A party atmosphere goes with every beach resort in the world. So it’s no surprise that Saturday night was full of music, dancing and good humoured fun. Latin American music is everywhere and people just sway along to it whatever they are doing. Waiters, taxi drivers, street cleaners, stall holders and even the police all moving to the sounds. It’s mesmeric. I came across this impromptu gathering on my way back to the hotel last night. 3 musicians belting out samba rhythms joined by locals of all ages swaying, waving, tapping and clapping in perfect time to the music.. And, as in Lima, I saw no loutish behaviour,no drunkenness – in fact very little alcohol at all. Just a group of people out enjoying themselves on a Saturday night.
I don’t know if the inhabitants of Rio go to bed early or maybe they don’t sleep at all at the weekend but, by 8 o’clock this morning the beach was already getting busy.
However, tempting though it looked, I headed off for some inland sightseeing on the basis that this might be less busy then the beaches.
The Parque Lage used to be an old sugar plantation which was turned into a 52 acre tropical park by a Brazilian industrialist with the help of an English architect. It is now owned by Brazil’s equivalent of the National Trust and open to the public free of charge.
For any of you who are Snoop Dog fans, the main house featured in his video of ‘Beautiful’.
The gardens themselves are pretty spectacular with winding walkways through tropical landscape
which even includes a man made grotto complete with stalactites and mites!
There is wildlife in abundance
including some very naughty monkeys who were hell bent on stealing food from the nearby picnickers.
Yesterday, I thought that exercising was Brazil’s national hobby. But today I think it maybe photography. And some of the guys walk around with some serious kit.
I saw a number of pregnant women being photographed. Absolutely nothing wrong with that but baring one’s pregnant tummy in a public place did seem to be a bit odd.
This lady in the pink little number had just finished her posing session.
Baby photography was also high on the list of top subjects both in the Parque Lage and the Botanical Gardens I visited next.
These gardens, opened in the early 19th century, cover more than 130 acres of prime land in the centre of Rio.
There are, apparently, more than 6,000 different species of plants, trees and shrubs which would probably excite any botanist but I must confess to being slightly underwhelmed, the more so as there was an entry fee! At least there were fine views of Corcovado (Christ The Redeemer) whose head was definitely not in the clouds today.
On my hike back to base, there was a fine walkway that followed the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon almost to the sea. This is where the Olympics held the canoeing, kayaking and some rowing, I believe.
Being a Sunday, there were many people out and about enjoying themselves, using a great variety of non motorised transport to get to wherever they were going..
When I finally got back to the hotel, there was some sort of carnival procession going on across the street. 
5 or 6 different sets of musicians, dancers and hangers on slowly swaying up the street to the inevitable Latin American music sounds. Then all getting together for a grand finale which is still going on as I type. So much for a quiet Sunday evening. Don’t these people ever stop partying?
I plan a calmer day tomorrow.
Phileas
thelasthurrahsite 