As the trade show unfolded during
the next several days, I was pleased and facinated to watch the world of
international commerce unfold before my eyes. Haris, a Greek citizen currently
living in Switzerland and working for Siemens there, was haggling with
one of the locals over the price to sell a piece of equipment. But it was
an interesting haggle - the price remained at 500 for the duration of the
transaction, with the currency changing from Swiss Francs to Deutschmarks,
to British Pounds, to Dollars, to Reals. Eventually negotiations broke
down when the buyer suggested Italian Lire.
Here are some views from the show floor:
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Eventually, I managed to confirm the appropriate reservation with Varig over the phone. The encouraged me to call United to cancel my other reservation, but there was way I would even consider doing that until I was holding a boarding pass for the Sau Paulo flight in my hand! In addition, I had to fax a copy of the cover page of my passport to Manuel, so he could appropriately prime the folks at customs.
This being the last full day of the
show, a celebration was called for. About twenty of us met after the show
at a Brazilian Churrascaria. For the uninitiated, this is described by
the Brazilians as a 'Meat Orgy'. In addition to a huge salad bar...
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...waiters roam the restaurant with huge chunks of beef, chicken, pork, and sausage, offering to hack pieces off into your plate. Though there wasn't much English comprehension to be had, I was able to gesture that I wanted a small piece of everything, so as to not miss any tasting opportunities. Generally, the restaurant was fairly upscale; in fact in fact about half of the place was reserved with a wedding in progress.
We ate exceptionally well; one new item to me that I forgot the Portugese name for was the heart of palm tree - as soft, sweet fruit that allegedly is quite nutritious. Everything was extremely tasty, and afterward, one of the Siemens Brazil fellows *insisted* that I try a special Brazilian drink called Cachaça; a spirit distilled from sugar cane. Quite tasty, but one could easily put you away for the night. Not wanting to wind up in a hospital or jail, I finished only half. The turnout was quite respectable - including Siemens folks from Brazil, Germany, and Switzerland... and one party crasher from IDC in New York.
After the last day of the show, and of the business week, I switched from business to vacation mode for the trip from Sau Paulo to Rio De Janeiro the next morning. The flight was uneventful, and I was pleased to have Peter's company for the balance of the trip.