Yesterday was a useful day, in Portuguese Friday is the “sixth useful” day - Sexta Féria. It was actually useful for us retirees as we Ubered to the bank, took out cash from Brad’s ATM and took another Uber to see GANNET2 at the shop.
Denir the mechanic told me he tested a used alternator and it fit so he asked if I wanted to buy a new 200 amp alternator for $700 and I said sure, so we handed him 3800 reals. A replacement from Missouri would cost $2500 plus freight and customs duties plus this alternator, if it fails won’t be a totally weird North American piece of equipment so it may be repairable in South America! Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that but it looks like we will have engine charging for our house batteries and we are delighted.
We crossed the street to see Alessandro at his shop which is getting a new roof much to the relief of his workers who will get to be in the shade over his entire vast shop, not just at the back.
In the midst of all this good news Alessandro told us there was an issue with the solar panels. Using Google Translate he explained the projected 430 watt panels are too big and he is in discussion with his supplier to find another way to cover our roof. I’d love to have 860 watts to help the new alternator keep our house batteries charged but we will see what size will fit comfortably with our new Dometic rooftop air conditioner. Up next lunch.
Meat and salad from the buffet. The Miner’s Lunchroom in Paranoá, the town where GANNET2 is getting surgery in the federal district. (They have an underground dining room if you want- we didn’t).
We know how this works by now, load a plate, get it weighed, find a seat and wait for the waiter to come by to take your drink order. If you want food to go you use the styrofoam bowl so Layne did just that after lunch to get some meat home for dinner.
And before you leave take your ticket to the cashier and pay for whatever you bought, credit cards accepted.
Last time I accidentally firehosed my salad with Calabrian pepper oil so this time I got smart and used olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I’m a slow learner as the bottle was clearly labeled.
Help yourself to whatever you want. I piled on the beets as Layne hates beets and I love them and at a buffet I can have all the beets I can eat…
Dozens of hot dishes:
You can find various meats and fried tilapia which I did not take as I don’t think fried fish improves with time spent under a hot lamp.
If you like you can get yourself some slices from the rotisserie.
I love their sausages and the grilled chicken breasts are pretty good too.
That’s your Brazilian cultural round up for the day. Meanwhile I have some pictures from our drive through town grabbed as best I could from the back seat of our Uber.
Layne is organizing a half day tour of the city next week I hope. I find this architecture fascinating, so unusual.
2.8 million people live here officially in this city created out of thin air in 1960. Rio de Janeiro used to be the capital but the people in charge decided to slice up a piece of land and created a Federal District 2200 square miles of forest, open land, a dammed lake for water and electricity and wide boulevards.
Brasilia:
A committee was appointed in 1956 to choose a central
location for the new capital and three architects were appointed to design the buildings. “Sovereign Brazil”:
Getting ready for the kids’ holiday season. In this hemisphere Christmas marks the start of Summer vacations through the end of February.
From Wikipedia:
Brasília is a planned city developed by Lúcio Costa, Oscar Niemeyer and Joaquim Cardozo in 1956 in a scheme to move the capital from Rio de Janeiro to a more central location, which was chosen through a committee. The landscape architect was Roberto Burle Marx.[7][8] The city's design divides it into numbered blocks as well as sectors for specified activities, such as the Hotel Sector, the Banking Sector, and the Embassy Sector. Brasília was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 due to its modernist architecture and uniquely artistic urban planning.[9] It was named "City of Design" by UNESCO in October 2017.
We live at the blue dot and GANNET2 is at the red dot in a town called Paranoá which I call Paranoia. It’s a seven dollar twenty minute uber ride from our apartment building.
Unlike DC in the States this federal district is huge with tons of open space and parks.
You wouldn’t know it’s rainy season judging by the past couple of days at our apartment complex:
But it’s actually been quite warm with lots of sunshine.
But in case you need it there is always a reminder that rain is expected:
3 comments:
Will the new solar panels weigh much more than the old?
I really enjoy your commentaries and photos as they are both educational and a great distraction from what is going on in the US. Can't wait to see the photos from your city tour!
The new panels will be made of glass and will undoubtedly be heavier but the a/c unit will be small and lighter. Weight is one reason we decided not to install a fixed awning. Before we leave Brasilia the plan is to empty our lockers and seat we haven’t used in a while too.
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