A few random observations

Bar Getulio was shut when I ventured out, I don't know if because of the rain or because it's Monday. I went to Paraiso do Chopp and had quite a few beers (seven, to be precise, although they are fairly small). I don't feel particularly drunk, so it's an improvement on Sao Paulo. :-)

I wanted to make a few minor random observations, hence this post.

The toilet paper in the hotel has indentations which form the outlines of cute cartoon rabbits and hearts. I noticed this on my first day here but it escaped my notice again until now. I fully suspect this kind of thing exists in the UK, so I don't regard this as an observation except on human nature, but in a general way that sort of thing always strikes me as misplaced cuteness. I may be slightly misanthropic and I might eat meat, but I don't really want to wipe my bum with cute cartoon rabbits, given a choice. It reminds me unpleasantly of a comedy sketch (on Absolutely, maybe) where a guy pretended to wipe his arse on an Andrex-style puppy.

Also, when I wanted to pay on leaving the bar, I signalled a waiter about 5m away, so language issues were irrelevant. He held up a finger, clearly signalling "another beer?" and I waved my hands horizontally in a kind of "no" gesture then made the "scribble in the air" sign which, to misquote something from that Reeves & Mortimer comedy quiz show with Ulrika Jonsson that I can't remember the name of right now (oh yes, "Shooting Stars", wasn't it?), signifies "I want to pay" in the international language of the gesture. And it all went swimmingly. It amazes me that these things really do seem to work internationally. Admittedly the culture here is fairly Western, but still. I genuinely wonder if these things would work in India or China, for example. I would be impressed but not totally astonished to find they do.

I was re-reading Orwell's "Road to Wigan Pier" in the bar and it reminded me (I am not drawing any parallels, it just reminded me) of something else. When I did that Turismetro tour in Sao Paulo, the young woman (probably a university student) who was acting as assistant guide and my personal translator would intermittently call me "sir". At the end of the tour they gave us a "how was the tour?" form to fill in, and at the time I was vaguely tempted to say something (in person, not on the form) to her about how it wasn't necessary to call me "sir". But I resisted, I don't like to correct someone's language and it occurred to me that maybe an American would not find anything odd in that. (I don't mean anything offensive by that, I just have this idea that in some ways American English can be more formal than British, while being less formal in others.)

Then again, I know I do the same thing when I'm speaking a foreign language. Here especially I am continually calling people "senhor" (or however it's spelled) in an attempt to reduce the rudeness of my half-spoken-half-gesture Portuguese, and I do the same thing in Spanish, calling waitresses "senora" even if they're obviously half my age (although I think that may actually be subtly offensive, but you can't win really), and using the "usted" form with everyone as far as I can manage. I hope to pluck up courage not to do this so much once I start speaking Spanish to people again, but I'm always keen to avoid giving offense. But she spoke pretty good English so she had no need to do this, if there's ever any need in the first place.

Anyway, I must get to bed. Vague plans are to be up early for breakfast, nip out to the internet cafe round the corner to see if I can print the Santiago hotel confirmation, then pay the hotel and get over to the airport with far too much time to spare.

It annoys me that these blog posts are always marked with UK time, but I can't find any way to change that. It's nearly half past midnight here, for what it's worth, so I shouldn't be in bed too late.