note: location is rio de janeiro, brasil<\/p>\n
well, after my disappointment in the pantanal, i finally saw the giant lilly pads today in rio’s botanical garden. there were only four of them, and they weren’t that big….but beggars can’t be choosers. from there, we met up with a friend we met at the pantanal and headed over to sugarloaf mountain. pao de acucar has a really beautiful view from the top. it was a nice clear day, with a pleasant breeze, so we just sat there for an hour or two staring at the water and city below. rio is a very pretty city from up top.<\/p>\n
from the base of the mountain, we caught a cab over to post 9 on ipanema beach, where we met up with my cousin pri. i was really impressed with the quality of some of the futevolley players (volleyball, but with no hands)…including quite a few good women players. the sand, water and views were all great. after relaxing at the beach for a few hours, pri took us to a popular restaurant where we gorged ourselves with food yet again. since i’ve been here, every day we’ve had a huge meal — it’s not so bad, though, because then i can skip a couple of meals and have more time for tourist things….the big meals are a bit like an investment.<\/p>\n
tonight, pri took us to lapa…an older part of rio which has recently been revitalized and is now famous for it’s historic buildings and samba clubs. on account of it being the end of a holiday weekend, most of the clubs were closed, but we did find one that had a live samba band. the band is typically made up of percussion, a small guitar and a singer. the music plays continuously and the singer goes on nonstop for hours — it’s quite impressive! it was very crowded downstairs, so we sat on the balcony upstairs and were lucky enough to be at the same table as a professional samba dancer who is one of the leads at a very good samba school here. after a bit, we went downstairs….and, despite it being crowded, she still amazed us with how fast, but rhythmically, she could move her feet.<\/p>\n
aside: many bars\/clubs here do not permit smoking. it’s really nice. in my mind, chile and brasil are always competing for the top spot of south american countries (that i’ve visited)….so, for nightlife, the point goes to brasil.<\/p>\n\n\t\t