Copacabana Beach

— Rio de Janeiro is a postcard just about anywhere you look. The city is known in Brazil as the Marvelous City. I tend to think the denomination comes from the fact the city’s topography is blessed by the Creator. The beaches and mountains surrounding Rio de Janeiro offer beautiful views in just about any direction. The photo above was made in 2005, but it gives you an idea of the landscape. This is Copacabana Beach, and in the horizon you can the Sugar Loaf mountain. Although Rio is plagued with shantytowns (favelas, in Portuguese) in the suburbs, I was quite surprised how safe I felt walking in Copacabana. When I asked a local about that, I was told that generally two to three blocks from the beach are safe areas.