RIO: WOW! NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!!!

Nothing will ever prepare you for the experience of seeing the natural beauty of this place. You don't see it driving thru
the suburbs up thru the huge favelas and poverty as you come in from the west. You won't see it as you are driving in bumper
to bumper traffic underneath a freeway at rush hour next to properties where they have barbed wire and broken glass embedded in the fences for protection. You won't see it in a traffic jam stuck inside 4 tunnels on the way to your hotel.
But-when you finally, finally arrive at one of the famous beaches here-you will see it for sure, no doubt. The light, the sea
breeze air, the carioca lifestyles that you see out your window, the water, the sand, the mountains right next to the water, the jungle, the clouds-it's all there. THIS is why Brazil is famous. Not only that-our hotel is off the hook, incredibly comfortable,
great for the kids, familiar but not home at all-although I could make myself at home here quite easily, THIS is our reward
for SURVIVING SAO PAULO for 3 months. 3 swimming pools (one for the kids), an actual PLAYGROUND 20 feet from the pool,
a bar IN THE POOL, room service, 5 restaurants, a mall downstairs, and shuttle service between the hotel and beaches and
shopping malls. And they welcomed us with music and capirinhas (somewhat like a Margarita but better and stronger-capirinhas are I think the national drink). I can't think of a more opposite feeling than being in Sao Paulo. I must say
that all the people I met in Sao Paulo are really nice and fun to be around. The arts, business-it's all there. But living there
sucks in terms of getting around and breathing.
A comparison chart:

SAO PAULO:
Choking and coughing due to constant traffic smog, rivers that are open sewers.
RIO:
Air is sea air straight off the Atlantic-also plenty of Atlantic coast rain forest around. Air is wonderful.
SAO PAULO:
Hotel is a business hotel and very stiff. They take your plate away before you are finished because of their
ultra-strict training. Nothing to do for kids-except a ball pit on Saturdays next to the freeway next to the sewer river.
High-speed internet is not high-speed; still costs $15 a day.
RIO:
Hotel is the bomb. Next to the beach, 3 swimming pools, relaxed efficient staff, mall downstairs, A PLAYGROUND (first one
I've seen in Brazil that I can recognize as a playground), 40% on room service and all food. They have expensive high-speed
but you can also choose dial-up for free and it works just as good as the high-speed in Sao Paulo!
SAO PAULO:
Traffic, traffic, rain, rain, traffic, gunshots, the smell of shit. Kid parks are all hyped-up crazy places with 10,000 kids in them.
RIO:
I'm sure there's going to be traffic and gunshots in some parts of this town. No doubt it's very dangerous. We
saw a lot of severe poverty on the way in. It's just that the geography prevents us from having to live in sections
where we should hear gunshots and have to deal with traffic literally all the time. I'm sure some of the time it will be bad.
But the air and the scenery is just so much better than having to stare out your window at a vacant lot next to a freeway next to a sewer river while your kids can't go anywhere because there's no place to go. Kids will have plenty to do without having to go to a kiddie funny farm of an amusement park.
I'll let you all know how things progress-so far so very good to be here. The pictures were taken right out on our
patio outside our rooms at the Rio Intercontinental.