So we were a bit nervous when we arrived into Rio at night. So far we have had no luck understanding anyone in Brazil and our Spanish proved to be of little use. But we had a great flight from Manaus--personal tv.s and multiple meals. When we arrived, clutching our luggage, there was a friendly tourist guide who spoke english... what a relief! We were told by this nice man that we were to take the 'special bus.' We hoped this one wasnīt special just for us Americans (i.e. more expensive). But the bus was nice and we met a surfer from Rio who was just coming back from Indonesia. He was friendly and gave us tons of info about the city.
About Rio... Almost everything we heard about this city was negative. We were warned by several people that it is the most dangerous city in South America; that crime, both violent and petty, was rampant. Au contraire my dear friends! We got our first glimpse of the city in Copacabanha, where we found our hostel. For me, Rio has the same feeling as any big city in Spain. The streets are packed with people and shops, the sidewalks are clean and tiled, and the beaches are full with people in small bathing suits. We have felt the safest in Rio out of all the cities we have been to. It is definitely nicer than much of Washington DC. All in all, we are so happy to be here. So, my advice to fearful travelers is this: donīt believe everything you hear. When traveling to infamously dangerous areas, take precautions. Even if you hear a place is totally safe, you still have to be smart. We sure donīt walk around at night or leave our stuff on the beach. But I could not imagine having skipped over such a wonderfully vibrant city on account of a couple scary stories.
The beaches of Rio are a sight to behold. Just today we went down to the gorgeous white sand beach to find something weīve never seen before. Volleyball and soccer courts are set up all along the beach. I suppose when you have both sports in close proximity, one cannot help but combine the two. People here play a game they call foot-volley. It is the most amazing display of athleticism and coordination Iīve seen. I donīt know if I can quite do it justice by explaining it, but I will try. It is set up like 2 on 2 beach volleyball game but a soccer ball is used. You donīt use your hands or arms, but the rest of your body is fair game. You serve off a small mound, kicking the ball over the net. With three hits (generally foot, then chest then head) they seemed to get the ball over with perfect placement every time. The rallies were longer than any volleyball game Iīve seen. We saw bicycle kicks and foot spikes. Even more amazingly, there is an unspoken rule that all players must sport tiny speedos for the duration of the game. Iīve never seen anything like this, but maybe it will become an olympic sport someday. I fear it is more deserving of this honor than, lets say, curling or table tennis. But hey, who am I to judge.
There is so much more to tell about our experiences here. Unfortunately, it has been a bit rainy since we got here. The first clear day we had was gorgeous though. It felt a lot like a perfect southern california summer day, except the water was a bit warmer. So we bee-lined for the ocean as soon as the sun came out. Copacabanha is known for its rough waters, but hey we are Californians. The waves were big and the sets ranged from head high to over head. But they break right on the shore and spray 10 feet in the air. The lifeguards, all clad in speedos, must be in better shape than you would think because they do not use buoys!! We realized this when we witnessed a rescue, at very close proximity. I was at the waters edge with an Americanfrom Pennsylvania of course, and decided to go for a swim. The waves were big and the current was strong, but I thought, hey he is a big tough looking guy, he should be fine. So he agrees to come out. You all know what is coming... Anyway, we get out past the waves when I realize that this guy canīt really swim. He is struggling so I suggest we go back in. Tough guy is like, yea whatever you want. After a few strokes I am helping him just to stay afloat. All of a sudden (it was really fast) there were like five lifeguards converging on me. They grab the guy, with no buoy and manuver him back to the shore. They tried to save me too, and in retrospect I should have let these men in speedos hug me back to the sand, you know, damsel in distress style, but I was actually having a good time in the water so I stayed. Needless to say, the guy bolted as soon as he was out of the water. The point of the story: donīt try to be the tough guy when you dontīt know how to swim. It is much less embarrasing to stay on the shore than to be saved by men in speedos.
There is so much more to tell. We went out in the crazy downtown area last night and danced to live samba on the street and have been spending lots of time at the beach. There are many more stories to tell, but unfortunately the internet here is expensive and we have to save something for storytelling back at home. We will update more later. We leave for Iguazu falls on the 24th.
-T