Kokochi

Hang-gliding over Rio

Ian kindly scanned in the hang-gliding photos. Thank you! You might need to click on them to see how beautiful the views of the mountain, town, and beach were. Unforgettable.

And no, I'm not hugging the pilot. That's where you're supposed to put your hands.

Ele!

Finally, Ele has a blog!　For a long time, she has been sending her specially made Friday Update emails to a group of us so we can all follow her exciting life and juicy gossip from Raleigh, NC. I've enjoyed getting to know her through these emails and looked forward to them every Friday. Dav and I both thought that blogging would be perfect for her. And tadaa! Granted, I guess the juiciest of gossip points will be kept private, but I'm sure you'll get addicted to her world :)

Welcome, Ele!

Cats - not mine, but still definitely from the cat world!

Can't resist this one. I won't dare do it, but if Kats looked like that, I'd fall in love all over and would take time off from work so I could hold him all day.

And a craigslist vent of a owner who clearly loves but is frustrated with his/her inconsiderate cats. They have us wrapped around their paws, I know.

Both via Dav.

[thank you, baby, for understanding my cat world. Remember I did grow up as a dog person, so beats me why I'm so crazy about cats! I love that you tolerate my obsession and allowed all 3 of us into your life. Not only that, you let Waka sleep on you and deal with the selfish whims of Kats. We all love you and can't wait 'til you're home so we can all snuggle together!]

Six Apart's newest member

Introducing Paul Revere, otherwise called Major. Just 6 weeks old. Held by daddy Brad and fawned over by Ginevra and I. Welcome!

Hotel Gloria

For the last couple days, we stayed at Hotel Gloria, a very swanky, classy hotel. It must have been first class back in the day, and still was, but had historical charm to boot. You just don't find such detail and personality in new hotels. They had 2 pools; one overlooking the city where the Brazilian high classs sipped cocktails and read as they tanned. The other (where Dav and I spent more time) was in a courtyard and had 2 diving boards. I had no idea Dav was such a diver! Made my heart flutter all over!

The last 2 pics are when we (with Daniel) snuck into what must have been some sort of royal evening room with art, velvet sofas, antique statues, and a grand piano. Dav has more pics of us having fun in there.

Food, beaches, and views

A gigantic risotto dish we had one night with seafood, eggs, olives, local greens, and a ton of rice. I couldn't believe how much we ate. It was fantasitc, but didn't feel so good afterwards :)

From the cheap and quick fruit/snack stands. Ate the famous banana/cinnamon grilled cheese sandwich (it IS really really good), watched a fire juggler who entertained cars while they waited the light (right in front of the stand), and tried the special dark purple passionfruit, Acai, drink that came twice as large as expected. Yum!

Beach viewsViews from the cable car going up Sugar Loaf

My favorite guy in Brazil. And me getting on GOL to leave...I love the uniforms of GOL. Smart and sleak...sorta Japanese designer-like. I wish I could have purchased an outfit!

Hang gliding over Rio

The coolest thing of the whole trip was hang gliding! Over Rio! We did this right after the favela tour sorta spur of the moment so I was wearing flip flops! I got pictures taken while I was flying, so I will scan them in later. I did catch Dav taking off. It was simply amazing; the closest to what I imagine it must feel like to be a bird.

We had to run off a ramp off a mountain which was a bit scary. I was told that even if I stopped running, my tandem flight guide (last pic - I sure felt close to him) could still carry me. I thought I ran the whole way, but apparently I stopped. I also thought I'd scream out loudly; instead I wimpered like a little animal. Yet once gliding, I smiled and totally enjoyed myself. I want to do more of that!

Dav got a DVD made so I'm sure he'll link to that.

Favela - Rocinha & Vila Canoas

Dav and I took a favela tour. Rocinha has 160,000 residents! Vila Canoas is known for having NO drugs (demanded by the drug lords of Rocinha to stop competition). I'm glad we did the tour not because of danger, but because the guide knew the places and could show us way more than what we'd find on our own. My favorite was walking between the houses in narrow alleys that went up/down/left/right. I'd be lost in a second. The place was built haphazardly since the law is that if someone lives on land for 5 years and it's unchallenged, then they own it. The favelas continue to grow this way. In one sense, they have great views since they build up in the hills. But since the government doesn't build roads for them, the folks way up high have to walk the whole way - and it's a town in itself, so some have to walk over 30 minutes uphill from the main street. The government recently decided to provide a minimum of electricity and water...but the outskirts of the favelas have to "steal" from their neighbors who "steal" from their neighbors etc. all the way down to the legit lines. Since many construction workers live in favelas, the houses are actually decently built. We even saw a "middle class" apartment complex, and apparently the drug lords even have pools! But it's one of those tightly knit communities where even if someone becomes middle class - income-wise - they may choose to stay within the favela because that's where they have all their social connections. It'll be interesting to see the future...where these very well-organized and well-established communities take Brazil's cities...

The tour included stopping by a non-profit school where they teach various things from English to Judo.

I absolutely didn't feel any danger at all (or in Rio anywhere at anytime, for that matter). The favela felt like any other poor city that is doing the best it can, and is full of life and creativity. For business reasons, the drug lords keep the favelas in strict order. If you steal or hurt someone, you are out (as in out of this world), so in reality, the favelas are quite safe. If we had more time, I would have walked around with Dav more.

Dav and I each bought paintings by locals that are now hanging in our SF home. That's cool :)

Santa Theresa

This area is supposed to be artsy and funky, so Dav and I trudged up the hill in the hot hot heat. Along the way, we passed by a house with 10+ cats and I couldn't help but say hi to the guy sitting outside. Turns out he's lived in the US and spoke very good English. It was a bit sad though since during his lifetime, he's seen Rio at its best and then its slow decline. He can see the favelas growing and sometimes hears fighting (gunshots).

There were a only few places to visit in Santa Theresa. We hung out lazily on sofas admiring the decor and color of a cool cafe/bar, and ate at one restuarant. But it the area was smaller than expected (another tourist couple even asked us if they missed it). By far, the neatest part was the tram that rides rickety along the steep hills and across a high bridge into the city. Worth the fun even though I questioned the safety.

Dav got lots of cool graffiti pics. Last pic is a view off the road right into a large favela.

Lapa

We read that Lapa is the musically happening area of town and went one weekday, but were confused because there were like 3 bars open but nobody around. Dead. Later we found that it's Friday and Saturday when one should go; sure enough, the place was one big party on those days.

This was at Madame Vidal. We had an excellent dinner there and by chance heard that a jazz group would start at 9pm. As expected, they started at 10:30. By then, we had finished off our wine and were onto our Caipirinhas. While waiting, we noticed that Dav was the only male customer and all the tables were filling up with women. I joked that perhaps the jazz group was going to be shirtless hot Brazilian men, and that I was in for a treat. But then Dav remembered the place was known for a gay hangout, so we thought perhaps it meant a lesbian hangout. Never quite found out, but the show was great.

The streets of Lapa on Friday. Packed with folks partying on the streets. We never bothered going into a bar.

I looked up an old colleague, Flavia, who lives in Rio. Who would have thought years ago when we worked together in SF that we'd meet up in Rio! Anyway, she took us to a local dance hall where they had awesome live samba music (like 10 band members) and a huge dance floor where people clearly enjoyed themselves. Unfortunately, I felt like a wooden dork doll amongst them. My hips don't have that special joint that allows such wiggling, making a humming bird look slow. Damn - gotta learn how to do that! Luckily Dav held me and we got to do some couple dancing :)