Blogs from Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America

Bem-vindo aus Rio de Janeiro!!! Wir sind in Rio! Hier schon einmal die ersten Impressionen, damit wir euch auch richtig neidisch machen... Jetzt sind wir aber erst mal mit Caipirinha trinken, Strandspaziergaengen an der Copacabana, Ausblick geniessen und Eis essen (Haaegen Dazs mit Dulce de Leche Geschmack) auf der Dachterrasse beschaeftigt. bis spaeter! :-) Die gestressten Blondies live aus Rio Teil 2 live aus Rio: Wir melden uns aus Rio- der wohl schoensten Stadt der Welt, aber entscheidet doch einfach selber.... Uns gefaellt es jedenfalls bestens und wir haben uns ohne groessere Probleme an die Lebensart der Brasilianer anpassen koennen, wenn da nicht die Sprache waere…. Nunja, wer unseren blog aufmerksam gelesen hat, weiss, dass Tanja weder spanisch, noch steirisch kann. Lisa hingegen kann spanisch (und nat. auch steirisch J), was in Argentinien w... read more

Rio de Janeiro International Airport. We jump into a taxi. “Copacabana”, I say, “and make it snappy”. Immediately, the taxi comes alive with Latin rhythms, blaring brass, and the taxi driver bursts into song ! We couldn’t believe it. It was Barry Manilow himself, driving our taxi!! What a coincidence!?! Alright. alright, it wasn’t Barry. His name was Larry, He was a showgirl. With yellow feathers in his hair and a dress cut down to size. (Gareth!) Sorry. Apparently, the song “Copacabana” is not about the beach of the same name in Rio. “Copacabana” is a Bolivian word meaning “endless horizon” and is also the name of a town on the shores of Lake Titticaca as well as another place in Cuba, and it is this town that the song I about (though I note that ... read more

Our final day in Rio, we were up for early breakfast then followed the game of packing four bags into two and deciding what we needed for the day. Theoretically, it should have been easier to pack than on the way out as despite a few small purchases, we have used and disposed of quite a lot of bottles and potions. We thought about a trip into the centre but decided that the local coffee shop we had sen near the Sunday Market would be sufficient. We walked there and found out that there was a fish, vegetable and market with general stalls around the Square facing Copacabana/Ipanema Metro station. We walked around. There were avocados as large as pineapples and lots of interesting fish. We came upon a food stall which was busy selling drinks ... read more

Ok so, our first day kicked off with a 5am start at Newcastle Airport (UK) with a flight down to London Heathrow which went off pretty smoothly! A 5 hour wait between connecting flights however meant we knew our day was going to be long one! The flight from London to Rio wasn't bad at all, around 11 and a half hours and again it was a pretty smooth which kept us happy! (the unlimited free alcohol supplied by British Airways was always going to help) When we landed getting through the airport was fine, no problems with immigration which was pretty fast and collecting our luggage posed no problems! The transfer to our hotel was quite quick although pretty expensive as it seems taxi services at the airport have set fares rather than having meter ... read more

Down for breakfast by 7.45am following which we took our laundry to the nearest lavanderia (for the last time!) We walked to the bus stop and took another local bus to Corcovado (the hill where the statue of Christ is). We arrived at 10.15pm to be advised that due to the throngs of tourists, the next available train to the top was 11.20 but by the time we reached the front of the queue to pay, the next available train was 11.40am. The only trouble with the tourist attractions are the innumerable tourists!! The train made its way to the top (a pleasant wooded journey. Everyone piled out and massed by the monument and railings to take pictures. We joined the throng and took a couple of photos overlooking Rio (from the other side) and a ... read more

Went down for breakfast around 8.00 am and took a local bus to Sugar Loaf Mountain. The bus drivers drive like there is no tomorrow and even if there is a tomorrow, it doesn't feel like they want to see it - so fast, they practically turn each corner on two wheels and narrowly avoid anything else in their paths and in the other lanes!! We joined the queues for the cable car - 65 people maximum in each car - and went to the top. The first cable car stopped at the first station and we got out, walked around the viewpoint, bought a yoghurt smoothie drink, sat for a while and took the cable car to the second station at the top of Sugar Loaf. Took a couple of pictures, walked around a bit ... read more

The hostel kindly arranged an early breakfast for everyone and we were pouring our coffee at 7.00 am. Those camping were due to arrive in Amber at 8.00 am to pick those of us sleeping in comfort (the majority of the group) for the five-hour drive to Rio. 8.00 am came and went as did 9.00 am and no sight nor sound of Amber. I suppose we could both have walked the five minutes to the camp site down the road but with our luggage awaiting collection, we were happy to use the hostel WIF, sit in the sun reading our kindles and see what would transpire. Two girls disappeared off down the road and didn't return Josef followed and didn't return so Jo decided to go and investigate. Ivan and Dave were totally unable to ... read more