When My Baby Smiles at Me I go to Rio...

After Lencois, I returned to Salvador for a few days before flying to Rio. I loved the view from my hotel room in Salvador. (At right.)

While still in Salvador, I decided to bump up my return flight to New York City by a few days. This meant I would only have 3 days in Rio. I decided to make them count by doing absolutely nothing cultural whatsoever.

Rio was the only place on my whole trip where I had been before -- twice, in fact. So I had already done Corcovado, Sugarloaf, etc., and therefore didn't feel remotely guilty about planting myself at the beachfront Sol Ipanema Hotel and basically hanging out on the gay beach for 3 days, sipping caipirinhas and taking in the, uh, sights.

My hotel is the tallest building in the photo above, and obviously the gay beach is marked by the rainbow flag.


Here's me on the roof of my hotel. (Somehow, I inadvertently grew a beard in between Lencois and Rio.)


To the left is the view from my hotel room. (I faced towards the back, rather than towards the ocean, but it was a pretty view nonetheless.) The tiny little speck on the peak of the mountain all the way to the left is Christ the Redeemer. (You might need to click on the photo to enlarge it.)

Here are some views of Ipanema beach from the rooftop pool & bar of my hotel. (I was hoping these pics would fit three across -- but they didn't, so you'll just have try to merge them together in your mind.)







There are very strict regulations in effect on the beach in Rio.



This is definitely where I'm staying when I come back.








Copacabana Beach










Me and my friend Rislei, whom I met in New York City a couple of years ago, but who is now back living in Rio.








Me and Anilson at the rooftop pool bar.


This is a typical meal for under $4 total -- chicken breast filet, beans, rice, mixed vegetables, a little salad -- not a bad deal, huh? :-)

Me just leaving the beach at Ipanema. Not a remotely flattering picture, but unfortunately the only one of me on the beach. :-(

And of course, the entire time I was there, I had Peter Allen's song "I Go to Rio" stuck in my head. But it's catchy, no?