danlizbrasil (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} danlizbrasil) wrote,@ 2004-06-14 16:16:00 |
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Home sweet home? I hope so!
Okay, we've done it. We spent all afternoon yesterday apartamento shopping with the guidance of the Sunday classifieds, and came up with several good choices. The hard part was deciding between them. Each had several pro's and one big con, but the pro's and the con's were different for each. Ugh. We hemmed and hawed all night and listened to Sergio's two cents about what we should do. Then we woke up this morning and hemmed and hawed some more. Finally, we made a decision. The one we picked was an economical R$ 270 a month and in a relatively safe location (right next to the landlord's house which had the usual huge gate). The downside was it's small (very small w/ a double bed) size and the fact that it received almost no natural light even during the brightest part of the day. But we had made a choice, at last. Fifteen minutes later, however, we started second guessing. The leading second choice was a beautiful, big, breezy and full of light suite in a place called Chale Paulista. It costs about twice as much, but that's still pretty reasonable. The disadvantage for this one was its location. Most of the locals think the neighborhood is pretty sketchy, and Sergio was quick to warn us that we would not like the long walk from the closest bus stop at night. The owner, though, said she had never had a problem and she walked home alone from her job at the beach every night at 11pm. And she also said she'd never heard of a guest having a problem. So it seems that the place is not exactly in the worst part of the neighborhood, it's just right next to it. We had a long lunch at the local por kilo (place where you by prepared food by the 100 grams) and hemmed and hawed some more about whether or not we should change our mind. It was not an easy call.
In the end, as you might guess, we changed our mind. We're currently packing up our stuff and getting ready to head out. The prospect of living in a place that's sunny, open, and that we're actually excited to move into won out. We're betting that good sense and the occasional cab fare will help us avoid trouble. And the fact is, as Sergio would also readily tell us, that trouble really can happen anywhere and it's important to be aware at all times.
Our planned activities for our first evening in the new abode are making spaghetti sauce from tomato paste (a la cooking in Spain) and washing a week's worth of laundry by hand in our lovely outdoor lavanderia.
Pictures shall be forthcoming!
Liz & Dan
Okay, we've done it. We spent all afternoon yesterday apartamento shopping with the guidance of the Sunday classifieds, and came up with several good choices. The hard part was deciding between them. Each had several pro's and one big con, but the pro's and the con's were different for each. Ugh. We hemmed and hawed all night and listened to Sergio's two cents about what we should do. Then we woke up this morning and hemmed and hawed some more. Finally, we made a decision. The one we picked was an economical R$ 270 a month and in a relatively safe location (right next to the landlord's house which had the usual huge gate). The downside was it's small (very small w/ a double bed) size and the fact that it received almost no natural light even during the brightest part of the day. But we had made a choice, at last. Fifteen minutes later, however, we started second guessing. The leading second choice was a beautiful, big, breezy and full of light suite in a place called Chale Paulista. It costs about twice as much, but that's still pretty reasonable. The disadvantage for this one was its location. Most of the locals think the neighborhood is pretty sketchy, and Sergio was quick to warn us that we would not like the long walk from the closest bus stop at night. The owner, though, said she had never had a problem and she walked home alone from her job at the beach every night at 11pm. And she also said she'd never heard of a guest having a problem. So it seems that the place is not exactly in the worst part of the neighborhood, it's just right next to it. We had a long lunch at the local por kilo (place where you by prepared food by the 100 grams) and hemmed and hawed some more about whether or not we should change our mind. It was not an easy call.
In the end, as you might guess, we changed our mind. We're currently packing up our stuff and getting ready to head out. The prospect of living in a place that's sunny, open, and that we're actually excited to move into won out. We're betting that good sense and the occasional cab fare will help us avoid trouble. And the fact is, as Sergio would also readily tell us, that trouble really can happen anywhere and it's important to be aware at all times.
Our planned activities for our first evening in the new abode are making spaghetti sauce from tomato paste (a la cooking in Spain) and washing a week's worth of laundry by hand in our lovely outdoor lavanderia.
Pictures shall be forthcoming!
Liz & Dan
