Here it Comes

Editorial

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – It really feels like summer is upon us now in Rio, after a cool winter and a stretch of rainy weeks. Even people who normally say they prefer the Rio winter climate to the blazing summer heat are ready for some sun. Certainly business is ready for the ‘high-season’ – when cold weather in the Northern Hemisphere send beach worshipers south.

When explaining the temperatures here to Americans back home there is the added complexity of converting Celsius to Fahrenheit, but recently I’ve taken to equating it to the climate in Miami.

The biggest thing I remember about school geography is finding it boring, and that toilets flush in opposite direction on different sides of the equator (which I’ve never actually confirmed with my own eyes).

However, some quick research shows the latitude of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is 22 degrees 54 minutes South, close to the Tropic of Capricorn. Miami is 25 degrees 48 minutes North, slightly outside the Tropic of Cancer.

Temperatures are affected by other things of course, such as ocean currents and altitude, but now you have an easy reference. And for anyone in the U.S. living north of the Mason Dixon, it all sounds like summertime.

What can I say, in Rio the days are getting longer, the sun is getting hotter, the prospect of the holidays (Christmas and New Years are pleasantly turned up-side-down), and of course Carnival is in the air.

I strongly suggest you book those plane tickets (with American Airlines if possible), find an apartment (with one of our Advertisers), and take advantage of the slightly stronger dollar to the real currency exchange.

Don’t worry about the global economic crisis, these things are cyclical. And even if the sky falls, might as well get some sun first. Rio may not be the cheapest vacation, in fact it may be among the more expensive, but nowhere else will you get the combination of climate, culture and fun.

If I sound optimistic it is because some new developments are in the air for The Rio Times, which you will hopefully hear about soon. Also, the November issue of our Print Edition is coming out tomorrow (Thursday) without a hitch.