First day in Rio

I don't consider myself a beach person, but one day on Copacabana Beach has caused me to reconsider.

It helped that conditions were perfect.  It's almost winter down here, which means it's balmy and humid, but not suffocatingly so.  Consequently, the beach on a Saturday was busy enough for people-watching, but not crazily packed.  Also, the sand is pristine -- white & soft -- and the beach is cleaner than any beach we saw in Ecuador or Peru.  Last, the water was great -- our familiar Atlantic waters like they are in NY in August -- with perfect waves for body surfing.

We started the day on the rooftop patio of our hotel with the best tropical fruit we've had during our entire trip, fresh baked bread, and (to the kids' delight) homemade cake.  Then, it was a pleasant walk to the mall to outfit ourselves like proper Brazilians -- bikini and beach cover up for me, board shorts for Neil and Oscar (they refused to go completely native and wear speedos) and haivianas.  A short 15 minute walk later, we were on Copacabana Beach.  

Everything else we needed could be rented or purchased on site.  Within minutes, we were seated with beach chairs, an umbrella and drinks.  Vendors hawk everything: sunglasses, straw hats, kangas (Brazilian sarongs), dresses, beers, caparinhas, juices, shrimp, empadas, sandwiches, etc.  Nothing was a hassle.  It was a thoroughly relaxing beach afternoon.

An update on our progress with Portuguese, a tough language for English speakers because of the pronunciation.  Beyond a few key phrases, I simply resort to Spanish and hope for the best.  Neil tries to speak Portugese but sometimes fake Italian with a weird accent comes out.  O&R are simply mortified.

Finally, here are some initial impressions of Brazil and Brazilians.  

Neil pointed out, correctly I think, that Brazil is proud the way Brooklynites are proud.  Just as Brooklynites wear lots of Brooklyn swag, you see lots of Brazil paraphernalia and clothing here.  But it's not to be confused with World Cup fever.  Public support for the Copa del Mundo is declining fast in Rio and we saw quite a bit of anti-World Cup graffiti in town.  

Brazilians are the Italians of South America - flashy dressers and flamboyantly friendly.  The women favor high heels, leopard print, tight, revealing clothes (no matter the body type), and tan like there's no tomorrow.  The best way to blend in would be to have a small, white lap dog with hair ribbons and bling.  The men play or watch soccer all the time -- e.g., we saw gas station attendants kicking a ball around and soccer is always on TV in restaurants.  On the beach, they play foot-volley (yes, volleyball with feet).  

Here's the view from our hotel room in Urca, a residential neighborhood in Rio right at the base of Sugar Loaf Mountain. That's Christ the Redeemer at the top of the mountain across the way.  Just below is a police kiosk, which doesn't stop people from drinking, eating and socializing on the low wall by the water.  The area's got a great vibe.