Rio....

Renata and Ronaldo. The three H's that started Rio for us! Landed up at a party at 12:00 hosted in a publishing house cum book store that moonlights as a bar. Blaring English music and although we'd slept on the bus we had to excuse ourselves early and go home to sleep.

Saturday we were introduced to the real feijoada. Definitely not for the faint hearted or wanna be vegetarians or even recent carnivore converts. Pick at the beans around the meat. The Laranjeiras ( neighbourhood was also having a feira, not the food festival but an arts one including the local belly dancing school. (Again, not for the faint hearted.)

Ronaldo is the most unBrazilian you can get and Renata a beautiful opposite :) They both walk super fast and are super busy in their media jobs but were wonderful hosts. I'm hoping we've convinced Renata to come to India- can't wait to take her shopping for all kinds of stuff. And Ronaldo doesnt need an excuse but we can always show him more people like Aparna who eat hot chillies.
(Pics from here onwards here http://picasaweb.google.com/neesha.chris/RioDeJaneiro# )
Met another one of Shammi's friends- Moana. She's been twice to India. Her family all works in the Museum, sociology anthropology area. She and her mum, Angela, very sweetly let Brian and I stay with them once Roy and his friend Supratim got here and moved to a hostel. I hope they enjoyed the Indian meal we cooked- even though I mistook soy for lentils and cut my finger and delayed dinner! I loved meeting Moana's brother Lucas and wife Keyna (and little Eloa at the beach).

Thiago, Moana's boyfriend made Brian's day by taking him to play football with the boys. They lost but I think they had a good time and it was good introduction to the swear words that accompany any football. Of course, the Maracana with Ronaldo and Renata on Wed was the icing on the cake.

I love Shammi and his friends. Definitely want to meet Juliana and Henrique again and learn lots from them- hopefully when I'm passing back through Rio around Christmas time. Amazing artists- graffiti, jewellery, tshirts. The best part is how warm and generous they are. They took us around the Centre Cultural de Banco do Brasil. Enjoyed that way more than SP. ("Poha" will forever have a new meaning for me. Indians please dont use this word with Brazilians.)

Did everything else touristy: Cristo Redentor, Pao de Acucar, Escola de Samba- Mangeira, Lapa- the party in the street, Prainha- the surfer beach 1.5 hours away, Santa Tereza in the little tram and how could I forget- Escadaria Seleron. Once again, thanks to Shammi we got special treatment. Seleron, the artist who's been working on this tiled staircase was happy to hear about Shammi and to receive tiles from India ( just simple terracotta ones left over from our bathroom). We got a personalised drawing of two pregnant capoeiristas!
(YOu think! He always draws pregnant women!)

No major insights into Brazilians or Brazil or Rio. Just a realisation that I dont get "sight seeing" at all. Lands up being a stressful attempt at taking the ultimate photograph that never happens. Much prefer the effects of that wave that was colder than you expected, stronger than you expected and saltier than you expected. I am also missing being a cog in the wheels of other peoples lives. Miss being accountable to my friends and family rather than a dispensable tourist here...