I traveled out to the city of Foz do Iguaçu to kick off another round of interviews with sugarcane growers. This time, we talked to farmers who grew sugarcane not for fuel ethanol, but for the potable type of alcohol or as part of some sweet consumable, which includes something that resembles peanut brittle. These land owners also entered into an agreement with the Paraná Biodiversity Project, which is the group with whom I am working in South America, to create biodiversity corridors in exchange for financial and other assistance. How did they differ from the ethanol sugarcane growers in northwest Paraná? How was the cooperation with the Project going? With these questions, we set out. The first day and meeting went well and we got to drink samples of the Brazilian alcoholic beverage, Cachaça, and the aforementioned sugar snack. On the way to our hotel afterward, however, we found ourselves driving in the fog, in the middle of the night. Here is a night-vision-y shot of our back roads journey. Thanks, André for driving. The next day we met with owners from two other operations before heading off for more tourist-related activities.

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Here we are at the falls.

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Here is another closer, view. With this volume of water, it’s no wonder how the nearby Itaipu (Itaipú) Dam can claim to be the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. We also got a lot of spray being this close and with the wind propelling the water our way.

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With Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil forming a triple border near Foz do Iguaçu, we took advantage of their proximity and visited all three nations. While in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, I took the obligatory shot of some Paraguayan flags shown above. According to some sources, let’s say, Wikipedia, Ciudad del Este accounts for 60% of Paraguay’s GDP, due to its free-for-all shopping zone. Additionally, some intelligence analysts claim, controversially, that the area’s Muslim population might be funding or supporting terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda or Hezbollah.

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While in the southwest corner of the state of Paraná, my translator André and I entered into Argentina (we also visited Paraguay-see other entry.) As you can see, the Argentine-U.K. dispute over the Falklands-Las Malvinas still nurses unsettled feelings. We saw this sign in Brazil on the way into Argentina. In fact, for the uninitiated American like me, the whole area has an interesting political history. Just google the War of the Triple Alliance to see what I mean.

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I guess I should be writing on how my thesis research is going, how I have been having outstanding meetings with Brazilian sugarcane experts, and how even with serious linguistic barriers, I have managed to have productive, informative, and friendly discussions (from my end at least). Also pleasantly surprising to me, was the fact my interviewees appreciated talking to me even though it seemed like I was asking all the questions. That is true. However, I am also compelled to describe my ongoing culinary experiences. I somehow made friends here, who have allowed or facilitated situations where I am constantly presented with all sorts of flavor for my taste buds. Last night, I went to an all you can eat pizza place, and unexpectedly, the “sweet” pizzas, which for me meant ice cream and chocolate with strawberry were amazing. I must also mention Calda de Cana, which is a drink derived from the fun part of sugarcane. It is ubiquitous down here and it certainly gets MY mouth watering. Pictured here is a more permanent establishment in Joinville, Santa Catarina, which is a neighboring state to Paraná. However, most Caldo de Cana drinks I’ve had are from mobile, sidewalk joints.

Next week, I'm off to brave Brazil's troubled aviation system and another round of field work. I’ll describe more on that later. Meanwhile, munch, MUNCH, munch, MUNCH...

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I briefly mentioned in an earlier entry that I am in Brazil to research the social and environmental dimensions of sugarcane production in Brazil (particularly for ethanol). Well, as my absence from the blog scene for about a week and rash of photo-riffic entries below illustrate, I just got back from being in the "field" interviewing, through my excellent translator André, Brazilian sugarcane growers. My time was productive, although we did lose one day getting lost plus other delays, but overall it was a good experience. A few of the sugarcane producers I encountered were busy on other tasks when I approached them, but still cooperated in an easy-going fashion, but a few were really nice. They not only completely answered my predetermined questions, but also discussed other Brazil-U.S. related topics. Their opinions gave them a depth I was not expecting. That some farmers had many interesting questions for me and had a fascination of me, also made me infer that part of Brazil does not see too many Americans.

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While north of the Tropic of Capricorn and south of the Tropic of Cancer, I took this picture along the banks of the Paranapanema River, which divides the states of Paraná and São Pauo. I was also far enough west that a third state, Mato Grosso do Sul, might be on the horizon, though I'm not 100% sure.

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Here I am in one of the sugarcane fields, doing research, and...chewing on a piece of sugarcane and enjoying it. If you never have tried it, the consistency and after-taste of the stuff hints at watermelon, besides being watery and sweet (duh).

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Here's what the landscape of the sugarcane growing area of Paraná, a southern state of Brazil, looks like. My guide and I were on our way to getting lost when this picture was taken. Haha.

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Well, here are the photos of the cool looking buildings. Don't they resemble what you might find inside an iphone or other high-tech gadget? Anyway, these high rises are near where I work (the blue and black one with the cross hatching is my actual work-site.) I know I haven't mentioned much about what I have been actually doing, but it basically boils down to investigating the social and environmental impacts of sugarcane and ethanol production. I'll have to discuss more on that subject later because right now I am about partake in some Brazilian cultural-nightlife. Tchau.

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In Brazil, if someone does not know English very well, their fall back phrase is "the book is on the table." Because não falo o português muito bem, I use a parallel phrase. If I can't quickly respond to something a Brazilian says to me, I reply O livro está na mesa. (Portuguese for the book is on the table.) I was solo (my regular set of friends were unavailable) for lunch today and ended up eating with Joyce, a Curitibana, a local woman. Our conversation was pleasant but halting. Phrases like Tudo bem? What do you study? Está Satisfeito? were tossed around. Despite these simple phrases, my Portuguese has improved, honest. Otherwise, I've been noticing that Curitiba has some sleek, cool looking buildings-almost like as if they were gargantuan electronic components for a computer or circuit board. Maybe I'll try to get some pictures up later to illustrate what I mean.

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