Brazilian Summer

Chapter 2

The next day when Rachel woke up Rafa had gone already. They had gone for dinner at a charming sushi place just around the corner. Rachel hadn't realized that Japanese food was such a thing in Brazil. At first when Rafa had suggested the place she had insisted on having a local dinner but Rafa had sworn that the fusion Brazilians made of their own local cuisine and Japanese was not to be missed. And she had definitely been right. The two women had ordered a bottle of white wine and a large variety of different pieces of sushi and spent hours talking. It felt so good to be reunited at last. They had always shared a special bond, laughing together until their stomachs hurt at the most minimal things but also trusting each other with their secrets. Two years apart had just flown by and even though they had kept in touch with regular FaceTime sessions it just hadn't been the same as being able to be together in person. Rachel felt relieved that their friendship was still going as strong as ever and to see her friend so happy and at ease in her own home country.

Rafa had warned her already that she mostly did early morning classes at the gym and then went straight to work at the hotel from there. This was going to work out perfectly, Rachel also liked to get up and moving bright and early, it seemed like their routines were going to fit together perfectly. But today - probably due to the lack of comfortable sleep on the plane and the few hours of jetlag - Rachel had slept for a bit longer that she had anticipated. At first when she opened her eyes it had taken a moment for her to remember where she was. As soon as she realized a huge smile spread across her face and she had to paddle kick her legs into her thin matress a few time out of sheer excitement. It had been a long time that she had felt this stoked to bounce out of bed. That was a nice change. She checked her phone - it was already nine o'clock. About time to get going!

She dressed quickly. By now she had already learned just how hot the summer here was. The car ride from the airport in her long tights had almost been unbearable yesterday and even during the night the temperature had plunged only very slightly. Rachel loved this temperature and relished in all the opportunities she would get to wear her summer clothes again. This morning she opted for a long dress with a floral print, its fabric being light and soft. A breeze should easily blow through that, should she be so lucky and find one.

After a quick breakfast in the same bakery that Rafa had taken her to the day before she ordered herself an Uber to the first thing she wanted to see of this beautiful city: the famous Christ The Redeemer statue on top of the Corcovado mountain. It seemed the perfect place to start exploring, from a bird's eye perspective. She wanted to see the city from above to make sense of its layout and then go on from there, exploring every neighborhood day by day.

 When the Uber arrived her driver smiled at her and tried to make friendly conversation. Rachel smiled back and gestured to indicate that unfortunately, she couldn't understand a thing. The guy just laughed and they both sat in silence, listening to the tunes that came out of the car stereo. 

After the quick ride which Rachel spent looking out the window trying to soak up as much about her new city as possible she jumped on the small train that carried tourists from all parts of the world up the steep mountain towards the Christ statue. The place was bustling with people. She was surrounded by families, couples and even groups of school children as the small wagon steadily climbed its way up through the thick green vegetation. The train was fairly old and even though it fitted the retro vibe that she had gotten from Rio so far, at one point Rachel wondered if it was simply going to roll back down towards the valley, tired of the weight of all the people it had to carry. However, they made it to the top safely and as everyone disembarked Rachel took her sunglasses off her head and placed them on her nose. She stepped off the train and walked the last ascent all the way to the top where the statue was placed.