3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 1200 Sq. Ft. Completely remodeled corner unit condo on the ground floor with open bright split floor plan. Conveniently located in the heart of Fort Lauderdale Master Bedroom: 17×12 2nd Bedroom: 11×10 3rd Bedrooms: 11×10 Dining Room: 15×10 Living Room: 15×11 Includes World-Class Designer Appliances: * LG 22 Cu Ft. Bottom Mount – Stainless Steel Refrigerator * * LG Washer / Dryer Front-Loading * * GE – 30 "Self-Cleaning Slide-In Ceramic Top Electric Range – Stainless Steel * * GE – 24…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jN3YiEMUFU&hl=en

Related : Compare Prices And Find Discounts Products Sony HTCT100 Sound Bar Hoover U5269-900 EmPower Bagless Upright Vacuum HRM-100 Wall TV Mount

I saw The Slanted Door featured on The Best of the Bay TV show and a few days later on the Travel Channel.  I figured it must be sign to see it twice in one week!  When we realized The Slanted Door is also in the Ferry Building, we knew we just had to go!

I went in with no expectations.   Obviously, this is not a traditional Vietnamese restaurant but more of an Asian Fusion restaurant.  It was bustling even though we arrived around 1:30 PM and were told our best bet is to wait for counter seats at the bar where they serve a full menu.

Every table was packed, every seat at the bar was taken, people were sitting in the waiting area, and people were coming in and out the doors.

We had an incredibly nice bartender wave us over to two women who just requested their bill.  We stood behind them waiting for what seemed like an eternity while one of them finished up their half glass of beer.  Two different bartenders gave me apologetic looks and also apologized to me once we finally sat down.  We were also offered two tasters of white wine for our patience.  In addition to that, Boyfriend got a beer and I tried the lychee infused iced tea.  Good stuff!  The entire bar is organic.

We started out with the Slanted Door Spring Rolls, which were AMAZING.  The flavors of the shrimp, pork and mint were wonderful, the rolls did not fall apart once you bit into them and the peanut dipping sauce was great too.

We ordered the niman ranch flank steak over rice noodles as one of our main dishes.  Both Boyfriend and I had taken two or three bites and exclaimed how much flavor this dish had!!  At this point, neither of us had even eaten any of the beef!!  Once we ate the beef, it was all over.  The plate was practically licked clean.

We also tried the grilled 5 spice chicken with tamarind sauce.  The chicken was very moist and I liked the sauce.  Boyfriend didn’t like the sauce as much in the beginning but it grew on him.  It was a good plate and very filling but I probably wouldn’t order it again.  The other two are definites though!

1 Ferry Building  San Francisco, CA

Olá Pessoal, a Embarcadero disponibilizou 2 Updates para Delphi 2010

1. Update 2
2. Update3

para atualizar basta clicar nos links a cima ou em check for update na pasta da Embarcadero Delphi 2010 no menu iniciar.

Espero ter ajudado.

Até a próxima.

Pessoal estão abertas as inscrições do Delphi Conference Brasil que será realizada no dia 24 de Novembro de 2009 em São Paulo-SP, e detalhe, será de graça.

O link para se inscrever segue a baixo.

Delphi Conference Brasil

Até a próxima.

This week work took me to San Francisco which is a beautiful city.  As we worked on an opportunity for a large client, our schedule was difficult to say the least and finding time for training certainly wasn’t as easy as I had hoped.  Business travel is also an opportunity to socialize with co-workers a bit.  Since I telecommute most of the time, I don’t often have a chance to spend much time with my co-workers and these trips often provide the venue to get to know them.  As we dined in San Francisco’s Epic under the Bay Bridge I found myself torn.

There was a time (the time when I weighed 210 and couldn’t run past the corner at my house) when I would be one of the first to indulge in the delicacies of fine cocktails, martinis, wine and of course after-dinner drinks and I won’t talk about the over-indulgence in food.  The team has been working hard on this proposal and we haven’t seen each other in some time and after a long day there was a clear need to unwind.  Martini orders started flying around, wine, better wine, more wine, appetizers, salads, entrees, deserts and after dinner drinks ensued…the atmosphere was jovial and all I could think about was my bike work-out that loomed when I got back to the hotel.

It really is a tough balance in that I truly enjoy the company of my co-workers and I learn much from them in and outside of work.  I know plenty of people out there that couldn’t be paid to have a drink with the people they work with but I really do enjoy the work and the people.  Willpower was key to that evening and it was hard for two reasons.

The willpower to avoid drinking, limit myself to a steak salad and avoid the sweets was hard but the impending workout helped.  I’ve tried before to drink and then go work out, and I promise you that it’s not an experience that I care to repeat so in a sense the threat of misery should I choose to indulge was enough motivation to keep the temptations aways.

What was harder than willpower however were some of the comments.  People were having fun at dinner and used to know me as one who would partake easily in the excess.  As such, there were several comments about it, some of which not exactly flattering circling around the fact that I wasn’t as much fun anymore.  More than not drinking (which I enjoy) or eating (which I love), the comments that perhaps my more disciplined attitude now somehow made me less attractive in social settings were a bit hard to take I admit.   I haven’t been in that situation before and it was new to me.  While I was able to plan and prepare myself to eat right, limit drinking and train, I just hadn’t planned for this and it took me by surprise.

The night ended close to midnight and my doubts subsided when I was on the bike and felt good enough to enjoy the workout and not suffer too much.  After a short but solid 5 hours of sleep, I woke up at 6:15 for a 6:30 run with one of the individuals who chose to partake in the festivities the night before.  Though I was very impressed that he joined me for a run, I also enjoyed a bit of a revenge as he clearly was recovering from the alcohol he had the past night and struggled a few times on the run.

Though travel is hard on the body and makes it very difficult to maintain a proper training schedule I have to say that San Francisco makes it much easier.  With well equipped hotels and healthy food stores everywhere it’s difficult to truly have an excuse not to train and eat healthy.  The mild weather made my morning run along The Embarcadero very enjoyable Tuesday morning.  I certainly understand why so many professional triathletes choose the Bay Area as their home.

Embarcadero lança 2 updates para Delphi 2010.

1 Update da IDE e 1 Update do Help.

Os links para as respectivas páginas seguem logo abaixo.

Update 1 para IDE

Update 1 para Help

Espero ter ajudado.

Até a próxima.

Puerto Madero, es un sitio en donde grandes empresas nacionales e internacionales colocaron sus grandes corporativos, también exclusivos centros  comerciales, la Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Puerto Madero esta dividido en 4 partes o diques: En el primer dique están importantes zonas residenciales en torres de gran lujo y categoría. En la zona sobre salen las torres El faro,  River View,las Torres Renoir entre otras que son habitadas por la la gente de mayores recursos de la ciudad.

En el dique dos esta parte de la universidad Católica de Buenos Aires  es.wikipedia.org/…/Universidad_Católica_Argentina        ,la bella iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza, pabellones de arte y una  zona importante de bares y restaurante en donde fuimos a cenar. Esta zona se puede comparar con las zonas más lugares y costosas como en  Nueva York, o París.

En el restaurante en que cenamos disfrutamos de un excelente bife chorizo, espadas de carnes, unas deliciosa empanadas acompañado todo con música de tango. Desde el restaurante disfrutamos una bella vista del puente de la Mujer obra  de Santiago Calatrava es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puente_de_la_Mujer      .Después de cenar visitamos el dique tres en donde esta la fragata Presidente Sarmiento un elegante  barco que sirve ahora como museo y fue el primer buque escuela de la Argentina

Epic Roasthouse
369 Embarcadero
San Francisco,CA 94102
Map it
SOMA

$3 Harps M-F 4pm-7pm

What happens?

It was around 10:30 last night. I heard emergency alarm and announcement that said we should evacuate outside the apartment. I went out a hallway with doubting if it was a serious incident. I saw some other inhabitants evacuating, so I took my cloths and valuables, and wend down stairs from 19th floor to the ground…

False alarm

After all, it turned out to be a false alarm an hour later. While waiting at the lobby and imagining the worst case, I was feeling uneasiness. That was partly because I live in SF by myself as an alien.  I was really happy that was not a big issue actually.

If you see us in San Francisco today and pick up one of our flyers, it will have a coupon code on it. Save 25% off a rental for the month of September with that code!  Or just ask our lovely assistants  Jonathan or Asia for one if you see them riding on the Spyder! We will be visiting the areas of: North Beach, the Embarcadero, & Fisherman’s Wharf until about 7:00pm.

Every year, San Francisco plays host to the German tradition that is Oktoberfest. It’s a sixteen day festival held in Munich, Germany, that brings millions of people together to celebrate the history and tradition of Bavarian culture. In San Francisco, it is another reason to get thousands of people together to drink their brains out for three days.

As a seasoned veteran of Oktoberfest, I have been through the trenches and have my fair share of battle stories. For the uninitiated, surviving your first Oktoberfest is a rite of passage and I’d like to share some knowledge collected over the years to ensure a successful (read:wasted but still make it out alive, barely) time.

• Purchase your tickets ahead of time. It usually sells out and there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to purchase tickets at the door, plus it saves you a few bucks.
• Take MUNI, hail a cab, hitchhike, ride a bike, or find any other method to get there without driving yourself. You would think this is a no-brainer, but it’s not. Plus, parking is a bitch near AT&T Park.
• Arrive early with your group so you can secure a table. If you show up halfway through the night, all the tables will be packed with drunkards protecting their real estate like it’s the last plot of fertile soil on earth. Having a table allows you to regroup and refocus when you’re not sure whether to keep drinking (option #1), hit the dance floor, mack on hotties, or eat more brats and pretzels.
• Bring cash to turn into tokens. You can only exchange tokens for food and beer. The ATM machines on site rape you with fees, so bring as much cash as you think you’ll need (or would like to spend), plus $20 more. If you wait to restock on tokens after you’ve had a few steins of beer, you may end up buying $100 worth of tokens so you “won’t have to worry about it later.” Unused tokens can’t be sold back, by the way.
• Try and order beer from the same person EVERY SINGLE TIME. Do whatever you can to become their best friend. They are the bridge between you and beer. After a couple trips and some friendly (or flirty) banter, they will usually hook you up in the form of more beer or taking less tokens. If you really turn up the charm you can usually score free beers, so kiss their ass!
• Do the chicken dance, every time. Run to the dance floor as soon as you hear the tune. Don’t worry about how stupid you look, someone else will always look more stupid than you.
• Bring your own glass, make it a stein if you want to keep it German. Most of the servers will fill your glass for the cost of one beer, so bigger definitely means better. No one took this advice to heart more than my friend, Derrick, with his infamous and ridiculously large fishbowl glass. Not only did he get hooked up with tons of free beer, beautiful women flocked to him just to touch his ass glass ass.

• If you’re coming from out of town, book a nearby hotel room or crash at a friend’s place. You won’t make it home and you won’t be able to drive, I don’t care how sober you think you are.

Oktoberfest by the Bay will be at Pier 48 this year, right next to AT&T Park. It was previously held at Fort Mason in the Marina, but Pier 48 provides them with a bigger venue, and it’s more centrally located to public transportation. Plus, the amount of douchebags will probably shrink while the amount of cougars will likely remain unaffected.

For more info: http://oktoberfestbythebay.com

California Street (SFO)

El primer día en una ciudad suele ser un toma y afloja. Yo suelo dedicarme a andar, andar y más andar hasta que empiezo a sentirme cómodo y San Francisco no podía ser una excepción.

Hoy hemos hecho un buen recorrido, calculo que alrededor de unos 20 kilómetros a pie, la mayor parte de ellos repartidos entre la bahía este y norte de la ciudad, desde Embarcadero hasta el Golden Gate Bridge, el distrito financiero, Chinatown y buena parte del centro; por tanto, empezamos a controlar el cuadrante noreste de la ciudad, también conocido como guirilandia.

Algunos apuntes sobre las cosas que más me han llamado la atención:

- Tengo que ponerme en forma. Hay gente corriendo por todas partes, pero es que cuando dejan de correr siguen haciendo ejercicio. Tras arrastrarnos de forma vergonzosa hasta Coit Tower, donde hemos disfrutado de unas vistas maravillosas de la ciudad (podéis ver algunas fotos aquí, aquí o aquí), hemos visto algunos cómo algunos vigoréxicos, nada más llegar, se ponían a saltar a la comba. Así no hay forma. Incluso la gente de Twitter organiza una carrera semanal de 8 kilómetros por la bahía (SFtechruns). No me imagino al equipo de Agroterra o de Blogestudio quedando para correr, la verdad

- El ayuntamiento ha desarrollado un sistema muy eficiente para promocionar la venta de postales: a partir de una determinada hora de la mañana cubren todo el Golden Gate Bridge con una espesa niebla que lo convierte en invisible, que no transparente. Las malas lenguas dicen que todas las fotografías de las postales se hicieron un mismo día, aprovechando que el generador de vapor estaba en mantenimiento. Para compensar, han puesto un puente parecido en el lado este de la ciudad aunque, por desgracia, el presupuesto no les llegó para pintarlo de rojo.

- Los turistas disfrutan haciendo colas: Ya me lo dijo Juanma, pero aún así me ha sorprendido. Son capaces de esperar dos horas para subir a un tranvía cuando la siguiente parada está vacía, para comer en un lugar típico rodeado de lugares igual de típicos pero mucho menos concurridos o en muchas otras situaciones inverosímiles.

Mañana nuestra agenda se centra en Palo Alto y la Universidad de Stanford. Seguiremos investigando Puedes ver todas las fotos del viaje (en realidad, una pequeña selección , en la colección que he creado en Flickr.

Many of you may remember that my 23rd Most Favorite Thing About the State Fair was The Tower Building, primarily because it combined a wide assortment of yummy food in a very small space. As we learned, when it comes to Fair deliciousness, High Quality, High Quantity, and Minimal Distance to and from is most desirable.

So here at Number 16, I’ve singled out my other favorite emporium of fine Fair cuisine, The Dock. Now, I assume the name “The Dock” derives from the fact that this restaurant is located at the north end of the Embarcadero Building, and that, even though very few bodies of appreciable water exist at the Fair (and the ones that do are not really proximal to the Embarcadero), we go along with the maritime theme because we’re good sports, especially at the Fair, where pretty much anything goes.

I like to think of the name of this restaurant, though, as a very literal description of what smart fairgoers should do here — dock themselves to a table and enjoy a delicious feast.

Because, seriously folks, The Dock packs a punch. Per square foot, this stomach mecca houses more of my favorite delicacies than any place else at Fair Park. And that’s saying something. Looking at the photo above, you can see that it’s actually hard to choose between them. (Here’s a tip: choice is overrated — just get them ALL!)

On that particular visit, I can tell I had some Fried Mac & Cheese (divine, but it’s a teensy bit better at the Cheesecake Factory), White Chocolate Bread Pudding (one of my FAVORITE food items at the Fair), and something I can’t identify — Fried Latte, perhaps? It’s hard to distinguish them sometimes, mainly because The Dock keeps it fresh. The proprietors of this joint are on the scene each year with something new and fried-tastic, something you ALWAYS have to taste.

Recent new offerings on the menu have included Fried Grilled Cheese (grilled, then fried — an idea just bursting with culinary creativity), the aforementioned Fried Latte, Fried Chili Frito Burrito (chili, fritos, and fry finally together — the way they always should have been), and this year’s winner (and my personal destination item at the 2009 Fair) Fried Peaches & Cream.

Ambiance is something else The Dock has going for it. Whereas most seating and food consumption areas at the fair consist of wooden picnic tables, The Dock steps it up, sporting actual tables and chairs with backs. Chairs with backs are key (and hard to find) at the Fair. When you’ve been walking around all day and need to relax against something, picnic tables just don’t fit the bill.

The Dock also has a television. This wouldn’t normally be a big deal, but one year my good friend, Alonso (who, by the way, is one of my favorite no-holds-barred State Fair eating companions) was munching goodies in The Dock during his annual Fair visit when he realized that the television was playing the game show (Crossword? Hollywood Squares? Scrabble?) he’d taped as a contestant a few weeks prior.

Watching yourself compete for fabulous cash and prizes on television while enjoying the deliciousness of The Dock — this, my friends, is State Fair magic at work.

I must admit that I’ve had some trouble in the past few years with The Dock and my strategic planning for State Fair domination — for some reason I can’t quite understand, I’ve been saving my visits to The Dock until later in the day, after cinnamon rolls, corn dogs, Jack’s Frys, Fried Twinkies, Snickers, etc. This is NOT a good idea. It’s best to hit this place early on, so your stomach can fully enjoy what’s happening to it (this is impossible if it’s already too full of other stuff).

Dock early, dock often. That’s my plan for this year.

Photo by Nikki.

saturday was so migraine hot! between 80-90s along the coast and 100+ inland! went to sf embarcadero for our run, breakfast, farmers’ market shopping!

great perspective i thought

yoga in public!

arnis?!

clif by red’s java house…

anthony bourdain was just here at red’s a couple of weeks ago!

our so-so red’s breakfast

still don’t get it why they put gandhi here!

long line at ciao bella of course!

i wonder if they have the parts that we put in dinuguan! pork blood, ears?, heart? intestines?

Che strana sensazione.

Qui é tutto cambiato rispetto all’America degli skatevideos con cui sono cresciuto.

Gli spots sono tutti skatestoppati, ma grazie a Dio qualcosa ancora da skateare c’é.

La musica con cui sono cresciuto però non cambia mai.

Hippy Love

In this hilly city, where cyclists use a zigzagging route known as the Wiggle to avoid steep climbs in the city center, the ride from Fisherman’s Wharf on the Embarcadero to Sausalito in Marin County is one of the easiest ” and the most spectacular.

Source:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1915050_1915041,00.html

It gives me special pleasure to go on a Sunday afternoon walk on San Francisco’s Embarcadero. Our destination was Pier 39, but for all the glory of the bay it is easy to say the journey is the destination. Pier 39 is a festival marketplace with stores, restaurants and fun-filled attractions for kids and adults alike. I enjoyed the fresh air, the sun, the bright colors of the store fronts, the diversity of the faces in the crowd, the street performers, and the sea lions clustered and sunning themselves at the far end of the pier!

Seriously, I was there for a smoothie. The place of choice; Maui Wowi Hawiian Coffee and Smoothies. Not too crowded, but it was obvious that a constant stream of return customers and / or impulse shoppers thought likewise as myself!

Maui Wowi. The ambiance itself made me just want to sit and enjoy myself even though at the moment I hadn’t even ordered yet. Bright colors and lots of entertainment for the eyes. What to buy, what to buy? Interestingly, the guys who work there seemed to be very comfortable there. So many jobs in the world can be mundane and repetitive ~ but at Maui Wowi, it was as if these guys were enjoying their day as much as any of the tourists.

Smoothies are their “signature beverages.” I had a black raspberry and boy am I glad for it. My mouth hasn’t had a splash of flavor like that in a while. And the blend? I chose “Smart Blend.” It is specifically designed to increase oxygen to the brain. Not that I suddenly felt capable of going on Jeopardy or The Cash Cab after drinking it, but an increase in alertness after hoofing it around the Embarcadero was a pleasant jolt. It added the boost without changing the flavor of the drink.

“Smoothies are a great accent to the coffee line,” Maui Wowi states on their website. “They are a super snack and the perfect pick-me-up for the mid- and late-day consumers. Coffee sales will capture the morning crowds and smoothies will capture the afternoon and evening crowds. Everyone will be satisfied throughout the entire day!” Worked for me.

What exactly is a Maui Wowi Smoothie? “For 23 years, our all-natural, vitamin-packed, non-fat, Fresh Fruit Smoothies have been served throughout the country. Pre-packaged to ensure the integrity of Maui Wowi Hawaiian, our fresh fruit blends are a combination of our secret non-fat yogurt recipe with the best in tropical fruit purees and fresh fruit juices. We mix ‘em to order wikiwiki with a fresh banana. They have been a cult favorite for decades. You gotta get one,“ their website goes on to say, and I heartily endorse that!

But all this information is for tourists like me. What about if you yourself are considering opening a franchise? Take a look at the info they share on the web: “Smoothies are where specialty coffees were 20 years ago, which at the time was a growing but also very fragmented segment. U.S. retail sales of smoothies surpassed $1.6 billion in 2005 and are expected to reach $2.7 billion by 2010.”

http://matchagt.com/
http://www.smoothieessentials.com/
http://matchagt.blogspot.com/
http://smoothieessentials.blogspot.com/
http://matchagt.wordpress.com/

One of the most productive IDE applications, Delphi RAD Studio 2010, from Borland Embarcadero, had reached version 2010:). Here is a video demonstrating why Delphi is still the best player in area.

The introduction explains about multitier development, multiple databases code quality tools, touch and gesture inmput.

via Embarcadero

 Como siempre estos inicios son los más difíciles y aún más, cuando hace al menos dos meses que no me pongo delante del ordenador para contaros como va nuestro viaje. La culpable de este retraso ha sido sin duda la “bruja averías” que se ha instalado en el Talula sin aviso y como Pedro por su casa. Esperemos que en pocos meses, si si, en pocos meses, le podamos dar una buena patada y sacarla de nuestro barco aunque sin garantía de que no vuelva más.
Pero dejemos esto para más adelante ya que la crónica será básicamente explicaros nuestros incidentes, averías y demás que hemos tenido a lo largo de estos dos últimos meses esperando no ser demasiado técnica y no aburriros con nuestras desgracias. Bueno, hago ya el “salto” y me voy a los últimos días en Salvador de Bahía, donde tocó la hora de las despedidas después de más de tres meses de estancia en esta bellísima y querida ciudad.

 Dijimos adiós a muchos amigos y también conocimos en el último momento a navegantes que brillaron por su peculiaridad como fueron David y María Inés, un galés de 72 años, cuya vida es un sinfín de historias inacabables y a cúal de ellas más alucinantes y María Inés, una venezolana de profesión cineasta, que lo conoció un día por tierras venezolanas hace ya más de 5 años, y que ahora ya vuelven a estar en ese principio tras haber dado la 2ª para David y la 1ª para María Inés vuelta al mundo. Y a Patricia, una argentina de la Patagonia, que un día decidió con su hermana gemela construirse un barco de acero para navegar por todo el mundo. Lo sorprendente de ello, es que de navegación sus conocimientos eran nulos pero no dudaron por ello en intentarlo y finalmente conseguirlo. De hecho, la conocimos en Salvador de Bahía con unas cuantas millas ya en sus espaldas y con el barco casi a punto, digo casi ya que todavía tenía que instalar el depósito de gasoil entre otras cosas. Viva la voluntad y la tenacidad.

Así que con lágrimas en los ojos, soltamos amarras y empezamos a navegar hacia el norte de Brasil con la primera parada en Maceió, de la cual puedo destacar sus playas y la zona donde estábamos fondeados, ya que era en frente de un club náutico a donde tenías que llamar por radio para que te vinieran a recoger con una lancha y poder desembarcar en tierra. El problema de que no lo pudiéramos hacer nosotros, se debía a la cantidad de porquería acumulada que había en la playa en donde era imposible encontrar un agujero para dejar tú auxiliar, por lo que te obligaba a recurrir a este servicio que no dejaba de ser tremendamente desagradable ya que cada vez que pisabas la orilla, tenías que sumergir tus pies entre peces muertos, bolsas de basura, restos de comida en estado de putrefacción y más cosas que prefiero no recordar.
La siguiente parada fue Recife y reencuentro con “Ospray de Boston”, nuestros amigos ingleses que conocimos en Gambia. El lugar se llama Pernambuco Yate Club y no era más que un restaurante con un embarcadero al final de un rompeolas, una ducha en el lavabo del restaurante y una especie de tejado con barbacoa. Total, aquí pasamos tres semanas inolvidables haciendo cenas casi cada noche y barbacoas los fines de semana con los otros barcos (todos ingleses), en donde el alioli triunfó con las alitas de pollo y en donde la cena estrella fue a base de langostas cocinadas de diversas maneras.

Pero al final de estas tres semanas y con muy pocas ganas de continuar hacia el Norte (cada vez nos quedaba menos visado), partimos hacia Natal y es aquí donde empieza a actuar la “bruja averías”. Se nos rompe la puntera de la botavara que tras desmontar toda la pieza conseguimos solucionar el problema con “Joao torneiro”, haciéndonos una buena soldadura. Al ver su buena predisposición, decidimos sacar el depósito de inox de gasoil que empezaba a perder de una forma considerable. Así que lo vaciamos y después de tres días de soldaduras y con el hombre que ya no nos dormía por la noche, lo volvimos a instalar esperando que todos los agujeros estuvieran soldados. Pero no, al día siguiente había gasoil en la sentina, así que volvimos a vaciar y esta vez lo pusimos en manos “de un profesional del acero inoxidable” que, después de cobrarnos el doble, eso sí de hacer la soldadura con una máquina alemana (éxito garantizado según él), volvíamos a estar igual que al principio. Así, que ya hartos de depósito, le pusimos una especie de resina por las zonas más castigadas esperando que aguante hasta ser cambiado por uno nuevo. Pero aquí no queda todo, ya que después de 20 días trabajando en Natal sin visitar nada, decidimos un día conocer algunas playas y partir hacia Galinhos, un lugar tranquilo y parece ser que muy bonito, para descansar unos días y poder limpiar el casco que iba a tope de toda clase de moluscos autóctonos de Brasil. Así que la noche antes de partir, y ahora viene el apartado pánico del título, Joan Antoni se levanta del sofá. Se fija en algo que hay en el suelo del salón y que le llama la atención. De repente pega un grito y me dice: Laura, aquí hay una serpiente!. Yo me lo miro con cara de circunstancia y le digo: Joan Antoni, estamos fondeados en medio de un río a más de 200 metros de la orilla, como quieres que haya una serpiente? Pero tal como lo iba diciendo, me iba levantando del sofá para ver que era aquello cuando doy un grito de espanto y dando un salto como nunca lo he dado en mi vida, me situé fuera del barco gritando a JA que saliera inmediatamente. Y ahí estaba, deslizándose por el salón una serpiente

 de más de metro y medio de largo y nosotros paralizados del pánico sin saber que hacer para sacar ese bicho del barco. Después de intentos frustrados, me armo de valor y con el auxiliar me voy a tierra a pedir socorro a los bomberos. En media hora se presenta un camión con todas las luces encendidas y yo explicándoles, que no hacía falta el camión, que el problema estaba en un velero en medio del río y que me tenían que acompañar. Pero la ironía de la vida hace que a uno de los bomberos le de miedo las serpientes y al otro el agua. Y ya me ven a mí (haciéndome la loquita como diría Echenique), rogándoles que se subieran a la zodiac, que Joan Antoni me estaba esperando en el barco. Y en 15 minutos, la “belesa” que fue como la llamó uno de los bomberos, la cogió por la cabeza y la metió en una funda que había cosido para “mejores usos” y así, bomberos Jota y serpiente, se fueron todos a tierra

 y yo me quedé en el barco sin saber dónde colocar los pies y pensando: si hay una porqué no puede haber dos?.
Con el susto todavía en el cuerpo, partimos hacia Galinhos aunque no llegamos a tiempo para hacer la entrada por un canal de poca profundidad (había que hacerlo con marea alta), así que decidimos continuar hacia Fortaleza. Esa noche el viento empezó a subir. Decidimos hacer una maniobra en la que hacía falta todas las manos disponibles pero el piloto automático decidió romperse en ese momento. Toda la noche por delante, cansados y hay que ponerse a la rueda. Pero el viento sigue subiendo, y Talula empieza a descontrolarse, así que en otra maniobra, rompemos freno y contra de la botavara y en una trasluchada supuestamente controlada, con la escota de la mayor, me da en todo el cuello que no me voy al agua de puro milagro. Finalmente destrozados y yo otra vez haciéndome la “loquita”, decidimos ponernos a la capa para descansar un poco. Al día siguiente fue más de lo mismo: viento y destrozos. Pero bueno, finalmente llegamos a Fortaleza y en 15 días conseguimos solucionar todos los problemas contando otra vez con la inestimable ayuda de Oriol, nuestro soporte de navegación mientras cruzábamos el Atlántico aunque esta vez, moviéndose por todas partes, para enviarnos piezas de recambio del piloto que finalmente pudimos hacerlas en Fortaleza.
Otra vez a punto, y con el ordenador también funcionando, como podéis imaginar también se estropeó, abandonamos Brasil ya que después de 6 meses, el visado no daba para más.

 Otra vez con lágrimas en los ojos y con mucha melancolía, fuimos dejando este país grande en territorio y en hospitalidad, en donde te reciben  con los brazos abiertos y te ayudan en todo lo que pueden. Buena gente en definitiva.
Y aquí estamos, en la Guayana francesa, descansando después de tanto estropicio que se remató con mi olvido de cerrar una escotilla de popa y que una ola aprovechó para entrar completita en el camarote e inundarlo absolutamente todo.
En estos momentos nos encontramos en las Illes du Salut, al lado de la isla del Diablo en donde pasa la acción de “Papillon”, interpretada por Luis Defunes, ay perdón, por  Dustin Hoffman y esperando que sea 29 de septiembre, para ver un lanzamiento de un cohete desde el centro espacial que hay aquí en Kourou. Mientras tanto, visitaremos un poquito los alrededores e iremos a Cayenne (la capital), pero poco más ya que es un país ridículamente caro. Así que pasaremos básicamente nuestra estancia en las Iles du Salut y después directos a Tobago, a la isla más bonita del Caribe anglosajón para pasar luego a Trinidad, paraíso de los navegantes, ya que en la bahía de Chaguaramas, está llena de marinas, varaderos y tiendas náuticas.
Mil besos a todos y espero no ser tan tardona en la siguiente crónica,
Laura