words from the beach

It's been raining this last week so instead of going to the beach I'll write about it...

I've experienced a lot of different beach cultures in my travels from the Pacific to the Atlantic, the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, but I've never seen the kind of beach scene that happens here in Rio. On a typical spring Sunday as far as the eye can see, miles and miles of white sands beaches are literally teeming with people. People tanning themselves to varying degrees of bronze and copper in itsy bitsy bikinis and sungas (the male counterpart of the bikini), people playing soccer, volleyball, paddle ball, people jogging and swimming and surfing, people eating cheese on sticks cooked over hot coals, shrimp kabobs, globos (little donut shaped snacks that don't have any real flavor but taste good all the same), ice-cream, popsicles, baked breads filled with meat and cheese and spinach, cold beer, coconut water you drink from the fruit through a straw, tropical juices, you name it. Anything you could imagine wanting on a hot day at the beach you will find...or will find you is more like it. With coolers and racks and little coal ovens and mini-fridges dangling off each arm, vendors walk up and down the long beaches shouting out their goods for sale...then come the colorful clothing and sarongs and sunglasses, necklaces and beach bags...every few seconds comes another chance to quench your thirst or purchase something. It's not the most relaxing beach experience I've ever had, but it's one of the coolest.

There are dozens, maybe hundreds (I have no idea) how many beaches in Rio. I always go to the same one. Down two short blocks and across one busy street I find myself slipping off my flip flops and plopping down on the same stretch of sand. To my right are giant green sloping hillsides which divide the Zona Sul region from Vidigal (favela) and to my left miles and miles of beaches. In front of me is the glorious sea, green and blue and waves crashing into white foam and endless horizons. I love that about the ocean, the freedom and limitlessness it evokes...the restless persistence...the eternity. For now I'm happy to be living here by the sea...