Rio de Janeiro is all grown up

Who ever says that Brazil isn´t developing, hasn´t paid a visit to Lapa after not going for 2 years.

Holy Crap, I was completely taken aback.  First off, they´ve closed the main street! There´s no more packed tiny sidewalk, trying to squeeze by to get to where you are going, and unfortunate "accidental" ass grabs. 

Then there are the port-a-potties. Port-a-Potties!!  I can´t even tell you the adventure it once was to find a proper toilet to pee in when you were drinking on the streets of Lapa. I used to go to this warehouse where they´d post a tiny sign saying R$1 toilet.  You´d have to pass all the storage to get to the far back end to where the bathroom was. If it were a horror move, you would have told yelled 'NO NO, Don´t do it you stupid Woman!'

And now it´s all tourist friendly, slightly European even!  I almost forgot to mention the stands. They have official vendor stands. Gone are the days of the Styrofoam box on a cart full of ice and beer and vendor stands in the more inconvenient of places. 

I will say that the change is welcome. It was much easier to maneuver and a far more pleasant of a stroll. You can actually enjoy the architecture now... because that´s why so many of the people go to Lapa in the first place.  riiiggghhht

So our little Rio de Janeiro is growing up. It just happens so fast. Good for you Rio!