we were surrounded by a warm network of brazilian expats who provided access to a culture of the city that i otherwise wouldn't have been privy to. one of them took us to a place on the western edge of town called teufelsberg that you would have absolutely loved, ma. it's an abandoned US National Security Agency listening station, built on top of a hill that's made of the rubble from the second world war, which itself covers a subterranean nazi military college! there are four domes at different elevations with amazing views of the entire city, and even better acoustics. we spend hours slowly exploring the complex, taking pictures, climbing around the tower, making and recording sounds in the highest dome...