Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 29oC, hot and sunny.
What a pleasant Sunday. I got up, but this Sunday, I did not do exercise at the end of Leme. First, I did one hundred pushups at home before going out.
Then, after green tea, YouTube, etc, I prepared myself to go on a walk. The weather forecast was for rain in the early afternoon, so I wanted to go early and come back early. Despite the forecast for rain, the sun was already shining brightly at 9:00 a.m. It’s hard to predict if it will rain or not, but at the moment, it was scorching hot with the harsh sun.
The idea was to walk until the end of Copacabana, near the Fort, and on the way back, to pass through the street fair around Serzedelo Correia Square in the middle of Copacabana to buy fruit and vegetables before going home. When I get home, I will clean and prepare fresh salad for the rest of the week.
My watch has a pedometer that tracks my daily steps from the time I wake up until I go to bed. The recommended number of steps for a daily walk is 10,000, but today, I was walking so effortlessly that the steps, meters, and kilometres just flew by.
I did not feel tired at all and found that the end of Copacabana was too short. So, I ended up walking much further until I reached Arpoador and then continued walking along Ipanema Beach. As I approached Rua Vinicius de Moraes, which is situated halfway along Ipanema, I turned onto it and continued onto Rua Visconde de Piraja – the main shopping street in Ipanema.
Now, I am coming back to Copacabana. Whenever I walk long distances, I habitually take one route to my destination and return by a different one. I like doing it; I think it makes the walk much more interesting.
As I was walking back along Rua Visconde de Piraja, I came across a newsstand that caught my attention. It was one of those stands that sold everything, not just newspapers, sweets, and tobacco. What struck me as unusual was the fact that they were selling packs of three tennis balls for R$30.00.
Although I don’t plan on playing tennis anytime soon, I thought buying them was a good idea since it was such a bargain.
Maybe I felt that they could give me some pleasure, such as throwing them back and forth against a wall or something like that. I felt very happy buying these balls. I think it’s because they are different and cheap, which makes them a great value for money.
I’ve realized that I take great pleasure in buying things that I don’t necessarily need, especially if they are unique and can bring me happiness. Even if they don’t cost much, they can still provide great value for money.
As I walked down Rua Visconde de Piraja, I came in front of Feira Hippie, a handicraft fair held every Sunday around General Osorio Square. After spending some time there, I continued my journey back home by walking up and over into Copacabana.
Ipanema exudes sophistication, a place of exquisite taste and luxury. But when you move from Ipanema to Copacabana, the contrast hits you hard. The difference between the two neighbourhoods can be subtle at times, but there are instances when the disparity is stark and even violent.
I finally made it to the Sezedelo Correia street fair. There, I purchased lettuce, tomatoes, arugula, and a simple mechanical lime squeezer. I needed this because I had recently burned my hands while squeezing limes.
Forgetting to wash my hands properly before going out in the strong sun caused my hands to become seriously burnt. Lime juice on the skin with strong sun exposure can be very dangerous.
I arrived home feeling extremely happy with my shopping, especially my new tennis balls. After preparing a salad and a meal, I settled down to watch something online. The first film, Luther, from Netflix, was too violent and perverse. I warned Yasmin not to watch it. The second film, Far Away, a romantic comedy, was perfect to finish off the weekend.
In bed by 9, ready for the week!
Thanks again.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
