Rio de Janeiro aims to become world capital of gay tourism
Brazilian city’s diversity week follows a series of gay-friendly government schemes to capitalize on the growing market.
See our post about Diversity Week by clicking on this link:
Building a business in Brazil (Lance being interviewed by Molly; April 2011)
Although Casa Cool Beans has only been open just seven months now, we have had hundreds of guests, many we would consider friends. Nellu and Molly are certainly two of those friends. They came to stay with us for a few weeks back in April 2011. At one point, Molly inquired if she could interview me (practice on me); which I quickly granted her request. Below is the video she taped; “Building a business in Brazil”. (I was a bit upset that the wardrobe and makeup staff did not show up on this particular day!) I might add that we have encountered more drama than anyone can imagine (both before and after this interview), but we remain ecstatic that we made the choice to relocate here to this fabulous bohemian village of Santa Teresa in the middle of Rio de Janeiro to open Casa Cool Beans! Thanks Molly!
Building a Business in Brazil from Molly Mazilu on Vimeo.
http://ourlifeofftrack.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/building-a-business-in-brazil/
and also on vimeo. There are actually two:
It’s customary for journalists, at the end of an interview, to ask if the interviewee has anything to add, mostly to make sure you’re not missing a critical part of the story. When I asked Lance, he gave me a response that needed to stand on its own. (If you’re a budding entrepreneur, you might want to keep this video close at hand and listen to it every morning you need a pep talk.) -Molly
ARTE DE PORTAS ABERTAS (Artists' Open Doors Weekend) in Santa Teresa; July 8th-10th; 2011.
FINALLY we have arrived at the OPEN DOORS weekend here in Santa Teresa (for 2011)! This is where the local artists open their studios, homes & exhibit spaces for everyone to view their current collections and meet the artists. Lasting for just three days; this year Friday July 8th, Saturday July 9th and Sunday July 10th (hours 10a-6p) get here while you can!
Visit the official website, www.ChaveMestra.com.br, for more information. OR the RioTImes story…
Below are a few photos of our experience at the Open Doors this year……



Seven months and counting!!!!
We can not believe that time passes so quickly! Casa Cool Beans is seldom not full so our days go by in a flash. Happily we seem to really have already settled in and are doing super! Some wonderful guests (Walter & Joseph) who stayed with us for two weeks took this photo of us last week to post so our friends and family can see we are indeed doing super!!! Thanks guys for the photo!

"The Casa Cool Beans Life" by Laura
Can you feel the love? We certainly can. Here is a poem presented to us here at Casa Cool Beans yesterday: