All that shines is not gold

Smiling at life, Brazilian spirit after all

Everyone warned us before going to Rio. Everyone reminded us how dangerous the city is and recommended to be careful and watch our staff all the time. Nothing happened because we stayed in the Rio that shines...

Rio definitely has what Sao Paulo lacks: beauty and charm, it is indeed the cidade maravilhosa, beautiful city! It has beautiful beaches and the sea is a relief from the continuous heat. Coming from smoky Sao Paulo, as soon as we arrived in Rio Copacabana beach and its Pâo de Açucar looked like a paradise! The sea and the lagune look lovely, no one seems to run to work (or work at all) and you need no umbrella because there won't be any rain in the afternoon as it does in Sao Paulo. But as the say goes, all that shines is not gold.

If walking around the neighbourhoods of Ipanema and Copacabana, it is easy to forget about its favelas, the linea vermelha (called by some 'Gaza Strip') and all that dirty business people know from the movies. Everything seems fine and people seem to have no worries but the way they look! The most unbearable thing is indeed the way cariocas behave. They totally adhore to show off. They have the cult of their bodies and don't even care whether their tanned legs have cellulite or not. I found it contraddictory. It seems that the carioca feels it natural to walk around naked all the time...According to a local joke it is very simple to distinguish a carioca from a paulistano: the latter would walk in his shirt while the former would be simply in his bare skin. Though, when driving, they are all indistinctly crazy dangerous!

At night it is again the same show. Senhoras in their nicest dress and jewelleries, the youth seeming to say 'I belong to the United Kingdom of Ipanema'. I am not saying I didn't enjoy it! Ipanema is totally lovely! The wild ocean and the softest white sand I have ever walked on are difficult to forget. I just had the feeling that that was a bit of a fake world. A ball of air.