Ray's Avatar and other Rio de Janeiro Moments...

[Shep1302]

Have any of you looked closely at Ray's avatar?

It is the view of Two Brothers Mountain from Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro.

Have any of you been on that beautiful strip of urban paradise on any given Sunday? If not, I am going to try and describe it.

I would begin my jog at the very end of Copacabana Beach by Forte de Copacabana. I would loosen up as I ran through Apoador (the neighborhood in between Copacabana and Ipanema). I would already see people walking toward Ipanema beach carrying congas (beach towls), books, and cell phones.

As I approached Ipanema beach around Post 8, the human zoo always overwealmed me. Asses, gorgeous female asses, barely covered by thong bikinis, were everywhere - on the beach, on the running path, and on the street (closed off from traffic on Sundays). The energy was electric. Men and women with impossible bronzed bodies would walk dogs of all variaties down the closed beach avenue. Kids on skateboards and bicycles zoomed by wrecklessly. Soccer moms pushed strollers. Young lovers walked slowly by the edge of the beach, holding hands, and stopping every fifty meters to French kiss. Old men and women puttered along, gossiping, wearing very uncool visors. Some old men would wear nothing but speedos and their coat of fur covering their backs and chests. Toned, sporty women jogged and rollorbladed around the throngs, listening to their Ipods. Their ponytails swished effortlessly to the rythem of their gaits, smelling like tropical fruit or apples as they passed.

Everyone smiled effortlessly and moved to their own bossa nova beat.

The gods and goddesses at Post 9 and 10 preened and strutted for everyone, most importantly themselves. On the beach, you can't tell who is from the favelas or the Leblon penthouses. It is a democracy - in fact a meritocracy - of human perfection. Nowhere is there a greater informal pagent of exquisite human genetics and well done plastic surgery on the planet. Blonds, brunettes, morenas, mulattas... racial mixes that often defy classification except for "beautiful".

Every time I ran the route I was humbled and almost crying from joy by the time I made it to the Caesar Park Hotel (roughly the middle of the beach). The kiosks sold refreshments every few hundred meters. Vendors walked the beach offering every confection you could imagine. Street performers amused the locals and tourists alike. Every now and again, you would see a dazed Gringo - usually a man - with a stupid grin on his face, like he couldn't believe a place such as that existed. Often that Gringo was me.

Combine the human scene with the natural one and its a totally unique and special experience. The green mountains rise up behind Ipanema and Leblon like towering monuments. The trade winds and salt air are fresh.

On top of all of this - literally - is Christ the Redeemer on the highest part of the Rio de Janeiro escarpment. He stands up there in plain view of everyone, his arms outstreached, forgiving all of us of whatever sins we may have comitted the night before.

Sometimes, especially since I had just came from Iraq, I couldn't believe a place such as that really existed. My five mile run would last about 40-45 minutes and always renew my soul, reminding me why I am alive and why I need to keep living.

More to come...

[abrutha]

AMEN

Amen again! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[LatinaDreaming]

Thanks Shep for taking me down memory lane. You know there is a god when you see the perfection of the female anatomy of the brazilian ladies. Yes, Yes.....Yes. Let me call my travel agent!

[Cubafro]

Shep, you made me dreaming...As Ray and Abrutha said: " AMEN!"

[HonkyTonk]

Damn Shep, that's one hell of a report that made me feel like I was there!

Keep up the reports...

[Cap'n Jib]

Shep,

Thank for sharing you memories. I felt like I was right there running with you. I enjoyed the workout!

[Shep1302]

I feel compelled to discuss this issue... Warning, I may seem like a sappy whimp for what I have to say. And its amazingly 100% true.

Today I spoke with a woman that I met and dated in Rio last summer. Her name is Jaqueline. She is a bright, pretty, 35-year-old government lawyer in Rio. She is about four years older than me. She has no kids and has never been married. She has a great job as a federal Brazilian attorney that pays around $55,000 USD per year, quite a sum for a single, professional woman in Brazil. Basically, she is a Carioca Alley McBeal.

I met her at a bar. She came in with her two beautiful cousins and we immediately hit it off. She is petite, has a brazilian ass, long thick black hair, a beautiful smile and warm laughing eyes. We quickly explained our mutual histories. I told her about my time in the Marines, Iraq, and how I was volunteer English teacher in Rocinha (a gigantic Rio favela or "slum"). She listened in rapt attention then looked me in the eye, and said in all sincerity and seriousness, "You are a very nice man. Would you be my friend?"

I had never been asked that question by a woman before or since. It kinda floored me.

I dated her for a little over three months during the summer. When I was in Rio, I was struck with the "kid in a candy store" syndrome. I treated her ok, but not as good as she deserved. (Just coming back from Iraq, I admit I chased a lot of ass) I knew after about two weeks of dating her that it wasn't going to work out in the long run. Jacki wasn't looking to get married, didn't want kids (and was getting a little old to have them), and could never leave her high powered job to come to the States. But seriously, this girl was so jaw-droppingly nice and sincere I couldn't do the right thing: be a man and not waste her time.

I treated her well, but not as well as she deserved. Question: Have you ever been out with a Braziliara who wouldn't let you pay for anything? I had to pull teeth to get her to let me pay for meals. She would often take ME out to movies, restraunts, and bars. She is a brilliant conversationalist, avid traveler (she has traveled SA, Europe, and Africa by herself), and most importantly, she has a truly good soul.

When I left Brazil to come back to the States, after four months, she was insanely in love with me. She asked me to move in with her and miss my plane flight back to America. She said, "Stay with me. I will take care of the money. I just want you to be with me."

I couldn't do it. I couldn't be a kept man. I would have resented her and resented myself for it. I had to go home.

But I was amazed at how she wore her heart on her sleeve. Here I was, a rather random Gringo, one of undoubtably many she has met and been with in Rio over the years, and she truly "in the moment" loved me. I found it puzzeling, but deeply flattering and amazingly brave.

I have kept in contact with her over the last 7 months since I left Brazil. We exchange emails and talk about once a month. We have both moved on, but she is always gracious and flattering to me. She never brings up current romantic interests, and I never bring up my own. We know its over, but there is a deep mutual love and respect for each others's feelings. Even though we are no longer lovers, we still enjoy a deep friendship. Our romantic relationship was logistically and circumstantially impossible, but I know I will count her as a close friend even when I am in a rocking chair.

This week, quite randomly, I had a real attack of regret about how things turned out and felt an intensly deep appreciation for her. It hit me like a lightning bolt out of the blue. I know I can't change things, but I called her up today and told her how I deeply admire her, love her, and respect her. I wished her well. I wished her success in life and love, because she truly deserves it. I have met, known, and dated a lot of women in my life, but I can count on one hand how many approached the calibere of this girl. In one single conversation, I let her know this. She was flattered to tears, and deservedly so.

It was the best decision I have made in a long while. I have a friend for life.

Moral of the story:

Jaqueline made me feel like a man. She admired me. She put up with my faults and bad behavior. She wanted nothing from me except my time and affection. She helped me, and still helps me, be a more balanced person. She asked nothing in return, except "to be my friend."

I have never been treated that well by a woman before or since. And people wonder why I like Latinas....

If you are ever in Rio, and meet a girl named Jaqueline fitting the above description, please do Shep a favor and treat her like gold. She is priceless.

Shep

[Cap'n Jib]

Shep,

Ya did it again! We, and specifically me, are once again in your debt. Thank you for sharing!

“I may seem like a sappy whimp.”

Maybe so.... in that case consider me double sappy and extra whimpy.

"You are a very nice man. Would you be my friend?"

Now that is a real woman. For Jaqueline to recognize that having a friend...a real friend is worth much more than.......is priceless (and obviously so is she).
For what you have shared with us on the board....and for what it’s worth, you are my friend also!

“so jaw-droppingly nice and sincere & “most importantly, she has a truly good soul.”

You have been blessed to know such a lovely, lovely creature. Of course I am not surprised, sole mates tend to find each other. In the spiritual realm, she was only reflecting back to you, what you were displaying to her.

“It was the best decision I have made in a long while. I have a friend for life.”

No one will every be able to take that feeling of goodness away from you!

I have been fortunate, and at times not so fortunate, to meet or be up against some very, very tough guys. No matter what the outcome, I always respected them. Took the lessons offered by the experience and moved on. Every once in a great while, one of those guys came across “as a sappy whimp.” Those that did I called ‘real men’ and a few became close friends. Any man can wear the facade of toughness but it takes a real man to acknowledge his softer side and have the courage to admit it in public.

In life we may not always get what we think we want, but we always get what we need . Shep and Jaqueline needed a real friend and they got each other. This is a success story! [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]

[snooppuppy]

Great post Shep, and no, you are not a sappy wimp. Your story reinforces an important point: the power of recognizing truly good people for who they are, and letting them know that you know.