The here and now.

It was only on my return to Rio that I really felt that I understood a little of the pulse of the city. Rio is a city about the here and now. People live very much in the present and have a well developed sense on fun. In an amazing turn of events I met another two Paulista doctors traveling Rio while doing dishes at the hostel. They were friends with the punk Paulistas! This photo was taken a practice for the samba school which won the carnaval competition last year. There are several kinds of samba and carnaval samba is danced individually and involves hip and foot motions impossible for anyone merely human.


I loved Rio at night. This photo was taken in Lapa, the samba dancing area. This kind of samba is danced with a partner. I like that better...










We went to Democraticos, a fantastic samba club with much Brazilian sensuality. We danced until 4 am when the club closed. I do not know how to samba but luckily playful salsa moves with some free-styling was enough to make that night one of my favorite nights out dancing.






As it turned out, we took the wrong bus home and we ended at the beach! Well, we decided to wait until sunrise before heading back to the hostel. It was a night I will not soon forget.










The final day of my stay in Rio included a soccer game at Maracana where Botafogo played. The soccer was mediocre actually but the crowd was fantastic. There was lots of singing, dancing, shouting... Clearly the excitement of the cariocas extended to the temple of soccer. The atmosphere was electrifying.





Botafogo won. I had never seen that kind of excitement in a soccer game. It felt characteristic of the intensity of life that I saw in Rio and in Brazil in general. People lived in the moment and enjoyed it more than any place I can think of. As I continue my travels and life in general, I will hope to take some of Rio with me...