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Published: February 13th 2008
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Brazil
Rio de Janeiro My god the heat !
I had the luxury of having my first host in Rio meet me at the airport. The humidity of the place was the first thing I noticed as we waited for the bus into town. I had been in hot places recently but hadn't experienced humidity since Texas. I spent the weekend at his house in Botafogo in the South Zone. Later I was to stay in Copacabana, Flamengo, Lago do Machado, and also one night in the North Zone. My first night was reasonably relaxed. With his friend, we went out for pizza and a few beers.
Another spot of luck was that he had the following day off work. We prayed for some good beach weather but the good Lord had other ideas. So my first day in one of the 7 natural wonders of the world was spent in the rain. Still keen to see the famous beaches of Rio we walked along Copacabana and around to Ipanema. Of course the beaches were deserted but I was to experience plenty of typical Rio beach action later in my two and a half week stay.
Friday night out in Lapa. I was
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro - Copacabana soon to become a regular in this exciting new world. Close to the Centre, Lapa is the main area for clubs on the weekend. People are not only in the small clubs that line the street but also partying out in the street itself. Something I believe I will struggle to come to terms with upon my return home is not being able to drink at the beach and in the street. Brazil is full of venders selling all sorts of things on the street, but mainly beer. $2 Reais is the standard price. Child labour laws don't seem to be monitored as children wander the streets selling beer and cigarettes. The club my Carioca friends choose to party at plays a large mixture of music including Samba, Brazilian Funk, International Rock and Axé music.
The Brazilian timetable is the same as Argentina - start late and finish late. That night I went home at 6am. It was quite magical to watch the night turning to day over Botafogo Bay.
The next night I was back at Lapa but this time it was at a different pace. We went to a cool little Samba club to watch a band.
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro - Ipanema My theory on Samba is that all you have to do is move your feet really fast, though I am assured there is more to it than that.
Finally the weather improved and I spent the next few days working on my tan at Leme, Copacabana and my personal favourite Ipanema. The two most popular sports in Rio are Futebol (Soccer) and Beach Volleyball. Some clever folk worked out a way to combine the two to create a super-sport called futvoley. Basically it is Beach Volleyball without the use of hands. The competitors kick, knee, chest and headbutt the ball over the net. It's quite amazing to watch.
One afternoon some local and traveling Couch Surfers and myself watched the sunset from Arpoador, the rock which divides Copacabana and Ipanema. The perfect spot to watch the sun fall into the sea. Viewers often applaude after the show.
I had the pleasure of spending my 25th birthday in the great city of Rio de Janeiro. What better way to spend it than to visit Jesus. Myself and 3 companions shared a taxi up to the Corcovado (Christ Statue) that towers over Rio from ahigh. We were stoked that
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro - Lapa it was a blue sky day as we didn't want to make the trip up and be bereft of the view. Upon arriving we were frustrated to find one lone cloud hovering over that very spot. Christ and I reconciled for my first day in town being wet with a 'high five' while we all waited for the clouds to shift. Time ran out and we had to return to our driver. Before returning us to town he took us to another view point slightly lower that is used as a helicopter pad. Here we were able to get the view of the coastline we were after.
My birthday night was spent at a bar in Copacabana. About 20 something people helped me celebrate - not bad considering I was in town less than a week. One of my friend's got her father to bake a banana cake for the occasion. It was a great night and another 6am finish. Definitely a fond memory.
One day I explored with a friend the City Centre of Rio. A mix of old and new buildings make up the city with historic squares and alleyways joined by modern streets. I walked
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro -Lapa through a crowded market selling cheap imitations of almost anything. We visited the Metropolitan Cathedral and Santo Antonio Convent. One new, one old (the Santo Antonio Church is the oldest church in Rio), both amazing and beautiful in their own way.
Another area of Rio we ventured to with some others was Santa Teresa. From downtown we took the trolley up the hill to this picturesque suburb. The tracks run along the top of the Lapa Arches (Carioca Aqueduct) where we got a view of what Lapa looks like by day. We wandered the beautiful streets of Santa Teresa and found some nice view points. The buildings are old and brightly painted and the area feels less touched by the modern city. We opted to walk back down and took the famous 'Escadaria Selaron' stairway. An evolving artwork started in 1990 the stairway is covered in colourful tiles which are continuously being changed making it a fresh piece of art. Snoop Dogg fans might recognise it from one of his film clips.
One thing I love about the landscape of Rio is that there are trees everywhere. It seems like the rainforest and the buildings have spread themselves
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro - Metropolitan Cathedral out evenly like some sort of primary school boy-girl seating arrangement. A chunk of buildings are followed by a chunk of forest. One day me and my fellow comrades took a lovely stroll through the rainforest in the North Zone of Rio. These trees give out some exotic fruits I had never heard of before arriving here such as Açai, Jaca, Caju and Goiaba. Brazilian's are big on fresh fruit juice and these fruits along with the standard favourites can be found at the many juice bars that fill the city.
Before I knew it my sun-drenched days on the beach rolled into Christmas Eve. In Brazil the 24th of December is the main event of Christmas celebrations. I was lucky enough to be spending this occasion with my friend Priscilla and her family. From early in the day the kitchen was being put to full use. Like anything in Brazil the night started late. So we squeezed in some last minute Christmas shopping while we waited. Like Christmas anywhere in the world the main attraction was the same - food. The dinner started around 11pm and was a suprisingly casual affair. We sat around the lounge room eating
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro the large Christmas turkey with all the trimmings. Priscilla's uncle thought it was hilarious that I was eating and actually requested the wing as apparently people in Brazil never eat this part of a bird. At midnight more family arrived and the exchanging of presents began. By 2am the night was over. At this stage I was eager to get some rest as not many hours later I would be leaving Rio for the time being and heading to the North East of Brazil.
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Tyrone
non-member comment
"...the rainforest and the buildings have spread themselves evenly like some sort of primary school boy-girl seating arrangement." Nice similie there Coote. Did you by chance have a drink made from all of Brazil's sweetest fruits?