Journeys of a Bethought Towel-Head.

They say a long walk home can change a heart. I am not really sure thats entirely true. It is without doubt that a journey to under the equator will have its differences. Besides the fact that toilet water flushes the other way around here, the week i'v been here has been very different. Im without doubt as far away from home is possieble. Culture lifestyle and people could not be more of a fire to the ice i had lived in for the past two semesters.

The 4 hour flight from Dubai to Istanbul was one to forget. Cramped spaces, quiet, dull people and a bull-load of annoying constipated faced waitresses made for one awful ride. The silver lining if one existed in this case was the epic food. Marinated smoked turkey with a spread of awesome goat cheese, made me recall my thoughts of busting open the latched cabin door.

Istanbul's airport drenched of boredom. Uncommunicative employees that required a crow bar to break theres mouths open for some pleasent conversation scattered like locust. It was as a drank a cup of pure sugarless coffee, something i'v grown found of lately, that i decided to start writing about my days experience. And to some surprise a coffee drinking neighbor began to write as well. Anxious for a conversation i asked what she usually wrote about. Turns out the neighbor is a political news journalist for a left-wing Norwegian online newspaper, success! The three hours that followed consisted of nothing but hardcore political expression. We ran through every topic that might flow through a analysis's head. I barley felt time pass by, the most mind-stimulating conversation in months. Saying our good byes and exchanging URLs, i parted.

What followed was the longest flight i have ever gone lived through. Fourteen hours of non-stop flight, splitting the Mediterranean in two and crossing the divider that once separated the old world from the new. As i strapped in a familiar lyric rang in my ears. "Sheklu hatha Arabie". I struck right to find tanned Arab faces looking back at me. A father and son who have lived in Brazil most of their lives and are of Lebanese origins took their seats next to me with experience . Seeking help in learning Portuguese, i found them to be very good teachers. They taught me how to say "hello" and "how do you do", phrases i learned from my 10 minute "Learn Portuguese" Youtube lesson, which for some uncanny reason i had forgotten.

It was long, tight and occasionally smelled. The food rocked again and was the headline of the trip. Music was fine and i managed to listen to the always awesome "Mumford and Sons" off of the planes database.

The flight ended and we left for passport control. The bus that took us from the plane to the terminal drove quietly while the people chatted. Some happy to be home others excited about an exotic trip. The air smelled fresh and lacked the anvil of humidity i had gotten used to in Dubai. The airport looked old and a bit run down. A yellow flush painted the hallways and walls a witness to the years of duty this building has served.

Stepping out into where people were supposed to wait for other people, i noticed "Hijabs". Yes the first image i saw of a person in Brazil was that of a Muslim woman and her daughter. A guy came up to me asking if i was "Talao". Considering that it resonated, i said yes. He introduced himself as Rikardo, my host in Sao Paulo, who i had been in contact with before arriving and planned to stay with for the night.

I bid farewell to Bhaa' and Walaa' and hoped to stay in contact if anything happened here in Brazil. We had some traveling in front of us. Rik's house was not close and required almost and hour to get there. Interesting enough we talked about a lot of very cool things. Politics and a lot of music.

I thought i would start writing about my experience in Brazil due to my belief that it will have a huge impact on my life. I hope to keep updating this blog as a sort of Travelers log or diary so that i have it documented for latter times.