And a Happy Halloween it was......

Back from Brazil and I had a wonderful time.......
nothing like drinking a coconut on the beach......


the sandcastles that people build, waiting for tourists to drop a buck or two when they take a picture.....
this was my favorite one, truly "brazilian"
The view from my bedroom: the christ on the Corcovado mountain, resting above Rio as a symbol of protection....
The famous Lagoon of Rio....little outdoor restaurants are located all the way around it...
and from the living room a view of the "favelas" of Rio(the slums)....
We went away to Salvador, Bahia for 5 days. It is in the northeast of Brazil, famous of being the entry port of slaves. One of the beaches there has created a home for hatching sea turtles(600,000 a year) Back in 1983 they were almost extinct....
A life size model of the largest sea turtle!!!!! Yes, you could ride it:)
The downtown area of Salvador called Pelorinho....

the artwork in Bahia is beautiful:)



this is the elevator that connects the lower city to the upper city. it costs 2 cents and is the only way to get to Pelorinho by foot. 50,000 people use it daily. it is 24 floors high and takes 22 seconds...pretty cool huh?
brazilian soccer boys at sunset:)






Berimbau instruments used for the practice of capoeria....

on the beach in front of our hotel.....
the "mercado" where I could spend days shopping....
Capoeira.....
a bahiana women....
and that was Brazil in a nutshell.....back in Vail now and have been on the mountain 3 times so far.....