My morning started with a light breakfast as I overlooked the beach and pondered what my day would be like. I always make it a point to purchase post cards my first day so now I needed to mail them. With good directions from the Concierge, I found my way to the “Correios” a place to buy stamps, make phone calls, send western union, etc. It was way cheaper to go there than have the concierge handle it for me.
After taking care of that, I noticed a nearby outdoor market that had several stalls with fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, fresh fish, all types of meats and various vendors selling their wares so I took a stroll down the aisles – just looking not buying anything. I decided to just wait until Sunday when I go to the Ipanema Hippie Fair.
As I made my way back to the hotel I had the distinct feeling of being back on the French Riviera walking along Promenade des Anglais in Nice or walking the quaint streets of Juan les Pins.
It´s 4pm and Geraldo is in the lobby on time. While we wait for Yvonne to return from her meeting, I advise him that I will wait until August to go to Sugar Loaf. It wasn´t a must see for me at this time, added to the fact that I did not want to be late for the dinner in Copa and the Samba show at Plataforma in Leblon.
So the program changes and after Yvonne arrives we are on our way to the largest and most developed favela in Rio. Rocinha (ro seen ya) is built on a very steep hillside, has over 350,000 dwellers and it definitely is in a world all its own. Before we begin the climb to the top, Geraldo points out the contrasts of the rich , the poor, the middle class. We pass private schools for the rich children, a public hospital, nice homes even the former home of songwriter Antonio Carlos Jobim.
As we enter into Rochina there are tons of motor bike taxis, mini buses climbing the winding road transporting their people home at day´s end. Almost all houses which are 3 and 4 stories tall, are made from concrete and brick and have the basic sanitation, plumbing and electricty. Geraldo says, “everybody happy — everybody has tv, internet, etc don´t pay the government rent, don´t pay the government for electricity/water”.
Wait until you see the pictures of the criss-cross, mangled looking wires all over the place. It looks like an electrical waiting to happen but compared to other simple slums, Rocina has a better developed infrastructure. There are many store front shops of all types: hardware, beauty/barber shops, motor bike repair, pharmacy, food shops, bars, even a bank.
We got out of the car and walked a few blocks to a residence that housed 3 apartments. We entered, walked up a very narrow stairway – about 40 stairs to the roof top and “nossa, nossa” (wow! wow!) aside from the apparent deplorable conditions of the surrounding buildings, the view of the city from this vantage point was actually breathtaking. Before leaving, we left a few Reais inside on a table with a note from Geraldo.
On the ride back to Ipanema I had time to reflect on the day’s events and give thanks for not only my many blessings but also those of my family and friends. Back at the hotel, we had just enough time to get ready for dinner at a “churrascaria” (Brazilian steakhouse) similar to last night at Carretao (care ah tao) where the passadores (meat waiters) come to your table with knives and a skewer and slice off various meats for you. The style of cooking transltes from the Portuguese as “barbecue” but not as we know it with barbecue sauce but the meats are seasoned so very well. Dinner and drinks were excellent and leisurely and then we were off to the Samba show. Overall the show was pretty good and quite enjoyable. Our seats were up front where we had a great view of all the dancers sporting their elaborate and decorative costumes from last years Carnival. Perhaps by August they will be wearing 2011 costumes. The drummers, the Gauchos and the guys performing Capoeira (cop oo ay dah) were all amazing. Capoeira is an Afro Brazilian art form that combines martial arts, music, sport. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves.
Today was a very good day!