{"id":1884,"date":"2012-04-05T17:31:49","date_gmt":"2012-04-05T06:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.seawind-network.com\/?p=1884"},"modified":"2012-04-05T17:31:49","modified_gmt":"2012-04-05T06:31:49","slug":"down-in-brazil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rommelpascual.com\/index.php\/20120405\/down-in-brazil\/","title":{"rendered":"Down in Brazil"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t\tTweet<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>

5-April-2012 Rio de Janiero, Brazil<\/p>\n

Ever since we decided to take this trip, Michael Frank\u2019s \u2013 Down in Brazil, has been playing in my head.<\/p>\n

\n
\nDown in Brazil
\nIt takes a day to walk a mile
\nTime just stand still
\nAnd all those caf\u00e9 \u2018ole girls in high heel shoes
\nThey take away your blues
\nThey sooth you with their samba skill
\nThen you know, you\u2019re down in \u2018ol Brazil
\n<\/em>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And now I\u2019ve touch down in Rio \u2013 one more city about to be off in my bucket list. Like Buenos Aires, the trip from the airport to the city goes through a \u2018favela\u2019 or slum area. The tour guides are apologetic as well as defensive about it \u2013 we\u2019re not the only one with this problem, they\u2019d say. <\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n
Rio de Janiero, Brazil<\/a><\/td>\nRio de Janiero, Brazil<\/a><\/td>\nRio de Janiero, Brazil<\/a><\/td>\nRio de Janiero, Brazil<\/a><\/td>\nRio de Janiero, Brazil<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rio de Janiero, Brazil<\/a><\/td>\nRio de Janiero, Brazil<\/a><\/td>\nRio de Janiero, Brazil<\/a><\/td>\nRio de Janiero, Brazil<\/a><\/td>\nRio de Janiero, Brazil<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Rio is framed by mountains and as we cross the tunnel to get to the other side of the mountain \u2013 the world famous skyline of Rio with more signs of opulence and less of the favelas emerges. <\/p>\n

We arrived just after mid-day, and had an early start from Iguazu this morning. After dropping our bags at the Copa Sul Hotel in downtown Copacabana \u2013 we headed to the nearby \u2018Buffet A Quilo\u2019. We were told that this is the Rio way to eat \u2013 a buffet where you pay according to the weight of your plate \u2013 thus \u2018a quillo\u2019. Sounds like they nailed the right balance of buffet dining where over-indulging is not encouraged, and yet getting a chance to sample their great cuisine.<\/p>\n

We have the afternoon off from the tour and each had their way. I went with Jeanne and her \u2018amigas\u2019 for a while but eventually got bored of the shopping. I headed instead to the Copacabana Beach for a stroll. Unfortunately, the best way to stay safe in Rio (or in any unfamiliar place) is to keep a low profile. Leave out the big SLR camera as it might attract the wrong attention. I also notice that it seems to be well heeded. I have not seen anyone clicking away like tourist along this very crowded beach. (On hindsight – maybe perhaps the Brazilians comes here regularly just to have fun and no longer feel the need to remember it with photographs.)<\/p>\n

To say that it is like Bondi will be over simplifying. There is much activity around that may be uniquely Brazilian. A group of men were playing what looks like a beach volleyball but with a twist of soccer \u2013 they use soccer balls, use kicks to serve and only hits the ball with their head, chest or kick it. It was awesome to watch. On another side are the women in their skimpiest bikini outlining their athletic body playing real beach volleyball.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also tasted the \u2018acai\u2019 pronounced \u2018azai\u2019 \u2013 a drink that is more like jelly than liquid and made from an Amazonian seed. They are sold by street vendors the same way as ice cream is sold. Again, we were told that this is very Rio thing to do.<\/p>\n

Jeanne and her \u2018amigas\u2019 were more adventurous. They took a bus going to the Rio Sul shopping centre, after giving up on hailing a cab. I say adventurous, because none of them can speak Portugese. Most Brazilians can understand Spanish but will respond in Portugese. At least one on a shop can speak English but only to a limited extent \u2013 you can\u2019t expect to carry on extended conversation. I reckon, you\u2019d probably have a cushy job here if you speak all 3 languages fluently.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow \u2013 our real Rio as a tourist adventure begins. This time, I was told, we can bring the big cameras. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

5-April-2012 Rio de Janiero, Brazil Ever since we decided to take this trip, Michael Frank\u2019s \u2013 Down in Brazil, has been playing in my head. Down in Brazil It takes a day to walk a mile Time just stand still And all those caf\u00e9 \u2018ole girls in high heel shoes They take away your blues… Read More ›<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rommelpascual.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rommelpascual.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rommelpascual.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rommelpascual.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rommelpascual.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rommelpascual.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1884\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rommelpascual.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rommelpascual.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rommelpascual.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}