweet ... so I passed.

You can pay with a credit card on the beach ... really!

Had to snap another pic as the vendor caught me in the middle of my picture taking and he wanted to be included.

After a pleasant cab ride back to the hotel ... I was able to enjoy the breeze ... I saw that the route at Beira Mar was packed ... I guess they do know the best time to run ... not me!

I quickly took a shower and headed to the Cathedral to go to Mass.

I love going to local Cathedral's and Churches ... it was a nice service ... actually parts of the service were done in Italian and in Spanish ... there was something going on as there were flags from all nations near the altar, but since I was not there prior to the beginning of Mass, I did not understand the reason.

It was raining once I left the Mass and my hunger was starting to set in ... I walked hurridly back to the hotel for room service ... again the picture does not do justice ... chicken, rice and beans ... delicious and the plate of lettuce used to be lettuce and tomatoes just as an FYI.

I think I am all caught up now ... I am all packed for tomorrow ... now I am just resting here with old episodes of Private Practice and Desperate Housewives ... and the work continues.

... a dopo ... J

... business trip ... leg 1 ... part 2

So ... where was I ... oh, yes Mexico ... so the show was actually very good ... I am very tough on Mexico shows because they are very long and often attended by many that tell you they interest without really being interested ... they get caught up in the moment and we end up with a million leads to follow up ... not good ... it takes a lot of time trying to see who in fact is a potential customer or not.

After a productive last day I headed to the airport at 6PM, going any later I was told would be a 2-3 hour ride so I chose to have the 2 hour ride instead.

The Mexico City airport is somewhat chaotic ... but finally after a long ride with a very pleasant cab driver, I was checked in and ready to go.  I settled into the lounge to read some of my favorite blogs ...

 Here I was finally ready to board.

 ... and then ... guess what ... the lights went out on the plane three times ... well, we were informed that there was nothing to fear ... the generator is needed only while grounded so we would be going shortly ... wrong ... another lights out happened and about 10 passengers freaked out ... one started crying the others started yelling at the captain and off they went ... only to leave us in a great delay ... the bags had to be found and so I waited ... again.

I knew I had already missed my connection from the get go ... so I proceeded just sit back and try to enjoy the 9 hours I had ahead.

Breakfast

I only ate the fruit ... the rest was just not appetizing.

But ... the sight shortly after was amazing! Santiago de Chile ...

You can't really tell in this picture but there are mountains and snow and the ocean all wrapped into this beautiful scene ... right in the middle of summer ... beautiful.  Oh, yes it is summer in this end of the world.

I fortunately did sleep on my way to Santiago, so I had some energy to watch a movie ...

I watched one One Day ... I was NOT pleased ... I guess I wanted a happy ending ... but no ... instead I cried.  

Oh and yes ... that is me ... I traded my heels for the comfort of my running shoes ... made the first appearance this week.

Lunch

Lunch was light and surprisingly good.

Santiago to Sao Paulo - DONE!

I arrived to Sao Paulo in my new flight ... oh yes, just wonderful ... 7 hours added to my already lengthy trip.  So much for arriving at 5PM ... and one less flight!

I tried to ease my pain with one of my favorite things in Brasil ... pao de queijo!

Even at the airport the pao de quiejo is fantastic!

Made this sight a little more maneageble too!  Oh the power of food!

Yes that in fact is my gate!

***

After 28 hours I finally reached my destination, and although I was unable to sleep until 2AM, I was at a hotel ... by the way NOT that pretty so you will be spared ... oh and let me just add THE POWER of the internet ... can make anything look good!

And the trip continues ... a dopo ... J

... business trip ... leg 1 ... part 1

So guess what! I am finally back ... I have been in Mexico City for a tradeshow.  First leg of this 3 leg trip. 

Here is quick recount of the trip ... as you know tradeshow mean long days so there are no outside trips or time to take quality pics.

My day at the airport started wiht the purchase of my next read ... The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  My friend C.'s choice.  We are doing a somewhat long distance book club.  We read the same book and then we discuss.  Her last choice Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud, which we both did not like ... I think the only chapter I enjoyed was the last one. 

                          

My purchases ... all up to now remain unread!

Breakfast at the airport ... yeah!

Lunch

Sadly ... lunch was not that great!  But that is plane food for you.

Below the view from the plane into Mexico City.

I always stay at the same hotel ... not very pretty, but very convenient ... it is in front of the convention center.

Bags were quickly dropped off and off I went to work ...

This was the result at 6:00 AM ... yes, 6:00 AM ... I left at 4:00 AM ...

***

 Meals at tradeshows are few and far between ... I was on the phone and the computer in the morning so there are no breakfast shots ... the only time we went to a nearby restaurant is the Uruguyan restaurant Asado del Valle.

Tortilla Soup ... yum .. room service ... even better!  It is not a pretty picture ... it was delicious ... maybe I was just hungry after not eating all day.

One of my favorite things to eat in Mexico is Mango/Cucumber/Carrots with Lime and Chili.  Yes indeed, my stomach fears nothing ... street food and no consequences ... I am good and brave like that!

 

 I will be back with part 2!

... a dopo ... J

... sunny Saturday ...

I was going to run the 13.1 route from a race that is going to be held in April.  The day was sunny and beautiful ...  I however was feeling not up to par, but I finally gathered the strength to get ready ... and as I was ready to get my act together ... Titti called and asked run with me ... 

As much as she is in better shape than I will ever be and despite all her soccer and volleyball and running ... she has never run long distances ... so my 13.1 plan fell through ... maybe the excuse I was looking for.

                      

We set out to do 4-5 miles, which she did ... we walked about 2 miles as well ... as hard as I tried around the second mile my spleen started hurting ... I tried to push through but today I just could not ignore it.

I do not know what is happening as I breathe the same way everyday ... I may have eaten a little something before both runs, but not enough to bother me at least not yesterday.  I am taking a rest day ... and Monday may be one too ... for work purposes ... 

***

Today's menu:

Breakfast

My favorite preserves ... (I honestly would like to hide it in my fridge from the rest of the family ... I don't ... but would like to!)

Lunch

I should skip the details, lets just say it was not lunch and the items contained within this meal were not a balanced nor nutritious.

Post run fuel - Mangoes were included, but since this is a self-serve the the topping options changed due to my fave not looking too yummy ... 

Original/few mango pieces/pineapple/mochi/almonds/strawberry.

Dinner

Orzo with cilantro dressing ... red peppers and romaine salad ... it was late and I need to put something on the table ...

... a dopo ... J

... my day in pics ...

I have been running around like crazy and the blog has been without many pics ... so today I present to you my day in pics ...

Today I had to go to do a voice over for my company ... I was thrilled that the meeting was at 9:00 so I had a little more time to do my things in the morning ...

Ahhh ... I felt sun coming in the horizon ...

I had time to get my Chai Tea ...


... got to my appointment early ... so I got to chat with my friend C.!


This is what my work day looked like today ...

It was a lot of fun ... but stressful as I was the sole judge of my work ... no one spoke Spanish so I was the only person responsible for correcting and judging my work ... as I seek perfection ... I am still uneasy about the results ... I am happy, however if it were up to me I would have recorded over and over again until I felt 100% sure ... here's crossing my fingers ... once I had done a few voice overs in the past in another job - but I was directed and critiqued ... we will see ...

After all was said and done, I had such a headache ... it was hard work.  

After the voice over I was feeling very faint and I had tons of work to do so instead of going to the office I stopped for lunch and to work ... I was Uptown so I was able to go to Einstein's for a great feast.

Toasted Poppy Seed Lox Bagel ... perfection!

After work I decided to get in a run in Uptown ... there are great parks and greenways!  I was not feeling great so I must say it was not easy.

Today my legs felt great but my spleen was not liking the run ... it is always something!  

My Garmin of course only lasted .41 miles ... thankfully iMapmyFitness took over.

I ran 4 miles with a 9.30 miles!  Yeah!  Tough ... but liked the result!

                                

I climbed this stairs 10 or 12 times ... truthfully I will never know I think 12 ... I guess my mind was too tired at this time ...

After a little stretching ... and a plank I sat down to enjoy the view ...

I rewarded my pace with this: (Original, Mochi and Mango, of course)

And then home to Dante ... no girls in sight!

Tittina is at a party/sleepover ... Nana is at a dinner ... 

All in all it was a great day despite my headache ... having warmer temps and the sun shining sure helped things along!

Happy Weekend! ... a dopo ... J