A Pancada de Hoje

I just got back in time from a great walk up and back on Copacabana Beach. Since there was perhaps a 1:10 billion chance of finding the oculos perdidos, it was worth it… well worth it. It was 5pm, the sun wasn’t high, there were thousands of people out, playing vôlei, futebol, futevôlei, and just playing in the water. I walked about 30 minutes towards Posto 6 / Arpoador and turned around to see the Pão de Açugar covered in clouds, with a large set of thunderheads building up behind it. I got to the end of the beach, and turned around and a huge wall of dark clouds was bearing down on Copacabana, with not one person thinking of leaving.

Except me.

But it looked like a good twenty minutes before the show… so I walked back, got up to the caçadão and got to the Hotel Copacabana, and onto Rua Rodolfo Dantas and into the building with no problem. As I was taking a shower (my third today) I hear thunder and then big drops of rain, and then sudden shuwoosh… uma pancada! It is kind of like someone has turned on a giant sprinkler, with the force of a fire hose. Everything smells so clean and good, and there is a collective sigh from all the buildings around, as folks go the windows and watch…

I can only imagine the havoc on the beach.