Body-Loving Brazil

Hello friends and family! We are in Rio de Janeiro after a week in São Paulo, and we are loving Brazil. I had originally omitted Brazil from our itinerary because I did not want to go somewhere that is notoriously unsafe for tourists. But then we had these extra weeks to kill while waiting for Patagonia to thaw, so I added two weeks in Brazil and assiduously researched "how not to get mugged as an obviously American tourist in Brazil." So far, so good!

We started our Brazilian adventure in the fourth most populated city in the world (and the most populated city outside of Asia), São Paulo. We rented a little apartment near Iberapuera Park (basically the Central Park of São Paulo), and happily explored the city for a week. For the first time since leaving home, we were in a city with a fully-functioning and legal Uber system! It made life so much easier, especially since I speak zero Portuguese.

Rather than scheduling cultural and educational experiences, we just focused on having fun. We biked around Iberapuera, bounced at the trampoline park, and went to the aquarium and zoo. The zoo had bouncy houses that made the kids so sweaty and so, so happy. I love Lu's happy face.

And as Ginny beautifully described in her blog, we went indoor skydiving! I was amazed that everyone did it despite it being something so different for the little kids. It was crazy fun, and Ginny and Lu now want to jump out of a plane (Baker, not so much).

We also visited the Museu Catavento, which is like the Pacific Science Center but 10 times bigger. The kids ran wild, played with giant bubbles and heat sensors, and kindly posed for this trippy photo in the light exhibit. (This is what Baker usually does when I say "smile.")

The highlight of São Paulo was our trip to Batman Alley, a high-walled walkway covered in spray painted murals. The art is temporary, so locals say that if you come every two weeks you will be treated to entirely new murals. The kids each picked their favorite mural to recreate later in mom school. Baker, of course, picked the turtle driving a VW van:

Lu surprised me with her psychedelic selection (she focused her version of this art on the rainbow window in the red mushroom):

And Ginny loved this sassy batgirl character:

We said goodbye to São Paulo yesterday and flew an hour north to Rio. My research said we would be safest near Ipanema or Copacabana Beach, so we rented an apartment near Ipanema. Naturally, we dropped our bags and went right to the beach.

We came home to sleep and eat, and then went right back. I think we'll be sandy and wet for most of our stay here. Like, we'll go see Christ the Redeemer, then hit the beach. Hike in Tijuca National Park, then beach. Sugarloaf Mountain, beach. You get the drift.

Here's something else: I had noticed it a bit in São Paulo, but the Brazilian body positivity is on full display in Rio. Women here have a comfort and ease with their bodies that I have never experienced. Their body acceptance does not appear to be intentional, it just seems that (generally speaking) Brazilian women are born and raised loving their bodies. It is so fabulous and inspiring. I hope I can absorb some of that body-love during our week here so I can nurture it within myself and pass it along to my girls.

I miss you guys!! Please give yourself a giant hug from me.

All my love,

Madeline