Sat, 2 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-6B7F38WeekendJohn Phillipshttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-6B7F38http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-6B7F38Morning: Foz do Iguacu national park



Afternoon: Itaipu Dam


]]>Sat, 2 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=3D84296037BFB72B83256FDB003D1BE2 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=3D84296037BFB72B83256FDB003D1BE2http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-6B6JHUWeekendJohn Phillipshttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-6B6JHUhttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-6B6JHUTook a package tour to the Iguacu Falls in Parana State.  We left last Friday morning and returned yesterday (evening).  The journey involved flying from Belo Horizonte to Campinas (in Sao Paulo state) and then on to Curitiba the state capital of Parana.  From there we flew direct to Foz do Iguacu (Guarani:water big).  We'd left the house at 06:45 and arrived at ~14:00 with all the various flights and stopovers that comes to seven and a quarter hours.  However, any other method of travel would have meant somewhere in the region of 24 hours........ bin there, done that, never again.

Foz do Iguacu is on the border of Brasil and Paraguay and a few kilometres south is also the border with Argentina.  The Parana river (same name as the Brasilian state) runs along the border between Brasil & Paraguay and Foz do Iguacu is famous for its waterfalls and also the biggest (currently) hydro electric dam in the world, Itaipu (translated from Guarani (indian language) Singing Rock).

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/mapcenter/map.aspx?refid=701512533

By the time we'd checked in to the hotel there wasn't much time to do anything more than have a wander around the town.  Nice enough place but they're in the middle of renovation and half the roads are dug up and the place is in a bit of a mess.

Useless Tour Guides
q. Where's the nearest Chinese restaurant to this hotel?
a. I don't think there's one nearby.  You'll need to get a taxi

A quick wander around the streets within one block of the hotel revealed 3 ]]>Fri, 1 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +01001 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=DE776C8B3ADC2CF083256FDA004D4FF8 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=DE776C8B3ADC2CF083256FDA004D4FF8http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-69MQETRestaurantJohn Phillipshttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-69MQEThttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-69MQETImpromptue gathering of various of Mara's family members for lunch.

Including:
Israel (right), Eloisa and Jamil (left)

Back and

Front of Rosa and Rita

Things are starting to get a bit fuzzy

Poseur Mara

Rosa. A bit squiffy too?

Definitely on the way out!

On the way back home we capture an Armadillo

Sweet chap, eh?

At least he was when they ate him on Monday apparently, euuurgh ]]>Sun, 13 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +01003 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=FA4159D99456E95F83256FA90068FFD5 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=FA4159D99456E95F83256FA90068FFD5http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-69MQCYHawai BarJohn Phillipshttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-69MQCYhttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-69MQCYHaving a quiet "wet" in Hawaii Bar and all of a sudden these old blokes strike up


]]>Sat, 12 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=D61586CDC7C66ED883256FA90068BA16 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=D61586CDC7C66ED883256FA90068BA16http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68PPY8BrasilJohn Phillipshttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68PPY8http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68PPY8Sun, 16 Jan 2005 18:43:27 +01003 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=0A93113EF09D163083256F8B0066DB32 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=0A93113EF09D163083256F8B0066DB32http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68BGVKNoneJohn Phillipshttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68BGVKhttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68BGVKTue, 4 Jan 2005 12:40:51 +01000 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=685C42B162A5120883256F7F0045A8B0 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=685C42B162A5120883256F7F0045A8B0http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68AM3TNoneJohn Phillipshttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68AM3Thttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68AM3TSun, 2 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=0D8434D1461DA5C683256F7E0059535D http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=0D8434D1461DA5C683256F7E0059535Dhttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68ALZ5NoneJohn Phillipshttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68ALZ5http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68ALZ5Sat, 1 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +01001 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=2C30759832CB103E83256F7E0058EF0E http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=2C30759832CB103E83256F7E0058EF0Ehttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68BGRMNoneJohn Phillipshttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68BGRMhttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68BGRMI thought this would be a two day job.  All the measuring had been done beforehand and the kit ordered using a computerised system.

So, two guys from the kitchen firm turn up and also the pedreiro (mason) who's putting in the new chunk of granite work-surface.

Almost immediately the pedreiro begins fighting with the other guys. Saying, correctly, that some (most) of the measurements are wrong for the cupboards below the worksurfaces.  Then Mara gets involved and I take a backseat as this is gonna run and run. Suffice it to say, the computer generated picture we have differs substantially to what the head kitchen guy says we're gonna get.

In the end the guys put in the overhead cupboards and leave after 2 days and are now waiting for some sort of resolution to the problem of the incorrect measurements of the cupboards below the worksurfaces. ]]>Mon, 27 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +01001 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=162014B4407DD25B83256F7F0045139A http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=162014B4407DD25B83256F7F0045139Ahttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68ALW8NoneJohn Phillipshttp://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68ALW8http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/plinks/JPHS-68ALW8This is where things begin to become hazy as one allday/night session blends into another.

]]>Sat, 25 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +01001 http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=3AA6856B25EE8EBB83256F7E0058819E http://www.jwpmessaging.com/JWPMS/jwpblog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=3AA6856B25EE8EBB83256F7E0058819E