Rio de Janerio: On Holiday

So, here I am "relaxing" in Rio, on vacation. Sounds better than it actually is. The first day was nothing short of glorious. Beautiful weather, great surf, sand that slips through the cracks of your toes. I spent the better part of the day at the beach. Like usual, I fell asleep in the sun (with sunblock of course).

There must be something special about the sun here in Brazil, as I know look like a peppermint (more red than white, though). Strangely, I'm okay with this, as I have been born with skin that turns to tan rather quickly, and with minimal damage. People do look at me differently, with my racoon eyes (have they never seen an Americano before??). It's quite funny...and I'm sure friends and family will get a good laugh upon my return to the states.

Second day was unexpected. I went and toured a favala (slum). I visited the largest favela in the city with 250,000 inhabitants. There were things you'd expect to see. Deterioriating housing, extreme poverty by my standards, etc. However, I saw things I did not expect. Cable TV. Internet service. And lots of smiles. These people are extremely happy to live there, as they are not homeless. I thought I'd walk away with a new outlook on life...how fortunate and lucky I am to have been born in America. How lucky I am to be in the top 1% of wage earners in the world. Instead, I came back with a sense of no matter where you are, there is joy to found, friends to make, and making the best of what you have is the key to life.

I also spend much of day two working, "under a bus." That's all I'll say. Oh yeah, I also will be cutting my vacation short by 2 days, as work demands are overriding.

Day 3. Well, it hasn't gotten off to a good start. I was supposed to start a tour of colonial downtown at 9AM. It's now almost 11. 2 hours of my day wasted. They should be picking me up shortly, but still, 2 hours wasted.

Shortly after this tour ends, I will be jumping off a cliff (weather permitting, of course). I do not think that flying is any way natural for human beings...if it were, we'd all be coughing up feathers and pecking at our food. I'm deathly afraid of the para-gliding adventure, but cannot wait for the views from above. Rio is such a beautiful city...all humans should be required to come to see for themselves.

Later tonight...it's Samba dancing. That's right. A late night with a Samba school that participates in Carnival. I'll let you know how my new moves turn out, assuming, I don't fall asleep on the sequined clad men and women that will surround me.