Brazil: downtown Rio...a cultural experience

 The cathedral downtown...what interesting architecture for a Catholic cathedral. 

Not sure who designed that one...but it is just soo interesting.
El catedral en el centro...que interesante no?  No se quien lo hizo pero es muy interesante!

Perhaps one of our favorite experiences in Brazil was this trolley ride up to the Santa Teresa neighborhood.  It is fun to arrive to a new place...take the guide book out...and find new sights...but it is one of those experiences where you feel like you have been captured by the foreign culture that brings memories you will always treasure.  After our bus trip to downtown...we walked to the trolley station.  It was practically free because well $0.60 reals well very very cheap...probably 30 cents more or less.  
Tal vez la experiencia mas especial en Brazil fue el tiempo en el carrito hacia el barrio Santa Teresa.  Es lindo ver nuevos lugares...pero el sentir y vivir un momento con las personas locales es un tesoro. 

We went up the windy sometimes very small streets in the trolley...and then when we got to the end it just so  happened that the local school kids were released...so they all jumped onto the sides of the trolley for a free ride.  It was too funny!
Fuimos por las calles y cuando llegamos a la ultima parada fue al mismo tiempo que los ninos salieron de la escuela y todos subieron el carrito...fue muy chistoso!

 The bus driver was super cool with them and just smiled.  I am amazed at the diversity of people in Brazil.  You have so many different colors and ethnicities...but they are all Brazilian...we loved it!
El chofer fue muy calidad y simplemente sonrio mucho.  Todavia me encanta ver la diversidad de personas que son Brasileros...es impressionante!

 Right as we got off...we snapped this picture.  The kids were all off by then.
Sacamos a bajarnos del carrito...ya se habian bajado tambien los ninos.

 The views from above...overlooking the bay above and overlooking downtown below...love that stinker Azaleia too...she isn't always so cooperative.
Las vistas de arriba...con la bahia y con el centro...y Azaleia...tan dificil a veces!

 Our little Azaleia the explorer...she loved her journey on the higher sidewalk.
Nuestra exploradora Azaleia...encantando su caminata por la selva.

 Ornate window sill along one of the passages...interesting collection wouldn't you say?
Me gusto ver las cositas en las ventanas...una coleccion interesante...no?

 And we arrived...finally after walking A LOT...to the magical staircase of some inspired Chilean artist Selaron who fell in love with Rio...and decided he would travel the world in search of unique ceramic tiles to display at the staircase found here in downtown Rio.  I love mosaics!  Isn't his work sooo cool? 

 Despues de caminar mucho...llegamos a las escaleras con mosiacos...que hizo un Chileno se llama Selaron.  El vino a Rio...se enamoro con ella...y decidio viajar por mundo en busca de ceramicas de muchos lugares para hacer esta linda escalera en el centro de Rio.  Me encanta!

 What very tired looks like! Como parece un Ernesto muy agotado?

Words cannot describe how it felt to sit down in a hole in the wall joint after carrying Azaleia around in our arms.  We ate a traditional little fried ballish thing with chicken inside...and a Guarana Antartica!  I now understand why Guarana is awesome...because when you live in hot humid Brazil...a cold Guarana tastes soooo good!  I drank one every time we went out...sooo good!  Look at the picture one more time...doesn't it just crack you up?  I love it so much!
No hay palabras para mostrar la cansadez que tuvimos despues de llevar Azaleia en brazo.  Llegamos a esta local para comer y tomar un Guarana...tan deliciosa!  Me encanta esta foto demasiado!

I am a fan of finding out how non smoking campaigns are executed in different countries...why? Maybe because I like to see what the society is working on...what they value.  Anyways...this poster says that 7 people die everyday in Brazil because of a tobacco/smoking related cause...wow...7 everyday just in Brazil.
Me encanta aprender de la sociedad de cada lugar que visitamos.  Vi esta postal y me gusto ver que Brazil esta procurando a ayudar a sus ciudadanos a dejar el cigarillo.  Dice que 7 personas mueran cada ano por esso en Brazil...wow!  Uno de los postales en Chile... 
This is one of the campaigns in Chile...

It says that tobacco reduces your physical and sexual performance!  Awesome, no? 

In Chile everyone smokes everywhere...I mean a lot...definitely different than the US...but Brazil felt more like the US because there were more laws for no smoking in most public places.
Muchas personas fuman en Chile.  Brazil es mas como el EEUU porque no se puede fumar en muchos lugares publicos...me gusta esso.