Pearl Jam Live in Concert, Sao Paulo, 14 November 2015

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What a fantastic evening!

One of my dreams was to see Pearl Jam play live in South America, the home of their craziest fans. After hearing the band play my favourite song (Rearviewmirror) for the first time at their 2014 Perth concert, my wish for this concert was to enjoy the moment and soak up the atmosphere.

Sao Paulo was the second of five Brazilian Pearl Jam concerts as part of their 2015 Latin American tour.

My Pearl Jam Sao Paulo experience began with an unofficial fan gathering the night before at O’Malley’s pub in central Sao Paulo. There I chatted with other fans, both Brazilian and foreign and shared our pre-concert excitement, including Cleide, a fellow runner and a passionate soccer fan. Coincidentally, that evening Brazil played Argentina in a world cup qualifier in Buenos Aires and loud cheers rang out when Brazil came back to draw the match 1:1.

The pub had an interesting payment system I had not experienced before. Upon entry each person was given a card. Food and drinks were put against that card like a tab. Prior to leaving, each person paid their bill in order to receive an exit ticket. No exit ticket, no exit. My bill totalled R$109 for two pints of stout (R$19 each), a grilled tuna salad (R$31) and the R$40 male cover charge. If I recall correctly, females paid R$30.

Thank you to Dimitrios, a fanatical Pearl Jam fan from Greece who found the venue and created the Facebook event. It was a great night except for the terrible news from Paris flashing up on the television screens.

With other Pearl Jam fans outside Sampa Hostel before taking the van to the concert

With other Pearl Jam fans outside Sampa Hostel before going to the concert

The next afternoon I walked 10 minutes to Sampa Hostel to catch a specially chartered van taking fans to and from Morumbi, the concert venue (40 real). Cheers to Hostel Alice for reserving my place!

Morumbi, officially known as Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, is one of Sao Paulo’s major soccer stadiums and the home of Sao Paulo FC. My Piste Premium concert ticket gave me access to the general admission section in front of the stage. Arriving after 5pm, I had hours to buy a t-shirt (R$100) at the merchandise stand, enjoy the stadium atmosphere, chat with other fans and watch the crowd build.

Morumbi Stadium filling up with Pearl Jam fans

The Piste Premium general admission section in front of the stage

Vendors carrying eskies wandered the crowd selling water, soft drink and beer

Vendor carrying esky of water, soft drink and beer

Fans wanting to eat or drink didn’t even need to leave their spot in the audience. Both before and during the show, vendors wandered amongst the crowd selling either drinks (water: R$6, soft drink: R$8, beer: R$10) or hot chips (R$12).

The receipt for hot chips

Voucher for hot chips (‘potatoes in cone’) bought at a kiosk

More food and drink was available from kiosks. There, instead of paying cash directly, one had to buy a voucher and exchange it for the items purchased. “Pearl Jam” featured prominently on each voucher and I bet a few fans bought extra vouchers for souvenirs.

As the concert got closer, Mexican waves started in the stands and the sense of anticipation grew

The crowd roars as Pearl Jam enter the stage; the video ends with the first notes of Long Road

After 8:30pm the band entered the stage to a huge roar. Long Road opened the concert followed by Of The Girl and, as I predicted beforehand, Love Boat Captain. Prior to Love Boat Captain, singer Eddie Vedder read out a few words in Portuguese regarding the recent attacks in Paris. Drummer Matt Cameron’s bass drum also featured an outline of the Eiffel Tower.

Lights in the audience during Pearl Jam's cover of Imagine

Fans shine their mobile phone lights during Pearl Jam’s cover of John Lennon’s Imagine

Pearl Jam performing in Sao Paulo

The stage glows

Strong winds and rain hit the stadiums, causing some interruptions. Eddie sang a solo acoustic version of Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town and the first encore break was extended in order to secure loose items, allow the spotlight operators to come down and to protect the stage.

After the rain at Pearl Jam Sao Paulo

After the rain

The audience rocking to the Neil Young cover Rockin’ In The Free World – the couple dancing typify the crowd’s enthusiasm and joy 

Near the end of the concert

Lights on at the end of the concert

The lights are on for the end of the show

Yellow Ledbetter usually signals the end and after this song the band thanked the crowd and said goodbye. However, as it was such a great night the band came back for a final song and third cover, All Along The Watchtower.

Pearl Jam put on a magical night for the ~ 60,000 strong crowd, performing 33 songs over three hours and eleven minutes. It’s very hard to pick favourites from the night but my highlights included Hail, Hail, State Of Love And Trust and Rearviewmirror. The main highlight, however, was the wonderful atmosphere brought about by the crowd and band feeding off each other.

For the full set-list and further fanviews: http://community.pearljam.com/discussion/247890/sao-paulo-brazil-fanviews-here-11-14-15

The good news I have two more occasions to experience the Pearl Jam-Brazil magic: in Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro. I can’t wait!

Perth to Sao Paulo via Abu Dhabi

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I’m writing this from the friendly Hostel Alice in Sao Paulo, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest city and Brazil’s business and transportation centre. Although it’s obvious in hindsight, I didn’t realise Sao Paulo was named after St Paul from Tarsus in modern day Turkey, a town nearby my former hometown Mersin.

My journey from Perth to Sao Paulo took only two flights but an indirect route and long duration (36 hours). Cara kindly dropped my off at Perth Airport and there I boarded the 11.5 hour Etihad flight to Abu Dhabi. Etihad plane at Perth Airport

The Etihad plane taxiing to the gate, Perth Airport

Etihad’s service and modern plane impressed me although their food was average. I loved the provision of noise-cancelling headphones, particularly since I left mine home in the interests of reducing baggage weight and space.

Abu Dhabi International Airport

After touching down at Abu Dhabi International Airport

With 10 hours overnight in between flights, sleep was key. I knew Abu Dhabi Airport had sleeping pods and I went to find them. I guess I already gave off a backpacker vibe because, when asked about the pods, the information desk man showed me a price list to check if I could afford one before pointing me in the right direction.

Interior of Abu Dhabi Airport Sleeping Pod

My sleeping pod interior with the cover closed, Terminal 3, Abu Dhabi International Airport

After eventually finding GoSleep Sleeping Pods, the woman kindly offered eight hours for the price of seven. At AUD 95 (they accepted multiple currencies) for seven hours, I bet many backpackers do indeed choose a bench instead.

Abu Dhabi Airport Sleeping Pod

The open sleeping pod

The sleeping pod room was dark and somewhat noisy but the combination of earplugs and my excellent Hibermate Sleep Mask with Ear Muffs blocked out all noise and light. The six hours of sleep was golden and made this long journey manageable. Although expensive for what it is, I recommend the sleeping pods for anyone who needs a sleep and isn’t claustrophobic.

The view shortly after departing Abu Dhabi

The view shortly after departure from Abu Dhabi

Rivers near the West African coast

Rivers near the West African coastline

The 14.5 hour Jet Airways operated flight for Etihad from Abu Dhabi to Sao Paulo flew over a significant chunk of Africa and the Atlantic Ocean, both firsts for me. The African mountains, rivers and plains looked attractive from the sky and the continent is definitely on my future places to visit list.

When not looking out the window, I spent most of my time playing an addictive arcade game on Etihad’s E-Box entertainment system causing the system to crash twice from overuse.

Waters offshore Brazil contain some of the world’s deepest, most technically-difficult to extract and largest reserves of oil and gas. From the plane I was surprised at number and density of the drill ships, production platforms and support vessels.

First sight of the South American continent

My first ever view of the South American continent (and continental Brazil)

The South American continent came into view indicating my journey end and South American adventures start.

Sao Paulo from the air

This photo provides an indication of how massive Sao Paulo is

Jet Airways plane at Sao Paulo Airport

The Jet Airways plane after landing at Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport

After landing and going through Brazilian immigration, I was thankful to have prearranged a transfer through the hostel. Luckily Sao Paulo’s infamous traffic behaved itself and the journey into this mega city went smoothly.

Farewell to a multi-generational Mitsubishi Magna

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Farewell Mitsubishi Magna

Blooming jacaranda trees provided a fitting backdrop for the Magna’s farewell

Today I farewelled a car that served three generations of family across two states. This morning a tow truck driver came and towed my white Mitsubishi Magna sedan. The car will be auctioned off with proceeds going towards preventing youth homelessness via Kids Under Cover.

The Magna entered life at Mitsubishi’s Tonsley Park assembly line in 1994. In 1995 my dearly departed maternal grandparents purchased the car new from Ceduna Mitsubishi in western South Australia. Later, my parents became owner number two and, in 2009, they were generous enough to give the car to me to use in Western Australia.

Magna in South Australian countryside

The Magna in all its glory in the South Australian countryside, 2006

As part of my move to Perth to join a consultancy in late 2008, I negotiated to have the company pay for car relocation. Packed to the ceiling with my possessions, the Magna crossed the Nullarbor on the Indian Pacific train. Unknown to my then boss at the time, the company paid several hundred dollars to transport a car worth not much more than the transportation fee!

Gaziantep slippers on Magna mirror

A shoe ornament from Gaziantep, Turkey hung from the Magna’s rear view mirror

Changing the state of registration to Western Australia required an inspection. A new windscreen and a few other tweaks later, the Magna was ready to extend its reign for several more years. If the car had no provenance I would not have persisted with the transportation and registration bureaucracy and expense. However, this was not a normal car, but a family heirloom! Indeed, the Magna performed very well and, until the last few years, operated very reliably for a 1994 model. It wasn’t a spectacular car but it performed its job.

Mitsubishi Magna sedan

Before towing, I removed the license plates for return to the Department of Transport

21.5 years and 256,000 kilometres after coming off the production line, the Magna has left the family. Farewell to a fine servant!

The 2015 Mandurah Half Ironman Swim

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Today I completed the 1.9 kilometre Mandurah half ironman swim and, hence, reached my goal to become an efficient swimmer.

I originally intended to finish all three race legs. In early October I re-evaluated the situation. Considering interrupted preparation including trips to Malaysia, Melbourne and Adelaide, preparing for South America, packing up the house and my life, and the flight to Brazil two days later, I decided to only attempt the swim. This aligned with my swimming goal and was far more manageable.

Yesterday afternoon I drove an hour south of Perth to Mandurah foreshore for the surprisingly efficient registration process. After checking in my bike (I didn’t want to risk disqualification) I travelled to nearby Wannanup where Bernice, Gerry and Nick kindly hosted me.

This morning the 4:45 alarm rang. As the transition area closed at 5:45, early access was critical. The 700+ bikes on racks made an impressive sight. The pros placed their expensive machines on a special red-carpeted line.

Mandurah half ironman bikes

Mandurah half ironman bikes in the transition area

The professional men began their open water swim at 6 am followed by the pro women and then various age groups of amateur men and women. Each wave wore colour-coded swim caps and my navy-capped wave was one of the last, starting at 7:01.

The water was murky and I took time to get into rhythm. I felt best in the middle 60%. I didn’t experience much carnage, only the odd bump. One woman who bumped into me said she thought I was a buoy and I immediately replied I am 😀

The picturesque swim course goes around canals and, about half way in, under a bridge. The finishing stairs appearing in the distance were a welcome sight and minutes later I was out of the water and running to the transition area. I’m uncertain what time the swim took (~50 minutes I guess) but I made it!

Final Air Yoga Stretch

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While visiting the Gili Islands I undertook some intensive yoga classes and when I returned to Perth I wanted to continue with the stretching.

Unsure which classes to take, I then remembered former Toastmaster (and occasional Cirque du Soleil physiotherapist) Trevor had started Air Yoga. Choice made, I purchased the 20 lesson pass and for the past six months I have been hanging around at Air Yoga’s Leederville studio.

Hanging Around Air Yoga

I took Beginner Air Yoga classes first to adapt to the hammock and learn the basic moves including how to go upside down. Besides inversions, the hammocks are used for stretching in many different positions both from in the hammock and from on the floor.

The exercises were tough and I always looked forward to the final relaxation position, lying in the hammock.

Air Yoga is great for flexibility and core body strength. The yoga classes complemented my triathlon training and served my tight running legs well.

In the six months I improved my Air Yoga movements substantially. Although Friday was my last Air Yoga session in Perth, I intend to continue similar exercises in South America.

Farewell Banyandah Toastmasters – for now

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After four years, last week was my final Banyandah Toastmasters meeting – at least for now.

Toastmasters is an international organisation aiming to improve people’s public speaking and leadership skills. Located opposite Maylands train station near Dome Cafe, Banyandah Toastmasters is Western Australia’s oldest Toastmasters club having started in 1974.

I joined Banyandah in November 2011 to improve my communication skills and participating in the club has had a significant positive impact. In addition to completing the ten speech Competent Communicator Award, I have entered speech contests, created the club’s website and was twice Club President.

I have learnt from and shared many fun evenings with my fellow members, including Matt, Kym, Ross, Anita, Keith and Adam. The positive and jovial atmosphere is one of Banyandah’s key attributes.

Public speaking can always be improved and practised and, as Banyandah is such a welcoming club, I may well be back there then upon returning to Perth.

Following Dreams

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In one month’s time, I’ll be seeing Pearl Jam play live in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Joining my favourite band’s most fanatical fans in concert in South America was one of my dreams.

Several months earlier I decided to follow my dreams. Since then I’ve quit my job, simplified my life and, two days after the half ironman triathlon, will be flying to South America on a one-way ticket.

After seeing Pearl Jam in Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, I will travel around Brazil including Salvador, Pantanal, the Amazon and wherever else I fancy. After Brazil I will Spanish somewhere, perhaps Bolivia, before visiting the rest of the continent. After South America, I have pencilled in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Croatia, Greece and a reunion in Turkey.

In early June, weeks after leaving my job, I rediscovered the following diary entry from my time in Turkey, written eleven and a half years earlier:

2015 Goal

The image above reads:

END RESULT: Total financial independence by 2015. Defined by: the ability to retire, travel or choose any other direction I may fancy without reliance on employer/job or other tenuous forms of income.

I reckon I’m 90% of the way there. To fulfil 100% I need to create a sustainable income. Stay tuned for more on that later.

I can’t wait to discover South America and beyond!

Seven Years of Running

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Running race medals

Some of my race finisher medals

This morning I ran the 2015 Fremantle Half Marathon, my final stand-alone running race for the foreseeable future.

Excluding Little Athletics in childhood, I only started running in June 2008. After struggling at first, running became easier with practise. Looking back, I’m surprised at how fast I improved. In September 2008 I finished my first big event, the 12 km City to Bay in 1:01:13, just over 5 minutes per kilometre.

Almost from the beginning, my main aim was to complete the 2010 Istanbul Marathon. The race was a great excuse to return to Turkey, a country I had lived in for six years. I completed two marathons: Istanbul and the preceding 2010 Perth Marathon.

Aya Sophia after the Istanbul MarathonAya Sophia after the Istanbul Marathon

Standing in front of Hagia Sophia after finishing the 2010 Istanbul Marathon

Training for a marathon (42.2 km) requires major dedication and lifestyle changes, something, after the Istanbul Marathon, I was not prepared to repeat. Half marathons are far more manageable and the City to Surf, Perth and Fremantle half marathons were my primary running goals most years.

2014 City to Surf Half Marathon Start

At the start of the 2014 City to Surf Half Marathon

I had intended to finish running following the 2010 Istanbul Marathon but I found the activity too enjoyable and a great way to stay fit.

As much as I would love to bring my running gear to South America in November, I will be travelling very light so extra shoes, clothes and equipment won’t pass the grade.

No doubt I will run races again but when that will be I cannot tell.

2014 Swan River Run

The look of determination near the end of the 2014 Swan River Run 14 km – no onesie-wearer was going to beat me!

PS: I had fun this morning at my final stand-alone race but it was not a personal best. I ‘hit the wall’ and walked most of the last 5 km, finishing in 2:01:00. Running 17 km two days earlier and a warm, sunny second half no doubt contributed to this performance.