A night of death by heat was what we experienced but we were resurrected and we emerged victorious! I felt great the next morning and Vero was 80% operating capacity.
We ate some fruit and fell back asleep in the heat for a few hours more. Interesting as there are no window screens in Rio…too hot for bugs.
We headed to the apartment to find that Chris was in fine shape.
Everyone except for Vero headed to a Sunday market to purchase some wares. I picked up some fridge magnets as souvenirs which I don’t think made the ‘Vero’ cut as she’s still looking for souvenirs! (I have since found out that she thought they were fine.) I also picked up a beach blanket with the Brazil motto on it: Order and Progress.
I was going to buy Vero a handbag but it turned out to be $88R. A little too pricey (but now with my new found knowledge of the exchange rate, a steal of a deal!). The art around the market was nice as well but I didn’t see anything that moved me. Florent and Audrey picked up some art and Chris had his eye on a few pieces but was going to wait till later in the week to make a decision.
We went to the shopping center to exchange Philipp’s $180R pair of shorts (a gift) and checked some emails on the trusty iPod Touch. Lord, I love that thing. I picked up a smoothie for Vero and found her awake and chipper when we got home.
I was running low on energy having only some fruit and an apple in my stomach for the entire day so the five of us searched for a restaurant. We hit the jackpot and each had a giant Bohemian beer (chilled at -4.3 degrees!) and I had a filet mignon sandwich and fries. Yes! Two bites in, I was full. So was Chris. That’s how small my stomach had become.
A thought about eating in Rio: to this point, I have eaten very little and still managed to fare well (energy-wise). Or did I, considering I got sick yesterday? I blame it on the coconut. Why don’t we listen to our bodies as to when we should eat? Why do we eat so much in North America? I have started (upon my return) to eat less and to see how that works. I theorize that I will still have enough energy to get me through the day. I have long argued with Vero that she gives me way too much food on my supper plate and she says it’s because she grew up that way. I encourage everyone to break their habits and eat only when they need energy! Or at the very least, when you know you’ll need energy in the near future.
We headed home in hopes of a good sleep.