There’s so much to observe being in a new place for the first time so the observations category has become bigger than I planned. Anyways, I’d like to talk about sounds. In particular, there are three I hear day in and day out.

Sound number 1 - “(Miau) Olha, Liquigas!”

I hear this every morning and afternoon. It just repeats and repeats, notifying people the gas guys are driving by in case you need to purchase some (for your kitchen appliances, not your car). Correction, it only sounds like a cat’s ‘miau’.

Sound number 2 – Whistle-blowing

I hear this every night, from when it starts to get dark until around 5AM. Like the first sound, the time in which it occurs is limited and not constant during that time-frame. From what I understand, it comes from flanelinhas (a local word for guys who basically do nothing for you but both you and they pretend some sort of service is being rendered, which has something to do with you not knowing how to park your own car and them showing you, then you pay them 50 cents US). When you try to park without them or drive off without paying, they sound their whistle and try to run over to your car to be paid.

Sound number 3 – Firecrackers

This is just like in Rio, where you’ll hear the 4 ‘pops’ followed by one second pause, then a fifth ‘pop’, only I highly doubt these are drug-related as they sometimes are in Rio. I hear this from the morning until I go to bed. I timed it today, it’s roughly every 10-20 seconds during the day and less frequent during the night. I’m quite curious to know the reasons behind it.