Life"s a beach - with infinite umbrellas

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  Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Today we went with a bunch of other Aussies (there are so many here) to Ipanema Beach and it is a sight to behold!  As it was Shrove Tuesday and a public holiday here, so it added to the joy of Carnival.  Everyone, and an occasional dog, went to the beach!  Look! I'll prove it!. Each and every one of these umbrellas has at least one family under it! These people worship the sun.  They are out there in between the umbrellas in the midday sun, baking away! They wander about with almost every bit of skin exposed.  The general mood is relaxed and I never saw or felt any racism or discrimination any where.  I was told I look like a Southern Brazilian and they do start to talk to me like they expect me to understand.  But, oh boy, my skin is so pale compared to 99.9% of people here.  Not many blue eyes either!  
I will tell you what they do have by the truck load here tho...  Women who are so obviously proud of being women. Women of every size, shape, colour, and age... All of them walking about with no self-consciousness.  This is not a culture that worships the stick woman!  This is a culture that seems to take you as you come - in all your infinite variations!  How fantastic!
in Centro, the city heart, we came across three women, I estimate mid 70s, just on the footpath doing the Samba to the band that was playing, laughing with each other, just enjoying life.  What a sight.  Pure magic!  We took the metro and a group of five guys started busking on the train.  Fantastic musicians.  The whole carriage just grooved along with them and gave them hoots and applause when they finished!  More magic!
The Brazilians can be really proud of the atmosphere of this great city.  It just feels like a strong, diverse community.  I really like Rio.  I like it a lot.

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