Rio o Rio

RIO de JANEIRO- What a place to kickoff my trip. Rio is tropical both inside and out, the people are colorful, the food is never ending and the women defy traditional anatomical standards. If you like flip-flops and t-shirts, no problem, you can eat at nice restaurants, go into office buildings and go out at night all in beach wear.

>I have also been blessed with accomadations made possible by Clovis, Brazilian friend from Austin, who arranged for me to stay with two Brazilians girls (Tati and Dani). All week it has been a big party with Dani's boyfriend Bruder and Clovis' brother Canze in town, not to mention the countless Brazilian friends of theirs.

>Everything has worked out nicely as they want to practice their English, and me my poor Portuguese, Brazilians in general have a better knowledge of English than Spanish. My Spanish is not suiting me too well as Portuguese and Spanish are two different languages (go figure!).

Now let the pictures do the talking:

Arte Vaca everywhere, like the big guitars around Austin.

Atop Pedra Bonita, Rio in the background.

Appropriately wearing my St. Ed's
t-shirt when visiting Corcovado. Chasing paragliders

Praia Ipanema on the first weekend of Summer.
(Daylight savings time already started here)

Estadio Maracana (Sao Paulo vs. Fluminense)
Rowdy, Dangerous, Incredible Capacity:95,000!

UFO-like museum by famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer
with Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf mountain) in the background.

On my way to Ouro Preto, one of the colonial and ex-mining capitals of Brazil.

chao,

Stewart