Postcard: Rio de Janeiro

As the season of Carnaval sweeps the world, my thoughts always turn toward Rio de Janeiro. After seeing Black Orpheus at such a young age, how could one not tie the two together? And then there's my Bossa Nova thing too. Yes, I definitely have a fascination with Brazil and this time of year is when I can freely indulge.

Take a look at this panorama, would you? The hills, the sea, the buildings (of course there are many many more now from when this image was taken,) and of course the iconic statue of Christ Redeemer. The whole place is so stunning from up high, but always seems to hide a bit of mystery. It could be the masks of carnaval, the Santeria, the tropical heat, the complex language, or just the overall exoticism of Brazil, but one can tell there's much more going on than a mere panorama will show.