I've had better flights but I can't remember a better nap than the one I had this afternoon... Taxi driver was well worth it; spoke little english but allowed me to practice my hand signals/portuguese conversation skills. The busy streets gave me some exercise as well - you had better look lively, and act fast if you want to get across in one piece - as I went for familiar groceries: Minas Gerais' cheese (queijo de minas), mango juice (succo da manga), salami, cucumber, red peppers as big as your head, coffee... : ) and milk (leche) - which is not found in the cooler section with the yogurt but instead on a shelf next to the bread...
Botafogo (see map)- always under the corcovada, near everything it appears, but still a metro or onibus ride away... The apartment is airy, (which is good as there isn't AC), with hard-wood tiled flooring, tall ceilings, and plaster walls. The windows look out on other people's window's so Brasilian socializing is maximized. My two neighbors - on the two windows that perfectly match up with our living room windows - consist of 1) an elderly woman practicing the piano while her gray haired companion shuffles around the living room; and 2) two tan 20 something men (homens) with sun glasses in hand, hanging over the window sill to converse with the people down below.
Copacabana beach (praia de Copacabana) with Dutch roommates tomorrow; all-in-all a good start with more to come this weekend.
