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Published: September 17th 2007
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16th January - 23rd January
Arriving in Rio was like a long drawn out dream finally coming true. it had played in my mind so many times. it was amazing that i had finally set foot in this wonderous city.
Rio De janeiro definitely did not let me down. The capital of Samba, the birthplace of the hypnotic Bossa Nova, beautiful
beaches full of hot tanned bodies. Christ the redeemer, sugarloaf mountain, the list is endless....
I checked myself into Mellow Yellow hostel in Copacabana. Very few hostels in South America hold the reputation of such hostels. like Milhouse in BA and Loki in Cuzco, this was definitely a big party hostel. Rooms are admittedly crammed to the max. but they had an awesome rooftop bar with mountain views from your bar stool. so having arrived late at night, i quickly crawled my way to the bar. barely sitting down, i found my friends Yvanka and Marco ( the 2 dutchies that i had been travelling with and planned to meet)...along with a host of other familiar faces that just get attracted to these kind of hostels....and so the partyin
starts....
Mainly hitting the bar scenes during the weekdays. But when the weekend came, we headed out on Friday night to LAPA. A street party like no other. Full of outdoor bars selling my favourite South American drink- Caipirinha- and its also the cheapest drink you can find with a high potency level. And those that know me know that i am lightweight...so i was drunk happy before you had a chance to ask me if i wanted another drink! Almost 50 people headed out from the hostel. Inevitably, we got split up. But i remained in the company of some awesome party people, and having found a big hall playing awesome samba beats, we swealtered in the energetic room and danced our little asses off to the wee hours of the night. shirts off and getting sweaty...this was what i had imagined partyin in Brazil to be like!
Saturday night, i gladly begged for recovery as others headed out to another Samba party.
Come Sunday, we headed to the Favelas and partied with the locals. Brazilian Funk. the big warehouse set-up was filled with people hanging out the
christ the redeemer
the most famous tourist attraction of Rio, and Brazil for that matter! doors trying to get in. We were initially put in the upstairs VIP area for our safety, but felt as though we were looking down onto the favela people, who were clearly having a much better time on the lower level. Although it was not my music, we grabbed a few hands and headed down to join the favela locals. jam-packed and sweaty, we danced in the rustic looking warehouse. it was funny the entertainment they provided- at one point, they brought up volunteers for a dance off. it was absolutely hilarious seeing men competing in what seemed to be the crown of "the funniest dancer"! whilst on the dancefloor, Brazilian culture was apparent as the men would simply approach a random girl, often the tourists, and proceed to kiss them so fast that the unsuspecting girl would not get a chance to even blink. whilst apparently one French guy received a 'handrub' from one of the local girls on the dancefloor! the rumours about Brazil are true!
The Beaches....
It seems whichever beach you go to in Rio, you are bound to be swimming surrounded by skimpily clad women in bikinis
that lie right between their asses, and guys with washboard stomachs you could crack a rock on! The views are something out of this world- mountains rising from the peripheries as though god painstakingly landscaped the beaches to perfection. It was unfortunate that population growth marred the persistenlty beautiful natural surroundings, and so you see hotels and sky scrapers bordering the coast of the beach.
Copacabana (her name was Lola, she was a showgirl...), the more classically famous of the beaches is slightly more poluted, whereas Ipanema beach ( i can hear you singing that song.... the girl from Ipanema...) is now regarded the more upmarket of the two beaches. If you ever come here, be sure to hang out at Point 9, this is renowned as the pit stop for all the beautiful people. so of course, this is where i belonged!!! hahaha
And so days were laid waist sunbaking in the beautiful brazilian sun rays, whilst sipping down another delicious Caipirhina!
and you can't hang out in Brazilian beaches without a sarong as a beach towel...cmon, its Brazilian! i bought about 5!
THE
Ipanema beach
theres a reason why its so packed! SITES
FAVELAS
how visiting the poor living in impoverished standards became a tourist attraction god knows. however it was an eye opening insight into the runnings of the Favelas. all profits 'apparently' go to helping a childcare clininc in the Favelas which is creating great waves in improving the standards in the favelas. apparently however, alot of the money goes to pay off the drug lords that run the favelas and would not hesitate to shoot you in the favelas if it were not for the protection you pay for by paying to cisit the favelas. indeed you can feel their presence in the favelas- how can you not when the road clears in front of these men carrying weapons that could easily blow your entire head off!
Dense crowded housing, stolen electyricity and cable running overhead throughout, rubbish along side the narrow lanes going through the favelas. seen from an elevated viewpoint, you can appreciate the weedlike expansive nature of the favelas. As most of the jobs are in the city, and the high cost of living in the city has resulted in a high population in these favelas. one must do what they can!
it
was positive to see kids looking healthy and playful. it is hopefully a sign of the improvements developed by the organisation leading us through the Favelas.
SUGARLOAF mountain (Pao de Acucar)
set 396m above Rio, the views from here make you think that there is not a more beautiful city in the world. you can appreciate the coastline with its dominating mountains bordering the shoreline like some prehistoric dinosaur-habitated playground. Luckily we were blessed with a clear day and it was hard not to be impressed by the view. Only views over Sydney come close in all of the cities around the world! luckily for me Sydney is also a much more pleasantly inhabited city. Rio looks beautiful from above, but admitedly walking through the streets, it is far from appealing. Very crowded and grotty looking. Though the fruit juice bars at every corner is an awesome treat. ACAI, my favourite juice- it comes in a smooth icy form and provides the most amount of energy of any fruit in the world! yummy! it is only found fresh in the North of Brazil, in Belem, and has to be frozen within 12hours of being picked.
So
developed its rich and scumciolicious form which makes for an awesome breakfast boost each morning for breakfast!
CRISTO REDENTOR
sitting atop the 710m high peak known as Corcovado (Hunchback), the infamous statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the redeemer) sits at 37m high and is one of the most recognisabale and distinct tourist attractions in the world! you have to stand at the foot of this statue to really appreciate the awe of the statue's presence! christ standing with arms wide open. you can see from the photos what classic shots every tourist gets! Apparently the story goes that one of the historic rulers of Rio used to be adventurous and hiked to this point, claiming it to be the most beautiful view point in Rio. indeed standing, admiring Rio from the surrounds of the statue at sunset, you have no choice but to agree. I love RIO!
And on the last night in Rio, in Mellow Yellow hostel, i meet Lucila Girelli....
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