The weather has been a bit mixed today, so I just strolled around Ipanema’s little streets and on to the beach.

Ipanema is really as nice as they say… rectangular streets, all lined with lush green tropical trees that make a perfect cover (rain or shine).

Orchids are growing on those trees and judging from the abundance of their flowers, they love those spots.

The streets are full of restaurants, little bars and sandwich places. Tomorrow I’ll try one of these fresh coconuts that are sold on every second corner.

Today I had a açaí berry smoothie, with strawberries, a dark purple ‘drink’ that was surprisingly tasty, not overly sweet (I wonder what a shot of vodka would do…). They say it’s miracle for weight loss and good for cholesterol. We’ll see.

I already found a favorite lunch place, despite its queues, thanks to my host Mauricio: Delirio Tropical, a little salad and sandwich place that has yummy combos and lots of veggie choices, perfect for me. I had some kind of spinach-feta filled wrap in a cream sauce and a tasty lentil-wheat-nut salad for dinner.

On to the beach where I saw the kite surfers battle the waves and had my feet in the water. Both beach and water are surprisingly clean – as is all of Ipanema!

Somehow I thought such a mega city would leave more traces in the water (apparently it turns out the real problem is the bay, while this is the open ocean). The sand is perfect to walk, a bit grainy… I can’t wait for tomorrow’s announced sunshine.

I walked the beach north up to the Arpoador, a big rock formation at the end of the Ipanema beach that people climb up to sit and watch the waves or the surfers. Just behind it there is a little area where the waves seem perfect for surfing.

During midsummer it is one of the rare spots where east-facing Brazilians can see the sun set in the sea…

I ended the day on our balcony with a beer with the the Berlin couple that’s also staying with Mauricio at the time, and got a few tips from Olivia, who has lived in Rio before…