In between last week's sapucai and yesterday's sapucai

I have had some week while Sue and John are here. I have a horrendous sinus and chest cold to prove it! Let's see if I can remember some highlights.

Monday night we went to Arlindo Cruz show at Teatro Rival with Amaro and many friends of Xuxa...amazing! After that, Sue, John and I went to Lapa with Amaro and saw some great chorinho. We couldn't keep up with him and left before he played pandeiro with them.

Tuesday...Bruno and Michelle took us to possibly one of the best bars in the world, Salvação in Botafogo, where they live. Their food is exquisite, the beer icy cold and to top it off, a pagode friend, Taylor, from portland walks in and stands at the end of our table....if I hadn't been sitting, I would've fallen over! She's going to be staying in brazil until july....lucky girl!

Wednesday, we went first to hear Amaro play percussion for a great band in Lapa. The singer was really good. Sue and John stayed to hear two sets of Amaro, but I high tailed it next door to Moyseis Marques show, a great performer with great voice and great band. Stayed out reeeaaaally late. I met Moyseis at brazil camp last august. I danced samba all night, but think I got the cold from the air conditioning between sets. Moyseis told me that he'd gotten a cold because of that. It was so good to see him. I'm going to take Jorge to Moyseis' show on some wednesday before we both return to the US.

Thursday, we were supposed to go to Santa Tereza with Amaro, but Bruno wanted to go to Grande Rio to get a rehearsal in before their technical rehearsal on sunday....there was no way I was going to miss that! We went, got to see the bateria from above, (which turned out to be the only place to hear anything!) They've built a grand huge quadra that is just tooo big. The sound is awful in there. I didn't take my camera because I didn't want any added weight hanging off my shoulder in my purse...I forgot that grande rio has some of the best dancers...not passistas, just regular people....usually little girls and travestis (transvestites). Oh well, no video again. I guess it's just as well, I learn a little more each time by just observing the feel and time.

Friday
Amaro and his mother, a journalist photographer, took us to Jardim Botanico. I'd never been there before. I don't usually like tourist spots....big dummy me! His mother knows the gardens inside and out and got us in free. I kept forgetting I was in the middle of Rio!
Friday night
We sat on Bruno's couch and Sue, John and Bruno had lots of beer while we showed bruno 2 dvds that John found of musical and comedy moments from Saturday Night Live from various decades...Bruno loved it!

Saturday
Got up EARLY to catch the metrô to Centro, then from there, we caught an Expresso to Padre Miguel. We needed to get to the instrument factory by 11am, and we did it. We spent some time there, and then went to Frango Chic, probably one of the best places to eat in Zona Oeste. They give you huge amounts of REALLY good rotisserie chicken, vinagrette (olive oil, onion, white wine vinegar, or whatever kind you want, tomato, cilantro), the BEST french fries, and a 'torre da cerveja' (beer tower) they bring you this glass (or plastic) tube with another metal tube inside that has ice in it to keep the beer cold. (the ice doesn't get into the beer). It looks like there are 40 glasses of beer in this thing, but it holds only 8 or so.
Sue and John got a taste of Padre Miguel in over 100 degree weather. They probably want to stay far away from now on!
Sue and John also got caught in a tropical thunder and lightning storm on Thursday just after they'd bought an alfaia and rebolo...I have to admit that it was kind of funny running behind John as he ran with his alfaia on his head. Part of it was that I'd never seen him run before. Thank goodness they'd both bought cases. It was weird that once we got onto the Metro, we were the only ones soaking wet. Even the other passengers legs were dry.
Saturday night we were on our own. We were exhausted from the heat and long bus ride, but I heard from Moyseis that there was going to be carnaval in Lapa for free that night. I'd also read about it, so we went. Rio Maracatu was great, we wanted to get close, so we braved the crush. It became way more fun for me when the rain came and cooled us off, and when they launched into songs I actually know. It is a thousand times more fun then! At the end as we were waiting for the final band to start, Moyseis saw me out of thousands of people. I got to meet his pretty wife. We left after a while, I saw some cops being disrespectful to a father and son, but as Bruno said, they probably did something wrong and there is no room in the jails.....so the cops had to make them think twice before they do (whatever) again. I still didn't like the attitude of those cops though. Sue and John had their first hotchee doggees XTudo (with everything). They loved 'em, in fact, since they had beer left over, they got a hamburguer XTudo as well!

Forgot Sunday day!
We went to the beach where John got a sunburn on his legs solely from the reflection off the sand, and then went to the place I've been putting off going to...O Cristo Rendentor.....truly amazing!!!!