Final Thoughts on Rio

I’ve been keeping a personal journal separate from my blog, which tends to be more abstract,  grammatically incorrect, lacking in fact checking….and illegible if I’m writing while drunk.  Here’s what deliriously tired me had to say about Rio en route from Rio to Brazil…

I do have to say while I absolutely loved Rio, I definitely could’ve used my time more productively to see more of the city.  On the other hand it was great being a beach bum for a week after two weeks of constant movement.  There were so many great moments in Rio though that a camera really just can’t do justice and neither can words.  Just leaning over the rail at Corcovado staring at the city, mountains, forests and water while a light breeze blows and the sun shines, is just something you have to experience for yourself.  Learning to float in the ocean with the warm water and sun shining on your face –  you just really have to be there.  I think they call the lifestyle there Carioca – just defining the simplicity and pleasure seeking of the city and I can see how it would be easy to  get sucked into that.  I could spend almost every day sitting on the beach with “a melhor caiprinha del mundo” and a good book followed by a good dinner at Bar Urca, or even some quick food and sit on one of the many hills staring at the water or Corcovado.  There’s really just a lot that the city has to offer.  Aside from the natural scenery, the city itself has variety as vast as the natural difference between the mountains and the sea.  Copacabana/Ipanema are tourist paradises with modern high rise hotels, chic restaurants and boutiques, but look up the mountain and the favela is right behind you in all its colorful glory – but a stark contrast to the wealthy tourists.  Even within the beach towns there are still feelings of home – a place where real people live with suco/empanada shops where locals can be seen drinking Brahmas, Antarcticas and Smirnoff until hours of the morning I couldn’t fathom people still being in bars until in NY.  In some ways I would even want to learn a bit more about the favelas instead of simply categorizing them as ghettos to be avoided.  I think that kind of sums up why I could consider living in Rio.  It’s the kind of city, like NY where you could spend years living there and still see something new, continue having new experiences, and still not know every facet of the city.  Plus any city that completely shuts down to have a 5 day party is okay by me.