Toucan treats

Was sure I had successfully uploaded this last night, but somehow, it wasn't there this morning.

Anyway, took our visitor to the Botanical Gardens, where we saw monkeys, marmosets, toucans - and even some plants and trees. My mother was always disappointed with the lack of flowers and colour, and one source of colour and beauty, the Orchidareum, was closed for maintenance. The Bomeliadarium [?] was open, however, and some of the flowering orchids had been moved in there. A lovely display, but a hot house on a very hot day is not somewhere to linger. Even up the side of the gardens, in the Atlantic Rainforest area, the shade barely afford relief from the hot, dry air (not Rio's usual high humidity, just hot).

I could still have lingered for hours, but the heat was too much for our guest, so we repaired to the cafe to restore our strength - and anyway, time was limited as she had a plane to catch.

After dropping her at the airport we drove up the mountain and joined in an informal supper followed by a floodlit putting competition for all comers - kids, beginners and some who had imbibed much alcohol during the day. All beneath a sky with at least double the normal quantity of stars - must have come to watch.

I am so happy to be here - and was so happy last night that I barely slept, but it didn't matter, it gave me further opportunities for star-gazing. A siesta may be de rigeur today, though.