And I Got To Ride My Bicycle

Today was one of our best days in Rio.  We FINALLY finished our bicycle AND I got to ride it :)  It was able to ride smoothly and support my weight - two things none of us believed could be possible.  It was a great day for our IRES team, and I am SO proud of us!

The group and our nearly completed bicycle

I've put so much into this bicycle: sweat, tears, and even some clothing :)

Trying to cheer up Mr. Grumpy Pants

Group photo shoot with our bike:

  

Beach Bum for Life

This weekend we've taken a break from bicycle building with some time at the beach, shopping with Joanna (a carioca we met through a friend at PUCi), and hanging out at the local pubs.  I love soaking up the sun on the beach (maybe a little too much considering my awful sunburn).  There are always so many interesting people out in Ipanema (beautiful Brazilian families, toned men in their speedos or sungas, Cariocas playing volleyball/soccer/or a mix of both). Is it possible to sneak a beach back in your suitcase? :)

Much busier than it appears

Failure is Not an Option

I've been a little behind on my posts since our group has been very busy building our bicycle and doing our other research. Our bicycle is almost complete (except for a seat). Now the bicycle actually supporting my weight is another question :)

Discussing all the problems with our bicycle :)

Dr. Ghavami teaching Chad about bamboo

Functioning petals, yay!

Bicycle mechanics

Sunrise, Sunset

Ipanema beach has some of the most gorgeous sunsets.  Our group enjoyed it with coconut water (straight out of a coconut!).  The water is very refreshing and full of electrolytes: perfect for a day or night at the beach :)

I Want To Ride My Bicycle

The past couple days our group has been working to finish our bamboo bicycle.  There have been many complications along the way, and we've each been feeling the stress of limited time and resources, but I believe we are doing a great job!  I will actually be the first one to ride the bicycle when it is done, so please say a prayer for me this week :)

Marianne: our master buffer

Our materials table

The entrance to the structural lab

A little downtime bamboo beauty salon

FINALLY drilling some holes in our specimens

The most delicious (and *expensive*) strawberries for lunch!

Preston using the steel buffer (so cool)!

Moments before spray painting our rotator piece

Jardim Botanico

On Sunday, our group met our research advisor, Dr. Ghavami, at the botanical gardens in Rio. He was an excellent tour guide since he walks through the gardens every weekend for exercise and enjoyment :) The botanical gardens were very nice, and at points reminded me of a rainforest with huge trees, vines, and greenness everywhere. Unfortunately, I forgot to charge my battery so I didn't take many good pictures. Instead, I've stolen some shots from the internet (attached below)

Famous line of HUGE palm trees

One of my favorite parts: the orchid house :)

These cuties were everywhere!

I'm on a Boat

This Saturday our group decided to take a break from research AND the city.  We took a day trip to Paqueta, an island in the Bay of Guanabara (bordering the northeastern section of the city).  This island is frequently visited by families during the weekend to take a break from the hussle and bussle of Rio (and it is such a peaceful break since there are no cars on the island, and transport is only by foot, bicycle, or horse drawn carts).  After a rather long boat ride (70 minutes), our group arrived at the beautiful tropical island.  We spent the rest of the day just walking around snapping photos (aka, the reason why there are so many below).  The island consisted of beaches and gorgeous colonial buildings (reminding me a lot of Italy).

Group on the ferry

 

Swan boats along the beach for rent

 

Girls being adventurous

 

Horse drawn carts

 

Tropicalness

 

Sea and cranes

 

My future house

 

Cristo Redentor

I love this photo :) Everyone had to get one of these shots

 Our group under the Christ!

A great view of Rio

Showing some love

Our group FINALLY made it to the Christ Statue on a beautiful day in Rio!  I think the big guy lived up to all his hype.  Especially since he was accompanied by an awesome view of the city.  :)  We took  a lot of fun photos and spent time just enjoying the sun and view.

I Don't Wanna Work...

Today our group realized we still have a bunch of work to do before we return to the States.  It's crunch time.  So unfortunately we are going to have to abandon the slow Brazilian lifestyle for a bit and start making more progress.  Obviously from the title you can see I'm not too happy about this (yes, I just want to bang on the drums all day aka walk along Ipanema beach, drink cafezinhos and caipirinhas, samba dance in Lapa, etc etc)

Our bamboo frame laid out in the lab

Waterfalls and Listerine

On our way back from Camburi, our group stopped at a gorgeous waterfall.  We climbed all along the rocks leading up to the water (with some of us being more graceful than others).  After arriving back in Rio, we met a friend of Bhavna's and fellow American named Gina.  Gina was originally from Ohio but fell in love in Rio during a business trip and never returned to the States.  I'm sure my mom is hoping the same will not happen to me :)  Gina and her husband took us out to an all you can eat pizza place which was delicious!  The waiters would appear with pizza after pizza - some even pushing the slices onto your place after a nao obrigada or no thank you.  The bathroom of the restaurant was complete with a bottle of listerine and floss - extremely necessary after numerous slices of pizza.  The meal ended in a series of dessert pizzas, which were delicious but even overwhelming for my sweet tooth.  The group then headed to Copacabana beach for the night hippie market, filled with Brazilian craftsmen and artists.

Me and the Mermaid

Smiles mere seconds before I wiped out

Part of our group at dinner (notice the chocolate remains in front of me)

Camburi Field Trip

Our group took a day trip to Camburi, a village close to Sao Paulo.  The village is constructing, with the help of Dr. Ghavami, a bamboo community center and several other buildings.  We observed the structural characteristics of the buildings.  Though, we also got to have a lot of fun, taking a night trip to Paraty, a colonial town with structures dating back to the 1800s.  It was pretty similar to Williamsburg, VA: very touristy, but peaceful and gorgeous at night :)

Our group prior to a severe food coma

Hiking to Camburi

Marianne being a good Civ E :)

Eduardo (the construction manager) explaining the project

Girls in front of an old cathedral in Paraty

Store filled with Cachaca (a sugarcane rum used to make caipirinhas - a very popular drink in Brazil which also contains lime and more sugar - yum)

Pitt in Rio

Dan, me, and Marianne at dinner

Also on Sunday, I met one of my very best friends from Pitt in RIO!  Dan was exploring the city with his friends from Sao Paulo and luckily we were able to meet up for dinner :)  It was so much fun!  We all even tried some Devassa (a beer made in Rio). It was delicious (even for a non beer lover)