Do you want the truth or something beautiful?

Do you want the truth or something beautiful? In certain special cities you don't have to choose and I find this to be particularly true and distinct in Rio de Janeiro.

Here, I have been inspired, transported by the stunning architecture of "Rio antiguo" juxtaposed with the dirt and decay that surrounds it today. I have felt joy when surfers walk with their boards on the broken sidewalks of Ipanema. And I have felt both sorrow and excitement whenever I see the buildings surrounding the jungle and magical coastal landscape of this city.

Cities like Berlin or Paris continue to evolve into exquisite blends of old and new, tradition and innovation, historical and shiny buildings, etc. revealing at every corner their truth and beauty. But as I unconsciously charter Rio and my experience of Rio throughout the weeks, I realize how here the convergence of truth and beauty is not so much about the bones of the city. For me, it is something far less planned and much more dependent on the seemingly irrelevant and daily decisions of the people who call this land of contrasts home.

I am genuinely curious about the Carioca people who have painted across the city some of the most colorful murals I have ever seen, and the people who decide not to cover them up when they are painted illegally. I am mistified by the women that worship the cult of beauty and luxury, and the same women who know how to walk carefree to the beach with barely a pair Havaianas. I take my hat off in front of the honest, humble, poor Cariocas who have in them the mental and physical strength to stack their tiny homes on the steepest mountains of the city, thriving against all odds. All of them and others, create an ecosystem that vibrates at a unique and delicious frequency you can feel in your soul anytime you pay attention while in Rio. After all, "pra fazer um samba com beleza é preciso um bocado de tristeza" says Vinicius de Moraes.

Thank you to my dear friend Rolando who last week walked the beaches and streets of Rio with me without much of an agenda, who indulged in "salgadinhos" anytime we felt like it, and became my accomplice during a night of bossa, caipirinhas and cheap wine. Thank you for making my journey in Rio the more exciting!