Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Day 3

Well,

The dinner at the Brazilian meat place was beyond any description. It was the most delicious meat that I have ever had. Everyone's favorite was the fillet mignon. All of the meat was medium rare, but even I, who likes her food burned to a crisp didn't mind. We had a great time and great conversation. We ended up staying at the restaurant for two and a half hours. After the meal our plan was to go to a club, but everyone was so tired from the day that we decided to postpone the club for the 7th. When we hot to our hotel room THE MISSING SUITCASE WAS THERE!

This morning we woke up and surprise surprise it was raining again. All the Brazilians seem very apologetic about the rain and keep telling us that July is the driest month of the season and that this type of weather is atypical, but hey that's our Jewish luck.

At breakfast we decided that instead of Sugar Loaf Mountain, we would go to the National Museum. I am just sorry that we didn't have more time to spend there. The actual building of the museum looks like it was beautiful at one time, but the mold and chipping paint have added a layer of gloom to the place. We were practically the only people there and both Olya and I felt like we were walking through a dream. Olya kept saying that this place reminded her of something but she wasn't sure exactly of what. The museum itself is a combination of the Science and History Museums with a bit of the Smithsonian mixed in. We really enjoyed ourselves there. The inside is tragically beautiful and unkempt. The glass from the exhibits is so old that the glass is rippled and there is a layer of dust everywhere. We looked at Brazilian artifacts, as well as Egyptian mummies, shrunken heads, prehistoric thongs (tangas) made out of clay, and fertility amulets with tiny penises that you have to look at through a magnifying glass. There was even an exhibit of how many people have visited the museum over the years. In 1960 (the peak of Brazilian culture and civilization) 250,000 people visited the museum. On our way out we finally figured out what the museum reminded us of - soviet structures - at one time beautiful, but not taken care of at all and ruined slightly in a sad way. When we got out of there we found a cab and went back to the hotel to eat at another "kilo" place.

Let me take this moment to share with you the driving habits of Brazilian cab drivers. We all felt like we were going to die every time we took a ride in the cab. First of all, we have noticed that such minor rules as traffic lights and right of way are more like suggestions than laws. No one should cross the street without a crosswalk, because if they do they will die. Also there are no actual lanes that are being followed. Every car makes its own lane and there is sometimes an inch or two between two cars. We were scared, oh yes we were. Here is a quote from a tourist book located at the INTERNET cafe bookshop: "Since most Brazilians bought their license, or forgot most of the rules and regulations, everyone drives like they were on drugs. Interestingly, every year there is one traffic law which is fashionable to follow. This year it is not to stop at pedestrian crossing stripes" I am not joking this is an actual quote and it is TRUE.

When we got to our hotel (fell to our knees and wept with joy that we were still alive) we had 15 minutes to eat and then we were off on our tour of Corcovado, the beaches and the H. Stein museum. Our tram ride was through the largest urban forest in the world and it was beautiful. When we got to the top we had our first piece of luck with the weather. It wasn't raining and it was not foggy. We elected to run up 250 steps rather than ride the elevator, and enjoyed some nice views. The view from the top of Corcovado is breath taking. You can see all of Rio and it is breathtaking. We will have lots of pictures to show everyone when we return. It started pouring as soon as we got down so the tour of the beaches wasn't as good as it could have been. An interesting fact: the waves here sometimes go in different directions and crash into each other. It's very neat to look at.

Our tour of the H. Stern museum was pretty short. It was kind of neat to see how jewelry gets made and designed, but it wasn’t anything that blew me away. No one really tried to sell us anything since we didn’t really look rich, and we were very happy to not be harassed. We tried to walk around Ipanema for a bit but it was still raining. I have to say that Ipanema is like the Gold Coast of Rio. Everyone is well dressed and neat. We bought some wine so that we could pre-drink before the club and went back to the hotel. After we changed we went to another "kilo" place for dinner and then here to write you all how we are doing. Our plan of action is to go to the market and buy some souvenirs/presents/general crap and then finally GO TO THE CLUB. Tomorrow we are leaving Rio and flying to Iguassu. Overall I would say that I liked Rio for the atmosphere that it invokes, rather than the city itself, but I am not sure how the rest of the people felt.