Brazil Part II: Is this real? No, it's Rio!

Once my conference finished, Aaron and I boarded a "puddle jumper" flight the next day to head to the city that hosts the world's best party: Rio de Janeiro.

Our trip to Rio was quite different from our one to Sao Paulo. In Sao Paulo, we were in a hotel in the financial district. In Rio, we stayed in a bed and breakfast in a small neighborhood called Santa Teresa. The area is an old district known for it's local art, flavorful restaurants and friendly nightlife.

When we arrived, it was a gorgeous afternoon, so the B&B recommended we head to Sugar Loaf first. Sugar Loaf is two huge hills that overlook all of Rio. You take a gondola up to the first smaller hill and then another across to the larger of the two. The whole ride you have sweeping view of the city, beaches and Christ the Redeemer. We had a beer at the top (they actually have shops, a few small cafés and a disco up there) and then headed back down. From Sugar Loaf, we walked to a small beach and waded in the cold Atlantic water.

The following day, the weather had turned and it was overcast with some rain. We headed to the Rio Botanical Gardens and wandered on the paths through the tropical trees, plants and flowers. I got a poncho to keep me dry since it was hot but raining! Aaron opted to not wear a white garbage sack with me, but instead walked around in flip flops, shorts and a rain jacket. There's a first for everything!

After the gardens, we walked to Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. The walk was a little sketchy, but once we got there, the atmosphere turned upscale beachy. We walked along the boardwalk and then came upon Fort Copacabana, a military base that separates the two beaches and is open to the public. It has a museum and lookout area so we walked through the fort and then headed back to our B&B to relax before dinner.

That night, we decided to go to a Samba bar recommended by our B&B. We took a cab to the area but the taxi driver did not know the place and like 95% of the drivers there did not speak English. He dropped us off in the general vicinity and we asked a door woman where the place was. She pointed down a street that looked like it didn't have much on it. Aaron and I walked for a bit, and then decided she probably had no idea where it was and that we should turn back to try to ask someone else. We asked another bouncer who was at a different bar and he said he thought it was down the same street we'd previously walked down. Keep in mind that all of these conversations are happening in very broken English. So we decided to walk back down the street, when all of a sudden a torrential down pour hit: giant drops of hot rain showering down on us. We ran under a small overhang of a closed up newspaper stand to take cover. Another young girl also ducked under with us. Aaron and I stood in disbelief in our soaking wet jeans and t shirts as it continued to pour. We smiled at the girl standing there with us and then laughed at the fact that we had no idea where this place was and wasn't it great timing when the girl looked over at us and said "Where are you from?" in perfect English. Turns out, she was an English teacher in Rio and she was meeting up with her mom at the Samba place that we were headed to. It couldn't have been better timing. She helped us find the Samba bar and we made a new, local friend!

The next day we went shopping in the morning (both bought Havanas... typical Brazil purchase) and then went to catch the tram that goes to Corcovado, the mountain with Christ the Redeemer. The tram goes all the way up to the top of the hill and you have to buy tickets for it days in advance because it is so popular. When we arrived, the staff kept saying there was no visibility at the top so we should try to reschedule for a different day, but as our trip was coming to an end, we didn't have another option. We headed up to the top and what do you know, the skies opened up and we could see all of Rio.

I never thought seeing Christ the Redeemer would be on my "bucket list" but it really was incredible to see in person. The statue is massive. You feel so tiny standing next to it, while also feeling on top of the world because you are so high up. These conflicting, powerful emotions made the experience surreal. There is a lookout area just in front of the statue that has the best view of the beaches, waters and hills of the gorgeous city.


To sum it all up... we absolutely loved Rio (even in the rain!) and are already thinking about a trip back!

A few final questions for the curious...

Did you feel safe in Brazil? Yes, for the most part. We never ran into a situation where we felt unsafe but we were very cautious with our valuables. We didn't wear any flashy or nice jewelry and we usually only took one credit card with us each. At night, we left our phones at the B&B so we didn't have to worry about them at all.

Did people speak English? Eh, not really. In Sao Paulo it wasn't usually a problem, but particularly in Rio it was hard to communicate. It's not a requirement to learn English in school so a lot of people have to seek out somewhere to learn it if they want to. Most people knew a few words, but I actually had some difficulties communicating with hotel staff during my conference! Everyone was really friendly though.

How was the food? AMAZING. No, seriously. Tons of meat, lots of fruit, unique combinations and everything is so fresh. We had Amazonian food one night which was incredibly (I am getting hungry just thinking about it) and a delicious pizza (of all things). The food was one of our favorite parts.

What was pricing like? Things were reasonable. Beer and taxis were cheap. We took cabs everywhere because we'd heard that the metro wasn't "tourist-friendly" meaning it was unsafe for visitors and a bit confusing, and you could get pretty much anywhere in the city for under 15 dollars.

Should I go? Yes! Plan your trip now! We will meet you there : )