Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

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When my baby smiles at me I go to Rio...de Janeiro.........


At the Copa, Copacabana....music and passion were always in fashion....


Yes sad and cheesy but I could not get those songs out of my head on the trip up (even more frustrating I couldn’t remember any more words!!!) they just kept going around and around. So there I was with gorgeous coast line on one side, beautiful rainforest on the other humming/singing away to myself (and to Matt - probably much to his annoyance!) Guess I was excited about Rio....

First impressions weren’t the greatest. It was raining and Rio isn’t really a beautiful looking city. We stayed in Ipanema (yes also famous from another famous song...) which was nice - it is next to Copacabana, and a very nice area - the L.V store help give that away! We stayed at a couple of hostels; the first is not worth a mention, the other - Ipanema Beach House, was fantastic. Staff are great and very helpful. There is also a pool and little bar out the back which is great to meet other travellers - all very nice too.

The weather was here and there, some mornings clear others not, a few days were very very hot and clear, other wet. But we did get clear views for the Sugarloaf and the Christ so happy for that and also got in some quality beach time.

Santa Teresa was ok, we were expecting this big hillside old town style area, and we kind of got that but just not to the extend the guide books carry on about (again!!)

We got up early one morning (as weather seemed to get more cloudy in the afternoon) and went up the Sugarloaf the views were great, all the little beaches, the mountains, the ocean. It was fantastic. Even more so was seeing the sun out over the beach but slightly inland it was all overcast and cloudy. At first you couldn’t see the Christ but as we were leaving the cloud cleared for the Christ statue, but not completely just where the statue as

As for seeing the Christ statue, it was hard. So much cloud cover. Even it was a nice sunny day there would be a huge white fluffy cloud over the statue. At night you could see the lights, but not the statue. We got talking to another couple who were leaving the next day and still hadn’t seen it. We checked the weather and it was supposed to be clear in the morning so we booked cab and hoped for best - got up and was the clearest day yet!! So happy, the views were amazing, over the town as far as you could see, favelas, and nice big houses, beaches, mountains. It was an awesome view.

We did get to see some Samba - we went to a local rehearsal - amazing!!! We went a bit out of Rio and it was this huge open area with a band and locals all milling about. The girls in costume, these old women in huge dresses twirling, the young local girls doing some fantastic moves, then they did a full on show and moved around the area. Exactly how they will at carnival. Each local group has their own colours and song. Ours where in red and white and they passed sheets out of the song (so knew the words but no idea of what they meant! Apart from the show there are a lot of people who come to dance and show off, and so they should they move so fast! Though we had a girl in our group who definitely gave them a run for their money and this was her first time! We also discovered that this must be the one time when parents don’t mind that their daughters dream of being mostly naked dancing in front of a crowd…

While in Rio we did a favela tour. Now at first we weren’t sure about doing, I thought it a bit rude, a bunch of tourists gawking at the poor locals. But through the hostel you can go with this guy (www.bealocal.com) and others had been and really recommended it. You wander through but they show you too that the money for it goes back into the community to help pay for housing (ie one guys place had collapsed so this group helps pay for supplies to rebuild) and things like child care. They also teach children not to beg and if they want money then they must do something such as make artwork or jewellery. It was very very interesting and not bad at all. It is very weird to have these poor areas as they will be exactly in the middle of the most expensive areas of Rio. And there is a lot of people in them, 250,000 just in the one we visited. Also apparently a lot of people live in them just because it is cheaper then elsewhere, but it is not their only option. However one of the freakiest parts of the whole tour was right at the beginning when we were waiting for a couple of the girls to get some water, a guy just casually wanders past… with a gun in his hand. Not sure what was the worst that he had one or the way he was carrying and wandering it could as easily been the daily newspaper….

Our last night in Rio we stayed at the Marriott on Copacabana beach which was great - more so as it had a rooftop pool overlooking everything! What really made it was a storm came in at night and Matt got some great photos of it!

Well this is it. All over. Just a long flight home in time to surprise the families for Christmas!

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