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Published: February 12th 2006
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pulsating samba beats, expansive white beaches crowded with sun tanned bodies, and impressive and scenic landscapes filling in the backdrop....this is daily life in rio de janeiro.
i wasn't quite sure what to expect upon arrival in rio. i had decided to go for one week, traveling to and from buenos aires. definitely not enough time to do justice to the expansive country of brazil, but it seemed a shame to skip brazil completely...especially with its infamous reputation for fun living, exorbitant nightlife, and unparalleled dance and music origins. i stayed in a cute little hostel, called ipanema beach house, nestled into a quiet street in the posh barrio of ipanema. as many are compelled to sing "and she's go-ing to san-fran-cis-co....la la la.." when i tell them where i am from; ipanema may be one of the only other places that elicits the same type of singing dialogue response.
i spent a few requisite days exploring the beaches of ipanema and copacabana, both a buzz with very tan and very scantily clad bodies, soaking up the sun, the ocean breeze, and playing endless games of volleyball (frequently with "soccer" rules..no hands!). you can find just about anything on
the beaches....from juice drinks, ice creams, homemade sandwiches or suculent meat, straight off the grill...to dresses, blankets, and wonderful hand made wood jewelry. its an endless parade of sellers and merchants, but probably one of the most picturesque "marketplaces" in the world.
as you're probably aware, rio is also very well known for the looming statue of the "corcovado" (hunchback), or "cristo redentor" (christ redemer) who sits on top of a very tall mountain, keeping watch over the city at all hours. he remains visible from almost every corner of rio, both during the day as well as being lit up at night, taking on the role of a very picturesque, but imposing city "watchman". even better views of rio can also be seen from pao de açùcar (sugar loaf), which shows off the brilliant mix of city, mountains, ocean and lakes.
during a converstion with a carioca (rio resident), i was told that the beauty of rio is not in the architecture or city landscape, but in the people. after 8 days, i couldn´t agree with him more.
with carnival approaching in a few weeks, there are "samba rehersals" spread throughout the city. we were able
lagoa de rodrigo de freitas
ipanema is in front of this lake (at the top). this was one of my favorite running loops :) to go to one, which ended up being a mix of a drag-queen beauty pagent, followed by endless hours of music (drums!), chanting, and dancing. the samba is an explosive dance, which is very impressive to watch...but slightly more difficult to emmulate. i ended up creating some mix of movement with my knees, which was completely incorrect, but the only way i could attempt to get my butt to shake sufficiently and keep up with all the bouncing around (but at the same time, staying very still....lol)...it is a work in progress 😊 i also somehow think, that the carnival "rehersals" are pretty much a year round activity.
my other favorite and fun activity was going to the infamous maracana football stadium and watching a semi-final match being duked out between botafogo (popular rio team) and americano (brazilian team from a few hours outside rio) we were die hard botafogo fans for the day, and thankfully, all of our non-stop cheering, chanting, and jumping up and down, did the trick...because botafogo WON, 2-1. (whew!)
this is the first time in 8 years that botafogo has been in the finals, and also a win over americano, who they came
eugenie, david, and lorenzo..enjoying the seclusion of a local beach
i still can't seem to remember the actual name of this beach, but it was a fun day trip outside of rio and a great secluded place to enjoy the sun and ocean waves. up against in the same situation last year, but lost. so you can imagine, everyone was VERY pleased, to say the least. the botafogo chants and team songs (there are at least 10 of them) are still ringing in my head!
other memorable brazilian highlights include the caipirinhas (cachaça fueled cocktails, which taste similar to a mohito), the açai - a delicious grape tasting juice drink, that is like a meal in itself, but somehow became a staple of my daily diet; the incredible brazilian funk beats and dance rythms, the quaint little neighborhood of santa teresa, with old mansions and cobble stone streets, and an adventurous trip to a local beach for a relaxing day of sun and salt water with new friends.
i wish i had more time in brazil to visit more places along the coast, as well as adventure to the northern region, el salvador, and maybe even float for a few days down the amazon....but i definitely won't forget the openness and charm of the people, the never ending thumping of the Brazilian "beat", and the free-spirited nature of the landscape and culture.
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Jeff
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the beach
can you forward over any close ups from copacabana beach? :)