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!