Rio....football, samba, beaches, crime, pollution, beauty, traffic jams, poverty, wealth: it's Buenos Aires on crack, New York in a bikini, Vancouver on speed, Istanbul on illi. All superlatives apply. I went to a football game in the world's largest stadium, able to hold 200 000 people, to watch Botafogo and Flamengo battle it out to a draw. I hung out on Copacabana and Ipanema beaches where bikinis and silicone rule, where buff guys swagger and pose. I went to pre-Carnaval beach parties where everyone wandered along the street drinking beer as girls and boys kissed passionately, their faces grafted together. I wanted to go to a samba school to watch Carnaval preparations but didn't make it. I wanted to do a lot of things but didn't have the time. I want to come back.
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