Vignette: Tightrope Walking at the Beach

Posted in Activities, Rio de Janeiro on 15. Mar, 2010

Tudo bom, y’all?

One of the things you have to love about Rio is that every day you can see something interesting just going about your business.

I teach English to business people here. My classes don’t start until 11:00, so in the morning I generally go to the gym early. Afterwards I like to walk to the beach and then down to Morro do Leme (Leme Hill). Then I return and have a chilled coconut at my favorite kiosk. (My life here does not suck.)

It’s common to see police or firefighters working out here, jogging up and down the beach. And often there are volleyball or soccer practices, as well as folks doing yoga or just enjoying the surf.

But the other day I saw something new: A guy walking a tightrope. This isn’t something that you see everywhere. I don’t recall ever seeing a tightrope walker, for example, on the streets of downtown Charlotte. But that’s Rio for you. It’s like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates.

So I got talking to Guilherme (William in English). I asked him if he was a performer. He said that, no, he just did it as a mental exercise. It was good for balance and concentration. Cariocas (residents of Rio) love this sort of thing. The beach here is a very active place.

I didn’t have my video camera with me, but I had my iPod Nano, so I used it to film Guilherme and a friend showing some basic moves. The Nano does a pretty good job I think.

Just a little vignette from my life here in Rio. Enjoy…