For a queer boy borned and raised in the Soviet Union, to see Madonna in concert in Rio de Janeiro would seem like a far-fetched dream. Yet there I was in the legendary Maracana Stadium in the pouring rain. To quote her lyrics, "I'm not religious but it makes me want to pray."

And please, don't make me choose between Ipanema and Copacabana... Brazil is the most beautiful place I've ever seen, including the most people people! -- Alexey Bulokhov