Rio de Janeiro

I went down to Rio last week, the first time I have been there in twenty-five years. It is still a beautiful place and I will write up notes about my  very busy schedule there later. For now I am posting a few of the pretty pictures. The one up top is a very big picture. I didn’t shrink it down, so you can look at the source (http://johnsonmatel.com/2011/July/Rio2/Rio_de_Janiero_foggy_view.JPG) and see it in more detail.

I took the picture from one of the favelas, or slums.  This one had recently been the scene of terrible violence and literally wars between the authorities and drug dealers. Now it is pacified.  Below is a mural drawn of the favela – or maybe the community they would like it to be. If you look at the bottom you see a gray spot. That is where a bullet hit during the late unpleasantness.