Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 25 degrees, hot, sunny and with blue skies.
It is Sunday, and I always like to say that Sunday morning is reserved solely for me.
Nobody knows my name. It is not Dad, Richard, love, etc. Nobody can call me or ask me to do anything. It is my time, and it is good. It is a boundary where I am usually available to everyone else, but on Sunday morning, it is reserved for me alone. And because of that, I have reserved some quality time with myself, which is very good.
And even better than that is to do one of the things I most like doing in Rio: walking around Urca. Since I have been back in Rio, I haven’t had a walk around Urca until now. I went to the Yacht Club for lunch.
The Yacht Club is at the beginning of Urca, but I didn’t go for a walk inside the neighbourhood and have a drink on the Mureta, the wall in front of the Bay, as I had done so many times in the past.
So I got up early. I did not do any exercise. I washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen from the night before. I was too tired, and it was too late to do it last night. I do not like leaving the kitchen a mess overnight. It is bad energy, and when I do, I do it immediately before anything else the next morning. I had a shower, put on some clothes, obviously, and left.
Yasmin and Nalva were asleep, and I was off. I went to the Portuguese baker’s to get a coffee to take and drink while walking. I love drinking something while I’m walking. For me, it is a simple pleasure of life.
I crossed Aterro, the dual carriageway in front of the Bay that connects the South Zone of Rio with the city centre. So now I’m walking along in front of Botafogo Beach, heading toward Urca. In front of me is Sugarloaf Mountain, and behind me is Flamengo.
Walking up to Urca, I passed the Yacht Club entrance instead of continuing up to Praia Vermelha (Red Beach), where Sugarloaf Mountain is. I bore left into the heart of Urca, where you have the Mureta wall in front of the Bay that runs from the beginning to the end of Urca, where there are the army barracks and the famous bar Barurca.
I passed by Urca Grill at the beginning and bought a glass of wine to drink while walking towards Baruca at the far end. Many people are walking, following the Mureta in both directions, including couples with dogs, old and young, etc. The day is beautiful, the sun is shining, and it is not too hot. The water of the Bay has that beautiful shimmering effect from the sunlight, which is quite divine.
Arriving at Barurca, the final stop at the end of the Mureta, I noticed what I had seen at Urca Grill: there were fewer people at the bars and restaurants than in the past. Traditionally, on a Sunday, both these places would be completely packed, and it would be a fight to get a drink quickly.
Now, at prime time on a Sunday, I could walk in and, in a few seconds, be attended to and on the Mureta, which would be difficult to find a good place to sit; it was now easy. What is happening?
People do not have money; they do not have the disposable income they had before, not even enough for a simple beer. Lula’s government is destroying Brazil and its economy through excessive taxation and robbery. The only thing they have not taxed yet is the air we breathe, and that will probably be taxed very soon.
It is clear to me that, over the seven months I was in England, Brazil has worsened, and consequently, Brazilians are poorer. The streets are dirtier, and people are poorer. I do not believe it will improve; it will only get worse.
It is reaching the point where it is no longer favourable to live or work in Brazil. I am fortunate to have the option to leave, but for others, or for most, I see a kind of unofficial, covert slavery. The majority of the population does not have the choice to go, either because of financial, family or cultural constraints.
They are trapped in a sadistic stronghold where, at the end of the day, you are living to support a perverse, false, corrupt government run by psychopaths who are not accountable for their actions. It is very sad because Brazilian people are very good people.
All they need is a good, decent, honest leader, and the country would be on the right road to peace and prosperity.
Walking along the Mureta and the Bay brought back many happy memories of time spent in Urca. I am very privileged and grateful to have had these times, but now my priority is more towards the canals of England.
I had a glass of wine from Barurca and sat on Mureta in front, watching the movement of the Bay, the boats coming and going from the Yacht club, and another glass of wine from Urca Grill on my way home.
When I arrived home, we had a late lunch. I worked a little and rested in the afternoon. I’m happy to have had such a nice day, doing something I had done many times before that gives me pleasure, and to do it alone.
Solitude and time alone are excellent, and time with a loved one is even better. Being with people you love is always good, but alone time is also very precious.
I suggest you try it sometime!
In bed by 10 p.m.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
