Rio de Janeiro, May 2016

Our view from the rooftop bar of the Tiki B&B in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  We were way above the highrises of Copacabana and Ipanema.

Our room was very basic with the foam mattresses on wooden slab frames.  But they were very clean and comfy.  The bathrooms were like new

A 'funky chic' decor with cheese graters as light sconces and old refrigerators painted in bright colors for wardrobes.  Who thinks of this stuff??

A couch on the roof made out of an old bathtub.

That water laps onto Ipanema Beach down below us.  We are up in the 'favela', a neighborhood/slum/shanty town where few folks go.  You couldn't get any higher for a place to stay!

The artwork on the men's bathroom door on the kitchen level of the B&B.

The backside of that same door.

Jason talking to Kate, a lady from New York we stumbled onto who helped us in the neighborhood.

Karen, Christine and Ken at our table in the street enjoying an ice cold Itaipava beer.  Note the liter sized beer coozie the bottle is in.  They are quite common here.  Cintra beer in the liter bottle was only R$5, a great deal to quench our thirsts.

After climbing the steps to the B&B, I felt like I needed oxygen, so this piece of decoration was appropriate.

Our view from the kitchen level out towards Arpoador Rocks at the end of Ipanema Beach.

The beach level view of  Arpoador Rocks and Ipanema Beach.

Looking the other way on Ipanema Beach.

We were going to get rain out of these menacing looking clouds!

Christine and Karen with a statue of Tom Jobim, a famous musician here and after whom the airport is named.

The beach breakwater walls are covered in painting/art/graffiti.

These clouds would scare me if I was out on the water on our boat.

The dogs came out in force along the park walks.

This cat found a crack high up in a rock to stay out of the dog fray.

The entrance to Fort Copacabana.

This soldier was being put through the paces by a superior here.  Learning the finer points of presentation.

A view of Copacabana Beach from the fort.

Jason and Ken looking at one of the cannons in a line on the fort grounds.

An interesting tile mural inside the fort.

The bolos are made from polished stones that are very pretty.

Copacabana Beach in the rain.  The water from the sky cleared all the people off the sand.

Another cannon at the fort.

We could wander through the armament rooms in the fort.  These missles would be shot from a giant cannon.

Big brass shell casings in a room.  Some still had their firing pins in the hole in the center.

A set of giant wrenches sitting in their holder on the wall of a room with hydraulic engines in it.

Determining the trajectory of the missles to be fired took quite a bit of calculation and these dummies are showing us how it was done.

Karen at the desk in the trajectory calculation room.

An aerial view of Fort Copacabana.  It juts out on a piece of rock between Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches.

Part of the rounded fort structure.

Looking down at a mosaic floor in the fort.  We spent the rainy time of a day wandering through the fort to stay dry.

Jason next to one of the big guns on the top of the fort.

Just outside the fort, the fishermen still bring in their catch from these nets onto the end of the beach.

A fancy painted fishing boat on the beach.

The colorful local fishing boats at the fort end of Copacabana Beach.

Another bronze statue on the beach walk. this one is Dorival Caymmi, a Carioca musician.  Carioca is the nickname given only to someone born in Rio de Janeiro.  Note the black and white 'Portugal Stones' that came as ballast on the Portuguese ships and have been made into mosaic sidewalks all over this city. Their equivalent weight in gold was shipped out of Brazil back to Portugal.

Christine staying dry under a tarp the owner of the Pistao bar rigged up for us when we came for a cold beer.  They loved having us there!  We spent most evenings here in the favela enjoying the local color and culture.  We never felt endangered although many people warn visitors away from areas like these.  We were contributing to the local economy by eating and drinking here and we tried to get to know some of the locals, so we were quite welcome and safe.  The owner went to a lot of trouble to make sure we got a dry table and chairs and they rigged up the tarp for us so we could stay dry as it started to drizzle.  Look up Rua St. Romain and you can see approximately where we were.

Kate on the street in the favela where we enjoyed cold beers, pizza, and barbecued meats and soups.

Looking down from the Tiki towards Copacabana beach.  Our favorite spot for a beer is just beyond those trees below us.