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Published: February 8th 2008
Sidewalk Design
All the sidewalks are designs in black and white ... all over Rio and Niteroi.Rain! Rain! Rain !… a real downer
Every store, shopping plaza, travel agency, art gallery and museum was closed
Metal roller blinds closed the windows … no window shopping
Buffet, buffet, beefet ..food by the kilo … some as costly as R$33 .. depends on the quality of selection
Rice and beans on the menu … and not a minute too soon … really need fibre
Good looking hunks galore ... everywhere!
Women’s shoes are either high heels, high wedges or super thin almost no soles
Metro, bus and ferry service every good … Metro a bit of a walk from the ferry
Taxis … outrageous prices … only for Carnaval?
Sambadromo … sector 13 … cheap seats … at the end of the parade …Perfect!
Each school had only 80 minutes to complete the course … one minute late means disqualification
Beaches are clean, crowded, sandy and wonderfully full of amazing people
Shoe shoe shoe and more shoe stores
Am sorry that no Brasilian movie was seen
Hotels great … except the smelly dark one some people stayed at
The people are fantastic … many
Condo Living
The cars are parked in the first three floors of the building. All apartment buildings are protected by a high metal fences with electric code access. give warnings to keep one safe
Street vendors sell; real corn boiled on the street in big pots, cold water, beer, hot dogs shish kabobs grilled on charcoal, grilled cheese, shots of
liquor,
Christ the Redeemer …largest example of Art Deco sculpture … too many people … too hot
Sugar Loaf … tiny …372m up ... great view
City Tour cut short because of street closures and chaotic traffic ... Carnaval don't you know ... have never experienced such extreme closure
Floats could be seen on Av. Presidente Vargas waiting to enter Sambadromo
Parade starts at 20:00 and ends at 06:00 in Sambadromo
Walking thru closed city, past colonial buildings that have seen better days, was a bit eerie
One park was closed to the public but full of cats, guinea pigs and ducks
Neighbourhoods celebrate with drummers, banners and costumes in the street, in alll parts of the city, behind beer trucks and traffic stops
Man dressed in just a suit jacket and briefcase parades down Rio Branco
Av. Rio Branco is the centre of activity ... after Sambadromo … vendors, dancers, music machines, trucks
Carnaval is
better than Christmas… even in the rain
Many men dressed as women in one way or another
Kids in full costume enjoy the occasion … much better than Hallowe’en
Friday is Black and White Day … the futebol teams with these colours play each other in Maracana
Plaza de 15 Novembre comes alive with thousands drinking, dancing, singing and being decibles above safe loud
The whole country is closed for the four day holiday
PREFETERIA …waste management … advertising and endorsements everywhere!
Coffee lousy ... I think it is the milk that is just not right ... black coffee tastes good
People with big bags, full and waiting to be filled, collect any aluminum can they can find ... what's the going rate for a kilo of aluminium these days?
Then there was the smoking car on the corner by the bus stop … the paint was turning brown and when the man opened the hood the engine was on fire … good thing he had a fire extinguisher
The potato cones with chicken filling are not tasting as good as the first one four cones ago
Did not
Copacabana
The beach is accessable by Metro ... anyone can come for a day in the sun. take many pictures; fear of thieves, dreary days, furtive shooting ... lesson learned ... don't listen tofear mongers ...Alistair Watters' blog has great pics of Carnaval on the street
The size of a man’s penises can be determined by how far away from the wall he stands to piss
Street people … yes … very many …no
Vendors sell jewellery, sarongs, hats, woven palm leaves, henna tattoos, purses made of a huge long zipper, knockoff futebol jerseys, and rent
umbrellas and chairs for beach sitting
Boobs still being whipped out to feed babies
Clothes expensive in small shops
TV’s everywhere … restaurants, service station, shops, border crossings, police stations, corner stores
The floats look much better at night than in the day
Floats have their own generators to turn on all the lights for the presentation
Floats are pushed by up to 12 men
Bart Simpson is everywhere
MacDonald’s always a safe place to go to the toilet
Bus ride to the airport for one hour cost R$3.40 …
The driver is an Indy 500 wanabee … had to hold on so as not to fall
Christ the Redeemer
The visit was made easily during the city tour. Getting up there by walking is dangerour (?) and long ... uphill all the way. It was so hot that the black rails of the escalator were impossible to touch. of seat
Bus beats R$55 it cost to go over the 13 km bridge … The airport is even further away than bus station
Spent R$145 on three taxi rides while in Rio
The week in Rio cost $1144 US: ticket, hotel, food, metro, ferry. bus, taxi, hat ... not including R$110 city tour
All churches are closed during the day except when guarded - read “pay admittance” or when service is being held
Paper still not being flushed down toilets
Oprah on TV in Rio
Beautiful men … beautiful women … all speaking Portuguese
All museums closed during Carnaval
Niemeyer Space Ship Art Museum in Niteroi closed
Belles Artes closed for renovations
Predicted 56.000 km of travel … truck travelled 50.400 km .. won the $60 US
Cannot change my $909 one way ticket to Miami that I had to buy in Buenos Aires to get a visa for Brasil
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