I posted these pictures because the graffiti here is amazing. I haven't seen any other place with so much good graffiti. Granted, I haven't been to much of New York City, but Manhattan was a little bit lacking compared to Rio. I am a little surprised that it's difficult to find "fine" arts and crafts in the city but the graffiti is so beautiful. I guess this could just have risen out of the lack of public funding, but I wonder what would happen is more money was put towards educating these artists in different media. Or providing other outlets for displaying their works.

I feel like this city (like most cities in the world) have a lot of work to do to move forward. And so I can understand why arts are being pushed back, but I wonder if it will ever change. Will people realize the need for arts is important? Will they ever start putting money back into the development of culture? I think I might start researching cities that are known for their funding of the arts and try to see if there any any differences in lifestyles or development of the city: Are people happier or more sad? Wealthier? Poorer? More relaxed?

Does anyone know of a study like this yet? If so I'd love to read about it.

On the side of fun, touristy stuff: I hiked up the first hill of Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf) which is a tall hill, just about in the sea and it offers a great view of Copacabana and Botafogo. It's made up of two hills (I forget the name of the first) And you can take a cable car up both or you can hike up the first and take a cable car up the second. Each cable car ride is R$22 and so I decided to explore and hike up the first.

It was a beautiful hike through a little nature preserve. There are tons of trees and different types of plants and you get to overlook the ocean and the praia de Vermelha (Red Beach). I'll try to get some pictures next time I go up. I also got to see some monkeys! They were pretty damn adorable, people were feeding them (Shh, they weren't supposed to) bananas and apples. And they were getting about two feet away from them, it was fantastic.

I haven't gone to the top yet, but I probably will this week. I'm hoping to go towards sunset, I hear it's one of the best views you'll ever see.

And last night I enjoyed the first bloco: The Blocos are parades where people march and dance behind different samba groups. Every weekend day up until carnaval there is a different bloco in a different neighborhood in Rio. During Carnaval it's very similar with different groups dancing through the city. As of now, it's still two weeks before Carnaval and people are already partying, I have never seen anything like this.

After the parade we went for a swim in the ocean around sunset and it was fantastic. Then I went to bed early and it was probably one of the best nights yet. I have a feeling this city is going to be pretty amazing in the next coming weeks.

Also to answer a few questions from a faithful reader and because they're good questions that I should have answered earlier:

Is the exchange rate favorable now?
The exchange rate has been going up for the past week, I'm not sure why, but I'm not complaining. When I first go here it was US$1 to R$1.75 now it's up to US$1 to R$1.89

How is your money holding up?
My money is holding up well. Since I have been working in the hostel for my accommodations, I haven't had to spend anything on an apartment and so I should even be able to travel after Carnaval.

Is the price of food, housing, travel (bus, etc) the same? Price of gas? any surprises?
The price of cooked food can be a little cheaper than in the US, but generally it's still pretty expensive. Shopping at the supermarket is definitely the way to go. I can make a good meal for R$3.
Housing is definitely cheaper is you're going to get something for long term in the off season. December through February are very expensive because of Carnaval and New Years.
Travel by bus costs about R$10 per hour, I'm not sure how that relates to bus travel in the states. And I think by plane is about the same as the states.
Gas is definitely more expensive, about R$1.70 per liter (or about US$4 per gallon).
And I was surprised at first how expensive it is down here. I assumed it would be a little bit cheaper being in South America, but I guess I shouldn't make assumptions.

Are you language skills improving adequately?
My language skills are improving enough to get around. And I'm beginning to become comfortable with the language.

Is it the immersion experience you hoped for?
When I first planned the trip I was hoping to be nearly fluent by the time I left. Looking back, that was a pretty unrealistic goal in such a short time. Another three months and I think I could be pretty close. However, I wouldn't change this experience for anything. It is an extremely comfortable environment for me to be in. If and when I come back I will probably try to work on a farm in the middle of no where with people who only speak portuguese, however, I have a good start of the language under my belt.

Does everyone want to practice their English with you?
Nope, only a few people so far. Brazilians are very proud of their culture and language and they're generally very excited to see a foreigner trying to learn their language.

Does the hostel cater to Brazilians or foreigners?
The hostel caters to both. I think more foreigners than brasilians, but since the hostel is cheap it's great for people on vacation in the country.

What is a typical day like for you? Do you work all your hours at once and have days free at time, or a little each day?
I don't really have a typical day. I work six hours a day and six days a week, but I can work when I want. Generally I work 1 - 7, that way I can sleep in a little, check my email, cook some lunch, go running if I want. Then I'll work, and afterwards make some dinner and hang out or go out to a bar.

Do you take day trips to other cities/suburbs?
I haven't yet, I've been exploring Rio quite thoroughly: Checking out different neighborhoods and beaches and sites.

Do you miss Ekta, Tastey House, Noodles? Does Rio have a Chinatown? pockets of other cultures?
I miss them all terribly. The food isn't very exciting in Brazil unless you have money. I went to a Churrasco a few days ago and it was one of the best meals I have ever had. A churrasco is a place where there is a small buffet of salads and breads and some fish, but the main courses are from men who walk around with skewers of meat and you just eat as much as you can. It's pretty fantastic. The downside was that it cost me about US$25. So it's not something I can do often.
There is no Chinatown and there aren't really any pockets of other cultures. There's a strong Italian and Japanese influence here because of previous settlers.

Do more people smoke in Brazil?
Yes, far more.

Are people less obese there than the US?
Yes and no. I think there are places in the US with fewer obese people. Everyone here seems to be skinny until the age of 35 or 40. I imagine after that the metabolism starts to go downhill, and the food they eat isn't really the most healthy.

Do you get around by bike as you do in Philly?
Nope, for the short time I am going to be here, it's not as cost effective. Also, It's scary on these roads.

What do most people do?
Most people have normal jobs and go to the beach when they're not working. It''s a very blue collar town, although I feel like there's a large portion that's on the lower middle class to lower class side of blue collar.


Sorry for the length of the post, I'll try to keep them a bit shorter :)

-Josh