Blogs from Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America - page 143

The Carnaval. The reason for us being here in Brazil. What impress me most is not the parade itself, but the passion and spontaneity of the people. The audience just danced and sashay to the music, fully immersing into the atmosphere. And the best part is the performers simply go home by subway with their costumes on. Can you imagine performers in Chingay going home on MRT with their make-up and costume on? Was really an interesting sight. And the parade itself? We were excited when the first group came. After that, we waited for 20 mins for the second group to appear. We were really sleepy during the long wait (we are accustommed to the 11hr time diff yet). When the third group finally arrived, we decided that we´ll go back hotel to sleep after ... read more

There are many facets to Carnaval, it is not like Notting Hill Carnival where there is one procession down a determined route. Things are not organised in Brazil not even the time always makes sense. (Look out for later update.) The main parts are the Blocos and The Sambodrome Parade. There are many Blocos that parade around various parts of the city. The Blocos have a name and a theme such as Banda De Ipanema. Ipanema is a predominantly gay area so the Banda De Ipanema Bloco has a gay and transvestite theme. The Bloco consists of a few musicians playing Samba on top of a float, followed by lots of gay, transvesite and straight followers all dancing and following the float. Anyone is free to join any Bloco they choose but are encouraged to wear ... read more

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 ... read more

Well, if I can start by trying to remember what day it actually is today I can count back to my last blog update and try to figure out what I did since then, but instead since I don't think I can actually do that, I'm just going to list all the highlights of Rio so far. Jacky came to visit me! As many of you know, she planned to come down here for Carnival and she did just that. It was quite the heartwarming reunion and we have had a lot of catching up to do. I actually arrived in Rio last week (I'm trying desperately to remember the day) and somehow through my excellent travel skills managed to find Ryan Mukuda. For all those of you who don't know, Ryan, Andre and the Poi ... read more

We received our bags, and things started to improve. I decided to leave that apartment and spoiled myself with a 4 star hotel, and I even had a private Jacuzzi in my room! I think that it was my best experience until that moment. We also went to see the Corcobado, which is a statue of Jesus that oversees the entire city, and the view (although cloudy) was amazing from over there! I discovered that the language barrel is a serious one, as almost no one knows English or even Spanish in Brazil. The next day I was to fly to Salvador, and I had real problems making a hostel reservation by phone - It was really funny - I knew how to ask for a room, but I couldn't understand the response, so it was ... read more