Brazil Bound

Well, this one kind of snuck up on me. Has been a busy few months around the farm, and now I’m jetting off again on another one of my superlong commutes. Heading to São Paulo, Brazil this time for the Latin American Poker Tour Grand Final, my first time making it to the largest country in South America, and the fifth-largest on this here entire spinning rock.

Between the World Series of Poker finally finishing up its Main Event earlier in the month and the European Poker Tour touching down at Malta recently and Prague soon, the LAPT sneaks in this week to finish up its eighth season, which as I’ve remarked here before represents something kind of impressive in terms of having established a genuine tradition.

The tour continues to grow and evolve. This marks the fifth season I’ve had the chance to check in on it. More than once before I’d been slated to make the Brazil trip, but various snafus and scheduling switcheroos arose to nix those earlier attempts. The LAPT actually started in Brazil with the first event of the first season being in Rio de Janeiro back in 2008, and has made it back most years since.

Don’t know too much about São Paulo at present other than the fact that its not only the most populated city in Brazil, but in the whole southern hemisphere. I’ve heard about the urban sprawl and how it goes on and on and on (seriously, click that pic above), as well as about the often rainy weather and its “Terra da Garoa” nickname (the “Land of Drizzle”).

I’ll have a good bit of time between now and touchdown at São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport tomorrow morning, and a whole day tomorrow to learn more as the tournament won’t be kicking off until Wednesday afternoon.

Glad to get back out on the road, and while being away during the Thanksgiving holiday will be strange it was going to be a low-key affair for us, anyhow, likely highlighted by that Carolina-Dallas tilt (are my undefeated Panthers actually an underdog?!).

Gotta run as they’ve just announced a gate switch on me here. Talk to you again at the other end of my 4,635-mile commute!