A Day in the #RioLife

My morning workday routine starts with a 6:10am wake-up call, followed by an SSS (shit, shave, shower), a yoghurt with protein powder, and a wait for my ride into work. I wait outside in the morning sun, looking out over the sea beyond the stunning beach of Barra, the longest beach in Rio; it’s a relaxing way to start the day. Waiting for the minivan that is sent by work (and picks up multiple employees) normally gives me a few minutes of self reflection, which I try to use to appreciate life and the beauty of where I currently live. The sky is not yet fully lit and the whisper of the sunrise can still be seen in the orangey hue of the normally clear sky. Some days I just gaze and let it wash over me.

                “To Gaze is to Think” Salvador Dalí

I have been using my smartphone more and more, especially anytime I have a few moments like I do in the mornings here. The consumerist urge to buy one came later than most for me, but the attraction of the brightly lit comforter is slowly seeping its way into my daily activities. It’s just dawned on me on this winter August morning, just how much time I spend looking down at this device, reading about news occurring around the world rather than just focusing on the here and now and the beauty in front of me. This is made even more true when living in Rio, the most beautiful city I have ever been to.

At the time of writing, I have less than two months remaining in Rio before I return to the UK. This reality has hit home now that a contract extension doesn’t seem possible, and it has forced me into a new mindset. One of trying to soak it all in for fear of missing out on something or not remembering the details I may wish to recall in the future. Hence my writing this blog post and taking a deeper look into my obsessive urge to try and capture, bottle, and share life, rather than just experience it.

It’s funny because having a deadline in life really forces you to get up off your arse (and phone) and take full advantage of everything around you. Of course we all have the ultimate deadline hanging over our heads, we just don’t live like we do, clasping onto the lie that things will never change. It is only when change is staring you in the face that you really grasp the present and start to live and enjoy the moment. Of course I am not dying, just leaving a city that has entertained me for the past 8 months.

Back to my average working day. My journey to work starts with a three mile drive down the beach road, flanked on one side by towering expensive condos and the sea on the other. The sea today is very flat and calm in a pathetic fallacy way, which seems so obvious in the moment but is just a great example of confirmation bias. The sea can be vicious and uninviting but today something about it is welcoming and unassuming. The rest of the ride into work involves some obligatory traffic, a few more pit stops, a wicked view over a lagoon with the sun rising above the mountains (see above), cyclists going the wrong way down a dual carriage way, a speed bump at high speed, construction work from Ilha Pura (the future home of the Rio 2016 athletes), a glimpse at the mountains with a blue sky background, a broken conversation in Portuguese, a more repaired conversation in English – it’s an endless list of opportunities...

The site where I work is unique. Palm trees welcome you in and there is a coffee shop and garden area which staff can use in times of stress or just when they can’t find an empty meeting room. I receive a free breakfast of fruit, coffee, bread, and sliced meats/cheese and a huge banquet is on offer for lunch, which is truly splendid and has contributed to some weight gain. Today I will not be “working” but training, meaning I don’t have to produce anything, just bundles of enthusiasm. I will save my creative energy until I get home, so I can concentrate on my personal projects, not personal profits. I will be able to focus more on writing / planning / thinking about things – my favourite of non-in-the-moment activities. I send myself emails full of jumbled words on a white background, attempting to capture some idea or gist for my writing. My email signature is on the bottom but often when I come to read them, the words make no sense to me. The connection isn’t there to the mindset that created the idea and the insight is lost. It was too abstract and poorly defined. I’m annoyed at the effort I put into my writing at that moment, too constrained by an illusion of a lack of time to effectively capture the moment and glimpse the experience at a future date.

I go about my morning with the odd “Bom Dia, tudo bem / bom?” and share smiles with my colleagues. Everyone always seems so happy in the mornings – the power of a smiley greeting. I check my emails and receive some bad news regarding future vacancies and where I will be working and living in two months. Another avenue is shut off and my choices narrow. Not the best start to a Monday morning but as the coffee does its job and my stomach grumbles, I can be distracted by more pressing bodily matters. This is a full rundown of my daily activities if you hadn't realised by now. The idea of not knowing where I’ll be in two months has me a little anxious, however the good vibrations of the weekend keep me going.

The training today and lack of proper graft means the morning flies by, with my free buffet lunch keeping me going in the afternoon.

Before I know it, it's 5:20 and I am back in the van and heading towards my condo. The traffic is significantly worse in the afternoons because of the construction for the Olympics and all the workers leaving around the same time as us. I don’t normally go past the Olympic Park but a few days later I went past again and took this photo. It doesn’t look too ready.

The drive back goes past one of the lagoons and a nice green area where there are often capybaras grazing. These huge animals are the biggest rodents in the world.

Before I know it, I’m at my apartment with Katie. This wonderful holiday home opposite the beach is truly the place to be. We have a little Skype chat and a bit of food before going to the gym, and then head out for a walk along the beach on the warm winter evening. We stop for our favourite treat – agua de coco – at our local quiosque.

I am going to really miss just being out in the heat at any time of day. I have never lived in a place where it is just so hot all year round. It only goes below 20 degrees at around 3-4am in the “harsh” winter. It’s not just the heat as well, it simply doesn’t rain that much here and there are only a few overcast days. It is common for there not to be a cloud in a sky. It happens 25% of the time I’d say.

As a typical working day in my #RioLife draws to a close I can’t help but feel sad about the coming change. I invested a lot of time and money into learning Portuguese and was beginning to see real progress and that, along with a million other reasons, is making me feel a little low. Another much larger part of me is hugely grateful to the work colleagues who helped me get here, and the new friends that have made us feel welcome. Know that you will always be welcome in the UK as our guest.

I am a very fortunate person who has experienced enough culture and countries for two lifetimes... and I don’t plan on stopping now.  I know my next adventure will be back in the UK... but who can say for how long? The adventure after that might as well be decided by launching a dart into a spinning globe at this point but rest assured, there will be another adventure. For now I will look back on my #RioLife with a lot of happiness and no regrets. Okay one regret: I didn’t get to stay for the Olympics.

The Greatest Flight Since Sliced Bread Was Served Onboard

We recently blogged all about our trip to São Paulo and how awesome the city is. What we didn't talk about was the journey to get there. What is (I imagine) an arduous six hour drive turns out to be a rather wonderful one hour flight.

Besides all the usual nonsense of airports and security (although Brazil is actually better to get through than most) it was a great trip. It was the clearest of days and the flight took us along the coast, over the incredible beaches, rivers, and lagoons in the short one hour flight. The route the plane takes from Rio to São Paulo is below:

We have blogged about our journeys before such as a great bus through Vietnam & Laos and a flight through the rainforests of Borneo. This simple and cheap one hour flight was up there with all of them. Okay, enough talking - grab a window seat and let's get moving!

The map shows the flight is over coast line most of the way. It also shows the islands of Ilha Gande and Restinga da Marambaia. Restinga da Marambaia is worth a google to see how interesting the shape of this island is. Flying over it was truly beautiful.

Is it just me or does this look like a rhino balancing a ball on it's horn?!

So many secluded and beautiful beaches, such as Paraty, which we hope to visit at some point

A view over some of Rio with the area where we live (Barra) at the top of the picture (beach side).

The journey back into Rio was a steep descent with some sharp moves to land safely at Santos Dumont airport. We flew very close to Christ the Redeemer and I almost wanted to high five the fella. You would never guess from this photo that this statue is in the middle of a city.

The journey into São Paulo showed how densely packed the city was and as I mentioned last blog, it felt like Tokyo mixed with Hanoi.

Anyway we thought the photos were worth sharing and if you are ever flying betwee Rio and São Paulo, make sure you grab a window seat!

Weekend Funtivities

We have recently had the opportunity to take advantage of our young(ish) bodies, free time, nice weather, good friends, and the motivation to do some exercise and be more active. We have been using the BikeRio bikes, which are the bright orange Boris Bikes of Rio, to travel around our local area of Barra. Katie has been cycling to the shops and back and I have been waking up Saturday mornings to go for long cycles, like some kind of guy who cares about his fitness. 

The joy of cycling where we live is that there is a dedicated two-lane cycle path, completely separated from the mayhem of the Carioca drivers. Carioca is a term used to refer to a person from Rio. The cycle lane runs alongside the longest beach in Rio and is a great place to watch the sunrise, the sunset, and the bums of every beach goer – old and young. It truly is spectacular. The BikeRio bikes cost R$10 (£2.20) to use as much as you want for a month and the best way to use the system is with the app (for all those interested – do not use the telephone system, it never works!) There is also a docking station right next to where we live so it is a very convenient and cheap way to get around the neighbourhood. There are stations all over Rio and the same concept is used in some of Brazil's other larger cities.

A few weeks ago we were invited to a friend's house in Recreio (west of Barra) for a classic Brazilian barbeque. It was around 13km away, straight along the beach, so we decided to cycle...during the hottest part of the day. Wow that was a mistake. Not only were we both shattered, red and sweaty by the time we arrived at the party but we also both got sun burnt to varying degrees. Yes, mine was significantly worse than Katie's, considering the paleness of my skin. I remember when being pale was a sign of beauty in South Korea. Here it is like a crosshair on my white back, while the largest object in the Solar System is hunting me down ready to paint it red. The week that followed involved a lot of after-sun and a vow to always wear P20 and never to rely on any of the other SPF 50 we brought with us. Damn you Hunter Sun.

Although the cycle was tiring and hot, it certainly was entertaining. We saw a lot of cool birds, mainly in bikinis on the beach, but also the flying kind.

A black vulture, which is very common around here. We also have the white vulture, otherwise known as David, on the beach, wearing sunglasses that he mistakenly thinks hide the fact that he is staring at every woman that walks past!

A burrowing owl. Yes, I (Katie) have bought a bird book and yes, I am ticking things off as we see them.

A smooth-billed Ani. Weird looking thing isn't it?

A buff-necked ibis. I promise none of these are pigeons and you won't see them in England!

Okay kids, five points to whoever can name these birds, perched atop the cacti...

Yes Gary! You're right, they are more black vultures!

The barbecue was great and Katie got to meet the other cool grads that I work with. We don’t have any memories, I mean photos, of the event but it was a fun way to spend a Saturday evening with some truly smashing people.

A few weeks later and we were back on the orange wagon, cycling around Barra in an attempt to buy dinner, beer, and supplies for the hike we had arranged for the next day. The hike was up in Alto da Boa Vista (roughly translated as “top of the good view”) and the experience truly lived up to the name. We went with two guys from work: Thiago and Jorge. Both are brilliant and we are happy to call them friends. Thiago picked us up and we drove to get Jorge, who was of course not ready. Jorge is the epitome of a Carioca hippy. He is a laid back surfer with a great attitude to life and an irresistible charm. We could not believe his house. It was situated in the mountains in a kind of commune with other houses that his aunts, uncles, and cousins live in. His cousin had awoken once with a snake wrapped around his neck – the perils of living in Tijuca forest! Jorge also told us of his weekly task of trimming the mushrooms that grow in his bathroom plug sockets – yes we did understand this correctly...and no this is not a normal Brazilian chore.

There is a room in Jorge's house dedicated to his Grandfather's hobbies of stuffing animals and making statues. Truly unbelievable and freaky at the same time.

Once again we set off at around midday (when will we learn!?) but this time we had strong sun cream and the shade of the forest to protect us from the Hunter Sun. It was very humid though and sweat was pouring from the three of us, while somehow Jorge stayed dry. The Rio Mowgli has clearly adapted to the extreme humidity of the forest. 

Don't grab this to steady yourself!

By the time we reached the first vantage point of “top of the good view” it was clear to the sweaty members of the troupe that this place would not be known as “top of the good smell” after we had contaminated the fresh mountain air. We climbed to two peaks (Tijuca Mirim & Pico da Tijuca) and both were spectacular. The first place we reached was Tijuca Mirim and it was there that I got my first peak at the two big football stadiums in Rio. The Maracanã, home to Flamengo & Fluminense, and the Engenhão stadium, home to Botafogo.

The Engenhao stadium

In the centre of this photo you can see the Maracana stadium

The President Costa e Silva bridge, which links the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Niteroi

This brief stop on Tijuca Mirim gave us a good view of what was to come during the final leg of our journey to Mordor, I mean Pico da Tijuca, the highest peak in Tijuca forest. Huge steps have been carved into the rockface by slaves. Steps that were soon to be conquered by us.

They might not look like much, but at the top of those steps we were standing over 1000 metres above sea level.

Tijuca forest is allegedly the biggest urban forest in the world, besides another one in Rio that was recently incorporated because of the expansion of the city. The area was previously used as a coffee plantation which then shrunk massively in the beginning of the 20^th century. However in the second half of the century, the forest was replanted with over a 100,000 trees by Major Manuel Gomes Archer and the help of slaves (I hope Major Archer was kinder than Agent Archer). The variety of trees made this hike particularly interesting.

We reached the top and celebrated by sweating some more.

Jorge's house is there somewhere!

This is Barra da Tijuca, where we live. Our flat is out of shot to the right.

We saw some interesting wildlife at the top. Jorge was fascinated by this spider and took a video of it eating. It was a nephila clavipes, a species of golden orb-web spider.

A white-throated hummingbird! Or in Portuguese, a beija-flor.
Some of you might recognise that word from a previous post

Golden Orb Web Spider

We had a brilliant day and like all good hikers, we rewarded ourselves with a grand feast. We ate a mountain of feijoada and steak, which Katie will talk about in a later food post.

P.S. Tried out a new feature on my camera and tracked the hike.

Honeymoon

Yes the title of this blog is honeymoon. But no, Katie and I have not got married. Well we sort of did last week when we signed a document to prove we have been in a common law / de facto marriage, but this post is about my arrival in Brasil! (Katie is arriving later this month, which gives me a chance to settle in and ensure I am better at Portuguese than she is).

I will not talk about the flight and travel and that nonsense because it’s the same old story of flying over 5000 miles in less than a day: a feat impossible only 100 years ago. Aeroplanes are one of those technologies that continues to blow my mind whenever I stop to reflect on it... So yes it was just a simple 15 hour flight, 1 change... Although I have written a complaint to the airline: Italian Airways or Alitalia as they are known. It’s a long story. And by long, I mean uninteresting, which is basically always what people mean when they say “long story”.

I couldn’t say “I arrived jet lagged”, as Rio is only 2 hours in the past. It’s basically like having a triple espresso in the morning and just feeling like you have more time. My very first impressions were mixed. The immigration queue took over an hour to get through and was surprising lax. I jumped in a taxi and paid £30 to go for 50 mins in what seemed like a real life version of Crazy Taxi. I know the rules of the road are different wherever you are... but this particular taxi driver was genuinely crazy. He drove like John McClane in Die Hard 3, aiming for people, and what have you. He spent as much time on the hard shoulder (no-one else decided to drive there) as he did on the main shoulder... He weaved, sped, and even when I told him I was in no rush and was happy to pay to go slower, he still went faster than Usain Bolt on steroids running on one of those airport travelator things.

Besides being mildly crippled with agonising fear of someone snatching my worldly goods, I was able to observe Rio through the taxi window. I saw a city of beauty and sunshine, as well as poverty and hardship. It’s difficult to comprehend poverty when I have seen and met people with such vast wealth. Anyway this isn’t a post about my political standpoint, it is much more about my happy honeymoon period in Rio. The taxi pulled into my apartment complex, which I recognised from my Google Maps page. Love at first sight does not exist for locations anymore now that Google Street View has happened. 

The apartment complex is in front of Barra de Tijuca’s 18km beach. The beach is something else. It’s over 30 degrees at the moment and the sun has not stopped shining. Real feel on accuweather shows the heat from last week. It was 47 degrees on one day and I even saw a new graphic of a thermometer.

It’s here that I need to give credit to P20 - the sun cream that has protected me thus far, hence why I brought 1.2 litres of it with me. The waves are constant and I feel like a young boy again fighting to hold back the ocean. That is not a metaphor, I just used to love playing in the ocean as a boy. Who am I kidding, I still love it now!

There was a street festa (party) by the beach opposite the apartment on my first night.


I was surprised they had thrown me a party as I didn't realise I had so many fans in Rio. I later found out that it was in fact for someone's birthday and was not a celebration of my arrival. When they later sang "Happy Birthday", I was tickled as it was to the same tune as the original.

The first couple of days have felt like a holiday. Except I am not on holiday. This is now my life, living a six minute (I timed it) door-to-feet-in-ocean walk away from the longest beach in Rio. Yes the honeymoon period won’t last forever. But if I have learned one thing in my short time on this planet, it’s to enjoy these moments when they come.

Barra de Tijuca has been described to me as the Miami of Rio. Under 6% of the population live here, but it generates 30% of the tax for the city. Basically I think that means it is a wealthy area, or Rio has a particularly uneven council tax system. Long term followers of the blog will enjoy the next stat: Barra Shopping is the largest shopping centre in South America. Having lived in Busan, home of Shinsegae, the largest department store in the world, it seems like fate / coincidence that has put us in Barra. (If coincidences are just coincidences, why do they feel so contrived?)

Barra will also be home to over 50% of the Olympics in Rio 2016 so let’s hope we’ll be here to see it. It has many residence complexes like the one I am staying in that have shared amenities with good security and the comfort of home. That means I have a swimming pool, tennis court, private and free cinema, saunas, gym, and a restaurant. Absolute bliss.

My overall thoughts on the first week are largely positive. I won't talk about my new job yet (everyone is lovely so far) but instead focus on the emotional side of things.

I had forgotten what it was like to be in a new and vastly different culture about to undertake a new chapter in my life. All my talk of preparation, and even the handy guide my company sent me, I still hadn’t prepared my mind for the honeymoon period of living somewhere new and exciting. The joy of tasting new foods, seeing different animals, watching the habits / oddities of a different culture. 

It’s interesting that the cynic and anxious side of me has fully prepared me for the culture shock and annoyance of another country’s bureaucracy affecting one’s ability to carry out simple everyday tasks such as buying a bus ticket. But I didn’t remember the elation and the adrenaline buzz of being surrounded by difference. I notice I am most grateful at these times, which makes me a happier person. I believe that happiness is infectious and self perpetuating, just like sadness.

However I still have this nagging sense of not deserving what I have right now. I try my hardest to live a good life – I don’t cheat, con, steal, and try to minimise harm whenever I can. I am no saint but I try my best and more importantly try to learn from my mistakes. Yet this feeling of “undeservedness” stays with me whenever I receive good things in life. Jim Carrey touched on this in an interesting speech that is worth a watch from around the nine minute mark. That said, it is no Tim Minchin university address, which I still watch every few months. Jim said that “it’s about letting the universe know what you want, working towards it, while letting go of how it comes to pass.”

Unfortunately like any good advice that I have received by the many people/teachers in my life, it’s easy to hear but harder to follow. A sense of entitlement doesn’t come easy to me, even though I live a very privileged life. I have my parents to thank because it’s better to feel undeserving than to feel entitled – I imagine it limits disappointment... and it makes you seem like less of a dick.

Anyway ignoring this minor quibble, I’m very happy at the moment. Life is unlocking a lot of doors and I am grateful. I also want to show gratitude to the family and friends that have helped me. Whether I needed a wise word, a hug, a home, a "like", or simply a laugh – you have all been there to deliver. I am very lucky. So thank you.

I know some people (especially Brits) think showing positive emotions and adulation is somehow odd, boastful, or self aggrandising. The internet and the ability to connect to so many people certainly can promote that type of behaviour. But this is not. Right now I am showing happiness to promote happiness. I want to infect you! (It also means that the more distasteful and angry blogs aren’t what define my online persona).