Well, I have now spent quite a bit of time in Brazil - a total of 3 months within a 4 month period. Sitting in a restaurant today, I was thinking why do I love this country so much.... well:

Parallel parking - Tight fit for your compact car? Difficult to leave your parking spot? No problem. Just do it like a Brazilian - The guy backed-up and bumped the car parked behind several times. While that in itself might not be so interesting, the fact that the person that owned the other car sat inside the car during the whole episode is. He calmy exited the car later, not the least interested in checking the front of his car for any damage. Ok, I do admit both cars were not luxury cars.

Crossing the street - While crossing the street while a pedestrian light is green is safe, doing so otherwise should be done very carefully. Brazilian drivers seem to take a peverse pleasure in hunting down jay walkers. The other day I took a taxi that flew down the side streets and almost hit a guy crossing the street. The only comment from the taxi driver was "idiot". I guess the logic that the car is bigger and badder then a pedestrian, therefore has the right of way, applies in all cases.

Women - Of course!! #1 reason. Alot of things have been said about those wonderful Brazlian women. Prior to my extended trips to Brazil I used to like relatively slender women. Now, I tend to lean more towards the fuller ass of the typical Brazilian woman.

Stores - It seems like every store has tons of people working in it. The store could be the size of a large US bathroom, but have 5 or 6 people working there. That means that even while shopping for soap or toilet paper you can expect some type of assistance. That actually took a little to get used to, as I at first thought they were making sure i was not stealing anything. Afterall how difficult is it to buy soap?

Beer - You just have to love any country where you can buy beer everywhere and don't pay alot to do so. Plus no worries about those stupid brown bags and getting hassled by the police while walking down the street with a beer. I just love being able to go out and getting drunk for around $10 - $15. The last time I did so in South Beach, Miami, I almost had to get a second home loan on my house.

No Prescriptions necessary - Come on, why do I need to talk to a doctor about Viagra? I want it, I should be able to buy it....ok, so I have some heart problems and probably mix it with the wrong medicine because I don't know better - that's another story altogether. It should be - buyer beware!

Dress - Bermuda shorts & T-Shirt in the day.....jeans, T-Shirt, and sneakers in the night - even for the nicer clubs. I remember being turned away from a few clubs in Miami because I did not have a collared shirt.

The beach - Ok, it might not be the cleanest plus the water is cold, but where else can you find a "hooker beach", plus beaches packed so full of hard bodies on the weekend?

Police - get a ticket or have a problem? No need to see a judge or pay an outrageous traffic ticket if you do a little greasing...

Elevador - Several times the elevador stopped working in my apartment building because the electricity was out. The only problem with that was that people were actually inside those stuck elevadors (since there are no back-up generators). The staff communicating with those people shouted encouragements such as "What a way to die", followed by hearty laughs.

Anyway, I just love Brazil.