Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

A friend of mine suggested I check out this Brazilian musician and here is the first clip I found on youtube. Perhaps you can listen in the background. I arrived by myself in Rio De Janeiro on tuesday afternoon. The vibe is much different from Sao Paulo.

The taxi driver took me directly to Augustos Copacabana on Rua Bolivar in Copacabana. This was about a 35 minute drive in mid-afternoon. We didn't drive through the famous flavelas but you could see them from the highways. The first things you notice are these large rounded mounds or hills jutting up from the landscape and the houses built right into the hillside. Once you get a little closer to Copacabana you can see the Cristo Redentor which is Rio's iconic landmark and one of the new seven wonders of the world. This labeling puts it on par with Beijing's Great Wall, Agra's Taj Mahal and The Coliseum in Rome.

Rio is a large city set in what can only be described as one of the idyllic geographic settings on earth. From Arpoador Beach you look one direction and you see the white sandy beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema. Look another direction and you see the beautiful hills of Tijuca National Forest, Corcovado and Sugarloaf Mountain (captured spectacularly well in this link from the in the film Moonraker).

There is so much to write about RDJ that I plan to write several posts on it this is because of so much to see and do there. It truly is a Marvelous City.