Aha, the sunshine is back. We scurry on our morning walk of 3 miles up the beach. I am amazed by the number of people that get up and walk every morning. The Brazilian people are in amazing physical shape. If you need a mental vision, the men walk in speedos and women of all ages walk in shorts and a bikini top. Half naked bodies jaunt past us walking and jogging to and fro, busily excercising before the start of their day. It is quite motivating to see all the activity. Makes one feel a little lazy. Yes, I'm taking pictures, but I am not sure how many of them are PG enough to show any of you at the office (LOL).
We head direct to the beach to soak up some rays. I am through my novel and am starting Jim Champy's book called 'Outsmart, How to do what your Competitors Can't'. This brilliant business mind is one of the leaders at Perot. It is amazing to work with such talent.
The sky has a few clouds, yet the sun is intense. The warm rays heat our bodies and we drift off into another world, a world of comfort, relaxation, and no work and no kids. Ahhhhhhhh, isn't vacation grand. We stay at the beach for a couple hours soaking up the stillness and the quiet that only a beach provides.
By 2:30, we depart on a tour. We start with a trip to the giant soccer stadium in town. It was built to house 200,000 people. It is the biggest stadium I have ever seen. From there the tour bus takes us to the place where the carnival begins. Giant stands surround us and a small building of costumes sit in the forefront. We walk in to the building and try on these amazing carnival costumes. It is a bit amusing. I think I would break my neck if I tried to wear this costume all day. The headdress weighs about 9 pounds. I guess it is a good thing I am not a queen, laugh, I could never wear something that heavy on my head all the time. We pose for pictures and laugh our way back onto the bus.
Atop the tallest mountain in Rio sits a towering statue of Christ with his arms outstretched. He is overlooking all of Rio. Our next stop on the tour will be the Cristo Redemptor or the Christ the Redeemer as the locals call it. The bus slowly churns its engines to get up the steep hill. Set alongside the road are both beautiful mansions and Favellos (Rio term for the slums). The very nice houses and the Favellos are often side by side. Going up the hill as far as we can see are Favellos. They appear to be rudimentary dwellings built on the side of the hill.
Slowly the bus makes its way to the top of the hill. The view from the mountaintop is amazing. It is like looking out of an airline. From every angle, there is a beach or a port. Clouds drift in and out allowing the view to clear, then cloud over again. The sheer size of the statue of the Christ from atop the mountain is breathtaking. When the clouds roll in, the statue is partially covered by cloudcover, making it an even more amazing site.
We stand with our heads back, watching the statue and amazed at the view. It was truly an experience to behold.
All for Wednesday. Til tomorrow.