Carnaval in Rio

Carnaval is here. Blocos (block parties) are in full force - everywhere, several a day. Virtually all independent buisiness activity has come to a halt. It´s a long weekend of partying and excess.

Luiz will be parading with the São Clemente school of samba on Monday, the day we go to the Sambadromo to watch the 7 hours or so of fantastic parades. I wanted to post a picture of his fantasia (costume) but somehow Picasa is not uploading the photos from our camera.

(Gonna have Zozó buy us a new Canon point and shoot camera when she goes to NYC in a few weeks.)

Luiz is super excited to be parading in the newly expanded Sambadromo (although the news is reporting that there are a lot of kinks in the new sections: stuff not completed, construction debry still laying around, leaking bathrooms -- you get the picture).

There is an expression in Portuguse for when things are done half-ass. It is "nas coxos" which literally translates to "between the legs." It usually means that things got finished, but not really to the right quality. Or, that things LOOK right, but are not really right. Folks found a way to get it done - but it was not right.

The construction of the expanded Sambadromo fits this picture. I´m sure they will be up to snuff for next year. (Fingers crossed.)

We predicted this problem and bought tickets in the older section of the Sambadromo (where it has always been clean, safe and efficient).

Anyway - Luiz is very excited. We will spend all of Monday night watching the spectacle from the stands with about 15 of our favorite friends, and then come home after sunrise to sleep, sleep, sleep.

Ah Carnaval...