"Brazil"

Rio De Janeiro

We arrived in the beautiful city of Rio and once unpacked at the Rio Copa Best Western, we headed straight for the beach. Rio's beach is endless and is made up of three sections; Copacabana, Ipenema and Leblon. We were nearest to Copacabana and spent the afternoon walking along the sand and enjoying the local sights of beach volleyball, sand castles and beach vendors. In the evening, we took the bus to the far end of Leblon and leisurely walked the 1 1/2 hour way back to the hotel, taking in supper at a restaurant along the way and an evening craft bazaar.

Tuesday was a beautiful sunny day and we again boarded the bus to head for the popular Post 9 of Ipenema Beach. We got off the bus at a local bazaar where the multitude of fruits, vegetables, meat and crafts was overwhelming. Luckily, there was another Best Western in this area and we availed of the chairs, umbrellas and towels making our day decadent. Knowing it was only 6 degrees at home, made it all the sweeter!

In the evening we contacted local breeder Regina Perrone and were able to meet with her and her daughter Fabiana. Fabiana had to make it a short visit but we were able to have supper with Regina and her friend and Yorkie breeder Aderson Tavares at an authentic Italian restaurant. The meal was delicious and we had great time together. When we arrived back at our hotel, we had a message from Eduardo Teixeira and an invite to spend the next day with him.

We left in the morning for a mall nearby where we spent the next hour browsing the stores while we waited for Eduardo. Eduardo was already a good friend as he is a frequent visitor to Canada and to the States for the American National and Westminster. Once we found each other we went for lunch to an amazing Brazilian barbecue restaurant. At your seat, you will find a coaster that is red on one side and green on the other. Once you get your choice of side dish from the expansive selection at the salad bar, the main dishes start to arrive on giant skewers by the waiters. The idea is to leave the green side of the coaster up when you want the main dish and to turn it to red once you have had enough or need time to catch your breath, as when it is green, it is non-stop! All types and cuts of beef, chicken,sausage, fish and other delicacies arrive and are too tasty looking to refuse! We had totally given up on diets at this point.

We spent the rest of the day doing some sightseeing and went to the famed Sugarloaf Mountain where we rode the cable cars to the top. We drove through parts of Rio while Eduardo filled us in on its history and landmarks. It soon started to rain, so we did the next best thing......shopping! Brazil is known for its leather and we purchased several pairs of shoes, purses and some clothing. We thanked Eduardo for a wonderful day and hospitality and arranged to see him again before we left.

Wednesday dawned grey and drizzly but we hoped it might clear and so, rented bicycles for the day. We started down Copacabana Beach, through Ipenema and on to Leblon when it started to pour! Undaunted, we kept going and didn't really mind the rain as it was still so warm. We stopped at a mall we discovered along the way and went inside for a coffee (Starbucks, no less). Once somewhat dry, we headed out again and in the continuing rain, cycled around the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in the affluent residential neighborhood.
We arrived back at our hotel thoroughly drenched but after a hot shower and glass of wine, felt much better. Supper for Brazilians does not really start until 10:00pm, so at 11:30,we headed out for some nightlife. We ate at the famed Garota de Ipanema Restaurant made famous for its connection to the song "Girl for Ipanema". Afterwards we headed for the beach and stopped at a couple of bars before calling it a night.

On Friday, we were picked up by very good friend Wagner Fernandez. Wagner had recently returned home to Brazil after spending 12+ years in the US. He is a very well known breeder and handler in the US and we had spent many US Nationals with him. He was joined by Regina and Aderson and we were looking forward to seeing the house and kennel where Fabiana was currently living but what would soon become Wagner's new residence. As we would not be doing any outdoor sightseeing, it did not matter that it was still raining, as it was still 28 degrees outside.
Along the drive, Regina presented Wendy with a gift of handmade jewellery. Regina's daughter Lucia Perrone, is a well-known jewellery designer and Regina gave Wendy one of her designs with "Christ the Redeemer" on it. It was beautiful and a wonderful reminder of the city of Rio.

As we arrived in the Barra area of Rio, we jokingly told Wagner that it was obvious he would be "roughing" it, as to get entry into the area, we had to pass though a security gate manned by a 24 hour guard. The winding road took us past breathtaking homes and eventually to a completely walled and gated home with Fabiana waiting outside for us.
The house is totally surrounded by a wall covered with vines and flowers, the landscape is tropical with stone and a natural forest surrounds the back. Monkeys, birds and other tropical animals are constantly playing in the trees and running past the windows.
Inside are beamed ceilings, solid wood floors and several verandas opening into the gardens. Outside, off the kitchen and dining area, is the pool and patio with a built in barbecue.
The "kennel" is a separate unit overlooking the pool where it is open, airy and fully air-conditioned with a stone patio for the dogs to play on. Several runs to the side of the patio offer more areas for the dogs to exercise. There is a separate section for the kennel staff to live and as there are at least three other bedrooms in the main house, we jokingly told Wagner, we hoped one would be for us!
We had a very enjoyable evening chatting about dogs present and past, funny stories we all had experienced during our careers and we got great enjoyment out of the "concoctions" Fabiana was creating from her extensive bar selection. Unfortunately, they were all headed for a show in the morning and had to be up at 4 am, so we called it a night early and headed back to our hotel.

Saturday was a lazy day for us and in the evening, we went to a local "must see" of Salsa dancing at Plataforma. Certainly worth seeing as it is non-stop dancing and fabulous costumes. Afterwards we joined Wagner and Aderson to do some nightclubbing and dancing of our own at a club called Mariuzin. We had a great time and crawled home in the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday morning was spent with local breeder Leonardo Pimenta of BR Pepper Shih Tzu who drove us to the top of Corcovado to see the world famous `Christ the Redeemer Statue`. Breathtaking. Then it was off to meet his wife Bianca and a tour of their lovely home in Barra da Tijuca and nearby kennel to see their dogs. Their hospitality was very appreciated and we enjoyed spending time with them.

We had a short time left to the day and headed for a quick stop at the beach as we had made plans to spend the evening with Eduardo for supper. We ate at well known Brazilian BBQ. Porcai with Cesar Hugo Barbano from Ecuador who had judges at the dog show just out side Rio on the weekend. The it was off to Lapa, a historical downtown district of Rio rich in history and architecture for an another evening of dancing, drinks and music. Eduardo was determined we would learn how to salsa and you couldn't help but get in the mood with the live band and wall to wall people. We had a great time and were sorry to say our goodbyes to Eduardo at the end of the night.

Brazil is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly, welcoming and made us feel at home. We are looking forward to someday returning and send a big "Thank You" to everyone who made our stay so enjoyable.