Rio De Janeiro,
After 32 hours of leg numbing travel, I have sand between my toes in the sauna they call Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro. On my first day it hit 40 degrees which is quite a shock to the system after spending the last two months in moderately cold temperatures on Vancouver Island. The beach is still as full as I last remember and the athletic culture is very much alive with hordes of volleyball players, foot volley players and the most recent addition to Ipanema, doubles beach tennis.
I spent my arrival day chillin over a cold coco under my friend Speed Racer BBQ's "barraca" (which is a small tent where one can buy beverages and rent chairs/umbrellas). Every 20 meters there is a different barraca and the one 15 feet from my training court happens to be a very popular one, especially for the beach and indoor volleyball crowd. Rio's female Brazilian champion team "Rexona" frequents the local and on weekends it attracts the best beach players around for the most competitive 4 on 4 I have ever seen.
I am renting a wonderful apartment from a friend who owns www.rioflats4u.com and it is an incredibly new and spacious pad. I am a minute from the beach and directly beside a supermarket. It is a perfect situation and will be even better when my beach volleyball partner and physiotherapist arrive early February.
It should be a heater of a day tomorrow as the sun will be pushing high 30's and it is the official birth day of Rio! It will be a huge holiday here so I must train at 7 AM before the crowds cram the beaches so this is me going to bed,
Tchau from South America,
Martin
