Homeland

It´s been almost 34 years and it is on my birth certificate, but every time I come to Ipanema Beach, my first thought is to wonder - Is this really where I should call home? How can you be so naturally beautiful? Is all of this really in the middle of a city...

A mall with a view..

On Monday I had lunch with some old college friends (it´s been 12 years) at Botafogo Praia Shopping and unfortunately i´ve never been able to be at this balcony with clear skies! It is still a great meeting point, though, since there is great transportation to all parts of town.

http://www.botafogopraiashopping.com.br/

...and the rescue

For those to refused not to enter the waters... Just hoping this fantastic service continues!

The warning...

Unfortunately not very respected, that the waves were too strong today...

New Year´s stage

While beach was done for me and i was leaving at 4pm, the final arrangements were being done for one (of many!) Barra New Year´s Celebrations on Dec 31

Hello 2012...

No fireworks for us since we were at a small dinner with friends, but here is Jan 1´s main headline not only because of fireworks: The celebrations of the pic happened in a newly "pacified" slum, Rocinha, which also happened to be the largest slum; the caption says that they had the view (privileged) of 2 different fireworks gathering: at Lagoa and at Copacabana... That this year may bring them the well-deserved peace...

Recreio `balsa`

I´m still getting used to it, but now we either have to endure a 20 min walk to go to the beach under the tropical sun or take the boat though the lakes to get to the shore. Relaxing and perfect for kids - and the boys are always looking for alligators... i still havent seen one yet, but i´ll show you if i do...

Clean is not on the eyes of the beholder

Recreio beach yesterday, the closest beach to our apartment now, was actually the only beach considered not polluted in the area. Still, the algae gave a not very welcoming impression... I didn´t get in the water but our boys didn´t seem to care. The beach was still crowded though. I haven´t been to that many beaches around the world since I prefer to stay in the cities for I grew up near the beach and always want to see something different when i travel, but was thinking during my stroll how this is a carioca experience... It´s not for the blue waters, it´s not for the sun, beach is a carioca thing since it´s about the joy of being together...

Still wishing we had more flags around the city..

For years I´ve seen this volleyball court with the flag announcing a ìt´s-too-hot-to-practice-now`break....

Ipanema beach´s gym for all is back!

I was very excited to see that the beach gym is back! Why did it take so long!! It is still in the are which is the `showcase of Rio`, although i have personal issues with highly touristsy stuff i also would like to think all of Rio is like this... some 10 yrs ago the gym was here for a summer, and i was there often not only because i was megabroke but also because is there a better incentive to workout than this amazing view?

Not 130 degrees!:)

But it feels like that!:)

@ Ipanema Beach, around posto 10

Rio 2016 Countdown

The cow parade´s excitement for the upcoming Olympics... @ Ipanema Beach, posto 9

A carioca thing

It´s useless... Every time i come to Ipanema i promise to myself i won´t spend too much money... But our beach towels (`cangas`) only get cuter and cuter... I´ve got the 3rd and 6th from the bottom, and i am about to get the 2 first ones from the bottom... Ok what a useless post:)

btw they are 20 reais - around 10 dollars...

Solar power

It is with great joy that i found this solar powered shower at Ipanema Beach. As a citizen, and environmentally conscious and passionate engineer, and a just-about-everything-enthusiast, i was thrilled to see we have these now... They haven´t been around for long, and even if the efficiency of photovoltaics is still around 10-15%¨, we have enough sun to power many! The weather we had this week is living proof:)

Portuguese Pavement

Living in Rio it´s easy to ignore the beauty of these pavements... It´s just there, it has always been there, we don´t consider its true expression of art, and highly useful art... This one is the landmark of Ipanema, taken yesterday at Av. Vieira Souto...
They can also be found in Portugal and Macau, our Chinese `brothers`:) thanks, wikipedia!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_pavement

My California..

I was already losing hope that yesterday would be a cloudy day only and i wouldn´t see the amazing Ipanema sunset... I was waiting for the bus and when i realized the sun was there to say hello to me and in an awesome way... i ran from the bus stop to take these pics... and no i didn´t miss the bus:)

Leme Beach Series, Part 8 - Leme kiosk

Much improvement has been done to Rio's kiosks lately... Go Rio 2016!:)

Leme Beach Series, Part 7 - Night Stroll

Enjoying the weather and the crowd near Leme's station #1...

Leme Beach Series, Part 6 - Churros

"A churro, sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, is a fried-dough pastry-based snack, sometimes made from potato dough, that originated in Spain. Churros are also popular in Latin America, France, Portugal, Morocco, the United States, Australia, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands." (From Wikipedia)


This was all news to me. I had no idea it originated in Spain, all i know is that for years it smelled like end of class snack after high school, while waiting for my granddad to pick me up... Sometimes while watching the frequent summer rains in Rio, or watching the other kids play with never ending energy, it was my constant companion during my childhood.

Leme Beach Series, Part 5 - Work it out...

"Gym  for all" near Leme Stone...

Leme Beach Series - Part 4

My Rio de Janeiro,
By Paulo Coelho

“It is hard for a man to make any city worthy of such surroundings as nature has given to Rio.”—James Bryce.

Rio is a city where people live within their own limits, afraid of street violence, but not afraid of singing in the streets. Where the smooth sea pats the rugged mountain to show that life, like nature, is full of contrasts. A city where the sidewalks on its main beach are made of black and white stones, of darkness and light. A city where men and women come in all colors and in all creeds, and never argue because of that—but are constantly killing each other for worthless things, like the best samba song or the best soccer team. A city where 11.5 million people can dwell on top of each other, and the extreme poverty exists side by side with the most ostentatious wealth, and it is all part of daily life. A city able to teach each of its citizens the importance of one of William Blake’s Proverbs of Hell: "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." A city where midway points do not exist, where forests are found downtown, and high rises are in the suburbs. A city with love and hatred. Where mayors come and go and are not able to destroy the city, no matter how hard they try. A city where the glory of the past is today’s madness and also the hope for the future.

A city where the real quality of life lies in the fact that it is difficult, tense, harsh, funny, crazy, unbearable, unforgettable. A city that can be called a city, politically incorrect and deliciously treacherous. A city where sea waves create one of its limits, and the mountains take charge of spreading its structures along the coast as a line, because it simply refuses to grow in the boring circular way of all other cities.

If you find another city with all of this, please let me know. But I know only the city of Rio de Janeiro, and that’s the reason why, for the moment, I will stay here.

Rio. The real thing.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/rio-de-janeiro-essay/