After so much walking around Rio, adjusting to the heat and time difference we wanted to spend a day soaking up some rays on a Brazilian beach. The only question was which one? Even in low season it seems all the beach sellers swarm to Copacabana beach and make it their mission to harass you as often as possible. We were there for just ten minutes and had 8 different guys come up to us trying to sell us tatt so we soon made a swift exit to find a more relaxing haven.
This place was Urca bay. Just on the other side of Copacabana but a world away from insistent pedlars. This tiny golden sand cove is surrounded by hilly mountains nestled just under Sugar Loaf Mountain so as you sunbathed you would gaze up at the trundling cable cars. It was practically deserted when we arrived apart from the odd guy in uniform taking in the rays on their break as there is a large military school nearby making it feel extra safe there.
First on the agenda, as it is on some of the best days out, was to grab a bite to eat. Being such a small quiet area there were no cafes or shops just small beach carts selling drinks and snacks. We joined the queue at the busiest one behind the locals (always a good sign that it sells great grub) and just pointed to what the lady in front of us ordered, not having a clue what it was but it smelt fab.
The silver haired chef dived into numerous silver boxes and began to create a hotdog packed with onion, cheese, guacamole, relish, thin chips, and cream all topped with a quails egg. It was delicious and cost about a pound!
Padding on the soft warm sand we laid out our sarong (Giovanna told us that no Brazilian would ever go to the beach with a towel) and sat down to people watch as we ate. At times I didn’t know where to put my eyes as bums in thongs were everywhere. From pert and cellulite free (I know!) to enormous saggy bottoms it seemed that every derrière was on show with just dental floss bikini bottoms to cover up.
The water was so much calmer here than on Copacabana and so inviting but as soon as we dipped our toes in we soon understood why there wasn’t loads of people swimming. IT WAS SO FREAKING COLD! We forced ourselves to edge in but every new wave was like an electric shock of ice even in the strong midday sun. Eventually we braced ourselves and swam about but that was partly because we couldn’t feel our limbs anymore.
After finally stopping shivering on the sand we spent the rest of the afternoon snoozing and chatting. As our skin turned pink and the blood flowed once more in our legs we reluctantly packed up our things to head home promising that we would be back to this beautiful bay.
