5-April-2012 Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Ever since we decided to take this trip, Michael Frank’s – Down in Brazil, has been playing in my head.
Down in Brazil
It takes a day to walk a mile
Time just stand still
And all those café ‘ole girls in high heel shoes
They take away your blues
They sooth you with their samba skill
Then you know, you’re down in ‘ol Brazil
And now I’ve touch down in Rio – one more city about to be off in my bucket list. Like Buenos Aires, the trip from the airport to the city goes through a ‘favela’ or slum area. The tour guides are apologetic as well as defensive about it – we’re not the only one with this problem, they’d say.
Rio is framed by mountains and as we cross the tunnel to get to the other side of the mountain – the world famous skyline of Rio with more signs of opulence and less of the favelas emerges.
We arrived just after mid-day, and had an early start from Iguazu this morning. After dropping our bags at the Copa Sul Hotel in downtown Copacabana – we headed to the nearby ‘Buffet A Quilo’. We were told that this is the Rio way to eat – a buffet where you pay according to the weight of your plate – thus ‘a quillo’. Sounds like they nailed the right balance of buffet dining where over-indulging is not encouraged, and yet getting a chance to sample their great cuisine.
We have the afternoon off from the tour and each had their way. I went with Jeanne and her ‘amigas’ for a while but eventually got bored of the shopping. I headed instead to the Copacabana Beach for a stroll. Unfortunately, the best way to stay safe in Rio (or in any unfamiliar place) is to keep a low profile. Leave out the big SLR camera as it might attract the wrong attention. I also notice that it seems to be well heeded. I have not seen anyone clicking away like tourist along this very crowded beach. (On hindsight – maybe perhaps the Brazilians comes here regularly just to have fun and no longer feel the need to remember it with photographs.)
To say that it is like Bondi will be over simplifying. There is much activity around that may be uniquely Brazilian. A group of men were playing what looks like a beach volleyball but with a twist of soccer – they use soccer balls, use kicks to serve and only hits the ball with their head, chest or kick it. It was awesome to watch. On another side are the women in their skimpiest bikini outlining their athletic body playing real beach volleyball.
I’ve also tasted the ‘acai’ pronounced ‘azai’ – a drink that is more like jelly than liquid and made from an Amazonian seed. They are sold by street vendors the same way as ice cream is sold. Again, we were told that this is very Rio thing to do.
Jeanne and her ‘amigas’ were more adventurous. They took a bus going to the Rio Sul shopping centre, after giving up on hailing a cab. I say adventurous, because none of them can speak Portugese. Most Brazilians can understand Spanish but will respond in Portugese. At least one on a shop can speak English but only to a limited extent – you can’t expect to carry on extended conversation. I reckon, you’d probably have a cushy job here if you speak all 3 languages fluently.
Tomorrow – our real Rio as a tourist adventure begins. This time, I was told, we can bring the big cameras.
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