The destination

1st trip to Brazil. Working here for 3 weeks (or so) testing software for a PVC plant we are building out here. - long way from home. This is in Sorocaba in the Sao Palo province of south east Brazil where the computer system supplier, Emerson, is located.

          Sorocaba is a fairly characterless place, rather like some Mid-Western Nowheresville in the US, apparently (having never been there) with freeways (bigger than a duel carriage way but not quite a motorway) , tacky modern buildings, chaotic planning and numerous ‘don’t go down there at night’ shanty towns only a block away from the main drag. However, it does have some redeeming virtues.......as you will see below. 

       On this trip I am with a couple of lads called Chris & Sean. Chris is the 'old hand' at all this; in his 60’s he's built more plants around the world than he's had hot dinners and has the international travel down to a fine art, making every effort to lean the language for a new job location at least 6 months in advance. His next challenge, after Brazil, will be China and he's already taking lessons in Mandarin! He looks all the English gentleman walking around with his hands behind his back and his bush hat on keeping the sun off his bald head. 

        Sean has done this sort of thing before too ,but mainly in Thailand. He’s a aficionado of X factor and all things ‘pop’ so to me his choice of music is shite but as I work for him there’s’ not much I can say about it.  I, of course, am the ‘baby’ of the outfit, normally  confined to the limits of  the lab, or the shores of the Uk , apparently my constant 'oh look at that !' is a bit of a breath of fresh air to the 'old lags'.