Jesus made me cry… then he blew the top of my head off… which was good because I was channeling Barry Manilow

June 14, 2010

Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and the profound energy of the chapel beneath Christ the Redeemer — with Barry Manilow on Copacabana Beach.

I visited Buenos Aires and Rio de Janerio en-route to Brasilia. I like both of these cities very much.

My time in BA was very short, but I did some shopping at Abasto and had dinner at Bio – the best organic vegetarian restaurant in Argentina (maybe even South America). Without realising, I ordered the same as last year (I had noted it in my guidebook) and it was superb. For those of you who travel through BA I strongly recommend this place.

I am so grateful to have been able to visit Rio this year. I stayed in a B&B located between Copacobana Beach and Ipanema Beach. It was very nice and convenient. I liked the opportunity to meet some locals and hear about their lives. For example, the beautiful woman who owns the place is the eldest of 17 children. She married a German and knows Pele!

As for the beaches, they are both beautiful and remarkably lacking in tackiness. I think we should send the mayor of Waverley Council to see how it is done, so that Bondi Beach can be restored to something more appropriate.

i have to confess that it was hard to get Barry Manilow out of my head at Copacobana Beach, particularly the existential question as to whether “music and fashion were always the passion” or “music and passion were always the fashion”.

As for Jesus, the moment I saw the Christ the Redeemer statue, driving from the airport, I got teary. Later that day I understood why. The statue sits on a mountain which is nearly 1km high. The statue itself is 30m high and 20m across the handspan.

Underneath the statue is a simple little chapel which is mostly filled with people taking photos. I went in to meditate and I have to say it was one of the most profound experiences of my life. The energy was so strong through the crown of my head with great intensity. I went straight into prayer and it got even stronger. I think this chapel is a sacred place – where many prayers have been said and where there is a lot of light. Whether one is Christian or not, this is a beautiful thing to experience.