Her name was lola, she was a showgirl...

Hi All,
Mike and I are in Rio de Janeiro. We left Florianopolis with the intention of spending a few more days in São Paulo before heading up here, but when we arrived in SP (after 10 nauseous hours on a night bus) all the hotels were booked up due to a Formula 1 race going on...so much to my chagrin we jumped on another bus for 6 more hours before finally arriving in Rio.

Our first night we spent in the biggest dump we've stayed in yet, definitely a "sandals-place." That is, the second lowest rung on my hotel classification scale, a place where you need to make every effort not to touch the ground with you barefeet. It has since been downgraded even further, based on all the bugbites I woke up with. The only cool part about it was the fact that it was right across from the mansion where the presidents of Brazil lived from 1897-1954. It was also where dictator and later legitimately elected leader, Getulio Vargas, (who also, incidently, was the guy who legalized capoeira in Brazil as a way to promote Brazilian nationalism...I wrote a history paper about it once...) shot himself in the heart after the military forced him to resign from his post.

Anyway, the next day we found ourselves an apartment to live in for the next ten days until Mike's family arrives. It is a step-up from a "sandals place" for sure...but not by a whole lot. But, on the upside, it is a block away from Copacabana, which you can see out our window.

That is about all for now. Will write more after we have done some exploring here.

Leanna and mike


The view of Copacabana from our window.


Cool little rhinocerus beetle we found at a bus station on the way to Rio