Runniing Brasilia, Brazil

Full photo: http:\\cio.gsfc.nasa.govimagescontent513634main_iss026e016368_full.jpg

Brasilia is many things to different people. To Brazilians, it is the nation's capital of 3.5 million, situated on a plateau in the central-western part of the country. To aliens, it is a city on earth shaped like a bird or an airplane as can be seen in this NASA photograph taken from space.

The city is the seat of Brazil's government, with all the three branches - legislative, judicial, and executive- holding offices in buildings at the Praca dos Tres Poderes (the National Congress in this photo, Federal Supreme Court, and Planalto Palace) that could only be considered as icons of modern architecture.

Inaugurated only in 1960, it is perhaps the youngest if not the most modern capital city in the world. The city's master plan was drafted by the renowned urban planner Lucio Costa and the city's major buildings were conceived by the legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer, designer of the UN Headquarters building in New York.

Around the city's landscape that was laid out by Burle Marx, one would notice unique buildings, such as this circular Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida, a hyperboloid structure made up of 16 concrete columns representing two hands reaching up to the heavens.

The city's monuments such as this JK Memorial dedicated to former Brazilian President Juscelino Kubitschek who founded the city truly are works of art exhibited in open air, celebrating Brasilia as a landmark modernist project of the 20th century.

Even the Brasilia Shopping mall right in front of my hotel and close to another city attraction- the TV tower- was artistically shaped and very modern, with fine restaurants, upscale stores, and various offices indoors!

With such beautiful surroundings, a high elevation of 1172 meters above sea level that presented panoramic views of the valley, and lots of open spaces including having the biggest urban park in South America- the 42-hectare Parque da Cidade- running Brasilia simply I could not resist.

So for three consecutive days, during late afternoons and early evenings after meetings, I ran the streets of Brasilia, from the flat streets to undulating slopes near the city's hotel sector and the Ulysses Guimaraes-designed convention center,

To the pedestrian lanes of the expressways lining the Monumental Axis  of this first city to be recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Site and dubbed as American Capital of Culture in 2008,

To the endless sidewalks dotted by waiting shed  where the worn and weary workers of this city with the highest per capital income and standard of living in Brazil waited for the buses to bring tired but well-paid bodies home.

Each day I ran a little bit over 10K, and for the three days I logged 31K. The routes I took were chosen on purpose.  I wanted whoever was watching Brasilia from space to notice the shape of my Brasilia 31K (red line on photo drawn on Google Earth by my Garmin GPS watch; also see NASA photo above).

Obrigado!