Wet and Wild; Bold and Beautiful – Bem vindo ao Rio!

Rio Carnival

Rio is known worldwide for its gorgeous beaches, and beautiful and tanned skinned women in their bikinis. Who can forget the song ‘Garota de Ipanema (The girl from Ipanema)? But nothing is as spectacular as the Rio Carnaval, which draws millions of people, including glamorous and famous celebrities around the world. The festival was a combination of the bold & the beautiful. It was the grandest and wildest celebrations I have ever seen in my life. The vibrant shows and dances, the display of stunning and gorgeous costumes, the colorful parade and lavishly decorated floats all contributed to the vibrant and festive nature of the event. To top it all, the live percussions and drums will definitely make you want to move your dancing feet

The  Carnaval was the enticing factor that brought me to this so-called “wet ‘n wild” city. On Friday, 4th of March, we landed on time in Rio de Janeiro via Tam Airlines, flight JJ3152. At the airport, Leo, Tempo Holidays local representative, welcomed us. Leo was a typical young and confident Brazilian guy with a good command of the English language. From the airport, he brought us to Copa Sul Hotel located on the main Av. Nossa Senhora de Copacabana. The hotel was centrally located and accessible within walking distance to both Copacabana and the beaches of Ipanema. Initially, we were assigned to a smoking room. With no difficulty, Sandra at the front desk was very helpful in re-assigning us to a non smoking room. The room and its amenities were very standard, however the over all  service was impeccable. At one time when Jo decided to do her laundry, one of the hotel staff escorted and assisted Jo with the needed language (Portuguese) translation and even tried to look for another laundry place to do a 24-hour service. Everyone was exceptionally helpful, including the reception desk, considering the constant attention and needs called by the  many hotel guests. Safe access was an extra charge of $4 Real per day ($A1 = US 1.55 Real). A scrumptious breakfast was included, consisting of a range of hot meals.

On Saturday, 5th of March, it rained all day. However this did not stop us to  go out and explore the city of Rio and beyond. The cab was our best friend that day. Our first destination was Santa Teresa, a charming and authentic neighborhood located on the hilltop. It is known for its historic tram and vintage homes like the Parque das Ruinas  (Ruins Park) and the home of Laurinda Santos Lobo. The neighborhood used to be one of the liveliest spots of Rio’s cultural life until the 50´s.  We initially planned to visit the Centro area to find a decent place to have lunch but later found out that this was not a good idea. We then decided to go back to Ipanema to have our lunch.  After a scrumptious lunch at the Barthodomeu, we decided to walk back to the hotel via the beachfront streets. Here, we witnessed hundreds of  people of all sorts, and predominantly gay revelers dressed in drag. It was very interesting to see all sorts of spectators with their proud costumes. It proves a lot on how much effort and dedication they have poured to this event.

We culminated our beach-tour that day with a stop at a funky and very busy Bar Astor. After a relatively long wait to get a table, it was worth of a wait after savoring a typical Brazilian food snack and drink and enjoying a good view of Ipanema beach.

By 6 pm, while walking back to the hotel, we noticed that the streets were becoming livelier and more vibrant  as more people get lured with the street dancing and live bands playing. The pinnacle of the evening was starting to be felt by the crowd by the time we reached the hotel.

The 4-day event was a wet ‘n wild experience. Along the long stretch of Copacabana and Ipanema beaches were constantly filled with all sorts of people, toned and flabby, in their bikinis and trunks. And with 24-hour parties and festivities happening both at the beach and on the streets of Rio, it was definitely the wildest thing I have ever witnessed.

On Monday, 7th of March, following a relaxing Sunday at the beach, we had a panoramic visit to Sugar Loaf Mountain, a massive size of a granite block proudly standing at the mouth of Guanabara Bay. The mountain is an iconic main attractions of Rio. Gentile, the local Tempo Holidays representative was our savior. His contact helped us not to go through all that queuing and waiting for hours. He also made a good recommendation of a restaurant to go to in Santa Teresa.

From Sugar Loaf we spent the rest of the day traveling to San Sebastian Cathedral. This modern pyramid-shaped work of wonders is the strangest edifice in the city that definitely draws the eye. You will be more impressed when you step inside and see the beautiful stained glass shining through. The day tour included an appetizing and lavish barbeque buffet style lunch at the Estrala do Sul Restaurant located in Botafogo district.

And night finally arrived and it was time for the Samba Show – a dream come true for me and Jo and something we were excited to experience. And yes, do not forget to bring the best camera. Transportation to/from the venue was provided. Everything was well organized with minimal traffic disturbance. At 10 pm, the party began with a spectacular displays of fireworks followed by the announcement of the start of “parade of the year.” The ambience was enchanting as the spectators were awe-inspired by the grace and glamour of the performers, and the most stunning created costumes and ostentatious floats. The performers came in all shapes and sizes, expressing their emotions out from the  electrifying sound of the percussions and drums. It was a feeling of being in an open-air museum and seated in Sector 9 was our seats to an unforgettable experience all-night long!

On Sunday, 8th of March, just looking back to those beautiful moments we had at last night’s Samba show and though still feeling exhausted, we made sure we do as much as we can on our last day. We started off our last day of the tour with a visit to Corcovado, where the most famous monument, known locally as O Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) is situated.   Whilst being transported by train through the forest of Tijuca, the seasonal showers and foggy day persisted. It was completely foggy and impossible to capture that perfect photo of the Christ the Redeemer’s statue. Rain or shine, it was a significant day for me to see the sixth of the new Seven Wonders of the World.  Maybe by the end of this trip, I will get lucky to see the seventh on my list.

We then took another chance to visit Santa Teresa, with the primary intention of finding the restaurant that Gentile recommended – Restaurante Sobre Natural – definitely a highly recommended haven for seafood aficionados. The menu consists of seafood in a variety of shapes and sizes. After lunch we walked along the busy streets of Santa Teresa, entertained by hundreds of carnaval fans celebrating another street festival. Taking the historical tram is another way to get to/from Santa Teresa. Due to the festival, we had to walk via a stairway that will lead you to a street towards the Centro. From here, we took the local bus to Ipanema and spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach.

We ended our night visiting Garota de Ipanema Restaurant, a place frequented by many tourists as a reminder of the favorite hang out of Heloisa Pinheiro, the girl from the song ‘The Girl from Ipanema.’ Two shops away from the restaurant is a swimwear shop owned by Heloisa.

© 2012 by Michelle Riel, retains sole copyright to her contributions to all the contents of this site.

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