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Traveling South America With Jim
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I’m Jim Verdonik. I wrote Twelve Days That Rocked My World – two articles about his recent trip to South America with his daughter and son-in- law.
Part 1 is about their six days in the Amazon in Ecuador.
Part 2 is about their six nights in Rio de Janeiro at Carnival.
I often try to look at the world through the eyes of the characters in my books. It gives me different perspectives on what I’m experiencing.
Here’s their take on our trip together..
KAITLYN
Being book characters, we don’t get paid much.
But one of our job perks is travel.
Jim likes to travel to exotic places.
We’re in Jim’s head. So, we get to go where he goes. And Jim only pays for one seat for all eleven of us (but don’t tell the airlines). Since we were a crowd, Jim sprung for First Class on the way home. WOW, was that great!
The best part is that Jim is a lot more fun when we’re travelling than when he’s being a lawyer or writer.
Here‘s how we looked at the trip.
OLIVIA
I’ve travelled the world with my mother. Don’t tell anyone, but she’s in the CIA. All I can say is that Mom never partied with me the way Jim partied with his daughter and son-in-law at Carnival in Rio.
We barely slept the whole time. Up late every night.
By the way, I’m the one who put it into Jim’s head to compare Rio to OZ.
Jim usually follows my advice.
The Amazon was the opposite. Up before dawn every day.
You call that a vacation?
SCOTT
The Amazon was the best part. Hiked jungle trails. Caught piranah and then we ate them. Swam with the dolphins. Our guide, Veral, taught us about native medicines. He took them right out of trees we passed. That’s REAL.
Not sure about Carnival in Rio. Complicated. First of all, I date both Kaitlyn and Oliva. Hard enough balancing the two of them without thinking about all the girls I saw on the beach in Rio.
Les of stuff was happening in Rio I didn’t like. Jim helped prepare me for that. On the overnight flight to Rio, we read the Declaration of Independence together. Helped me remember that all these people have a right to Pursue their Happiness their way, even if its not my way.
Jim likes to go native. Wasn’t ready to wear a pink skirt at Carnival like so many guys. But helps to remember that everyone has the right to be silly whenever it strikes them.
Allie
I liked the sexy girl on her motorcycle I met in the favela in Rio.
Got her phone number.
I’ll look her up the next time I roll through Rio.
I’ll have my own bike that trip.
NICOLE
So, did you know Brazil had a lot more more slaves than America and didn’t fully get rid of slavery until 1888 – 23 years after our Civil War. Never knew that.
Lots of handsome black brothers in Rio. Had myself a good time in Rio even though a lot of them are on the down low.
The Amazon? Never understand why white people like to go to jungles and stuff like that. Not for me. I’m a city girl – urban jungles for me.
Oh, almost forgot. I like Jim’s daughter.
Before this trip I thought she’d be a typical spoiled white girl. Surprised me we got along.
MICHELLE
This sums it up. “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”
Our guide in Ecuador, Avel, told us about indigenous “shamans” and hallucinogenic plants and anacondas playing games with our minds.
I’m totally into alternate realities.
I wasn’t into eating grubs. Yech!
Rio must be where the space aliens colonized our planet. Saw many space aliens during Carnival. That was great.
Didn’t like my girlfriend, Allee, drooling after that biker chick in Vidigal Favela.
Do you think she was jealous of me and our guide because of our night in the jungle?
He got lost. I believe him. Why doesn’t Allie?
LUNA
I’m a refugee from Venezuela.
Spent my first five years in America having people explain what words meant. It was hard.
Really liked helping my friends understand Spanish and Portuguese on our trip.
And my boyfriend, Sheldon, was so cute.
Took good care of me. Ignored all the girls in the beach.
Good husband material. Don’t you think.
GERALD
The Amazon? Jungle? Not so much.
Rio? Another story.
I’m a hospitality major. Do some bartending to pay tuition.
We must have hit every bar in Ipanema.
Learned a lot from the locals.
And a girl in Ipanema taught me why they say “Ahhhh. . . .”
SANJAY
Not my thing.
My family left India to get away from all that.
More comfortable in a computer lab than a jungle.
The Internet is rally bad in the Amazon. Better in Rio.
Not into the bar scene.
Spent my time in Rio watching girls on the Internet.
SHELDON
Luna made the trip amazing.
In the Amazon we hacked into the boat’s satellite phone system.
Had Internet the whole time.
Don’t tell Sanjay though.
In Rio, we went to a robotics exhibition.
How many girls would do that?
I’m so lucky to have her.
Brazil is an up and coming tech power. Who knew?
Best trip of my life.
