Rio De Janerio, Brazil

Approach

Having a window seat whilst landing into Rio de Janeiro is a necessity.  Moments before the end of a fourteen some hour flight, the cabin becomes an arena of the haves and the have-nots:  those with the window views and those poor souls who don’t.

As the plane approaches the coast of South America, the clowds slowly open up like curtains at the season opening of the Russian ballet – the only thing missing are the ball gowns and tuxedos.  But that isn’t necessary, because when it comes to drama, Rio de Janeiro has enough to quench any critic’s thirst.

Just like the Cariocas (pleasure-seeking hedonists or those who are from and live in Rio) themselves, the arrival into the city demands attention.  As perfect and beautiful as the people who live in Rio, the mountains and lush greenery embrace you with its energy.

Everyone on board impatiently seeks out for the figure…the one thing known throughout the world, and there it is!  Slowly, in the distance, higher than any of the mountain slopes, at first a blur, and then it becomes clearer.  It looks surreal.  A majestic city, with a statue of Christ the Redeemer, arms spread out, dressed in robe, looking down on his children.

Where else would you find such an incredible welcome to a new land?

The River January

The first Europeans arrived in Rio de Janeiro in 1502, over eight hundred years ago!  The first expedition thought they were entering the mouth of a river, hence the name Rio de Janeiro, or January River.  It was in fact a mouth of a bay, not a river.  To escape Napoleon’s army, the Portuguese royal family fled to Rio and soon followed by 15,000 noblemen.  Imagine, with that came all the royal mannerisms, European protocol, and pomp and circumstance which socialized the people of Rio, which became the capital of the Portuguese empire.

The name Cariocas came about in 1565 and ever since then, the people of Rio distinguish themselves as either being one and the rest as outsiders. 

The door of the aircraft opens and a gush of heat and humidity replace the air-conditioned environment.  The adrenaline already begins pumping, even after a long tiring flight.  It may be cold and snowy in the Northern Hemisphere, but it’s height of summer here.

Favelas

The drive from the airport takes you through the different aspects of the majestic city.  From the industrial factories and the downtown city centre to the numerous favelas, or Rio’s slums.  The view of the South Atlantic Ocean from the highway is incredible.  You wonder what it must have been like to journey for such a long time as a nobleman or merchant in the 1600s by boat and arrive at such a city.

Now that we are on the subject of favelas…these are literally villages built on the mountainside to house the poor of Rio.  As with some third world countries, these are not shacks with aluminum boards as walls and roofs.  They are actually brick and mortar small squares built one on top of the other.  And they are all on different mountainsides scattered throughout the area.  It is worth noting because you can’t help but see them.  There are seven of them within the city. 

The Addiction

Rio is addicting.  You go once; you have to go again and again (and again).  The people, the energy, the sun – it leaves you wanting more and more and more.  The first time I went to Rio, I stayed at the Copacabana Palace.

The arrow points to Leblon, to the right, Copa, left, Ipanema

The Fabulous “V”

Let’s imagine a “V” on one side is Ipenema, on the other Copacabana, and in the middle, where the two sides intersect, is a bunch of mountains called Leblon.  All the other parts of Rio would just confuse and really not necessary to know.  Downtown and the airport are further out and at night it completely empties; not a soul can be seen.

Depending on who you ask, George Michael would tell you Copacabana is the place to be (he also stays at the Palace) and Madonna would disagree, opting for Ipanema instead.  For me, I like a little bit of both, I stay at the Copacabana and head to the beach in Ipanema.

Copacabana (no, it’s not from the song Copacabana, that is a hotel in Havana, Cuba) and Ipanema (yes, from the song The Girl from Ipanema) are world-famous stretches of beach.  Depending on your “scene” Copa is touristier whereas Ipanema is where the majority of the natives go.  Let’s hope the gods of fortune are good and you spend a rainless Saturday on Ipanema Beach.

I have been told by the natives that because they are at the edge of a jungle, they feel a strong connection to the physical earth.  Go anywhere in Rio, walk the streets, the clubs, anywhere and the odds of seeing a native in Gucci, Dolce, or Vuitton are slim to none.  The Brazilians are not a rich people financially; wealth is in the hands of few.  The only thing Brazilians have to show off is their bodies.  And boy to the know how to do that!

There has never been a place I have been to, anywhere in the world, where I have seen such perfect bodies.  They know this too.  It is not uncommon for men to walk around in a tight bathing suit shirtless or a woman in a thong, showing off their bodies of perfection.

There is no one skin colour either.  Different shades of black and white all intermix.  There isn’t this sense of prejudice amongst the people, for the exception of those who come from the favelas.  However, everyone is there to enjoy life and live with one another in some sort of harmony.  A Finnish tourist told it best to me, “the common thread is this underlying sexual energy.”  I don’t know how else to say it.  You just feel it.

Over time, I have been able to make friends with many Cariocas.  I love being around them, the energy, the life, talking to them and learning.  They love their city, why shouldn’t they, why would anyone want to be anywhere else?

Crime

Crime is something that goes hand in hand with Rio.  Even the guide books make reference to keep a little bit of money in your pocket just in case you get mugged.  This freaked me out and kept me from going to Rio for many years, until I just did it.  When talking to the Finnish tourist he told me how he got mugged, how it was just out of a Woody Allen movie.  He was having a discussion with a Carioca, and how the tourist was being told how safe it is in Rio.

Not two minutes had passed he was surrounded by a group of natives.  All the Fin could do is freak out hoping to create a scene, crying he had no money, “they did it so eloquently though, just showed me a knife under a shirt and said, ‘money, money, money.’  I told them I didn’t have any and the padded me down and took my cell phone and left.”  This did not leave such a good impression with me because it happened not too far from where we were talking.  But he looked like a tourist, with his blonde hair and ultra white skin, I thought, people think I am Brazilian.

Bodies and Music

It pays to be on guard.  Leave the Cartier watch and the Fendi bag at home.  As much as you will feel torn, trust me, no one cares and no one knows the difference.  Cariocas pay attention to two things: their bodies and their music.  Speaking of which, the nightlife is truly incredible.

The moment you walk into a club, the shirts come off, the music pumps and everyone just has a blast.  And as mentioned, it wouldn’t be uncommon for a group of eight friends to pass around one beer.

 If you are not partying too much and can wake up in a decent hour in the morning, there are a couple of sights not to miss.  The first time I went there it rained (and it isn’t like a tropical rainstorm, where it happens for five minutes and the sun comes out…it rains for days), I didn’t know if I would return.  I had to go to Christ the Redeemer.

In the pouring rain, at the bottom of the mountain, there was a group from Greece and me.  I climbed up all these steps and made my way to the top of the mountain.  I didn’t know what I was thinking because that statue is huge.  All I saw in the blanket of fog was Christ’s toes.

The second time around I was more fortunate and the view was spectacular. 

There are also a number of little flea markets dotted around the city; the more known ones are around Ipanema.  In Copacabana there is a huge shopping centre called Rio Sul.  But don’t expect French and Italian boutiques, just simple stores with unknown brands.  I was told there was an Armani boutique, but I never saw it (it's actually in Sao Paolo).

Carnival

If there is one thing Rio is known for, it is Carnival, held around the beginning of the year.  Millions of people from all over Brazil and the world come into this city for three days of non-stop partying.  It is a mad house.  For those who are not into huge crowds, this would not be recommended.  The city literally shuts down and everyone takes to the streets to drink, to dance, and to leave their dignity behind.  This isn’t my scene, but to each his own.

Encore!  Encore!

One of the biggest impressions this city left me with was one evening, sitting alone at Ipenema Beach, watching the sun set at 7pm.  The moment the sun disappeared into the mountain side, a huge roar of clapping and whistling soon followed amongst the beachgoers.  It left me with goose bumps.  I have never ever experienced anything like it before in my travels.  But in Rio, one should expect surprises to happen.

Getting Around

Getting to Rio is quite a journey.  From Europe expect to travel for at least twenty hours, having to change planes in Milan (Alitalia), Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Madrid (Iberia), Paris (Air France), and London (British).  Many fly to the States via Washington Dulles (United), Atlanta (Delta), Miami or JFK(both American).  It’s a nine hour flight from Miami and you need a visa at a cost of USD$50.00.

Getting around the city is a little bit more challenging.  Many of the cabs do not have meters, so when you get in you have to ask first where you want to go and how much it will cost.  This is a bit unnerving, but it’s just the way things are, and once you get the hang of it, it gets easier.  For .25Euros you can take the public bus, and even in this city there are two types of busses available, the normal, windows open, sweat, heat, rain and all, and the air conditioned bus which costs about .30Euros more.

Happy travels!