Lapa

Monday we had a great morning doing our first stand up paddle session with the new C4 boards. We took the boards down to the lobby and inflated them, then left the pump at the front desk, and walked barefoot to the beach with the boards and paddles. It is about a 3 block walk from the hotel, no problem although the sand was so hot on the beach that we had to run to avoid burning! The paddling was fun because the local beach is Flamengo which is on Guanabara bay, and wonderful views.

That evening, Xuxa called and wanted to go out to see this group Samba de Roda in Lapa. We met him, Eris, and Dalva at Xuxa's, had a couple beers, then got a cab to Lapa. When we arrived at the club, Carioca da Gema, it was packed and the band was taking a break. We got some Caipirinhas, and found a great table upstairs that had a view of the stage. This woman came around and was taking pictures of us with her camera, so I asked if she would take one with my camera. We were all laughing after because I didn't understand that she was going to try to sell her picture to us. Dalva actually did buy one from her, and she was cool about the whole thing, so it all worked out. When the band came on, they did not stop for the whole set, and it was one Enredo after another. The singer was amazing, and the band was super tight. This video doesn't really do it justice, but it will give you all an idea of the quality at this club. There was a R$20 cover I was asked to stop shooting video when one of the bouncers caught me...