Travis Righter
West Virginia University College of Law, 2L
Saturday, August 8, 2009

Rio Free-For-All

I rolled over this morning and was greeted with eight of my new friends sleeping in the same room with me. We are staying in the Lemon Spirit hostel in a small room with three sets of bunk beds, with no room for anything else. Today is a free day in Rio and I can’t wait to see what this city has to offer.

A few of us decided to go to these famous beaches we had heard so much about, but we were in for a rude awakening when we arrived. It is winter in Rio right now, so the ocean was freezing, and even though the temperature was comfortable, there were not many beach-goers this morning. The waves in the ocean were the largest I had ever seen and a few of us decided we would try to conquer them. I tried riding the first wave and after about two seconds, the undertow had its way with me and when I finally surfaced, I stumbled my way back to the shore.

The soccer pitch, featuring Rio’s Flamengo versus Atlatico

Kalief, our Vila Velha friend, talked us into playing some beach volleyball after one of the locals allowed us to borrow a ball. Kalief was really the only person who seemed to know what was really going on, but we all had a blast diving in the sand and making fools of ourselves. We ended in a 1-1 tie before the locals decided we had enough and took down the net and boundaries we had been using.
For lunch, we decided to try an Italian restaurant where you could pick out the different types of pasta and ingredients you wanted. I took the conservative route and picked the pre-selected lasagna ingredients to make sure I didn’t make something crazy only a dog would enjoy. The food was great and cost about the same as a meal from McDonald’s. Now it’s time for the only planned event of the day in Rio, Flamengo futbol.

For a little background on Flamengo, this team has approximately 45 million fans. Needless to say, Flamengo futbol is a big deal and we weren’t disappointed. Flamengo was on a seven game losing streak when we arrived and the stadium was pretty bare, but for those who came out to support their beloved team, there was an atmosphere that could only be present at a Brazilian futbol game. The entire game consisted of drums being played and the equivalent to team fight songs being chanted by each and every person in the stadium. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any crazier, Flamengo scored a second half goal to take a 1-0 lead. Now the real fun begins. There were fires and excitement that was unparalleled to any American football game I had ever attended. There was so much smoke I could not even see the field. Flamengo ended up winning 1-0, the losing streak was over, and we had received a taste of the event that comes first in most Brazilian lives.

Immediately following a goal by Flamengo, the celebratory fireworks and flags are breathtaking
Click Here To See The Video (Caution, video file is large)

Following the match, we stopped at a market in Copacabana that sold things such as favella paintings, jewelry, clothing, and really anything else you would expect in a market setting. I loaded up on Havaianas (the famous Brazilian flip-flop) and then we ate dinner at an outside restaurant. As usual, the food was good, but the most surprising part of the meal was that people were lining the outside of the restaurant. There was a building right beside the restaurant that looked like a club and Kalief told us it was a place known for prostitution. The people lining the restaurant were prostitutes and they were searching amongst the crowd for any takers. It was something I was not prepared for and was shocked to see, but the locals didn’t seem to pay much attention to it, as it was something that was apparently a regular occurrence.

Following the game, a 1-0 victory by the home squad, Travis Righter and Joey Spano pause for a photograph of famed Maracana Stadium

We ended the night at a small bar/club one block from our hostel, where we reflected on a wonderful day in a foreign country. I’m so happy for this opportunity to become close friends with people I had never met before and I can’t wait for the city tour of Rio tomorrow.