Sun, Sand, Coconuts

Most of the time I spent in Rio I spent walking. Nothing out of the ordinary, as I walk all the time, everywhere.
What was out of the ordinary was that in Rio, I could end up at the beach.
And I did.
I walked up and down the lengths of Ipanema and Copacabana beaches countless times. I walked in the sand. I walked in the water. I paused for a while and rested in the sand.

The sidewalks along the beaches are made of limestone. This is a Portuguese tradition called
calçada. Above is the calçada along Copacabana.

Ipanema has a different pattern. 
These patterns carry on through the residential areas in both Copacabana and Ipanema. There were people working on them too, so it isn't like they're replaced with concrete when they break down.

The weather was about 30-35 degrees in the day. People of all shapes and sizes were wearing whatever kept them cool. It's a refreshing change from here where everyone is hung up about their bodies and would rather cover up than be comfortable.

Stop here. Appreciate life for one minute and smile.

Rio is a construction site. Everything is being built or repaired. Everything. Roads, sidewalks, buildings, interchanges, all of it. Nobody is working. People are literally sleeping on the job. There are workers taking naps on the construction sites. I have no idea how they're going to be ready for the Olympics. It doesn't even look like they're hosting one, from what I saw. There is not a lot of Olympic merchandise or signage around. 

I didn't take a lot of pictures of the beaches because they're all the same. They're a beach. Sand. Ocean. People. Not a lot of interesting things outside of the tiles as far as visuals go. Don't get me wrong, the people watching was great but you can't take pictures of people at a beach without looking like a creep.

Overall, I felt very safe in Rio. I went out after dark, I ate in restaurants, I went in to store and grocery stores. I talked to people, I got around. There is a lot of discussion about how unsafe the Copacabana area is in terms of petty crime, but if you take proper precaution and aren't an idiot flaunting diamond bangles, you'll be fine. 

Reading the online reviews, GIG airport is a hellhole on par with a POW camp. I didn't find this at all. I've been in worse airports. I've been in better airports too. 

I was glad for this trip. It was very satisfying. An excellent birthday trip all around! 

Next: NYC then home.

I see you on the beaches, I see you on TV

Escadaria Selarón is a beautiful, functional piece of art that broaches two neighbourhoods, Santa Teresa and Lapa. There are a lot more stairs than you think there are.

There are thousands of tiles here from all over the world for many different reasons. Of course, we all search for our own country first.

Within the same group of tiles are a bunch of Haida art tiles. I've done my best to search the artist but have come up blank.

There were several more on the stairs, but I didn't take pictures of them all.

It would be very easy to spend a lot of hours searching these stairs and examining every tile. It is really a remarkable place.

There are very few opportunities in life to be James Bond.

I had one.

Pão de Açúcar.

(movies were so bad)

While my venture up this mountain was not anywhere near as exciting, it was still beautiful.

 Giant Jesus!

 James, but not Bond.

 Ipanema and Leblon.

 SDU, the domestic airport.

We took the cable cars to the top of the mountain and had a long while to take pictures and buy water for 5 Real, which is ridiculous, but you're a captive consumer so you have no choice.

Next: Beaches, an Oxford comma, and leaving.