Day 2 in Rio

[ahka]

Today we spent time exploring Ipanema beach and Leblon area.  In the morning we ate breakfast at our hotel.  The breakfast is included in the hotel price.  The food was very good and there were a lot of different choices such as eggs, sandwiches, fruits, blintzes, and different fresh fruit juices and hot drinks.  It was really yummy.

 

At the breakfast we met a couple, Orlando and Olesia, he is from Switzerland and she is from Brazil.  We were hoping to go the soccer game together.  They explained to us why hotel charged so much money for this game.

After breakfast, we tried to arrange a trip to this soccer game but there were no more tickets available for tonight.  The tickets were offered at a very high price R$140 per person because it included transportation, guards to keep us safe during and after the game.  We were a little bit disappointed but decided to see the other game tomorrow or instead go to a samba show.

Our hotel is located right at the end of Copacabana beach and 5 minute walk from Ipanema beach.  So, this morning, we exchanged our towel cards for our Hotel beach towels and went to the beach.  The sky was full of clouds and at times rain was drizzling.  The rain was actually very pleasant in this warm tropical place.  Even though there were clouds, the light was very bright and it was very hard to be without sunglasses. 

We spent all morning on the beach.  The water in the ocean was not cold as some people were telling us, however the waves were huge and there were a lot of surfers.  It was fun to watch the surfers.  I went swimming at one time.  The Ipanema beach was a lot bigger then Copacabana.  There were a lot of places where people played volleyball.  The whole beach looked very deserted.  I guess it is not their beach season.  We enjoyed the soft sand, warm air, wave sounds and each other’s company.

Then we walked back to our hotel to change the clothing and continue our adventures.  We went to exchange money and it took a while to find the place where we could exchange the US dollars to Reals or as Boris calls them “The real money” (реальные деньги).  Finally, we ended up inside the Sofitel hotel that is right next door to our hotel.  Inside the Sofitel they have huge 3 floor antique shopping mall.  We had no clue that there is a shopping mall. 

In that mall, finally, we found a place to exchange the money and purchase much cheaper tours then our hotel offered.  The place is called Ferraro events e turisomo.  We got a full day tour for Friday that includes lunch and visit to all Rio’s important sights.  Now, that I looked up the weather forecast, we would need to change the date of our tour to Saturday instead of Friday, because the forecast shows that on Saturday it will be sunny and on Friday there will be scattered T-storms, tomorrow should be partly cloudy.

Boris also was very happy that the rate we exchanged the money was very good (1$=R$1.78) and they did not charge us any fees like they did at the airport.  The woman who exchanged us the money and sold us the tour was very nice.  Her name is Veronica.  We chatted with her a little.  Even though her English was very limited it was fun talking to her. 

It was already 4pm and we needed to get some food, so we started walking down the Copacabana Avenue passing by a lot of cafes, restaurants, and various little shops.  We ended up at a Brazilian buffet.  It was quite an experience.  You get the ticket, then go get the plate and put whatever you want on the plate, once you are done you put the plate on the weight scale and they show you how much that would cost.  They were charging R$2.00 per I don’t know what J.  Every time you get food they weigh it and add the charge.

The food was very good, we got full and paid relatively small amount of money for 2 of us (I think it was R$27.00 unlike yesterday at a restaurant, where we paid over R$50.00 for two sandwiches and two drinks).

In the evening, it started raining heavily.  It was real tropical rain.  We were actually happy that we did not go to the soccer game because on TV it looked like everyone was soaking wet; even though they were wearing raincoats and some had umbrellas.  Nevertheless, we decided not to stay in the hotel and went for a walk under the rain to the nearest pastry shop where we had tea and delicious pastry.  The owner of the shop gave us additional pastry for free.  He was very nice to us and other people who came in, one man actually was fighting with him because the guy wanted to pay and the owner kept giving him his money back to him.

In the room we decided to call our parents.  I was hoping to connect via Skype to see the kids.  I miss Michael and Michelle.  However, Michael went with grandpa somewhere and Michelle was napping.

Tomorrow will be new day in paradise.