I’m not sure if it was the season or what, but the waves crashing into the shore were HUGE. The cariocas were of course undaunted by the Atlantic’s power, swimming far out from shore and nonchalantly diving into the base of the big waves to avoid their powerful blows when they broke. We were surprised how strong the current was—just anchor your feet in the sand and you’ll be all right as long as you’re just standing there, not swimming.

We had a blast coming down here every day for a swim. Since we were there in the fall, it wasn’t packed, but you and I both know it’s hopping during the summer, not to mention Carnival. Just like at Ipanema, pickup fútbol and volleyball games popped up everywhere, as well as frescobol, played with two wooden paddles and what looked like a small, hard racquetball. You basically just hit the ball back and forth—we were amazed at how hardcore one couple was getting. The ball didn’t hit the sand for like five minutes.

There were also fishermen down here on the cloudier days, as well as locals combing the sands with a long pole with a cage attached to the end of it. I’m not exactly sure what they were hoping to catch—lobster? Buried treasure?

We had our little local food/drink stand on the beach, only a few blocks from the hotel. It was near Club Help, a disco commonly known for attracting a healthy clientele of hookers. The two guys running the stand were totally cool, whipping up strong, flavorful caipirvodkas and keeping an eye out for hustlers looking to harass anyone chilling at a table. Good times!

Just remember to keep your head on straight, especially at night. But don’t sweat it—the beach and walkway are all lit up, and it stays pretty populated through most of the night. Nevertheless, there are petty thieves lurking, so just stay alert. Don’t leave anything unattended. They like to try and distract you—we quickly caught on to two guys thinking about pulling some kind of stupid shit, but they decided otherwise.

Just use common sense, eh? You’ll love it—I miss Copacabana already!

The first time I visited Copacabana was in the evening, as the sun was starting to set. The beach was mellow as I walked along the promenade towards Ipanema, with families starting to pack up their blankets for the day, and couples settling the bill at the snack stands. Soccer games were still going strong though, in roped-off fields far back from where the waves crashed. Sand scupltors stood vigil next to their depictions, lest a stray ball or child caused a crumble.

Halfway home I decided to stop for some coconut water, and was delighted to be sipping the cool cool beverage through the tall skinny straw and straight out of the green pod. Looking around, I wanted to call all my friends and tell them where I was ('Can you believe it??'), sitting under an umbrella on Copacabana Beach.

On my next visit to Rio I found myself under a similar umbrella with the same beverage, this time to cool myself instead of relieve my feet. I'd just finished soaking up the sun for a couple of hours. While at first I was nervous about laying on the beach by myself (how would I go in the water with no one to watch my stuff? what if some thief ran by and grabbed my bag while I was reading?), in the end I encountered no problems. I laid my towel between two families (tan men in their fifties wearing white linen shirts and sunglasses; their wives in bikinis and high-heeled flip flops), and read for a while until I couldn't take the heat any longer. A quick dip made me realize the pull of the tide was much stronger than I was used to at my beaches at home on Long Island, NY. I stayed until the families abandoned their lounges to go have lunch (I imagined them eating in their fancy apartments, like the one described in the book Brazil by John Updike). Back in my hotel room, I looked wistfully down on the earnest reaching of the surf, and the dignified curve of the promenade, both trying to get closer to Copacabana Beach.

One thing we couldn't get over was the sight of middle age men brazenly showing off their speedo bathings suits, while their younger counterparts made attempts at a few push-ups on the beach before collapsing in exhaustion. People talk about the string bikinis, but in my opinion what the men were putting out there was far more remarkable.

At night you can find lots of outdoor cafes on Copacabana where you can sip a drink, enjoy the sea, and wonder over the large number of prosititutes working the scene. At night you'll also find an open market where you can occasionally find something worth buying. Most of the stuff is junk, but I found one merchant selling beautiful silver jewelry at great prices--you can find bargains if you keep your eyes peeled.

One unusual feature of this beach--there's very little swimming. Unfortunately polution has made swimming an option only for the intrepid. I didn't try it.