EC-Rider Travels

Well this is a bit different. Analida’s apartment is beyond beautiful and more comfortable than words can say. It is on the eighth floor in the district of Flamengo overlooking the bay and Botafogo beach, with lovely parks between.

Needless to say we have not drawn breath and she is spoiling me rotten. Today has been a bit of a down day, catching up and just managing to squeeze in a walk through the park and along the beach. It is a little cloudy and for the Brazilians freezing cold at 23 degrees so there were not many people out and we had the beach to ourselves.

The little I have seen seems to be such a mix of such contradictions – old/new; rich/poor; colonial/modern; tidy/scruffy; urban/beach/park; mountains/sea/lagoon – it has everything. It is very lush and most of the roads are lined with the most incredible trees many of them with orchids growing up them, which people have attached and allowed to grow.

The Brazilians are fitness mad and all along the beaches are volley-ball nets and gym equipment where they can work out – sadly I just didn’t have time. Another thing Analida told me, which made me smile, is that they are obsessed with their teeth. Even the poorest paying to have their teeth fixed. School children have to take a toothbrush with them and are made to clean/floss their teeth every time they eat. I am sure it saves the Government a lot in the long-run!

We went to a fun local restaurant for lunch where I had my first caipirinha – pretty delicious and pretty potent! Analida also introduced me to empadão – the most delicious mini-pies with melt in the mouth pastry and pao de queijo – outrageous cheese bread. Slightly worried about the waistline! We had supper in her lovely apartment and carried on talking!