Today seemed like a good day to just go to the beach and read. Sun protection factor 70: applied. Book and coconut: ready. It was not blistering hot, a nice breeze and the sun hid a bit behind high clouds…

But boy did I get a sunburn. I guess it’s inevitable, whatever protection I apply, the first exposure to sun leads to me taking on a pink hue.

The beach itself was pretty full. You can rent a little chair for 5 R$, get drinks or an umbrella from the various stands along the beach. All of which is noted during the day on a sheet of paper you present in the end to pay for it all.

There’s a number of vendors passing through the crowd, selling bikinis, hats, water, fruit, sandwiches… but pretty discreet. They’re not pushy at all, but available if you have any needs.

Considering the number of people, the beach stays pretty clean… of course some don’t pick up, but I guess at the end of the day the people working there get rid of the trash, ready for the next day.

The crowd is mostly young, boys and girls in tight and short pieces of cloth, sometimes see-through, it’s all about showing off… Men are parading their muscled, tattooed and shaved bodies, the women their mostly rounder (and sometimes enhanced) figures…