Praia de Barra

The Beach!! Rio de Janeiro is world famous for its beaches and we live 8 miles and 39 bus stops from a point in the miles long beach!!

It was January 1 -- New Year's Day!  We decided to make it our P-day and so got our housecleaning done and the finances up to date. What to do?? Let's go to the beach. 

We had recently received our senior bus passes which allows us to ride any bus for free. A very good deal! So, at our usual stop in front of Uni Center, we caught bus 878, the route that takes us directly to the beach. It was pretty empty when we got on, but as the bus continued on its route, more people got on -- young adults and teenagers, families with small children carrying sand toys -- all obviously on their way to the beach as well.

About 30-35 minutes later, we arrived at the 'end' of the road. We got off and the bus turned right to finish its circuit and pass by the beach again going the other way. We will get back on the bus as it continues it circuit to go home!

Let's begin with a selfie -- to prove we were there together! We can admit to going because, as a senior couple, we can go if we want. Young missionaries are expressly forbidden to go to the beaches here. 



Below: the sand is a very fine, white sant. Great to walk on. And this beach goes on for miles in both directions!

Being New Year's Day, the beach was well-populated with families and others enjoying a day at the beach. The night before, New Year's Eve saw an estimated 3 million people packed on Rio's beaches (there are a bunch around) for fun and fireworks. Unfortunately, there was much evidence of a big crowd the night before.

The garbage on the right has at least been swept into piles where they will get bagged and put out on the street for pick up.

Lining the beach are huge hotels and condominiums which enjoy an excellent view of the beach and ocean. 

A man called to us in English as we were walking down the beach and as we were talking said he lived in one of those buildings. 

(Somehow people just seem to know we are not Brazilian and are English-speaking!)

These are probably the condominiums where people live. Not quite so high, but still with a great view.


While most people were sitting under their umbrellas on the beach, there was a good number enjoying the water. We hadn't planned on swimming -- just wanted to see what the beach looked like!

We enjoyed walking up and down the beach. It was a warm, humid day and the water was a wonderful cool temperature. There were some good waves and though we were just walking near the edge, sometimes a big wave would roll in and splash on our legs getting Dennis's shorts wet -- and my skirt as well.

And we enjoyed just the general scenery with the jagged hills both on the beach and in the ocean



Below are 2 islands just off the coast.

All along the road just above the beach were small refreshment businesses.

You can see the fish theme in the cobblestone sidewalk.







It was a cloudy day (which was nice as it kept is a little cooler). Much sunnier -- and hotter -- we may have just walked in the water clothes and all!! But the clouds also meant rain was coming so after an hour of so of walking, we decided it was time to catch the bus and go home.

Here is the street where we are waiting for our bus. The van is another option and perhaps a little faster. But, they don't accept senior bus passes.

So, we waited for the bus!!

The bus route home took us along many of the craggy hills that fill the Rio de Janeiro area and the rivers that flow from Rio to the ocean. It was our first ride among them! So, here are our views from the bus window!

And a view of the streets and towns below the majestic hills!! (Sorry about the blurry photos, but they were taken on the move from the bus through dirty glass windows.)

So, that is our first foray to the beach. There will be more!!

Campinas Temple Trip

This is the view of the Campinas Temple in the early morning when we arrived on Friday, December 28th after an all night bus ride.

We joined members of the Jacarepaguá Stake in their 2-day Caravana. We had close to 60 people in the group including half a dozen youth. 

Everyone was ready to try and sleep during the six hour ride through the night, but then we were also a little hyper anticipating the trip and joy of being at the temple again. Here are some photos of the group on board the bus.

The bus was a very tall tour bus and of course luggage below.

Everyone was assigned a seat for the ride over. We also had to provide our ID for the trip. For everyone else it was their national ID card. For us it was our Oregon drivers license.

Here is President Rocha, the Second Counselor in the Stake Presidency, giving instructions and gathering ID cards. This was a special trip for his family as his youngest daughter was going to receive her endowments in preparation for her mission. 

In the photo above you see President Rocha's married son who was there to support his sister.

In the photo on the left you see other members of the group, including Bishop
Ramiro Martins Silva Filho in the suit coat checking his cell phone, and the Bishop's wife, Izabel Cristina, on the left sitting at the table. Izabel grew up in São Paulo and remembers my mission president, President Hibbert.

Bishop Ramiro led the stake choir that we performed with at Christmas time. He was also a counselor to Janet's good friend Ruth Day's brother who served as mission president here in Rio a few decades ago.

We actually slept relatively well on the bus yet were most happy to arrive at the temple, a beautiful symbol of God in our lives.

The Campinas temple stands on an elevated lot in a relatively open area outside of downtown Campinas. It has beautiful arches on the outside with tall arched stained glass windows. The simple Nativity scene decorated one side of the temple.

To the left is the building that houses the distribution store, housing for temple missionaries, and guest housing, which is where we stayed. 

There is a cafeteria on the first floor where we had a light breakfast (see below). We were there plenty early and had to wait for breakfast to open and for our rooms to become available. 

Here is the breakfast lineup. There where other stake caravans, at least one from the Rio area, and one we visited with from Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte area.

Everyone at the temple is happy, happy to be off the bus, happy to get something to eat, but especially happy to be so close to the House of the Lord, ready to enter and serve our ancestors.

On the far right of this line are two youth from our Freguesia Ward, Camila and Rodrigo. Both are relatively recent converts. Camila is 15 or 16, the only member of her family, and one bundle of joy.

Rodrigo just reached his one year mark as a member, just received the Melchizedek priesthood, and is preparing for a mission.

The corridor in the temple housing building. The brethren are waiting for the room to get ready. All are anxious to get suitcases in the room and all set so we could go to the temple and begin our service there.

Like all temple housing, each room has 3-4 bunkbeds  and sleeps 6-8 brothers or sisters. When Janet got to her room, she was asked if a top bunk would be ok. It was, and climbed the ladder only twice: one to make the bed with the sheets provided and the other to go to sleep. Dennis also got a top bunk in his room as well. 

The large waiting room/lobby for the housing part. We have arrived and waiting for things to open up.When we got there at 5:30, it wasn't quite ready. But at least we could sit down.

Finally, all was in order and we were able to go through the front doors into the temple.

Like all temples, there is a sacred beauty inside. There is a feeling of peace and rest. 

Being a sacred place, we didn't take our camera in. The pictures we took are stored in our minds and hearts!!

We were able to do several endowments for our kindred dead. One of the young women did baptisms for one of Janet's  family lines dating back to the 1500's. 

We also enjoyed listening to the endowment in Portuguese. Being very familiar with it in English, made it easy to understand! 

We spent all day Friday in the temple, even eating our lunch in the temple cafeteria. Friday night, we visited the only American couple who was serving a temple mission there. I think they enjoyed having some English conversations!!!

Saturday, we were up early and were able to do another endowment and initiatory work. We thought we had until 2:00 to board the bus and planned another endowment, but we got word that noon was the magic hour! So, we ate lunch, packed our suitcases, took the sheets off the bed and pillowcases off the pillows and put it in the large bins (see picture above of the corridor!).

Camile and I -- thank you Camile for helping me with the baptisms

The stained glass windows are amazing!

Enjoying the flowers on the grounds

Angel Moroni calling to the world!!

Come to the House of the Lord!!




(2 Nephi 12:3)
Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Since we left in the afternoon, we were able to see the Brazilian countryside as we traveled home. 

Our last view of the temple as the bus moved down temple hill towards home. 

It was a beautiful day with fluffy clouds and sunshine. 

And the landscape was very green!

Below: We would pass small villages and towns

Crossing big rivers.

It was really quite beautiful!!!

There was a very mountainous section. The bus had to go down a VERY steep, curvy road. I was glad I wasn't the bus driver!!!

But it sure made for wonderful scenery!

We arrived back at the church around 8:00 at night. It was just a 10 minute walk to home. We were glad to be home and felt so blessed to have had that experience!!

As beautiful as the Brazilian landscape is, I want to end this blog with the temple!!! 

The temple is the finisher of the sacred ordinances that we need to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. 

Yes, the temples are beautiful and much effort goes into making them such. But it is the Spirit that is present and the redeeming work that is done that makes it beautiful in our hearts!