The other morning, our last in Brazil for now, P wanted to find some tokens of Brazil which we could take as presents to the UK. We walked up and down the local hills but came back empty-handed. No great surprise, since there really isn't much that is distinctive about Brazilian "culture", aside from some nice fruit, football, capoeira, samba, bikinis, flipflops ... urban Brazil simply tries to copy what is available much more widely and cheaply in more grown-up societies.
P's hopes were raised as we passed a small shop called "Coisas da Doris" - Doris's things. It had that aura of privilege and chic that is typical of our neighbourhood. But on entering all we saw were a bunch of items that appeared to have been imported en masse from Notting Hill or Portobello Market.
Typical was the framed poster bearing the oh-so-English mantra: "Keep calm and carry on !" As usual with such shops, the apparently sophisticated owner was nowhere to be seen, leaving just an 'umble assistant or two, looking more like maids and probably paid a pittance. Certainly not enough to shop rather than serve in such a rarefied atmosphere.
In the end, we had to do what so many travellers do and grab something at the airport. A few pleasantly smelly items from a shop called Natura, which P said had a decent reputation and was actually Brazilian ! But all items were priced in US Dollars - so much for the mighty Real - and I have a feeling they are available for less in the UK.
P's hopes were raised as we passed a small shop called "Coisas da Doris" - Doris's things. It had that aura of privilege and chic that is typical of our neighbourhood. But on entering all we saw were a bunch of items that appeared to have been imported en masse from Notting Hill or Portobello Market.
Typical was the framed poster bearing the oh-so-English mantra: "Keep calm and carry on !" As usual with such shops, the apparently sophisticated owner was nowhere to be seen, leaving just an 'umble assistant or two, looking more like maids and probably paid a pittance. Certainly not enough to shop rather than serve in such a rarefied atmosphere.
In the end, we had to do what so many travellers do and grab something at the airport. A few pleasantly smelly items from a shop called Natura, which P said had a decent reputation and was actually Brazilian ! But all items were priced in US Dollars - so much for the mighty Real - and I have a feeling they are available for less in the UK.
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