Do we really need a car?

To buy a car or not to buy a car. That is the question. And it's one that I don't have an answer for yet. Or do I? See, I'd lived all over South America previous to moving to Brasilia and I never had a car in other countries, nor did I really need one. I mean, in Peru we could walk anywhere and everywhere; only when we were in a rush and/or lazy did we take a mototaxi for 3 soles no matter the number of people in the "vehicle" or the distance. I was hoping that Brasilia would be the same (I was OK without a car while living in Manaus). The issue is that I kept hearing that Brasilia was not created with pedestrians in mind. That's probably the truth. So does that mean that it'll be difficult to get around and that we'll need a car? Some people say yes; I'm not too convinced.

I've been living here for 3 1/2 weeks and although not a lengthy time, I don't feel that at this time we really need a car. I mean, I live near a major street not far from downtown (or the bus terminal) so buses are everywhere. I live between two subway stations, even though there are superquadras (HUGE blocks) between my apartment and the metro. I also have free daily transportation to/from work that is very convenient. And then there are taxis. And a great thing is that there is one company - Alvorado - that gives you a 30% just because you call them, versus hailing a cab on the street. You won't get the discount if you catch one on the street - you have to call. It's not a bad deal. For example, a friend and I took a taxi to church last Sunday and the price on the meter read R$ 9.78. We paid R$ 7. Not bad. And it's like that each time you call them. And of course the other option regarding taxis is asking E to make a deal with them and agree on a price before getting in the cab. 

So with these four options of transportation, I'm left wondering, do we really need a car? Do we need to pay for (expensive) gas? Do I need to learn to drive shift? Do we want to pay for insurance and maintenance of the car? The answer is no. At least not at this time. Maybe things will change in a year, or two. But for now we're fine. Now, maybe it is easier for me because I have friends in walking distance, because I have a ride to/from work on a daily basis (and it's door to door). E doesn't have any of that - at least not yet. But he doesn't complain. I know it's not  idea to take public transportation to school each night, but he's a good sport. When it gets old then we can talk more about possibly buying a car. I know it can be annoying at times to have to walk to the grocery store, but that's only once a week for us and it's not far. We also live right next to a kind of outdoor shopping center and there's a bakery, drug store, etc. there and then of course there are a number of other shopping centers all within a short walk. You can find fruit, vegetables, a gym, a movie rental, stores-stores-stores, and restaurants all within 5-10 minutes in all four directions. Maybe Brasilia was built with pedestrians in mind...

At this point we have decided not to buy a car and we have no immediate plans to do so. We'll just play it by ear and save all of the money that we would be spending if we owned a car. In the meantime, we'll spend just a little on buses, the metro, and taxis and appreciate being driven around.

First Impressions

I like Brasilia. We both do. We have been received very well by both the school and the citizens of Brasilia. Everyone has been helpful - friends, our doorman, store owners, school employees, etc. I have limited use of the Internet at this time as we are still awaiting ours to be set up in our apartment, so unfortunately I don't have the time to write out in detail all of my first impressions and how I feel about what I know about the city and how I feel living here; however, I can list briefly my first impressions of the first five days in this city.

• The airport was designed well and and the weather was perfect (we arrived at 10 a.m.); the airport smelled sweet and it was busy once we got out of baggage claim
• My boss was smiling and yelling "Bem-vindo" to us like she was very excited to see us. Nice reception
• Our neighborhood is quiet, calm, and yet it has all kinds of stores, restaurants, bars, cafes, and grocery stores within walking distance
• Yes, Brasilia is expensive. We must have paid over $20 for a scratching post for the cat
• The weather is DRY but it's sunny and the sky is blue and during the day the sun is out and it's warm (can get very cold at night, though)
• Brasilia is very organized with sections for everything - from embassies to hotels to the ministries
• No one asks where I'm from, why I'm in the city - they're just helpful and talkative
• Our next door neighbors are an older couple who have directed us on where to make copies of keys, where to find certain stores, and even to tell us that the vet will make house visits. They're very nice
• OUR CAT IS LIKE A MOVIE STAR. People LOVE him. They can't believe how big and beautiful he is. Even the doorman wants to meet the "famous Sebastian"
• The metro and bus stops are near us, but we don't need them on a daily basis. Friends come and pick us up, take us out, and are very generous and kind
• The school is also close by and the lunch that's served there is delicious (and healthy)

I have so much to add, but I'll have to save that for a later time. I have family to talk to and E has friends to call. Our Magic Jack works like a charm.

Oh yeah, my Kindle somehow got "destroyed" during the flights and won't turn on. But I was able to call Amazon and they'll send a replacement to my parents who will ship it to me.

Everything else is going well for us. We have an extra room and will be expecting visitors soon...

Why hello Brasilia

Thanks to my one generous neighbor in this big apartment building, we have limited (free) wi-fi. I just wanted to let the world know that we have arrived. Our trip was good. We weren't stopped by customs or asked any questions. The cat was pretty well behaved since he was drugged most of the time. Once he "woke up" after his first pill had worn out he started to go a bit crazy, but E just took him to the bathroom in the airplane and gave him another 1/2 a pill; he was knocked out in minutes. He only peed once on the plane to Sao Paulo, but because we had training pads it was easy to clean up (again, in the bathroom). We arrived in Brasilia this morning - the weather was beautiful and we were left with a good first impression of the city. 


Our apartment is good, in a nice area. It is the right size for us and because it came furnished (by the school), we have what we need. They bought us a refrigerator, oven/stove, washing machine, queen-sized bed, dishes, furniture, some groceries, and even a TV. This of course makes our lives much easier.We were driven all of the southern region of the city to be shown our neighborhood and surrounding areaqs, and we had lunch (mmmm) at the school. I met up with the principals and other administrators, as well as secretaries. Then because we were soooo exhausted we took a 4-hour nap before exploring our neighborhood and buying groceries...and for sure stopping for a couple chopps and some appetizers. The school will be taking us shopping, take me to all of the places I need to go to get my Brazilian documents, and for more lunches/dinners. Everything is good and under control. 


Glad to be here.

Images from a neighborhood in Brasilia

 I'd like to show a few aerial images that I found on-line of our soon to be neighborhood. I will provide more information of our residence at a later time.


For now...I present our wing...

If you're from Brasilia, have lived in Brasilia, or are even familiar with the city, I believe you may be able to guess which neighborhood we will be living in. If not, I'll fill you in shortly :).

Until then...