The Rio de Janeiro Experience
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| Christ The Redeemer statue. |
So, I’ve had some time to recover from my back-to-back travels and finally got to put pen to paper to share my Rio de Janeiro experience. It’s a long read but I hope I managed to make it worthwhile. For a bit of structure, I’ve split my experience into 8 different topics and here it goes:
1. The weather
Our trip to Rio de Janeiro was smack in the middle of June, which happens to be their winter season. Before we left for Brazil, I had read through various articles on the website to get an indication of the kind of clothes I would need to take but I was left a little confused. Most of the articles I read mentioned that ‘Rio de Janeiro is warm during the day but can get chilly in the evenings’. In my mind, I pictured the kind of weather Durban has in winter – warm days and slightly cool nights. So, I packed like someone who was going to Durban in June, which means I packed a few jackets to wear for our nights out but it turned out I didn’t even need a single jacket! I never, at any point, felt that I needed to even carry one ‘just in case’. It was clear from our very first day there that the heat was going to be a daily feature. The days would always start off slightly overcast and would clear up before mid-day, revealing beautiful blue skies. Rio was as hot as Johannesburg is in summer, hovering in the late twenties to early thirties. I could only imagine how much hotter it gets in summer! Apparently, temperatures can go as high as 38 °C . I loved the kind of weather we had. It was comfortable enough to stay in a bikini on the beach and wear a light cocktail dress for nights out. You definitely need to stay hydrated throughout the day, especially if you’re going to indulge in caipirinhas or any of their other exotic cocktails.
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| Soaking up the sun at Copacabana beach |
2. The people
Brazilians are a friendly bunch. The majority of them do not speak a word of English, which can make communication a bit frustrating. Even with translation apps, it’s still a challenge but because they are patient, they will entertain whatever gestures you make in an attempt to make your point. I will not go into the details about the kinds of gestures we explored trying to order food at a restaurant because their entire menu was in Portuguese and of course, we understood none of it! Needless to say, we always found a way around the language barrier and in the end, it all became a big joke. Standing on the sidelines and observing Brazilians as they go by, you’ll feel like you’re watching a swarm of bees because there’s always a lot of people getting from one point to another. They all seem busy. The streets are always buzzing as long as it’s past 10am. They seem to have a late start to their days and before 10am, most streets are quiet but anytime between 10am and 5am the next day, the streets of Rio are not short of action
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| These ladies decided to join in on my street photo shoot |
3. The food
Brazilian food is very tasty although not as spicy as I had expected it to be. Like South Africans, Brazilians love chicken and so, in its many varying forms, chicken appears to be a staple menu item of just about every restaurant. We tried many different local dishes, delicacies and beverages. Some taste better than others but overall, I think I could live on Brazilian food. I also love that they serve generous portions and are reasonably priced. Caipirinha is of course a very popular cocktail in Brazil and so it was popular among our group as well. I tried a few of their other local cocktails and none disappointed.
4. Getting around
We were advised by friends who visited Rio before us that uber was our best bet to get around the city and so we didn’t really explore other options. A few of the people we were traveling with tried out buses but they seemed unhappy with their experience for one reason or another. Using uber will relieve you of the stress presented by the language barrier I referred to earlier. The driver picks you up from wherever you are and drops you off exactly where you need to go. No fuss. It’s also quite reasonable.
5. The shopping
We didn’t do a lot of shopping on this trip because our itinerary was so packed! We did more of sightseeing and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Perhaps if I get another opportunity to visit Rio, I will explore more of the shopping scene. What I am certain of is that there is no shortage of shopping spots because we drove past many over the 8 days that we were there. From shopping malls to markets and boutique stores, the options would be overwhelming.
6. Safety
It’s sad that Rio de Janeiro gets such a bad reputation as a crime-ridden city that this has actually become a barrier for a lot of people who travel overseas. Many travelers will either feel unsafe going to Rio or simply reconsider the trip altogether. Like I say with many other things said about the different cities and countries around the world, you will never know until you go. The media tends to exaggerate the size of the problem or even create a wrong impression of a place altogether. I’m not saying Rio is 100% safe but I can assure you that it’s no reason to put off your plans to visit this amazing city. Like anywhere else in the world, you will need to take the necessary precautions. I can tell you that throughout our time here, I never felt unsafe at any point. Just keep your valuables safe and close to you at all times. Avoid walking alone at night. The most common crime inflicted on tourists is the cloning of bank cards. So, avoid using stand alone ATM’s. Rather ask your hotel where the safest place to withdraw money would be without exposing yourself to card-cloning crooks.
7. The night life
The Rio nighlife is something to marvel! I’ve experienced cities like Bangkok and Barcelona with their electric nighlife but I know now that they have nothing on Rio! Brazilians love to have fun and from our time here, I believe these people party from Monday to Monday! Their samba clubs literally have an overflow of patrons on any given night, Mondays and Sundays included. They love their music and will sing and dance with passion. You absolutely have to see this in action. You’ll be thoroughly entertained. Sadly, this also means the level of alcohol and drug abuse is prevalent and sometimes evident when you observe the people you see in the city centers. That aside though, you’ll have an absolute blast mingling with the locals.
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| Basically how the streets of Rio look like on any given night. Now imagine the inside of the clubs. |
a) Christ The Redeemer statue is a must see because if you go to Rio de Janeiro and you don’t get to see this magnificent landmark, then you didn’t really go to Rio! It’s an incredible experience to see this historical monument in real life, especially if you had been bombarded with images of it over the years. The sheer size of it will blow you away. It’s a good idea to go in the morning before the traffic gets congested. People who come here aim to get the most impactful pictures and so don’t be surprised when you find fellow tourists lying on the floor to get that perfect shot! The statue is of course the main attraction here but I don’t believe I expected views as spectacular as what we saw when we got to where the statue is situated. I felt like I had just stepped into heaven!
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| I think I got the angle right. Just me and Jesus |
b) Sugarloaf mountain must be among the most breathtaking experiences I had in Rio! Taking the cable car up this mountain will already reveal the beauty of Rio and when you finally get to the top, you will have no words to describe the beauty you will see. Sugarloaf mountain has to be the best place to take in unobstructed views of Rio de Janeiro. Make sure you allocate enough time to allow yourself to first adjust from the euphoria before you can take it all in.
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| Breathtaking views of Rio de Janeiro |
c) Maracana stadium, where legends like Pele made history. We walked on those very same grounds and sat in the same change rooms that many other legends set foot in over the years. Taking a tour through the stadium will give you an opportunity to get the context and meaning of the many memorabilia items that are immaculately displayed throughout the entry hallway. An English-speaking tour guide will take you through some of the historic moments displayed at this iconic stadium.
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| Moments before our tour of Maracana Stadium |
d) Great viewing points including Chinese view in the Tijuca Forest National Park where we had, for the first time, a contrasting view of the contemporary part of Rio de Janeiro along with the most talked about favelas (1 of them).
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| Taking in the amazing views from Chinese view |
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| The beauty that is Parque Lage |
f) Ipanema beach, which, in a rather peculiar way, reminded me of Camps Bay. It’s just as we see it on TV, with lots of beach tennis and beach volleyball. Ipanema beach is a lot quieter than Copacabana beach and here, you won’t be hassled every 5 seconds by beachfront vendors who try to entice you to buy one thing or the other.
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| Enjoying a cocktail at Ipanema beach |
g) Escadaria Selaron steps make for a colourful photo opportunity but beyond the beautiful backdrop, I was moved by the new information I learnt about the man who created this beautiful piece of Rio. The man lost his pregnant wife and suffered years of depression for some years until he succumbed to his mental state and committed suicide. This broke my heart but it also made me appreciate these steps much more than I would have had I not known about these other bits of his life story. I believe his wife was his muse and she inspired a lot of the artistic work, which he became known for.
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| Hubby taking a rare photo opportunity at the steps without the crowds |
h) Museu de arte do rio will impress you the moment you see it as you approach from the main road because it is itself a beautiful piece of art. Its location is also a sight to behold. The beachfront is absolutely pristine and uncrowded. It’s a beautiful part of Rio that we literally just stumbled upon on 1 of our free days there. I'm not a big consumer of art but I appreciated the thought-provoking work we saw inside the museum, some of which were interactive. For a structure as big as this, I would have expected to see a lot more art pieces but maybe it's a thing to not have a cluttered museum, I wouldn't know.
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| Museu de arte - A great piece of art |
i) Santa Teresa is a quaint little hilltop neighbourhood with a rich history and a lot of quirkiness in character and features. Here we visited what used to be the mansion of one wealthy Brazilian woman, Laurinda Santos Lobo, who made art culture a big part of this neighbourhood. The site was her residence and after she died, her mansion was turned into a cultural centre, which is now a key tourist attraction and a revered coffee spot among locals. Besides the story of how she motivated and inspired artists in Brazil, this house is itself a gem. You’ll once again get to enjoy beautiful views of different parts of Rio from here as it was built right on the top of the hill.
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| Inside the beautiful cultural centre |
j) The ugly Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian gets its name because of its, well, interesting structure. This monument may be considered ugly but do note that its ugliness is only on the outside because the inside of it will surely impress you. With glass walls that run from the floor to the ceiling, the cone-like shape and its striking size, it’s nearly impossible to miss this interesting display of architecture. Being inside this structure is also a very soothing and calming experience as it is, afterall, a place of worship.
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| Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian |
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