Dave's
Rio & Buenos Aires Thanksgiving Trip
Page 2
Rio- Cidade Maravilhosa
(The Marvelous City)
Monday Nov. 22
I do recommend putting your helmet on right away, as several hang gliders walking by did bump into my head
So apparently we were about 1530 feet up. In preparation my pilot and I practiced running together side by side, like a
three-legged race. I was strapped in to his right. On the ramp he said to make sure I looked straight ahead out to
the islands, and when running not to "jump" at the end, as we would actually lose speed that way. 1, 2, 3.....
Leaving the ramp was an extreme feeling of elation, knowing I was flying like a bird, and I had to yell a big woo hoo!
While I had initially done this as a check the block tourist activity, I truly felt that this was one of the most exciting,
rewarding things I had ever done.However the next thing to wonder through my head was a feeling of mortality and the sudden realization of how easliy I could die doing this activity- I had known this pilot about 20 minutes and was counting on his competency. What if he had a seisure? There was no tower to talk me down to the runway. What if something fell apart on this piece of nylon and pipe? What if the wind got violent?
It is the generation of these thoughts at my age why you should throw your kid in the pool or down the ski slope at the age of three, or why 19 year olds are better suited for combat...
We were riding a few thermals and slowly circling our way down. While the ride was smooth, it was surprising that I found myself
starting to feel nauscious. Usually this is more of an ocean thing than a flight thing for me. Of course heavy drinking
until 2am and waking up this morning hung over certainly couldn't have helped.
Zack and I celebrate another successful adventure
oi = hello, sim = yes, obrigado/a = thank you.
"Would you ladies like to try on a bikini?"
Ipanema Beach
The country's second most popular sport
REALLY COOL- volleyball futbol style! No hands- use feet, legs, head, chest.
Typical beach kiosk stand
Copacabana Beach
Sunset view from my hotel balcony One fun part of the trip was Vikki and I having similar Lonely Planet guidebooks, so we would often be quoting facts we had read to educate and also out-do each other.
followed by Club Plataforma for a show-stopping Samba review."
Dancing Capoeira style- the slave martial art
So this show was interactive, and they would pull up audience members for some token stage participation. I remember
Kim saying that I should get up there to represent our country. Well, I do love being in front of an audience, so
when my time came I would have to make the most of it.
Ahnja actually caught the whole thing on video, which I posted below everyone's viewing pleasure DANGER Will Robbins:
So what's up here vs the reputation? There are about 11 million people in Rio, and the flavelas just a few blocks off the beaches are a haven of drug activity. In the Copacabana area is apparently 25,000 people per square kilometer- one of the highest population densities in the world.
The only incident I heard of was while eating lunch at a restaurant on Copacabana, one American couple gave the other the advice to move their bag away from the sidewalk side of their table, as earlier in the day a guy had put down his bag to change his shirt and someone grabbed it then ran away into traffic. So luckily no incidents for our group.
