Dear Family,
Seems like I wrote yesterday but it has been 2 and 1/2 weeks ago. We picked Shelley up on Wed, Dec. 21st at the Guarulhos International Airport. It is 30+ miles from where we live. I hadn`t driven to the airport yet, so it was an experience. Going down Avenida Francisco Morato was no big deal, it was crossing the Pinheiros river. Just before you get to the bridge, you have 3 choices, a bridge on the left, one in the middle (which you can't see until it's too late) and a right on to the Marginal Pinheiros highway going south. So at the bottom, our three lanes became 8 lanes with nobody in any particular order or line. It reminds me of Black Friday at WalMart, each one to their self. So I wedged in, got across the bridge and made an immediate right turn to get on the Marginal. Then it was just a matter of following the signs and GPS to the airport. Shelley came into Terminal 3 on United. We got there early as we made good time and the traffic wasn't horrible like it usually is. We were sure happy when Shelley came out of customs (alfandega) and she was glad to see us. I didn't realize leaving the parking garage that you needed to validate your card (actually, I found out later I didn't need to) so we had to have someone clear the barrier gate for us to get out, go back around and pay (again). Driving is a chore, but not as dangerous as you would think as it gets jamm
ed up so you really are never going really fast. I ended up doing more driving while Shelley was here than I have in the previous six months. We took Shelley to meet a lot of people at the office and then we went to the Ferreira Stake building for a Christmas party for the Brazil Sao Paulo West missionaries. We had some entertainment and some good food. Shelley met a sister from Uruguay who is serving here, so that was a lot of fun for her to speak Spanish.
Thursday: Took Shelley on the Metro to the Pinacoteca Museum (Brazilian Art and fabulous). It is the 19th ranked art museum in the world. Shelley really enjoyed that. There is a lot of Brazilian History in the art so that made it interesting. We walked through a beautiful park across the street from Estacao da Luz (train station I traveled to many times). We are having a turn of the century (19 to 20) painting done of the train station. We walked through that so Shelley could see it. It is a beautiful old building that has been restored. Then we went on the Metro to MASP, another huge art museum on avenida Paulista. There are paintings from Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Picasso and many others. Shelley liked seeing all of those, but I was surprised that she knew numerous painters and their style of art, so she enjoyed it more than I did. We ate in the restaurant in the basement of MASP which is really, really good food. There was an exibit of art and photos of Sao Paulo on that same floor and many were of the time when I served here, during the military dictatorship. It was a great day. Elder and Sister Harris were also with us and that was great.
Friday: A lady named Nilza who lives here at Vertentes took us on a city tour for almost 5 hours and only charged us for free. I had seen most of it but Paula and Shelley hadn't. I still enjoyed it a lot. We went to the Itaim Bibi/Jardins area, the rich area of the city. We went to a hotel that looks like a boat. It is really nice inside and costs a lot to stay there. The view of the Jardins neighborhood was spectacular. We stopped at Praca da Se and went into the huge cathedral there. It looked like they had refurbished it since I was last there. We were also right at the center point of the city and one of the most dangerous areas for tourist to go to. You have to be on your guard and not look like a tourist. It was daytime which is much safer. Nilza pointed out many buildings to us and their history. It was really interesting. She dropped us off at the Mercado Municipal which is a huge market in the centro. You can't believe all the small stores inside the building and everything being sold. It kind of made me think of Christ in the temple. It was really crazy in there with wall to wall people. We each got a huge pastel (pie with meat, cheese, etc. inside). Shelley and Mom couldn't finish their's. Mine was shrimp and was really good. Then we just headed back. We went down through one area which is nothing but fancy stores for the elite and wen went by the Lambourghini (sp?) as numerous othe' went r car lots of the expensive brands. It was a good day.
Saturday: We went out to Embu das Artes so Shelley could get some things. Only about half the shops were open because of the 24th, but there was plenty to choose from. Shelley got some really things that she will enjoy as well as others. Harris' went with us which was fun. We drove and we park at the same lot as it is close to Embu and is in an area where you can get back to SP easily. We checked on our painting and it will be ready. We always visit with the owner, Osmar, a really great guy. He calls me Sonderegger and recognizes my voice every time so we have a good friendship. He loves the missionaries and not just because we are purchasing things. He gives us a 20% discount on anything. When we got back to the apartment, shortly thereafter, we got a visit form SueEllen Yamaguchi, our Portuguese teacher from the MTC. She married a fellow who we had met before. Her father came also. He was the last of his family to join the Church and was very opposed to his family joining. The missionaries ended up staying in an apartment at his home as long as they kept quiet about the Church, but once the right missionary showed up, that elder had a way to open the father's heart and he was baptized. Before that he would on Sunday ask the family to go fishing with home but they always went to church instead. He is now the stake patriarch. They sang us a Christmas card, singing two songs. SueEllen the first and her father the second. We've never had a Christmas card like that. SueEllen has a professional voice and has performed and has won in voice competitions. Her father sang beautifully also. It was very touching and very special and very unexpected. After that we drove to McAllisters for our Christmas Eve dinner which was beyond wonderful. Brother Passey found some hams that reminded us of home. It was great. After, we sat around and brother McAllister who is here in Brazil for 4 years with the legal dept. of the Church, led a discussion on the Christmas story in Matthew and Luke and It was awesome all the different insights that were brought up. I want to do that for next Christmas.
Sunday: We went to Ibiuna. Shelley played the organ for sacrament meeting as well as accompanying the youth and Paula and I in singing Away in a Manger in Portuguese. It went well. There were only 25 in attendance and they were the regulars. We had a small Christmas gift for each of them (Tabernacle Choir Christmas DVD) and they were pleased We went back home and had our Christmas which was much better than last year. Shelley was here and we had some presents to open which was nice. Thanks for all the kindness and the candy. It was fun for all three of us. It was great to call and talk to everyone and see the excitement of the grandchildren. There is nothing quite like Christmas. It just baffles me how many people in the USA get so offended over Christmas. I can't understand the logic. Christmas is because of Jesus Christ. That is why we have it. You can't take Christ our of Christmas. He is the gift and always will be. I sometimes think that most people don't really get what the atonement is and the gift of being resurrected both physically and spiritually if we choose to do so.
Monday: We left for Foz do Iguacu (Iguacu Falls) today. We arrived the early afternoon. Very hot and muggy. We had a fellow waiting for us to drive us to our hotel holding up a card that said, "Ferron Sonderegg". Not too bad compared to some. Our hotel was clean and had air conditioning. It wasn't fancy but all our tours were done through them and it made it real easy. We hadn't planned to, but we went the Three Frontiers (Tres Fonteiras) where the Iguacu and Parana rivers meet. Paraguay is on one side, Argentina another and Brazil the other. They had that area fixed up really nice on the Brazilian side. Paula and I had seen it from the Argentina side in 1993. Then we went back and walked up to the White Buffalo Churrascaria. It was just ok, nothing special and somewhat of a disappointment. Half the meat was too tough to eat, but glad that some was good. We just kep ordering what was good.
Tuesday: Today we went to the Brazilian side of the falls. When our driver let us off at the main entrance to Iguaçu Park, there were thousands of people there. I couldn't help but think, "Why was I so blessed to grow up in the gospel.?" The line to get in went forever with hundreds and hundreds of people. I walked over to a park security guard and asked if there was a line for people over age 60 (A fila prerferencial). He pointed to a place and said, "Right over there", and then looked at me and said, "Elder, Elder," and then "Elder" with a big smile. I had at first thought he was just reading my name tag but then he said, "I'm a member." He was really nice and even came and visited with us when we came back. Instant friend. A Brazilian couple who we had never met before went to the line with us. They are Adriano and Andrea Rodrigues from São Paulo (Ipiranga Area). They became friends and watched out for us the whole trip. More about them later. We did a lot of walking on a path and could see the many, many individual falls (275 of them). You get a pretty good perspective of the falls from the Brazilian side but not up close. A small part of the falls are on the Brazilian side. We walked out onto a very crowed walkway that went clear out to where you can see the main falls, The Devil's Throat. We got soaked from the water blowing toward us as the falls kind of creates its own wind. It was a blast. Had to push, pull and elbow to get to the end and then to come back. It was just gorgeous standing out there and feeling the power of the falls. There was a bird sitting on a rock by the falls, soaked, and was still there an hour later but seemed fine. I guess he was enjoying the scenery or fishing. The elevator to go back up to the top had an eternal waiting line so we just climbed all the stairs, quite a workout. Saw a big black and white spotted lizard walking around the grounds looking for tourist food. We went back on the bus and ended up waiting a long time for our driver to come get us. Adriano got a migraine and Mom had some ibuprofen and we gave him some for which he was grateful. I think part of the problem was he got dehydrated. When we got back to the hotel we found a little Chinese place and ate there. It was pretty good and a ton of food which we couldn't eat it all.
Wednesday: Today we bused out to the Itaipú Dam, the second largest hydroelectric plant in terms of electricity produced in the whole world. It supplies 80% of Paraguay's electricity and 15% of Brazil's, so it is really important. We drive around the bottom of the dam and then across it. HUGE!!! I had a great conversation with a Brazilian fellow who was 74 years old. We talked about a lot of things and after we had talked a while he looked at me and said, "You were born in Brazil, right?" He must have had a little doubt and I let him know I was from the USA. He wondered why I spoke Portuguese and so that really opened up the conversation, it always does. We stopped at a viewing area and then as we got back on the bus, a young boy about 14 all of a sudden passed out and had a seizure. It was scary, but there were medical people there to handle it. He was so pale and couldn't stand up. He started looking better after he drank something and then he went in an ambulance to get checked out.
After that we went to the "Bird Park" and it was awesome. We saw every kind of bird there that you can imagine. I am really glad we took the time to go. We went into a huge and tall cage with dozens of Araras (Macaws). There were three different kinds, the reds, navy blues and the turquoise. The purpose of going in was to hear all the noise they can make and they did not disappoint. What a racket they made. One flew down and to the other side and about knocked my hat off. The flamingos were really funny. They stand in all sorts of strange positions on one let or even with their legs bent and kneeling. There was a long mirror on one end of their open living area and many of them were enjoying looking at themselves in that mirror. Really funny. We saw some South American owls, buzzards and eagles and falcons. There were just too many different species to list them all or even remember them.
Then we went to the Argentine side of the falls. We had to make a big loop, cross a huge river and then the driver collected our passports and took them in for approval. We were approved. We got to the parking lot and then walked a mile to start down through the jungle to the river sitting on benches in an open truck bed. The jungle is so thick you can't see in very far. We reached our destination and then started down to the river boats. At the last minute we decided to go on the river boat up to the falls. So glad we did. It was a huge boat with probably 30 people in it. We motored up the Iguaçu River and then over to one side of the falls. We got really wet and then the boat turned around and did it again and we were soaked to the bone. Everybody laughing and screaming. It was fun. Then, the boat went back and around to a larger part of the falls and I don't know what is more than soaked, but that is what we got. We may as well have jumped into the river. We loved it and were glad we chose to do the boat ride. We docked and started up the trail/stairs to the top. Parts of the falls are so beautiful with lush vegetation everywhere. If I ever could imagine what the Garden of Eden was like, that would be it. The plants were so green and blended with the rushing waters of the falls. We then took a very long walk on a walkway across the river and over some small islands and to the brink of the Devil't Throat. That is the main falls and wow, there is so much water coming over. You are standing right on the edge of it all getting soaked (again) and loving it. The sound of the falls is so loud and you can feel its power under your feet. We stayed for a while as we will never get back. Shelley took tons of pictures and she stayed out by the edge even longer than we did. While we waited on a bench close to the falls, two fellows came up and asked me if I was a BYU football fan (Had my Y hat on). I said yes and we visited with them a while. They are students at BYU and served their mission together in Argentina a couple of years ago and decided to come back for a visit. Funny how many people you meet in far away places. We got something to eat, using our pesos and then waited for a little train that took us back to the beginning. It was a wonderful day. Shelley got so sunburned that we went to a Farmácia and got her something for relief. Mom got sunburned but not as bad and I did but no pain, just burned a little. We ate at a little our of the way cafe and had Lasagna. The guy sitting across from us was from Switzerland (Zobrist was his last name) and knew exactly where all the Sondereggers were from. We had a nice visit.
Thursday: I was indisposed today, not feeling so great so I didn't go with Mom and Shelley. They went to a beautiful Mosque and the Buddhist Temple. Then we took off for the airport. I got frisked again as always because of all my body metal (hip, neck, back, shoulder). Sets off the alarm every time now. I have the frisking routine down pat. Got back to São Paulo, hailed a taxi and headed to home sweet home. Nice to go but nice to be back too.
That was our trip and we had a great time seeing one of Nature's Seven Wonders of the World, Iguaçu Falls. Never seen so much water except in the Amazons. I was able to write our appreciation to Adriano and Andrea in a hardback copy of the Book of Mormon that I had with me. They were really happy and we had a big hug. We plan on getting together with them here in SP. Really sweet people. We don't always have a spiritual experience on a daily basis because we do a lot of work that isn't all that exciting, but it is work that still needs to be done. When we do get chances to talk about the gospel, we always do, always. Funny how I can talk to anyone here about the gospel. It is easier in Portuguese than in English for some reason. I guess the people are just more open here. I don't really know.
Love You All,
Dad
No comments:
Post a Comment