The pulsing sand

This picture was taken in 2007. It captures a crowded summer’s afternoon at the world-famous Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Imagine a beehive (without the stings), and that’s what Copacabana and other busy Brazilian beaches can be like. Every which way you look and listen there are things happening. There are vendors selling ice creams, bikinis, umbrellas, towels and balls. Oh yes, those balls. Kick them, spike them, throw them, hit them, balance them on your head…anything seems possible. Elsewhere there are speakers pulsing, oils sizzling, breezes teasing towels, and earrings, necklaces and bangles glinting in the sharp afternoon…Copacabana is not only a beach, but a theatre of Brazilian life.

Do you like going to the beach? If you do, do you have a story or two to tell?