I debated whether or not to include this trip in my blog. After all, it's not ponderings of Perth. Nor even ponderings about Australia. But if I've learned anything since being here, it's that the rest of the world (outside of Americans) loves to travel, and flying 24 hours around the world is just another holiday.
I made sure that when I accepted this job in Perth, the most isolated city in the world, that I wouldn't be completely isolated. Especially at a time when I'm supposed to be networking and linking with colleagues to build my career. Leon (if you forgot, he's my super awesome boss who thought it was a great idea to pay for my to travel half way around the world despite having only been in Australia less than a month at that point) said there would be funds to travel to one national and one international conference a year. Before I got here, I knew which one I wanted to go to: the International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health. Everybody who's anybody in my research area would be there, plus this
really cool guy, Dr. Robin Shook, would be making the trip from South
Carolina. And guess where it just happened to be this year...
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!!!
When spending 24 hours in flight time (plus a stop over in Dubai), I just had to take a little extra time to explore the future site of the World Cup and the Olympics. With a little persuasion, I convinced Dr. Shook to not only attend the conference in Rio for a week, but to take an extra week for an Amazon adventure. Perthfect Ponderings will thus be going South American for the next few entries (because there was no way to fit two weeks into one blog entry!)
PS. You should really check out Dr. Shook's awesome pictures, because he's practically a photography major. Check them all out here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/123393968@N03/sets/72157644078933763/.
Brazil Blast Blog #1
The most iconic feautre of Rio is no doubt, Christ the Redeemer. Perched on the perfect peak, above the city, watching over all. Yes, from far away, it just looks like a stick on a hill, but up close, it is truly quite awesome.
My Portuguese translators: Leon and Robin.
Almost everywhere in the city, we could spot this imposing figure.
But my favorite part of Rio, is that the city is absolutely spectacular from above. The rugged peaks are interspersed with the ocean and sandy beaches, and the city fills in every inch of flat land.
We coudn't help but gaze out over the breathtaking views.
Our bird's eye views weren't limited to Christ the Redeemer (I prefer it's former name, the Pinnacle of Temptation), but we got spectacular views taking the cable car up to Pao de Azucar (Sugarloaf)...
And from our first hotel on the Ilha do Governador while we had breakfast...
And from the conference hotel, overlooking Barra de Tijuca (the new part of the city).
Even the marmosets took in the views.
But of course Rio is much more than picturesque panoramas...
