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Thursday, April 5, 2018

BLOG TAKEOVERRRRRRR


This is not Grace, and it isn't a typical blogpost. But I hope you guys enjoy it

Instead of rewriting all our experiences together, that will be a really similar story but in Portuguese, I decided to summarize it in an infographic and we selected our most frequently asked question from our fans and we answered them!



Interview:
Q: Ohafa, why did you decided to make an infographic?
Ohafa: I really like data, and I think all this is pretty cool. I realize that it is hard to explain a travelling experience to someone, because a lot of parts are really subjective. Even if you say that the places were beautiful and the food delicious, it is hard to tell what it really means, but most people can imagine the climate if you explain the temperatures there


Q: Tell me a little bit about your jungle experience
Ohafa: Well, ignoring the fact that it was the most sick that I have ever been, it was somehow magical. I was even thinking about writing a whole series just about it, an original story about a kid with a scar that discover that he is a wizard, I mean, a story about Grace and Ohafa living in the forest:

Daily Water and the beach river's stone
When Grace and Ohafa arrives in the first day in the jungle they find a strange and really cool stone at the river beach. If it wasn't bigger than they are, they would bring it back home

Daily water and the secret chamber
While Grace was getting used to the jungle, Ohafa faces a new hardship when he needs to find the secret chamber (the bathroom) in the middle of the night (and the rain) while he is sick

Daily water and the fugitive dog
A mysterious dog appears, and the bag with snacks disappears overnight. This is the only book where they don't need to confront the rain during the night and have a clear starry sky.
<<Spoiler alert: Even without powers to go back in time, the sacred peanut butter reappear 5 days after the events of this book.>>

Daily Water and the camping fire
Ohafa and Grace decide to play every kind of table game to pass the time and discover who is the best player, that will win an imaginary trophy.

Daily Water and the bread order
There are even more mysteries, when the bag of breads disappear. They need to leave their secluded house and go to the village to find some bread and if they are lucky enough, some answers

Daily Water and the deathly river
After the frequently and unwelcome return of you-know-what (a.k.a the rain). They need to escape the jungle before the overflowing river covers the short path leading them back to civilized world.


I hope someday you can find all volumes in the best bookstores near you.

Q: Grace and Ohafa, do you miss something from the jungle?
Ohafa: Something besides having the ability to dance thanks to ants in my pants? Uhm.. Definitely wearing  boots all the time. I really enjoyed it, but it would stop being a cool experience as soon as I found a spider inside it

Grace: I miss somebody making all of my meals for me! And a lot of free time to bother Ohafa.

Q: Did the stuff that you guys did safe?
Ohafa: Definitely no
Grace: Definitely yes

Q: After spending, literally, 3 days in different vehicles, do you have a new favorite mode of transportation?
Ohafa: It is hard to tell. I learned that I don't like boats, but cars and buses are not really good either. Maybe biking? My last three accidents didn't put my life in danger, however I still have some marks to remind me of these good adventures

Grace: Ziplining for sure! Waiting for technology to finally catch up to public necessity so we can have a complex network of ziplines to get from place to place.

Q: ¿Hablas español?
Ohafa: Un poquito
Grace: ¡Por supuesto! (or as my friend Molly would say “muito poco”)

Q: Let's talk about your favorite experiences there. What was it?
Ohafa: The zip line with Grace was one of the funnest thing in my life. Going up the Cotopaxi volcano is also really memorable

Grace: When I look back my strongest memories are with the people that I spent time with, not the places. So, my favorite experiences are are things that can’t translate well to people that weren’t there. I'm not trying to be pretentious, it's just hard to fully appreciate the story where some random woman thought Ohafa was actually choking to death in a store or the sight of Molly getting out of the taxi filled with all of us, thinking she was about to be left behind without being there too.

Q: Favorite food during the trip?
Ohafa: Any normal food after surviving off of granola bars and boiled eggs tasted really good. My opinion is biased towards French fries and pancakes. I would like to pick some exotic food, but I am not an adventurous eater.

Grace: Breakfast at The Secret Garden, and French fries at the Café Tortuga, and trying mango for the first time. And pizza in Baños. Basically, any time we had Americanish food again or a real actual meal.

Q: Favorite place?
Ohafa: Corner 12.

Grace: Bogotá and Baños

Q: Favorite street?
Ohafa: Diagonal 61b.

Grace: Is Corner 12 a street?

Q: Favorite rock?
Ohafa: The rock by the river. Second place, another cool rock.

Grace: It is hard to even put in words how to describe my favorite rock. Luckily, a picture is worth a 1000 words, and I have many


Q: Favorite French word?
Ohafa: Arbre

Grace: Pantuflas

Q: The best day?
Ohafa: The first day after I arrived. We had just changed our plans for our first week there, and having a open schedule resulted in just wandering around and exploring the city. This was one of the most enjoyable things to do, and being finally reunited with Grace was amazing


Grace: When we get back to Bogotá, and we get the whole day to wander around.
We were back to making our own schedule and had our time to do whatever we wanted, or nothing at all. Too bad we never got that tattoo we were talking about, than it would really have been a memorable day.

Q: What would you like to know before going to this trip? (Advice to other travellers)
Ohafa: It is definitely colder there than in Brazil. I had some warms clothes, but I was expecting a really hot and humid climate, similar to Brazil. The closest to it was Baños and Tena, that has a lower altitude and Amazon forest. Also, the difference in pressure made a mess in my luggage because I had a bad shampoo container. I would try to be more careful next time.

Grace: Our first hotel was not close to the airport or downtown and I thought it was close to both, so maybe being more diligent.

And peeling hard boiled eggs make them go bad faster

One thing I am constantly reminded when I travel is to be flexible. Even if you make plans, they will go wrong. Also, being patient (still haven't learned how)


Q: Would you go again to Colombia and Ecuador?
Ohafa: Definitely! There are many places that I still want to explore in the world, and I did my best to not live regrets there, however, I want to try going even higher on Cotopaxi, with my brother with me next time. We didn't have the opportunity to go to the beach (there is also the Galapagos island there). Even if I don't go back to Colombia and Ecuador, I want to visit other countries in South America, maybe Argentina next time

Grace: Again, again? Of course!

Q: Something else that you want to add? Last words?

Ohafa: Just some curious facts:
Apparently people like more Brazilians than North Americans, they were always really excited with the fact that I am from Brazil. This was surprising


They really like meat in South America. I was thinking that it was a Brazilian quirk, but pretty much all the meals there has some type of meat, vegetarians (like me) or vegans can have a hard time.

Going out your comfort zone is a good way to learn, grow and value your everyday life.
After the trip, I value way more having an infinity supply of clean-and-safe water to drink, sleeping in a bed that does not move like a bus or plane, eating in a table that also does not move, the ability to choose which movie I will watch, and food with salt! Although it seems like it was an awful time, most of it was really really good and the memories of the beautiful places, laughs, experiences, (and the plot of fast and furious 8) are unforgettable
Grace: No! Thanks for asking!

Just kidding, of course I have more to say. The trip is filled with memories that will last me a lifetime. It is rare to be able to tell, in the middle of a situation, that you will be forever changed by the experiences you are having but I think that is the beauty of traveling and especially traveling with people you love, you can be so acutely aware of yourself changing and of the importance of that exact moment, right then. It becomes so easy to stay focused on the present when the present is something out of most people's wildest dreams. Thanks to everyone who joined me on the trip, to those who helped make it possible, and those who cheered me on. I hope one day (soon) I can return the favor.

Thanks for the answers guys, I know that your fans will be as glad with the answers as I am now.


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