Niteroi
A short ferry trip across the bay should have been easy but my frazzled, sleep deprived brain wasn’t sharp and I forgot to pick up two clients in my own taxi on the way to the boat. Being able to solve problems is also part of trip making as well as trying to ensure they don’t happen in the first place! They caught next boat and came with Head Marshall Amit.
When we arrived at the Niemeyer skate space for our longest lesson time of the week, we were met with some grumpy Brazilian bureaucracy by being told “You can’t skate here in the mornings”. This is totally untrue as the previous Friday I was skating in just this spot. It was infuriating to be told by someone that I was not in fact here last week, that was impossible. His boss (a woman) arrived just in time to then negotiate a special pass for us for the duration of our lesson, even having to provide a member of her staff to accompany us. So we skated, in the largest space I know.
Clients commented on this experience;
“It was amazing to just do 4, 5, 6, 7, crossovers in ever increasing sizes and then change direction and crossover the other way. So relaxing and fun.”
“It was great to not HAVE to turn because you are at the edge of the skating area. There was no edge.”
We were joined by Paulo Tebett, organizer of Brazil’s largest skate event Roller Rio as she is from Niteroi. She kindly gave us all a Roller Rio Tshirt (which are my favourite event t-shirts to date!).
After a shady water refuel, the fast group then set off for a burning intense 8km skate to Sao Francisco beach for lunch. We were in a tight pack on Niteroi’s busy streets, unused to fast skaters. We climbed a couple of seriously challenging hills (temperature signs flashed 35 degrees on the way up)! The flying saucer building is the Museum of Contemporary art, currently in renovation (like much of Rio in preparation for the Olympics).
We negotiated the dangerous downhill by doing it in controlled sections. We all made it down unscathed and I am very proud of my group’s T-stopping abilities on serious slippage!
Japanese sushi lunch and ice-cream before catching the bus over the bridge back to Rio.
Whatsapp evidence shows that a nightclub was frequented by some energetic skaters (don’t know where they get their energy from) and Ian will be skydiving today…….
Fun and games continue in Rio.
Dates for Rio Trip 2017; 29th Jan – 5th Feb (Sunday to Sunday inclusive).
participation on all Skatefresh trips must be approved based on your skate ability.
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