Another walk on the Lagoa

Last week I went into Rio to enjoy a couple days of noise, confusion, babies crying and little boys trying to play drums in the big city. Why would anyone who lives in an apartment building buy their 5 year old a set of drums? Maybe it was some grandparents that live in another country – THAT would serve me right, but we didn’t buy drums, it was an electric guitar and the little guy was only 3 or so.

 

When I have the chance and I want some different exercise, I walk the Lagoa.  Our apartment in Ipanema is one block from the beach and about 4 blocks from the Lagoa. To walk to the Lagoa and the 7.5 km around, it takes me about one hour and twenty minutes. On Thursday, I walked 30 minutes out, taking photos and meandering a bit (so probably it can’t be considered exercise) then turned around and walked the same side back, stopped at the Mamute gym to say hello to all the good looking muscle bound guys there, and then walked home happy and took Camillo to lunch.

 

Thursday, I began the walk at about 9 am, the air was so still that the reflection of the clouds in the water was almost as perfect as the sky itself. This also meant the humidity sat on my shoulders like about 20 extra pounds and I had a good sweat going by the first kilometer.   The trail around the lake is lined with trees both local, imported and Brazilian indigenous from other states. They are clustered instead of mixed and, for me this makes for is very pleasant landscape. The Abrico-de-macaco from the Amazon region was at the last of its bloom but still beautiful…. its flowers bloom right out of the sides of the trunk and branches. After the bloom are finished it gets cantaloupe sized (and color/texture) seed pods clusters in the same place. The blooms have a wonderful sweet smell, I image it attracts insects for breakfast with that smell.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hear a lot of complaints about the city not keeping the streets maintained and clean but the last couple times around the lake I saw city workers both cleaning the algae from the water and extra growth from the shore. I think the city does a great job in our part of town – the high tax district.

The Kiosks were also sweeping their area, washing down the rentals and there was a general ‘getting ready for the week-end crowds’ hustle.