As I wrote earlier, I spent 17 days in Brazil living with my noiva in an apartment she rented for us. Many apartment buildings in Brazil cater to short-term rented such as tourists who stay for 2 weeks or 1 or 2 months. We checked the Web and found a place close to the beach not far from where she lives. The minimum rental time was 1 month and it cost about $400 USD. That was cheaper on a daily basis than most inexpensive hotels.
The building offered a swimming pool, sauna, gym, 24 hour security, parking, and laundry service for additional fees. Monday to Saturday maid cleaning was also included. We had a 1 bedroom apartment. It included a kitchen (with dishes and pots), a living room (with a TV and DVD player) and a dining area. She and her mother stayed there when I wasn't so no time was lost.
One of the first things I wanted to do was check into my cell phone. A year earlier I had bought a GSM phone and a TIM chip to use in Brazil. The phone wouldn't work because it was not compatible with the TIM network. Well, this time around I got the same mechanical run-throughs and shoulder shrugs that I got before. With a twist!!!! The no-nothing customer service person gave my phone to a geek with instructions to confirm that it was a GSM phone. Well, he scrolled through some screens and came up with the technology screen. I sensed an opportunity and explained to him what my problem with the phone was. Since the other clerk was busy with another customer, he decided to listen to me and scrolled through some more sscreens. 30 seconds later, my phone was displaying the bars that indicate signal strength. My number was credited with the correct amount of money and set to expire in 90 days. MY PHONE WAS FINALLY WORKING!!!!!!
I later withdrew money from an ATM. The falling value of the US dollar is killing me!!! We planned a week-end trip to a nearby tourist haven, it was a 1 hour bus ride. Unfortunately, it rained frequently while there and I caught something. I was ill with a sore throat and congested sinuses for the next 10 days. We also found a place for me to buy a transformer for my laptop and phone charger. This part of Brazil, Pernambuco, uses 220 volt electricity.
Unfortunately, some family issues reached me all the way in Brazil and the rest of the trip was under the burden of having to place many long distance phone calls and deal with this issue after I returned to the US. The combination of the my illness and this family issue took a fair amount of focus and energy off of us. We were not able to spend our time the way we really wanted but her reaction to these things was very supportive and positive.
