We had an action packed day yesterday. So action packed, in fact, that we required a break about mid day to recover!

We’ve been trying to find things to do locally, and prepare for next weekend when Chris arrives. So again, we headed off to Shopping Total. It’s a mall that is close-by (bout a R$8 cab ride), and in a very beautiful neighborhood in Porto Alegre. Unfortunately, I’ve not kept a map with me while we’ve been on the way to Shopping Total, so I don’t know what the name of the neighborhood is. There are quite a few 1-way streets here in this part of Porto Alegre and it can be a challenge to keep up.

After arriving and looking for a hat for me (got a little sunburned on Friday), we began to trek out on foot. We walked down to one of the main drags through Centro (Downtown). We felt very safe walking around downtown. If we passed a street or area that did not have any children or women walking through, we would move along. Otherwise, it was fair game. I’m not sure I’d take Chris down through there, but it was fun none-the-less. Eventually, we reached a mass of people. There is an area in Centro where a major bus terminal & market collide. I believe it is called Mercado Centro.

James & I inched through the mob and saw some very interesting characters. As we walked, I was reminded of parts of downtown Playa del Carmen, but with much taller buildings, 10x the people, and quite a bit larger. The market seemed to go on for 2-3 blocks off the main drag as well. I would guess there was easily 5-8 thousand people in that area.

After getting our fill of walking through the market, we stepped our way back to Shopping Total for a bite to eat. We decided that we needed to try and find a tourist book on Porto Alegre. After trying to talk to some locals at a book store, we decided to go back to our neighborhood mall in Moinhos de Vento. There is a bookstore in that mall on the third floor.

We found some books on Brazil, but the amount of information on Porto Alegre is very limited. Chris had the same problem when she was looking for information state-side. I’ve just stumbled upon a wealth of info online (in English even!) that we will be using today, and next weekend to find activities. After reading “tourist” books that read more like “personal editorials on democracy,” we headed back to the hotel for a break. During this whole time of course, we were enjoying a few brews along the way!

After recovering a bit, we set out on foot again to find some place to eat & drink. We ended up at Pub Dado which is about 8 blocks from the hotel. We enjoyed some of the local Brazilian wine, and then had ourselves some sushi & steak. Sushi you ask? Why yes, and it was quite tasty. This place appeared to specialize in it.

Oh, and don’t try for dinner before 8:00pm. You will be waiting!

We have more adventures to tell about later! Today, I’m working on some sightseeing. Stay tuned to the MoBlog!