How does it feel to not have to pay rent and bills and yet, wake up to an amazing beach view every morning? Well, a Brazilian man is certainly living a dream as he has been living in a giant sandcastle on Rio de Janeiro’s beach for over 22 years!
Marcio Mizael Matolias, 44, is also known as ‘The King’ among his neighbours and friends has lived in a incredibly giant sandcastle for many years because of his deep love to the beach
He even has his own throne and sceptre and spends his day playing seaside golf and entertaining tourists
Although the sand sculpture which he calls home needs to be retouched and maintained frequently, he does not mind as he can never see himself living a different life.
“People pay exorbitant rents to live in front of the sea. I don’t have any bills and I live very well here,” Marcio said
“I grew up in the Bay of Guanabara, I always lived on the beach. I have become a sort of tourist attraction,” Marcio happily said.
Despite the precarious nature of his sandcastle home, Marcio said he has everything that he needs although he needs to run to the nearby firemen’s station which is 30 metres away every time he wants to use a bathroom
At night, he sleeps inside the sleeping bag he carefully tucks away when morning comes. In spite of that, there are times when the sand is too warm for him to sleep on.
“The sand retains the heat, so sometimes I cannot sleep here and I go to sleep in a friend’s house. But the truth is I prefer to stay here, even if I have to sleep outside by the sea,” Marcio said
Apart from golfing and entertaining tourists, his daily routine also involves him sprinkling water on the walls of the sandcastle to keep them sturdy in the baking heat of January sun which can reach up to 40°C.
He also runs a second-hand bookshop next to his sandcastle which profit he uses to buy food
The sandcastle is especially popular among tourists and local kids who flock to see the astounding sculpture
Sometimes, a shopping centre pays him to sculpt massive sandcastle just like his sandcastle for special events.
Marcio hopes to be able to realise his dream to build sculptures from different materials at his friend’s place in the future
Watch the video below to find out how Marcio builds and maintains his sandcastle!
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