comfortable shoes

We were in Rio for 4 days. That was the real reason for the dead blog air. And I was working even, which feels nice to pull off, international shooting. Fortunately camera menus and such are still in English down here...

Although she's born and raised Paulista, most of Gisela's family is actually from Rio. And when we arrived in Rio, we had a big lunch with her grandparents (vovó e vovô, two of the hardest words to differentiate, or even pronounce, in the portuguese language). Her grandparents are themselves from the Northeast, which is a little like being from the South in the US, as far as remarkable hospitality and family warmth go. And the eating, nossa senhora... It was lunch on a Monday and we might as well have been having Christmas dinner - roast turkey, bacalhau, rice, farofa, salads, orange cake, pudim de leite, ice cream, etc., etc. Plate after plate of delicious food. And I had to beg to stop.

We were met at the door, straight from the airport, by Gisela's grandfather (vovô, for those taking the correspondence course in portuguese) who told us to drop our bags because we had to quickly come help him pick out a gift for a gringo who was just learning the nuances of Brazil. Which was me of course. So we went to the Havaianas store on the corner - the entire shop full of havaianas, and only havaianas, growing like weeds from the walls, the ceiling, every surface covered with flip-flops.

Sure you can buy Havaianas anywhere these days, even New York. But Gisela's got me hooked on the Tradicionais - white soles and baby blue straps - and these are not so easy to find. She tells me they were the original and only style, worn by everyone from doctors to construction workers. No idea if this is true but I love the thought of the guys building the six zillion new buildings going up in São Paulo climbing 40 story scaffolding in nothing but flip-flops. Maybe they make steel-toe versions for them... Dig me and my tradicionais (Brigado, avós!):

Because I was working, we did nothing touristic in Rio this trip. And it rained, pretty much non-stop. Even still, Rio de Janeiro is the most insanely beautiful city I've ever seen. Whatever pictures you've seen, or stories you've heard, it's better. Much better. My favorite spot in the city is the Jardim Botânico (Botanical Garden), which, true to form in Rio, has to be one of the funkiest botanical gardens anywhere. And, finally... monkeys...