Rio — first impressions

Last night, I came home from grabbing some chopps with Victor, and found two new roommates in my hostel room.  One was snoring, and had a little FM radio playing soft bossa nova, and as I laid down to sleep to the sound of rain and music, I had to smile.  My first four days in Rio de Janeiro have been nothing short of spectacular even though I have barely ventured from my beach neighborhood called Leblon.  The days have been filled with learning Portuguese with new Brazilian friends, going to the beach, and tasting anything that is food (to much amusement of the Brazilians).  Some of the more delicious discoveries include: Fruta de Conde, Tapioca pancakes, cups of frozen Açaí that are available on every street corner , and perhaps the caipirinhas as well.

The fabled beach culture here is very unique indeed, and different from anywhere I have been.  Many vendors cater to your every need, and on the weekend people play a lot of sports including foot volley — a type of beach volleyball where you cannot use your hands, but the rest of volleyball rules apply.  I haven’t taken my good camera out yet due in part to safety concerns, but mostly just laziness.  I will post some video too, taken with my new Flip camera.