Copa, Copacabana….
It is 39 degrees under a hot, hot sun. Perfectly tanned and toned bodies in string bikinis surround us. Miles of white sand beach stretch before us. We sip caipirnhas while listening to the sounds of bossa nova.
No, this not one of Brendan’s dreams. Welcome to Rio.
After a brief stint in the Canadian cold and snow (congrats again on the nuptials Mel and Chris!), we have returned to life as it was meant to be. Rio is more spectacular than expected and we’re fitting right in. Well…truth be told, people are pointing and laughing at Brendan’s white skin (this, despite his having spent the last two months in Central America). And our Belizean weight gain (thanks fry jacks and fritters) isn’t doing much for our bods in swimwear. And Mel’s chest is grossly inadequate here, where boob jobs are mandatory for all women over 15 years old. But really, Rio is great.
We’re staying on Copacaba Beach, just down from Ipanema Beach (yes, you should be humming both Copacabana and the Girl from Ipanema right now).
We spent the morning hanging with JC-see picture below. 
At 120 feet tall, situated at the top of Corcovado Mountain, JC is watching over Rio – though there doesn’t seem to be a lot of guilt going on around here. And wasn’t there something about some commandments? Can’t seem to find proof of those anywhere.
And like everyone else who visits Rio, we took the tram car up Sugar Loaf Mountain – the view was well worth it. 39 degrees in a city of 6 million people does create quite the haze though, so the pics don’t really do it justice.
Tags: Brazil, Travel
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