Sunday, August 23, 2009

Weather man zero, weather gods 1…

Against all odds, the weather has become almost perfect again. Last night we went to Boteco da Garrafa to converse, have a few beers (including Franziskaner) and gnosh on top-shelf bar fare. It was a bit cold by Rio standards so I assumed we were in for a few more days of unimpressive weather. By the way, I had the best aipim (manioc) I’ve ever eaten. I’ve determined that this food may be known by more names than all but the worst identity thieves. Funny that many Americans have never heard of it, much less tried it. They also had shrimp pasteís every bit as good as Belmonte’s. Anyway, the weather gods seemed to have somehow been appeased.

We headed to the beach at around 10:00. The temperature continues to be moderate and today was sunny with a few clouds. The beach was just about empty when we got there as most folks, like us, assumed the weather would continue to be dreary. The surf was still rough but other than that, it was banner beach weather.IMG_9615 Panorama (916x1024)Around 13:00 I took one of the bikes that came with our rented apartment and headed to a kiosk just above Leblon. The view from this place is mighty. By that time, the entire city was on the beach or walking on the closed lane of the street that parallels the beach in Ipanema/Leblon.IMG_9646 (1024x683)Notice that Corcovado, the statue of Christ, is virtually inescapable in Rio.IMG_9637 (2) (683x1024)IMG_9620 (1024x683)Anyone not convinced that Rio is among the most beautiful cities in the world need do little more than watch these videos.

On the way back I noticed this statue. I had seen it before but had completely forgotten about it. I like the pictures I snapped.IMG_9649 (2) (683x1024)IMG_9659 (2) (1024x630)Here’s a bit of video of the same place.

No comments: