BILLABONG RIO PRO 2014 -Rio de Janeiro - Brazil -May 7th/18th

BILLABONG RIO PRO 2014 - Rio de Janeiro - Brazil - May 7th/18th

THE PLANNING
THE BLOG/SITE FIRST STEP TO NEW SEASON WAS WAITING FOR ASP -ASSOCIATION OF SURFING PROFESSIONALS' 2014 SCHEDULE RELEASE OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR WITH THE STOPS, DATES, BEACHES,PRIZE, AND SO ON. THE ASP RELEASED THE SCHEDULE, THE BILLABONG RIO PRO 2014 WAS THE 4TH STOP,FROM MAY 7TH TO 18TH, AFTER THREE STOPS IN AUSTRALIA. SO, I MIGHT BOOK THE AIRPLANE TICKET TO RIO DE JANEIRO. I USED TO TRAVEL IN THE DAY BEFORE THE EVENT. SO I COULD ARRIVE IN THE CITY, REST FOR WHILE AT THE HOTEL, AND CHECK THE DEVICE: CELL NOKIA 500, 1GB 2GB,8GB MEMORY CARDS,PENDRIVES, BATERIES,CHARGERS, ETC.
THE EVENT IS IN BARRA DA TIJUCA, AROUND 60 MINUTES BUS TRIP FROM DOWNTOWN AND THE COMPETITION FIRST CALL IS 6:30 AM FOR STARTING 7.00 AM. SO I WOULD HAVE TO WAKE UP SO EARLY WHAT WOULD NOT FEAR ME ANYWAY.
BILLABONG RIO PRO 2014 WAS MY 7TH WCT, AS FOLLOWS:

WCT THE NAME THE BEACH
1ST - 2008-THE FIRST VILLA IMBITUBA/SC
2ND - 2009-THE GIFT VILLA IMBITUBA/SC
3RD - 2010-THE PASSION VILLA IMBITUBA/SC
4TH - 2011-THE TRANSITION ARPOADOR/BARRA 4/RJ
5TH - 2012-THE BEST ARPOADOR/BARRA 2/RJ
6TH - 2013-THE SITE BARRA 2/RJ
7TH - 2014-THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS BARRA 2/RJ


THE TRIP
PORTO ALEGRE ---> RIO DE JANEIRO ---> DISTANCE 1.500 KM OR 940 MILES.
I LIKE TO GO BY PLANE, BECAUSE A BUS TRIP WOULD TAKE 24 HRS, AND I WOULD ARRIVE SO TIRED TO WORK IN RIO'S EVENT. THIS YEAR I SEARCHED ON THE INTERNET, ON MANY SITES OF TRAVELING, HOTELS, ACCOMODATIONS, AND TICKETS FROM PORTO ALEGRE/RS TO RIO DE JANEIRO/RJ, TO ANY AIRPORT: ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM - GALEÃO, OR SANTOS DUMONT, AND CHECKED OUT GOL AND TAM HAD BETTER RATES .THE BLOG/SITE DID NOT HAVE A HIGH BUDGET,SO I WAS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE CHEAPEST PRICE.
MARCH 12th, 2014

I THOUGHT FOR A WHILE ABOUT "WHEN TRAVEL TO RIO?" , BUT I DECIDED TO KEEP MY PLANNING ABOUT GOING THE DAY BEFORE THE EVENT TO ARRIVE RESTED. AND SO ON MARCH 12TH, I DECIDED TO GO TO PORTO ALEGRE, TO BUY MY TICKET WHEN THE UNIVERSITY BUS THAT STOP IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE, STARTED THE SEASON SO I CAUGHT THE BUS AT 7:20 AM, AND WENT TO UNIVERSITY, WHERE I DID MY GRADUATION, AND WHERE I MAY ACCESS THE INTERNET. THE INTERNET AT UNIVERSITY IS SO FAST, SO I DID SOME POSTS ON MY BLOG AND SITE. IN THE AFTERNOON I WENT TO PORTO ALEGRE BY TRAIN; IT TOOK ALMOST AN HOUR TO ARRIVE PORTO ALEGRE. THERE, I WENT TO TAM AND GOL SALES OFFICE, THE BOTH ARE BIG AIR COMPANIES. BUT TO THIS DAY, THE GOL HAD BETTER PRICE THAN TAM. SO I BOUGHT THE TICKET AT FLIGHT FROM 8:25 POA, WITH CONEXION IN CONGONHAS AIRPORT ,IN SÃO PAULO , WITH DESTINATION: RIO DE JANEIRO, SANTOS DUMONT AIRPORT. I CHOSED WINDOWS AT RIGHT SIDE IN BOTH FLIGHTS. THE FLIGHT WAS SHEDULED TO MAY 06TH EARLY TUESDAY, THAN I WOULD HAVE TO GO TO AIRPORT IN POA THE DAY BEFORE OTHERWIZE I MAY BE LATE TO TAKE THE FLIGHT. AFTER TO BUY MY TICKET , AND KEPT WORKING AT THE BLOG AND SITE, AND PROGRAMMING HTML PAGES AT SITE. AT THIS MOMENT THE WCT HAD THREE STOPS FINISHED. ALL THE STOPS WERE IN AUSTRALIA, GOLD COAST, MARGARET RIVER AND BELLS. SINCE 2010, WHEN STARTED WITH THE BLOG, ALWAYS DID THE POSTS OF THE RESULTS OF COMPETITION, THE RANKINGS, THE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S(AFTER 2012)

THIS PERIOD BEFORE THE TRIP TO RIO, I LIKE TO WORK AT GARDENING, WASHING THE HOUSE, THE CAR, AND ...OUTDOOR ACTIVITY, TAKING SOME SUN. I WOKE UP EARLY, PREPARING MYSELF TO THE WCT, THAT STARTS SO EARLY. DURING OUTDOOR MORNINGS I HAD SOME FRUIT LIKE ORANGE, BANANA, PAPAYA, ETC. AFTER THE WORK I TAKE A SHOWER I HAD THE LUNCH... AFTER THIS FIRST PART OF DAY, I LIKE TO REST FOR WHILE, JUST TO GIVE A BREAK. SO I USED TO WATCH "MALHAÇÃO" ON "REDE GLOBO". A SERIE WITH 19 SEASONS SINCE 1995. AFTER THE TV SESSION, I USED TO DRINK A STRONG COFFEE AND WORKED ON COMPUTER, ON THE BLOG, THE SITE, WITH MOVIE MAKER, FILES CONVERTION, SECURITY, VERSIONS PORTUGUESE TO ENGLISH, MY POSTS ARE IN ENGLISH. AND LATER ON I LIKE TO LISTEN FOOTBALL, NEWS, MUSIC ON THE RADIO, OR SOME MOVIE ON TV. I LIKE ACTION, TRIPS, HIGHTECHNOLOGY AND SCIENTIFIC FICTION FILMS, ETC. AFTER THE EASTER TIMES, APRIL 19, I STARTED TO PACK THE THINGS TO TRIP TO RIO, TO PREPARE THE BUSINESS CARDS, BANNERS, NOTES, ETC. THE BANNERS WERE THE SAME FROM LAST YEAR, I JUST HAD TO PREPARE THE BAMBOO STICKS. I CUT TWO MEDIUM BAMBOOS , WITH 2 FOOT (70 CMS)HEIGHT, TO FIX THE BANNERS. THE BANNERS WERE EXTENDED WITH RUBBER EXTENSIORS, TO BE WELL VISIBLE. SINCE 2012, I PLACED BANNERS IN THE BARRA DA TIJUCA EVENTS. SO, I ALSO PREPARE MY CLOTH, NECESSARIE, TOALETE PRODUCTS LIKE SHAMPOOS, SOAPS, CREAMS TO TOOTH, HAIR, AND RAZORS, I AM SO MINUCIOUS IN EVERYTHING I DO. AND FINALLY THE DEVICE; THIS YEAR I THOUGHT TO BUY A JVC ADARIO CAMERA TO FILM THE EVENT. THE CAMERA HAD 50 X OPTIC ZOOM, BUT I WAS DOUBT ABOUT THE BATTERY, BECAUSE THE SURF EVENTS TAKE A LONG TIME, AROUND 8-10 HOURS. AS I WAS NOT DECIDED ABOUT THE JVC I GAVE UP THE CAMERA FOR WHILE.

APRIL 24th, 2014

I TOOK THE BUS AND WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY LAB TO PREPEARE SOME POSTS ON THE BLOG AND SENT FILES TO MY SITE'S HOST. AND AFTER TOOK THE BUS FROM UNIVERSITY TO TRAIN STATION, AND WENT TO PORTO ALEGRE. I BOUGHT A PENDRIVE 8GB, AND LOOKED FOR MICRO CARD SD 8GB, BUT I DIDN'T FIND. IN 2012 AND 2013 I COVERED THE EVENTS WITH 2GB CARD, BUT IS NOT ENOUGHT WITH BOTH, MEN'S AND WOMEN'S. UNFORTUNATELLY I FORGOT TO BUY AN "EXTRA BATTERY". WHEN EVERYTHING WAS SEPARETED, I PLACED IT IN A FIRM CARTOON BOX, WHERE I COULD ACCOMMODATE THE BAMBOOS STICKS OF 2 FOOT(70CM)HEIGHT. I ALSO TOOK THE NOTEBOOK BAG, BLOG/SITE SURF MATERIAL, EVENTS BOOKS WITH SURFERS, MAPS, TRANSPORTATIONS GUIDES. I ALSO PREPARED MY "RIP CURL" BACKBAG, THAT I BOUGHT AT SUL NATIVO STORE IN GAROPABA AND ALWAYS USE IN THE EVENTS, SINCE 2008 IN IMBITUBA,SANTA CATARINA. IN THE BACKBAG I PUT MY NECESSARIE, TOWELS, HAWAIIAN SLEAPERS, BUSINESS CARDS, KEYS, ETC. I ALSO TOOK JACKETS, BECAUSE AT 5:30 AM WHEN I LEAVE THE HOTEL TO GO TO BARRA DA TIJUCA IS COLDER. HOWEVER THIS YEAR WAS NOT SO COLD EARLY IN THE MORNING, AS IN THE YEARS BEFORE.

MAY 05th, 2014

AFTER I DID ALL ARRANGMENTS TO TRIP, I CLOSED THE BOX WITH AROUND 40 POUNDS(20KGS), AND TOOK IT TO THE BUS STATION BY CAR, BECAUSE IS FAR AWAY FROM MY HOUSE. AFTER EVERYTHING WAS OK, I LOOCKED THE HOUSE, A TWO-STORE HOUSE, WHERE I LIVE AT 2ND FLOOR, AND THERE IS A KIND "SURFBAR"(PICTURES)IN THE BASEMENT JUST FOR FRIENDS, WELL FRIENDS.
I TOOK A NICE SHOWER, TOOK THE BACKBAG AND NOTEBOOK BAG AND LEFT HOME TO THE BUS STATION. MY BUS TO PORTO ALEGRE WAS AT 19:30 HRS. I TRAVELED TOO MUCH, AMERICA AND EUROPE,ABOUT 15 COUNTRIES. SOME YEARS AGO I LIKE TO WEAR SPORT CLOTH, BUT NOW I LIKE TO TRAVEL BY AIRPLANE WITH SOCIAL CLOTH, WATCH, TROUSERS AND LONG T-SHIRT, SHOES, AND A JACKET TO SPEND THE NIGHT. MY FLIGHT WAS ON TUESDAY, I LIKE TO DO THE CHECK EARLY. I ARRIVED AT BUS STATION, TOOK MY 20KGS BOX, AND WENT TO LEAVE AT LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT. ABOUT AN HOUR THE BUS ARRIVED IN PORTO ALEGRE, THE SOUTHERN CAPITAL IN BRAZIL. OUR STATE, HAS BORDERS WITH URUGUAY AND ARGENTINA, AND IT IS TOO COLD IN WINTER. AS SOON AS I ARRIVED IN POA I WENT TO SNACK SHOP TO TAKE PASTRIES TO TRAVEL. AFTER THIS I TOOK THE SUBWAY, TO AIRPORT STATION, AND THERE TOOK THE "AEROMÓVEL"A NEW AIR POWERED SMALL TRAIN FROM THE SUBWAY STATION TO AIRPORT TERMINAL 1-WHERE ARE AIR COMPANIES: TAM, GOL, COPA AIRLINES, AND OTHERS.I THOUGHT THE "AEROMÓVEL" AIRMOBILE - SO QUIET, UNPOLLUTED, AND SUFFICIENTLY FAST.
AT NIGTH MAY 5TH, THERE WAS THE "GUERREIROS DE AÇO" ON GLOBO/RBS TELEVISION CHANNEL, THAN I WATCHED THE FILM AT ALL. IT WAS ALMOST 2:00 AM, LATER ON I WANT TO WATCH THIS FILM AGAIN, IT IS SO GOOD, ABOUT FIGHTS OF BIG ROBOTS WITH REMOTE CONTROL, ANYTHING LIKE THAT, THE ROBOTS WERE BIG, TOO BIG, BUT FAST WITH MUCH ACTION., I LIKED...AFTER ON, I FOUND A PLACE AT 2ND FLOOR, TO RELAX FOR WHILE, I WAS WITH AN AIRPORT LUGGAGE CART, WITH MY BOX, NOTEBOOK BAG AND BACKBAG... I RESTED FOR WHILE, AND CAME UP AROUND 4:45 AM.


MAY 06th, 2014

THE PASSENGERS, PILOTS, FLIGHT ATTENDANTS STARTED TO ARRIVE AT AIRPORT SO EARLY, BECAUSE THERE ARE FLIGHTS EARLY, EVERYTHING STARTED SO ON..I WENT TO THE RESTROOMS, HAD AN EXPRESS COFFEE AT CAFETERIA, AND WENT DOWNSTAIRS TO CHECK-IN. I ALREADY DID MY RESERVATIONS TO FLIGHTS. I DISPATCHED THE LUGGAGE- THE BOX. AND KEPT THE NOTEBOOK BAG AND BACKBAG WITH MYSELF. SO I WENT TO BOARDING GATE, I CROSSED OVER X-RAY, FEDERAL POLICE, AND I WENT TO GATE 27 ,AND SO THEY CALLED UP- ATTENTION PASSENGERS OF FLIGTH 297 TO RIO DE JANEIRO WITH CONNECTION IN SÃO PAULO. I GOT IN THE AIRPLANE, THE AIRCRAFT WAS CROWDED I SEATED AT MY PLACE CLOSE THE WINDOW. WE ARRIVED IN SÃO PAULO BY 10:00 AM, AN SMOOTH FLIGHT I COULD SAY, I LIKED TO TRAVEL BY GOL. GOL HAS A NICE TREATMENT, NEW AND POWERED PLANES.THE COMPANY ALSO FOLLOWS DETAILY THE AIRCRAFT INTERNATIONAL RULES.
WHEN WE ARRIVED IN CONGONHAS AIRPORT, THERE WAS A BUS WAITING THE PLANE ON THE TRACK. THIS INTERNAL BUS TOOK THE PASSENGERS TO THE AIRPORT. WE KEPT WAITING FOR AWHILE AND SO THEY CALLED AGAIN TO CATCH THE BUS JUST IN FRONT PLATAFORM TO TAKE US TO THE PLANE THAT IS ON THE TRACK NOT SO CLOSE. AT THIS MOMENT I NOTED SOME PASSENGERS THAT CAME FROM PORTO ALEGRE, AND SOME NEWCOMERS, THAT WOULD GO TO RIO. THIS FLIGHT TO RIO WAS ALMOST EMPTY, WITH LITTLE PASSENGERS, AND IT TOOK JUST 35 MINUTES TRIP. I LOVED THIS FLIGHT, BECAUSE WE FLIGHT WAS OVER THE SHORE, BEACHES LIKE GRUMARI, PRAINHA,RECREIO, BARRA.IT WAS SO NICE TO WATCH THIS HALLUCINATING VIEW FROM THE SKY. INCLUDING A SMALL PART OF EARTH SO NARROW CALLED RESTINGA DA MARAMBAIA THAT GOES AHEAD THE OCEAN. WHEN I LOOKED AT MAPS, I ALWAYES IMAGINED HOW COULD BE THIS SMALL PART OF EARTH, BUT THIS TIME I WAS ABLE TO WATCH WITH MY OWN EYES. THAT WAS UNFORGETTABLE FOR ME.
WE ARRIVE IN RIO BY MIDDAY, I TOOK MY BIG BOX, PUT THE THINGS IN A BIG BAG, WITH BAMBOO STICKS, CLOTH, EVERYTHING. SO WENT TO THE HOTEL WALKING, CLOSED TO THE TIRADENTES SQUARE. IT IS NOT FAR AWAY, JUST TAKE THE RIGHT WAY, AV. PRESIDENTE ANTONIO CARLOS, CARIOCA, ETC. I CHECKED IN THE HOTEL AS 1:30 AM, THIS TIME I WENT TO 4TH FLOOR, ROOM NR 59, E LEFT MY STUFF, SOMETHING IN THE CLOSET, AND LOOKED THE KEY. IT WAS HOT IN RIO DE JANEIRO, SO HOTTER THAN THE SOUTH. I TOOK A NICE SHOWER, I WENT DOWNSTAIRS TO HAVE A PASTRY OR SANDWICH WITH COKE, AND TO GO TO THE BANK. I HAD MY PASTRY WITH COKE, SOMETIMES I WANT A COKE. AND I WENT TO THE BANK BUT I COULD NOT ENTER BY GUARD VIGILANTS STRIKE. I WALKED FOR AWHILE TO RELAX BY BE SEATED AT AIRPLANE. I TOOK A HAMBURGER WITH FRIES FROM "BOTECUS DA PRAÇA", THAT I KNOW SINCE 2012. I HAD MY DINNER. I PREPARED MY DEVICE TO WAKE UP CALL AT 5:00 AM. I PACKED MY BACKBAG WITH THE NECESSARY STUFF TO THE EVENT.AS I WAS TIRED AND SLEPT SOON, AND SO THE ALARM CLOCK WOKE ME UP AT 5:00 AM. IT WAS STILL DARK.