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Published: February 12th 2007
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Post 9- The Happening Spot
Post 9 is the best area on Ipanema beach with music, plenty of vendors, safety and beach parties at night. Rio is that beautiful woman you saw in the distance and finally approached. She is most of what you dreamt of when you saw her but she’s lived through a sorted past and accepts the failings of a society most only catch a glimpse of. Ahhh, Rio......... Such as beautiful yet unsettling place at times.
I feel like I have spent more than 11 days there because of all the different experiences I had there. I rented a flat there as well and the manager, Mariana, was a tremendous help the entire time. I stayed in Ipanema, the pristine beach area located around the corner from the more famous (and dangerous) Copacabana. There were a few things I noted at the beginning: the mass of people, the heat (90+ with a lot of humidity) and a general sense of uneasiness because of the crime. All of these were accentuated and declined at times but remained a constant factor in daily life. The city itself- the downtown, architecture, etc- doesn't have much appeal but it is the natural beauty of the mountains and beaches along with the character of the people that make this such as desireable place to visit.
Beach life is so easy.....
Requirements: flip-flops, lotion, shades, perhaps some reading. A day in the life of Rio during the summer is a small paradise. It begins with the most incredible fruit, acai, being served at Beach Sucos and other popular cafes along the Rua Visconde de Piraja in Ipanema. With the ocean, sunshine and small bikinis it’s little wonder that a pair of flip-flops, suntan lotion, swim trunks and The Economist are all you bring out for the day (not that much reading gets done) to settle near Post 9. Beach vendors rent chairs, sell drinks, play and perform music and generally help to keep you happy during the day. ‘Tudo bem’ (all is well) is an easy to way think about things while you pass the days thinking about your Americano friends up north and the cold weather of February.
I went on some incredible excursions. The first was a tour of the favela (urban slum), Rocinha (the largest in south america), which houses some 350,000 people and is located about 15 minutes from the posh neighborhoods of Ipanema and Leblon. If you have seen ‘City of God’ you are familiar with these; they house the masses of poor people throughout Brazil. In Rio alone, there are over
Shot of Rocinha
This is a shot from the bottom of the favela Rocinha, which houses over 350,000 people. 300 favelas which account for over 20% of the population. While it is pretty grim from the perspective of a ‘gringos’ eyes, it is like an ecosystem that works in symbiosis- it has evolved to where people can live, eat and breath every day- even if they don’t have walls, windows, sewer systems, constant running water or paved streets. It’s interesting- the police don’t even enter but the drug lords keep these places ‘safe’ in their own right. Our tour brought us to the top of the favela and we walked all the way through it (see pictures) and got a real sense of their lives. Afterwards, it rained so hard, a few of us had to hunker down in for a few rounds of Skol (cerveja, Brazilian beer) and had our guide, Daniella, join us and give us more details on the trials and tribulations of such a stunningly beautiful and tragically dangerous city.
At first I couldn’t fathom it but the stark reality of their lives set in, making me that much more grateful for what I have. What else hit home was that some of these people were incredibly happy and kind- beyond what I experience
Favela housing
A closer look at desperate lives. most of the time- and they seem to have nothing. It made me think- does our material success make us less likely to give and more likely to have difficulties experiencing the simple pleasures of life?
Another ‘gringo’ (this refers to most of the travelers there- British, Australian, western European, etc) excursion I did was a championship soccer game- Botafogo vs. America. Words can’t describe the way Brazilians feel about soccer. For starters, us ‘gringos’ stuck out like a sore thumb (I went with about 60) and we were pointed at and jeered, but we arrived safely. Macarena Stadium is the largest in the world, holding some 150,000, but was under construction, so ONLY about 80,000 raving lunatic fans came in. They were chanting and cheering well before the game. What started out as a pretty quiet ‘field trip’ for us gringos quickly became a bonding experience of joining these mad fans drinking Skol and screaming for Botafogo- nobody from the Aussies to the Brits and Slovenians had seen anything like it. Possibly the only parallel I could give is if Ohio State played the national championship in Columbus, the fight songs for OSU were played by Guns N
Soccer match at Macarena
Utter chaos for their soccer. Roses, and they sold around 200,000 tickets for $5 each. And they sold Skol all through the game. Thank God Botafogo won.
That was followed by a late night ‘Favela Funk’ party where another huge pack of gringos (mainly Australians and British- I think they invaded the city) and I went to one of the huge favela parties in Cuidad de Deus (City of God, where they actually filmed). What an interesting experience. Super loud ‘favela funk’- best described as brazilian hip-hop acid jazz sung in portugues- blaring through this clubbed packed with these gigantic guys and brazilian women. Admittedly, I felt a bit intimidated and out of place but had to do it at least once in my life. Maybe I’ll hang out in Compton a bit more when I get back.
It was great as well this past week to have a new partner in crime, Carl, from Whales, with whom to hit the beach, share meals and check out the scene. We found a great sushi place, had a full churrasco (brazilian all-you-can-eat barbeque until you put down the red card), found street parties and good lounges at night. It’s only been 5 weeks but
1.2 million to watch the Stones
It's hard to capture the emotion of Rio when the Rolling Stones played. it has been interesting to me how quickly you can become good friends with someone, share a strong bond of trust- whether it is splitting a room, money, whatever- and then just as quickly you separate again into the night and around the continent. It’s always great to swap stories, get the 411 on possible destinations and share a beer with travelers.
One of the awesome events that will stay with me forever was going to see the Rolling Stones with 1.2 million others in Copacabana. I know it made big international news and was a big event for South America. I paid to attend a private party at a condo in Copa and watched from the roof, which was incredible- and a lot more comfortable- than being down in the crowd. I still cannot get over the mass of people that crowded the streets; even walking there an hour early was a gigantic painful process. I am going to see U2 in Buenos Aires in 2 weeks and it’ll be interesting to compare notes.
A few anecdotal thoughts:
- Acai is the greatest fruit in the world and Beach Sucos has the best
- God love
Closing the night at Post 8
Carl, my new partner in crime, and I as we close the night with a night cap. the brazilian life… slow on the pace (and service), lots of sun and beach, small bikinis and everything can get done… tomorrow (if at all)
- I think there is something funny about brazilian law and payment. With their laws, instead of taking on a root issue (like crime), they have allowed people to run red lights after 10 pm and disallowed people to withdraw more than $50 US after 9. To pay for things, you usually have to pay a cashier, get a receipt and then get your food; or you get a card to pay at the end.
- Americans don’t get out into the world enough.. I can’t believe the packs of English and Australians I meet and see out.
- The “Pacha” of Rio: 00, a lounge in the Planetarium
- The “Reina” of Rio: good question.. I didn’t eat too well, although they did have a good sushi spot in Ipanema.
- I’m quickly finding out how much of a grudge south Americans and the rest of the world have against Bush.. these aren’t policies I thought up!
- There is just an overall kind of craziness in the air in Brazil, which means more passion but also more violence and crime. I heard numerous stories about people being mugged (but haven’t entered that statistic- yet).
On to Buzios, BA for U2 and then ????
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Erin
non-member comment
Learning
I love your comments and the capturing of the experience. This is such an awakening for all of us. Thanks for sharing.