May, 1998, Sau Paulo and Rio De Janiero,
Brazil
Rio!
Countrary to the tour guides' descriptions,
the views on the road from the airport to downtown are spectacular. Rio
is a city built on mountainous terrain, with huge steep mountains jutting
from the ground almost next to the skyscrapers. The roads wind their way
around the mountains and through tunnels as you make your way into the
city.
Kudos to my employer's travel agency
for arranging a room with a spectacular view of Copacabana, the beach,
and mountains; and since it was me paying for this, I was especially happy
that it was booked at about half the standard rate
After arriving at the hotel, we took
a walk along the beach sidewalk, about a mile and a half North. Every 1000
feet or so, there were food vendors selling a variety of odds and ends;
lunch was something that looked a bit like a hand-held pot pie, and a bottle
of Agua Minerale.
Continuing the walk, we later stopped
at one of the Coco Gelate stands paid our R$1.50, and sat back to watch.
The proprietor pulled a coconut out of the refrigerator, and with a machete
at least a foot long, deftly flipped the thing around with one hand, hacking
at it with the other. First, the bottom came off, making a flat surface
so it could stand on the table without falling over. Then whack-whack-whack
across the top, and a triangular plug popped out, revealing an opening
for a straw. Then all he had to do is count his fingers, and he was ready
for the next. Coconut milk doesn't taste that great, but what this is really
about is the experience.
Afterward, worked our way to the end of
the beach where the sidewalk extended along the side of a mountain, with
waves crashing against the rocks below. On the way back, we walked along
the beach, occasionally begin chased by breaking waves.
We'd scheduled a Gray Line tour as a good
way to cover a lot of territory quickly; and it began not long after we
returned. The bus went South along the coast, stopping at a few more hotels
for pickups, and then doubled inland. The foliage there was different from
that at home; closer, but not identical to, California. The bus stopped
at a church whose name escapes me; interesting architecture: Sort of cone-shaped,
out of concrete. Unimpressive from the outside, but from the inside, four
huge (100 ft high) stained glass panels provide an impressive sight.
