We would have liked to have slept in until noon after the long night of celebration. But only the young seem to be able to sleep in like that, and we up not too long after the sun came up. We went up to breakfast, desperate for a some coffee, and were greeted on the front page of Brazil’s largest newspaper with the photograph we wish we could have taken.
We will be flying to Manaus tonight to begin the last part of our adventures. We had thought at first about renting bicycles are riding around the lake, perhaps visiting the botanical gardens. But on only a few hours of sleep, and with the weather today supposed to be at least as hot as it was yesterday, we decided to forgo more sightseeing and just rest a bit.
After coffee, we went up on the roof. Even though it was barely nine in the morning, it was already in the eighties, and a dip in the pool seemed like the best thing to start the day.
We decided to spend the day on the beach. While Ipanema seemed like an easy choice, we knew it would be crowded. So we decided to catch a cab and go back to São Conrado where we had spent the last part of our favela tour.
It was a good choice. The water is cleaner there and the sand even finer. There were quite a few people on the beach, but it was not absurdly crowded.
I like the fact this this woman’s beach towel was the Brazilian flag.
We returned to the hotel around five and showed in the fitness center. Carlos, our driver from the first night, met us and took us to the airport, and made sure we were all set for our flight to Manaus. We should arrive there around midnight, and we will spend the night in Manaus before being transferred up the Rio Negro to begin our Amazon adventures!
