Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio - Take a seat on the sands of Copacabana or better yet, Ipanema, and soak in the sun, the waves, and the view of the tropical islands just offshore. Beach vendors will pass by periodically to interrupt your reverie with souvenirs, trinkets, fade-away tatoos, or an ice-cold Coke or can of Guaraná, Brazil's "national soda." When you're tired of sitting, get up and stride into the clear blue tide and feel the thrill of the surf rushing past your legs and waist. After that, sit or sleep or read or do it all over again. And when you've had enough, walk a mere two or three blocks to your comfortable hotel for a shower. Welcome to Rio de Janeiro.
Our final ACA trip took us to an amazing city full of diversity and culture set in one of the most unique and breathtaking places in nature. Rio has it all - the ocean, the beach, the jungle, and the mountains that accent the entire landscape.


We departed from our little bus terminal in La Villa with all of our friends there to see us off on the night of Saturday the 2nd of April. My roommates Natalia and Ana were there along with Natalia's younger sister, Agostina, who was visiting for the weekend. We had a great time. They came along with a lot of other friends to say goodbye. It was such swarm of people shouting, kissing (remember everyone in Argentina kisses on the right cheek as a greeting and farewell), hugging, and waving, not exactly in that order. The whole scene put me in mind of the real farewell coming up in the end of May. Those days will be full of tears I'm sure when we leave this place many of us never to see it again.
We arrived at the Atlantis Copacabana Hotel in the mid-afternoon on Sunday. Renee and I crashed when we made it to our room, but not before we discovered the incredible view of the city and ocean from our window. We walked a great deal in the evening exploring the beach and city-blocks. Of course, we dined at another "tenedor libre" also known as an all-you-can-eat buffet.


This is our "Tour Brazil" photograph. The beaches are truly beautiful and bodysurfing the waves is amazing.


Snapped a group photo with Matt, Alan, Renee, Alban, Cliff, and Phil on top of "Sugarloaf" overlooking the city.


The Jardim Botânico located in the heart of the city is one of the world's largest botanical gardens. We spent some time there during our city tour. It was nice to see natural beauty throughout the city. The jungle, the mountains, the beach...


H. Stern - Nope, it has nothing to do with the raunchy radio personality. I'd never heard of it before seeing an advertisement in our hotel lobby. Odd, considering I'm always in the market for fine jewelry as a means of broadcasting my extensive personal wealth. (Please appreciate the sarcasm of this statement. Thank you.) We visited the manufacturing headquarters of H. Stern, world-class jeweler. After an educational tour of the processing technique of the factory we arrived at an ample salon full of glass casements of shimmering gemstones and customer assistants suited in what appeared to be designer attire. A great number of ACA girls had ropes of diamonds and jewels the size of my thumb placed around their necks some worth as much as $125,000 (greenbacks, not pesos). I walked around and admired the artistry. I tried on a blue setting of aquamarines but then I was very disenchanted by an experience I had with a sales assistant over a necklace of imperial topaz. I'll have to tell you all about it sometime.
On the final day of the trip, Renee and I snuck down to the beach for some fresh coconut milk, another new favorite, before checkout at the hotel. Renee stayed in Brazil with a group of friends to spend the weekend on an island while I began the journey back to the university to prepare for exams.

Brazil is only a memory now and, like the coconut milk, is something bittersweet. Along with the beauty and art, poverty sleeps in the streets with the garbage of the affluent. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon called H. Stern meaningless and "a chasing after the wind" but between the distractions created by greed and selfishness still exist the glimpses of heaven and peace on earth. If only we would learn to recognize these promises of hope we could live them and share them with those who sleep in the streets. Because always is the time to live out a selfless love. If only...