Beaches

Impressions of Rio de Janeiro

img042

Looking back to the sketches I did in Rio remind me a lot of experience I got from Rio. Rio is a city that combines so many unique features: beach, mountain, plants, and busy urban. The city of Rio is deeply influenced by the beaches because all kind of activities happen on the beaches. There are people jogging along the beach, laying on the beach, working out and playing volleyball on the beach. Beach become a place where Brazilians show their passion. The comparison between Copacabana and Ipanema is a way of showing how the urban is developed along the shoreline.

 

img049The day we went to visit Christ the Redeemer is really foggy that you cannot even see Christ’s feet. But I still enjoyed the unique view seeing through the fog. We have seen a lot of photos taken in a sunny day and Christ the Redeemer is hugging the whole city. Seeing even part of the status has already amazed me how huge it is and how much work and time it took to build it.

 

 

 

 

img045img044img047Inserted in Rio culture, Rio de Janeiro Cathedral has such a different interior and exterior look. My impression of the exterior when I saw it was a lot of concrete and this cathedral has such a strong characteristic. And the interior has such a strong pattern of colors, worked with the natural light from the outside. We also went to the Nossa Senhora do Brasil Church, whose scale is so much smaller than the cathedral. Different from the cathedral, the church is following the European style.

It is so fascinating to see the landscape and architecture in Rio, which speak to the natural contexts of Rio so much. Every piece of land tells a story of the city.

Grande Lobster

The date was March 20. The year, 2015. It was a Friday. Never has there been a day quite like it. The specifics were awe-inspiring. Almost 6 feet tall! A creature of that size, just chilling on the beach! Who would have thought? First the rumors started after a 9 foot long catfish was caught by an Italian fisherman. People passed It off as an anomaly, but I knew better. I knew that something was up. I mean… 6 foot LOBSTER? What? I guess I’ll have to explain more about how this happened.

It all started in the morning. The waves were breaking 30 meters out at 3 meters to 5 meters high! It’s no wonder such a creature washed up on the sand. Anyways, though, it was a beautiful day, the Sun was shining high in the northern sky, and the two brothers were as clear as can be. The islands that lie 2-3 kilometers out looked as if I could swim to them with ease. Initially, I brought my sunscreen with me, but the mistake was not putting it on before hand. The Sun had already penetrated my skin. The others wouldn’t arrive for another 20 minutes or so and I had no one to apply the sunscreen to my back.

Ashton and I took immediately to the ocean. Our skin was dryer than usual and the ocean salt stung like jellyfish. The omens were compiling. Ashton was somewhere in the water, and I had just come up for air when the next wave hit. 15 feet tall, and I froze. All I can remember next is waking up with sand in my shorts on the beach. I looked up and there was Chloe, Ashton and Wiatt looking over at me. I waved, “Hey guys”.

They looked at me strange, and I could feel the sting of the sun as well now. My back must have been badly burnt.

Then, the locals and my friends shouted “Lobster!!” “Grande! GRANDE!”

image

Last Night In Rio

Last night was our final night to enjoy the nightlife of the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro. I had a big knot in my chest for as the daylight hours faded into dawn and finally to darkness. We spent some of the last daylight hours sitting beachside catching up on some sketches and enjoying the sound of the ocean and the breeze. As it started to get darker we left Copacabana Beach to watch the sun set on the Two Brothers of Ipanema Beach. We climbed the boulders on the nearest side of the beach and watched the sun go down on the opposite side. It was quiet and peaceful. Many people were there with there with their significant others (because its an excellent date spot), some were fishing or enjoying the company of friends, and others were just sitting peacefully. Though there were many people there, not many talked and conversed. We were all fixated on the setting sun and watching the city turn from day to night as we listened to the waves crash on the rocks. It was by far one of the coolest sunsets I’ve ever watched. That experience really showed me how much I fell in love with the city and its people in short week of our stay.IMG_3949 IMG_3951 IMG_3953

Dusk on Ipanema Beach


image

 

On the last evening that we spent in Rio, I watched the sunset from a rock that juts out from Ipanema beach. Everyday, tourists and locals alike gather along that strip of beach and clap during the moment when the sun falls out of view. I love this appreciation of the ordinary. I think we should all make a point of stopping to notice small moments of peace or joy like this one. People weren’t distracted by their phones, but instead were enjoying the company of other people, or simply looking out into the ocean. Nobody seemed rushed to move on to the next part of their day, but instead were fully engaged with the present.

During this hour of quiet, I reflected on my week. I thought about how quickly people are able to adapt to new circumstances. Over seven days, I grew accustomed to being surrounded by a foreign language and unfamiliar faces; I came to expect rice and beans on every plate of food; I began to enjoy waking up not knowing what adventures the day might hold. Most of all, I slowed down my pace of life to match the speed of the city. I hope to bring this home with me and make more of an effort to take notice of the beautiful things that life has to offer.

 

 

Free day experience on beach

I am glad today is free day for us. Because the past few days are quite long days and every night when I went back to the hotel, I just felt so tired that I didn’t want to do anything. Thus, today I decided to spend my whole day on the beach, lie on the chair, drink some coconuts and make up some sketches I didn’t finish in the past days. Yutong and I wake up at late morning and then we walked along street to find anything for our lunch. The street in our neighborhood is similar and unfortunately we went to the wrong way to the beach.But we found a pretty good restaurant by accident–Brasinha. I ordered salmon here and it was really huge parts of salmon and it tasted pretty fresh!image I also found it was really interesting that they cook potato like this. (In the picture) not like fries and it was really good!image After lunch, we walked along the Ipenema beach to the copacabana beach. We rent chairs and umbrella and just lying down on the beach. Copacabana beach has some differences with Ipenema beach. The store here is more bigger and has better restroom. People here are most families. When we tried to take selfies at the beach. A father of a family told us he is a photographer from Bali and would like to take pictures for us. We played on the beach with the seawater and he took pictures freely for us. He was really nice and we took a picture with his daughter. When we lying on the beach, we also saw teenagers playing soccer on the beach. They play really well and I really want to join them.
Lying on the beach for a long time is a good way for me to observe the beach life of Rio.
When we back to the hotel, we felt really sad because this was the last night in Rio and I believed I will miss the day I spend here.
image
image
This is the sketches I made up on the beach. Actually on that day I only drew this one and then fell asleep on the beach.

Getting ripped on the beach

imageJust doing some morning workouts on the beach. I’m trying to come here every morning simply because I enjoy this little “gym” the locals built on the beach so much. I love how all the weights are just concrete and metal cans, and how all the bars and poles are built in into the rocks. Having a beach view just motivates you so much for working out. I see numerous people jogging, lifting, and walking their dog on the beach every day. It’s ridiculously hard to say no to such a beautiful view in the morning when you wake up and feel the sunshine thru your curtains and decide not to workout. Vanessa also talked about that the government pays for seniors’ personal trainers. What a brilliant idea?! Old people don’t have much to do, so the government gives them the chance to just workout and get fit everyday for free. I think this ultimately makes the seniors more happy and also more healthy. Maybe they can live a few more years? I don’t know. But I know it’s a better idea than throwing them in the nursing house. Anyway, I got hit my concrete construction field style gym and get ripped with these old people, talk to you guys later.

o-H-I-O

IMG_2896  Despite my far inferior “O” i am very excited to have taken the iconic Ohio State O-H-I-O (or should i say o-H-I-O) picture. I feel very proud to represent this university in our travels abroad to Brazil, especially with the newly opened Gateway in Sao Paolo. They say you can travel anywhere in the world and yell “OH” and hear an “IO” in return.While we didn’t yell OH into a crowd, we still are spreading the buckeye spirit to the beaches of Brazil (Ipanema beach specifically). I prefer Ipanema beach to Copacabana beach. Copacabana is a major hotspot for tourists, and while that may mean nice hotels and possible fellow english speakers, it merely scratches the surface when it comes to immersing oneself in the culture. Next door however at Ipanema however, is where many more locals can be found. The feel is much more authentic, much more “carioca” than at Copacabana. The beach goers are surfing, laying out and enjoying the heat. Plus, if you get there early enough, the vendors have yet to arrive and you can have a leisurely morning free of the constant pressures to buy “shrimp” or a beach wrap. It is interesting to see, two beaches so close in proximity, literally next to each other, with such differing dynamics.

Centro e Praia do Flamengo

Step after step we traversed through downtown Rio de Janeiro (centro) absorbing the sites and sounds of a city in full swing during the work week. It was interesting to see the city so lively during the week as compared to the weekend. Although there were alot of people throughout Copacabana and Ipanema during the weekend, the amount of traffic and noise in the city doesnt even compare to the work week. One of the most shocking things to see other than the amazing architecture and landscapes were the way people interacted with each other. People were talking to the police (which almost never happens in the USA), walking in the middle of traffic holding normal conversations, and the cars of the city seemed to be in a constant horn battle to see who could honk their horn the most. I really appreciated walking as opposed to a bus tour because I think a derive throughout a city is truely the best way to experience and discover new things about a city. However, after the tour of Centro we were set free to roam throughout Parque do Flamengo. Parque do Flamengo was aboslutely beautiful in that once inside, I felt completely immersed in nature. Roberto Burle Marx was able to accent both the architecture as well as the surrounding landscapes with his plant choices as well as his precise organization of the plants: weather they were as small as a lilipad floating in a reflecting pool or as big as the linear organization of 60 foot palms.   This was a nice cap to a long day of walking because we got to stroll along the beach soaking in the sea breeze as we made our way to churrascaria porcao.

IMG_2537

Flamengo Beach

03/16/2015 Monday

Standing in front of the Flamengo beach, everything is so pretty. I closed my eyes, and I can feel the fresh air on my face and the wind blowing through my hair. Sea water hits the rocks rhythmically, like the ocean is playing her solo to sing the praises of the sunset. Mountains, buildings, bridges, everything blend into one line at the edge of the slight. With the line of edges in the middle, things become symmetric: the sea becomes a mirror that reflect the light from the hidden sun. I love the color of the sea since it reflects the color of the sky.

Flamengo Beach

 

I count this Flamengo beach as the last mark of today’s long walking tour around downtown area. We had a really long-distance walking today, and I was so tired at the time we arrived Flamengo beach. But at the moment I saw this wonderful view, I felt so relaxed: everything is so great and peaceful. Along the beach, I can also see people do all kinds of exercises: walking, running, dancing, yoga, stretching, playing volleyball, playing soccers, etc. Brazil people are very involved in sports. They do know how to use their natural geographical and climate advantage, such as beach, ocean, and tropical weather, to make them live happier and healthier.

Ipanema

Sunday I woke to the misty morning of our first full day in rio. It was early and I was eager to get outsidei the hotel and enjoy everything Rio has to offer. So I left the hotel and l headed to the beach. !The streets where quite, hardly a soul was awake, just the occasional runner and dog walker, but other than that it felt like I was all alone. It was a was a surprisingly comfortable feeing as I walked along the ornate black and ivory mosaic sidewalks, watching the venders begin to set up for their daily ritual.

image

 

image

Looking over the embankment I could see the pale sands of Ipanema weighted by the two brothers to the south and a large rock protruding in the ocean to the north. This rock, or series of large rocks piled high on each other captivated me….I had my heading. As I got closer I noticed the beach wasn’t only inhabited by street venders, the sands were freckled with teenagers lying in piles on each other cuddling, half naked toddlers playing in the rising waters, and energetic dogs tackling each other, leash-less. The soothing crash of wave interrupting my every thought, making it impossible to think of anything but the shear beauty of the landscape. As I approached the pier-like rock I began hear more barking. My passage between the hotels lining the beach and the rock lead me to a dog beach. What looked like hundreds of dogs played in droves around the few owners who watched them. Try as I did I couldn’t get through the crowd of canines without being covered in lovable licks and sniffs. But my destination was just past them so I mustered up the courage to be adored. Fishermen cast their lines from the edge catching the small fish that swam in the morning shallows. From the top of this rock I was awarded for my trouble with a stunning view of all of Ipanema.

image

On my backside was Copacabana, more specifically a sliver of golden beach leading to Fort Copacabana. A thin wire fence and a armed guards stands as a barrier between the beach and the rocks leading up to the fort. These guard prohibited me from moving forward so I settled for a secluded cornered nestled between the beach and the rock, this is where I slipped into the sea.

image

Like in all of rio beach front property is gold so it wasn’t long before beachgoers began to flood the tranquil sands. This is when I began to see the real heart of these beaches. The beaches are alive with locals and tourist alike claiming their own slice of the beach for the day. The vendors, now in full operations scurry around the towels and umbrellas, like ants in a colony, selling Globos and Matte

image

 

 

 

Coco, my new favorite drink, epitomize my idea of the beaches here in rio. They have a way of breathing life in and reviving you. The water is like the city, rough but gentle — rash moments of adrenal rushes followed by calms of effortless motion, and utterly saturated by prolific culture and life.

image

 

image

Amazed by Rio

We got to explore Rio a little bit more today, mainly around Ipanema and Capacabana beach. It is so good to lay on the beach and run into the sea. I saw a lot of interesting trees along the beaches and streets, which I think we might be able to see some of them in the botanical garden.

 

 

 

 

 

I think this is Ficus microcarpa, which I used to see a lot in south China. It has those interesting roots on its branches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know the name of this plant. I found this on the sidewalk around Ipanema area. It looks like a scaled pineapple.

 

DSC05184-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a tree I saw on the way to the Capacabana beach. It has some hanging planter attached on its trunk. A living planter!!!

DSC05049

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vanessa introduced this Rio snack to us on Ipanema beach, it is called Globo. It has two tastes- sweet and salty and will melt in your mouth.

DSC05046

 

 

 

We are sharing the Globo together, I like the sweet one 😉

 

image

 

 

 

 

We had an amazing lunch/dinner in “nomangue”. We had a combination of different seafoods. The grilled lobster is so good. You can almost smell the fresh air from the sea.