The day started off hazy and got worse. So I had to abandon plans to visit Corcovado and Cristo Redentor later in the day. With mist there would be nothing worth seeing. There was talk about the "Pope Effect" bringing rain to Brazil.
I went to the Hippie Market in Ipanema. Wood, stone and other artisan products were sold there. I came away with a memento of a tiny parrot made from coloured stones. I also tried acarajé and cocada (coconut candy). The latter was very sweet.
In one of the few (there aren't many because the coastal strip between the ocean and the lagoon is narrow) back streets of Ipanema parallel to the beach, I found the Garôta de Ipanema (Girl from Ipanema) bar. The 17 year old Heloísa Pinheiro walked past the bar (then named Veloso) everyday, attracting admiration for her slim beauty. Jobim and de Moraes were inspired to pen the melody and lyrics and the song went on to become a perennial bossa nova standard. For a few years the identity of the girl was unknown, even to the subject, until the authors revealed their inspiration. Helô subsequently married her fiancee and settled down to the life of a housewife. She might have gone into obscurity, but when her husband lost his job, she availed herself of her fame to support her family through modelling and a boutique business. Today she is a successful businesswoman and still a great looker (as is her daughter, who also became a model), as the photos at her site attest. In an interview she said that the song had changed her life because of the confidence it gave her. As a teenager she thought that she was physically awkward. The first few bars of the song are displayed on the building. I had a chopp (draft beer) at the bar and it was priced normally.
I walked partway around the Lagoa, then took a Minas Gerais lunch. I was no wiser about what the characteristics of Minas cuisine were after the lunch. (I see today that pão de queijo is from Minas.) In the afternoon I rented a bike to be able to move around Ipanema quicker to take more photos. You can see the Portuguese influence in the design of the promenade here.
That evening I had dinner at a por quilo (by kilo, i.e. pay by weight) buffet restaurant, finished with a chopp. These restaurants were lifesavers in Brazil. There would always be some dish to your taste (perhaps too many) and the prices were reasonable. I browsed at an elegant bookshop for a while, then went to the Piano Bar Vinicius. I nursed a caipirinha while they played funk and straight ahead jazz standards such Phase Dance by Pat Metheny, Affirmation by José Feliciano, popularised by George Benson, and Wave by Jobim. At some point, a guest vocalist and a guest guitarist came on stage. It was around midnight when I caught a taxi back to the hotel. It was walking distance, but walking was not recommended in the streets of Rio at late hours.
Well, here I am in Rio de Janeiro, after all those years of plotting. Part of the reason for starting in São Paulo was that the available flights to Rio arrived late in the day which I didn't like. I prefer to overnight in the plane and arrive fresh in the morning. Another reason was wanting to ride the Trem de Prata. At Rio station authorities had taken precautions to ensure the safety of the tourists by escorting us directly from the train to the taxi rank. The streets were quiet as it was a Saturday morning and people were sleeping off Friday night's fun.
My hotel was a couple of streets back from the beachfront of Copacabana. (Note from future: It doesn't seem to exist any more, and Google Street View shows that the roads have changed. It was 15 years ago, after all.) From my window I had a lateral peek of the beach. There was a strong onshore wind which roiled the waves and deposited sand on Avenida Atlântica.
Copacabana beach runs north-south, and meets Ipanema beach which runs east-west, at a headland called Arpoador. Dotted along the length of these two beaches are postos (lifeguard stations) which have toilets and vending machines. I noted that the logo for the female toilet was three triangles and a dot in between representing a bikini and bellybutton. The last posto on Copacabana before Arpoador is 6. I took it upon myself to walk the length of Ipanema to Leblon.
Old and young thronged the promenades and the beach. The beach is where Cariocas socialise and entertain. Loudspeaker trucks booming music went past. There were also many cyclists on the road. Keeping an eye on public security were military police.
One thing I liked about Brazilians was their open displays of affection. It wasn't just the young and hot, even old couples embraced and kissed in public.
It was Saturday, the traditional day for a feijoada lunch. I found a restaurant for it and by the end of the meal I was truly stuffed, and didn't have much for dinner that evening. Somehow I found room for coconut juice from a cold fresh nut from a beachside vendor.
Ipanema is an expensive suburb. I noted many boutiques and fashion houses in the back streets.
In the evening a night market took over the median strip of Avenida Atlântica, the beachfront of Copacabana. I bought 3 T-shirts for R10 (reais). At an ice-cream shop I had 4 flavours: chocolate, nuts, guava and lemon. It was sold by weight.
