Easter Sunday - Surf's up at Ipanema

South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro
March 27th 2005

Published: March 27th 2005

Edit Blog Post

Hitchin and Beyond

Leblon beach

Lovely day, bright and clear, find a bus to Leblon where we hope to have dinner at the ‘Veggie Cooperative Society’

Spent a couple of hours on the beach at the Leblon end. Powerful waves and crashing surf made for a great time for all. After realising we may be getting a bit pink set off to find shade and the VGS.

Sadly our map does not include the Rua Conde de something-or-other. I tried asking and was given positive, straight-ahead signs. We carried on as far as the Jardim de Alah which seems to be the boundary between Leblon and Ipanema. I continued alone to save everyone trailing in the noon-day heat.

Failing to find it Owen and I returned to a bar we had seen earlier to buy frango assado for the boys and something less meaty for Deb and I. Not one person spoke English. Complicating it further was the local system of paying the cash-desk for your order and then taking the receipt to the food counter for the food.

We managed to order the frango but got stuck on anything vegetarian. I tried sem carne but received blank looks. Eventually after I

Leblon again

had knocked over a cigarette display, the cashier came out from her booth and pointed at the salads available.

We emerged shortly afterwards with food for all and beer for two at a price of under 5 quid…. Eating it in the shade on the shore of Lagoa de Freitas we all agreed it was well worth it.

Then we noticed Rory getting very pink. Probably his repeated sessions in the sea had removed all the suncream and he’d had too much sun.

OK let’s find a bus home, give him a shower and slap on the moisturiser. As it happens the next bus along was air-conditioned, a mixed blessing. It was fine for Rory but I’d overlooked the fact that a/c buses cost 10 centavos more than ordinary buses. I’d prepared what I thought was the exact money for four, handed it over and waltzed through the turnstile. I was called back and while fumbling for another 40 centavos a local teenager offered to pay ! I gestured that I had the money, thanks, and paid the conductor.

Hi
Time for some comments from me I think.
My impressions of Rio !
The vegetation is

Leblon again

amazing. The traffic is overwhelming. The bus drivers leave Schumacher and Montoya in the shade. The buses also have turnstiles after you pay which are just big enough for me to pass with breath sucked in. I think there is a plot to make overweight Rio residents walk (perhaps to reduce their weight) or maybe just to make sure their buses are full of beautiful people only. I am including me and my family in that so a bit of leaway there.
Beach life is quite different from Margate.
The men wear speedos and ponce up and down the beach to make sure that you notice them. The girls saunter around in bikinis, not as brief as I was lead to believe they would be, with a quiet confidence which I envy.
For those of you who smoke cigarettes here are 2 reais a pack (about 50p) and the health warnings are quite amusing. I will try to get a photo uploaded of my favourite so far.
Having a good time so far more soon

Deb

soon i'll figure out how to put photos within the text, for now here's today's.

I do not know when we'll