|
21st May: For some reason I woke up at 13:00 today which is prime time to head down to the beach.. but we decided to head to the famous 38 m tall white statue of Christ on top of mount Corcodavo (the hunch-back) to take in the view on this smog free day via a 19th century Square.. the views from the top were spectacular, but the heights made us feel chilled for the first time in days, so Tom & I recharges with some Brazilian coffee, which is, as the guide book describes, strong as the devil, hot as hell and sweet as love. Unfortunately I think this did not help the Brazilian cold that I had been fostering.. The train ride there and back was through the native forest which had covered the area previously - beautiful. On returning to the Hostel, we wandered to an all you can eat place. There are restaurants which are buffet style (pay by the kilo) and the all you can eat places, where you fill your plates with salads, then turn a card saying`stopīor īgoīto get waiters to bring around racks of spiced meat or to have a breather. Not surprisingly, Tom was a little fatigued after all the beach activities (they have chin-up bars on the beach - see below for Appearance section) so it took a little persuading for me to convince him to go out (on a Tuesday). I think that the willingness of the brother of the Hostel owner to take us out may have something to do with his capitulation.. Curtis, a guy from the US who could speak Japanese, English, French and a lot of Spanish made fast friends with us so we all took a taxi in the pouring rain to a club - Cariocas do not stop at red lights at night to prevent rear-ends and robberies, so we travelled quite fast. So did the cyclist who cut across our one-way street in front of the taxi. All I heard was two thumps and saw a shape going onto the roof... shock. Slowly, the 22 yo guy picked himself up from the road where he landed after sliding off the roof, gingerly feeling body parts.. some concerned Portuguese ensued between the taxi driver and the victim and was apparently half jovial as the translation was `cīmon, get yourself to a hospitalī.. and the guy was able to walk off. Tom, Curtis (another roommate from the US) and I couldnt stop reliving the moment that night.. Seems that traffic is not without casualties, and to ride a bike in the traffic close to suicide. We ended up at a place called Asa Blanca, next to a famous white aqueduct, to watch the locals salsa their way around the dance floor - most entertaining, and to try the local mix of Brazilian rum, real limes and sugar - wow. One particularly popular Carioca (Rio person) was able to make his partners do backflips as well as god knows what else. Its cheap to go out, but somehow I ran out of money..
Appearance: Brazilians are concious of their appearance. Lots. It is a ritual to go to the gym after work finishes (about 7) so that you can wear the tightest pants the next day. Gym equipment and volleyball courts are all along the beaches. At one newstand, I noted three magazines specialising in plastic surgery, for guys and girls to read about the ins and outs of bettering their buff bits. The people are on the whole well dressed, but a beach culture does pervade. Beach-wear is not generally seen a block from the beach, but the fashions are almost as provocative. |
|
 |
|
 |
|
