golfkat Travel Blog

Our first really big trip was a few years back when we went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  It was also the last time we flew in Coach class on any foreign trips over a couple hours.  We arrived, via Miami and Sao Paulo, early one morning in Rio.  As opposed to most countries, after we went through customs, we were forced to shop the duty free shop before entering the country.  This forced us to make some difficult purchasing decisions at the very beginning of the trip.
 
We found our driver and car for the 45 minute drive into Rio, and our hotel on Copacabana Beach.  The Marriott upgraded  us to the beach and ocean view room, which we thoroughly enjoyed.  Brazilians love the beach for many reasons.  It is a place to see and be seen, to play soccer or volleyball, to build sand castles, and to meet the opposite sex mostly.  And we got to see it unfold every day without having to leave the room.
 
We were starving so we walked down the street to a beach cafe for sandwiches and drinks.  Before we knew it, we were flooded by the street vendors.  If you show the least bit of interest, about a dozen more converge on you.  Only when your food arrives do you have any peace and quiet.  So ten minutes into our stay, we have been offered almost every type of Brazilian souvenir.  I had my first of many guarana juice drinks.  Later, I found out that it is excessively high in caffeine.
 
The following morning, we took our obligatory half day tour of Rio.  We got to see the City Center, distinct neighborhoods, famous landmarks,  beaches, and the famous barrios or shantytowns with cardboard houses and lean to’s.  The ride up to Corcovado  (home of the famous Christ the Redeemer statue) on a funicular was fun, until another tourist told us something.  He pointed to two rather burly guys in black suits.  He pointed out that they had guns in their waist, and they were there to protect us!!!  Body guards, as it were.  Though it was foggy and hazy, the view was enough to be spectacular.  We saw everything.
 
Food and drink in Rio is a big deal, all the time, all day and night long.  We had to try the famous Marius Churrascaria (meat emporium) for dinner.  It was a feast for the ages.  First, they present a fabulous buffet.  Then when we are ready, the staff comes around with a huge skewers of meat, and a long, sharp knife.    They cut it directly on to your plate.  We got every possible cut of beef, lamb, pork, and more beef until we were stuffed.  Each time they came by, the meat seemed to get better and better.  The table of Germans next to us ate so much, they had to wait until they could move again!!
 
We found out from our waiter, that Marius also has a seafood place next door, called Marius Crustaceous, with a similar theme, all you can eat seafood.  We made plans for the next night.  Equally spectacular, they brought seafood to our table on skewers.  We had lobster, huge prawns, barbequed fish, clams and mussels, and many other things we could not identify.  It turns out Marius is a very wealthy young man now.
 
Our daytime adventures were fun too.  Street fairs abound, both day and night, in any wide spot in the road, and they always had something different and interesting.  But the fair of fairs, the Hippie Faire was the highlight.  Our driver dropped us mid morning, and we had a ball.  They had everything a local or tourist needs.  We found great trinkets to bring home, some art work, local crafts, T shirts, food, and purses.  When we got tired, we headed to the nearest cafe, which turned out to be the best one in Rio.  We had some great food and cold beer, before heading straight out to the famous Ipanema Beach.  
 
The next day, we had to stop at Garota de Ipanema (The Girl from Ipanema) bar and restaurant.  This is where Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Vicinius de Moraes supposedly penned the famous lyrics and song.  The fable goes that they were smitten by a young, blond, darkly tanned, 15 year old Brazilian girl, who moved with the grace of a goddess.  She is still quite celebrity, her name is Helo Pinheiro, and  is 5 foot eight.  In fact, we ate there the next day, and bought souvenirs at the shop next door.  The song won the Grammy Record of the Year in 1965.  It was also recorded by many, including the famous tenor saxophonist, Stan Getz.  It also appeared in the Blue Brothers, while Jake and Ellwood were riding the elevator.
 
Now, Ipanema Beach sports a much younger, and hipper crowd than Copacabana Beach.  The bikinis are basically made of 3 postage stamp sized pieces of material, connected with string.  And it does not matter what age, shape or sex you are.  They are skimpy.  My question to Sheri was why they are wearing anything at all??  Not much was left to the imagination.  I bought my first coconut water from a beach vendor.  We saw several huge and magnificent sand sculptures as well.   The main street was closed to traffic on Sundays, since Brazilians love to walk, run, strut, and cycle down the main boulevard, Atlantic.  If it wasn’t so hot, we could sit and people watch all day long.
 
Several rules exist on the Beach.  First, women and children can sun bathe or lounge on the sand.  The men must stand, whether talking to each other, or striking up a conversation with the ladies.  The only time it is allowed, is when you are an established couple, or you have children or old folks with you.  It is manly to stand, and you will be chastised for sitting, unless you sit only on a small patch of sand or corner of a towel.  No beach towels for the guys.  Best to play some sport or act like you do.
 
We decided to take a tour of the famous H. Stern gem and jewelry factory the next day.  We fell in love with their sapphire cut watches that are world famous.  But it was just too pricey for a dress watch that would be worn once or twice a year.  So we settled on a more practical style that could be worn daily (and cost alot less by the way).  Sheri resisted the famous stones of Brazil to this point.
 
As we walked down the main shopping street, we did find leather bargains, belts, and purses to bring home.  But we were spotted by a lady at another famous jewelry store, since she saw us leave H. Stern.  Against my better judgment, we went to their showroom, and all hell broke loose.  Amid the beautiful sapphires, rubies, diamonds, and emeralds that Brazil is known for, Sheri wants to buy tanzanite.  The only stones in the store that are not native to Brazil.  She ends up designing her own earrings, and matching ring, with hopes that it will actually get shipped to us when we get home.  It does arrive when we get home, and she is quite pleased.
 
The other obvious thing about Rio is that we do not stay out late enough.  The samba parlors, and hip places to eat and drink do not even get started until around midnight or after.  We had dinner at 7pm one night, and were the only ones in the place.  How do they get to work the next day?
 
The national drink is the caipirinha, a mixture of fermented sugar cane juice (cachaca), lime, ice and sugar.  They taste really good on a hot day, which is every day.  But the other beverages, the coconut water from a fresh coconut, and cold Brazilian beer are also very refreshing.  Brazilians love fried food, and the beach side stands and cafeterias are full of everything deep fried, and greasy.  How do they stay so slim for those postage stamp bikinis?  With strong roots in Portugal, the traditional meal is called fejoada made of beans, sausage, tomato, and onion over rice.  It sounds better than it tastes. We had better luck with lighter sandwiches and fresh fruit from the street markets.
 
Traffic in Rio is a real mess.  The signal lights are very long, and your car must have a horn.  The lines on the street, if they exist at all, are totally ignored.  But it goes on mostly in good spirit, with very few accidents and confrontations.  Buses come in various flavors, local, express, air conditoned, and natural.  Unofficial but efficient street parking gestapo monitors street parking.  Pay or you will be at somebody’s mercy. 
 
We walked through the famous Copacabana Hotel, which has been used in various movies over the years.  It is an old, elegant, white-washed, plantation style hotel, sitting grandly on the beach.  When I hear that song by Barry Manilow about the Copa, this is what I see and feel.  It is a grand, old place, with lots of history, pampered pups, and famous guests.
 
If you like to shop, Rio is a great place, with common everyday malls, middle of the range boutiques, and high end, high fashion European designs.  We tried them all, but enjoyed the middle of the road places the most.  Prices were very reasonable.  The Hippie and street fairs would negotiate as a rule, rather than exception.  By far the most popular shops are the sandal and bikini shops, littered all over the city.  A Brazilian girl cannot have enough of either one.
 
You may ask, did you have time to really chill out and relax?  Most definitely, as we enjoyed the pool and spa on the roof in the afternoons, and lounged in our room watching DVD’s on my PC when it got too hot outside.  There were not too many English stations, but a few did not require Portuguese.  The visual made for plenty of R rated entertainment, on daytime TV no less!!!
 
As I said before, the beach is a way of life, and it is free.  It is a giant magnet attracting everybody, tourists, locals, rich, poor, young, old, entreprenteurs and the unemployed.  We saw every item of food or drink available on the beach.  We could also buy swim suits, bikinis, towels, sunglasses, suntan lotion, beach chairs and umbrellas, hats, t-shirts, sandals, and beach toys.  Food items include beer, wine, soda, coconut water, guarana juice, sandwiches, barbequed meats, baked goods, fresh fruit and veggies, and Brazilian coffees.  No need to ever leave, except for the potty or a cleansing, cool shower.  The weekends are wall to wall people.  But weekdays, we were able to enjoy any and all of the beautiful, famous Ipanema and Copacabana Beaches.
 
I can only take a guess that ‘Carnaval’ in the Spring (their Fall) is the craziest party on earth.  One of these days, we will attend, along with our Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  We learned alot about their lifestyle, especially to live, have some fun, and then have some more fun.  The locals do not seem too worried about tomorrow, or their jobs.  We could certainly use a healthier balance here at home.