Stan and I do not usually sign up for sideline excursions when we travel. However, this one sounded like it might offer a different perspective on the area. We've seen Rio from ground level and from mountains like Corcovado and Sugarloaf. This trip gave us a chance to see the area from the bay. Plus it was said to occupy only about four hours of our day—we definitely do not sign-up for all-day trips!. We are glad we went. We met interesting people from Au...

We slept late for the first time since we left home. No driver to meet, no plane to catch. What a pure pleasure to sleep until 7:30 am. Now this is vacation! The downside of this luxury was that our hour-long walk on the beach was much hotter than it was when we were doing the walks at sunrise. I wish I could can-up some of this heat and send it back home so you all could feel real Rio heat. Before I get into today, I need to talk about last night. Afer o...

We walked the beach at sunrise. We were there before 6 am. Many, many people were on the beach already to not only to witness the sunrise but probably more importantly to stake out a spot on the beach for the all-day Sunday family picnic. We were amazed to see so many people on the beach so early in the morning - at first we thought perhaps they spent the night; after all, the beaches are lighted at night. Whole families including babies and grandma and grandp...