Figure It Out: 11.08

Flamengo vs. Palmeiras

While in Rio we went to the Flamengo/Palmieras game. Flamengo is the most popular team in all of Brasil and the Flamengo/Palmeiras rivalry is a huge one. Flamengo is from Rio and Palmeiras is from Sao Paolo. The stadium they played at is pretty historic and one of the largest in the world. Its called Maracana and was built for the 1950 world cup. This game may be one of the greatest sports experiences I ever had.

Palmeiras fans.

Kickoff.

Penalty Kick.

Final score. Exciting game!

Rio de Janeiro!!!

Took a 8 hr road trip in the middle of the night with some new friends I met to Rio. Got there in the morning and went straight to Ipanema beach. Have to say it is one of my favorite cities I have ever been to! On the way back after the weekend we left around 11pm and around 2am the road was blocked due to a truck flipping over and slipping rocks all over the road. Since this is Brasil and the roads aren't that great and this was literally the only way to get where we were going, there was no where to go and we waited for about 2 hrs before moving. Ah, these are simply just the pros and the cons of such a country.

Ipanema Beach.

Michele.

Rafa and Alexis.

View from the apartment we stayed at.

Ilha das Caieras

Took a drive through a small town off the canal in Vitoria with really curvy and busy roads to get some fresh crab and traditional Brasilian seafood for lunch. During the drive through the town we started to get a little skeptical on where we were headed, but once we got there it was all worth it. Muito delicioso!

Women on the side of the road de-shelling the crab.

Crab dish for appetizer.

Mmmmm, moqueca.

Coqueiral - Espirito Santo

Coqueiral is the town I am staying in. It is in the Espirito Santo state. The closest big city (Vitoria) is about 80-90km away. Not much going on here there are maybe 12-15 stores in the area, but the beaches are beautiful and they do sell beer.