Welcome to Rio De Janeiro

Well we arrived in RIO and we are settling into our apartment here in Ipanema beach. (Yes, another beach - we like them, can you tell?) It was a little cloudy on Tuesday afternoon when we got in. The Christ the Redeemer statue was dressed in fog so we couldn't get a good view of it on the way in. The weather is still hot and sticky, like Salvador, but at night it isn't quite so muggy. We had sun yesterday (see pics), but today we have had a heavy rain all afternoon.

Sunny Day on Ipanema beach

This is the main mixed drink of Brazil, the Caipirinha, (Ki-pay-reen-ya), a mix of cachaca -the local rum - lime juice, limes, and sugar - good on a hot day.

Joe in the background making some new friends as they had a football! (American not soccer Futbol) They had no idea how to throw it so Joe did a quick "how to" clinic - they seemed to enjoy it. Behind Joe, way in the back, is the Christ statue up on the hill

The waves at Ipanema beach are huge compared to what we saw in Salvador. We saw one person get rescued by a helicopter! They dropped down what looked like a big fish basket, picked him up and hauled him back to shore after being pulled out by the current - pretty crazy and the highlight of our first day.

We have had to kind of get used to "big city life" again. Ipanema has a much more intense vibe than Salvador and it is extremely beautiful in some areas, like the beach and the amazing shops and malls, but much grittier in others. Every day we encounter a new challenge (like laundry - good grief) that we learn from.

We have a lot of time here and things seem to be picking up for Carnaval. We hope to get to be a part of some of the great street parades that happen nearby as well as do some regular tourist-y things like seeing the Christ statue, etc., so we'll keep you posted.
Tchau!

The Pelourinho

On Sunday we visited the downtown historic district of Salvador, the Pelourinho, which stands for "whipping post" - as that is what the original square was used for carrying out punishments for crimes and runaway slaves. It grew into a sort of colorful city center and has been protected and revitalized. The colonial architecture is what stands out as well as the bright colors of the buildings. There were also many beautiful chuches that circle the main square. We were only able to tour one, but it was amazing.
It gave us a true taste of "Salvdorian" culture, including the yummy "moqueca" below (shrimp, peppers, onions fried in dende oil from the palm trees).

A cobble stone street scene- if no one else were around you'd think you were in the 1700's! The Afro-Brazilian women traditionally wore the finely made lace light colored dresses seen on the right.

The church we toured, the "Ordem Terciera de Sao Francisco" - the facade is made of carved Spanish sandstone - which our tour guide called "chalk". We couldn't take pics inside, but there was a sanctuary plated in gold - and we even got to go into the crypt!

This is a good example of the buildings and streets. This is the true historical center of the area - the Largo do Pelourinho.







Here is a video of a parade - playing the traditional drum beats and music you hear everywhere here.