City by the sea by toonsarah
The coastline of Rio is a series of bays, each with its own character. Those nearer the city centre, such as Flamengo and Botofogo, are more down-to-earth, while the beautiful people hang out on Copacabana and Ipanema. The smaller bays, such as Leme at the foot of the Sugarloaf and Arpoador between Copacabana and Ipanema, seemed lower-key and less frantic, with the latter being a popular surfing spot. Leblon, beyond Ipanema, seems to attract mainly local familes and is quieter than some of the other beaches, and beyond this, and furthest from the city centre, Barra da Tijuca beach is, like Arpoador, popular with surfers, and also with hang-gliders. As we left Rio and drove to the airport to catch our early flight to Iguacu the sun was just rising. The view of the bay of Botofogo tinted pink by the sun, and the headland of the Sugarloaf seen mistily beyond it, will stay with me forever. I only regret that I was too taken with it to think to ask the driver to stop so that I could photograph it.
