Front row seats for party!

Our hotel faces Ipanema beach and today we had front row seats (from our hotel room window) to see the parade and the party scene surrounding it. The parade itself wasn't that large - mostly dancers and drummers spanning a half mile or so. However, there was a dense crowd following them of people dancing in street and blasting music from their cars. I don't think the street was officially closed, but it was completely jammed with people. We were happy to be watching from afar and not from within the masses.





After it died down a bit, we went out to eat at a Brazilian restaurant called Porcao that was excellent. At authentic Brazilian restaurants, its like a buffet but they have numerous waiters who bring different dishes by your table. You have a small marker on the table that has a green side for "more food" and a red side for "no thank you". If you flip it over to green, each waiter stops at your table as he passes by and offers you some. Most of it is beef but there was pork, chicken and seafood as well.