I have officially quit my job and will be travelling South America for the next 5 months (March to July 2019). After several years of dreaming and planning, it’s finally happening!
Somehow my friend and I turned up at the airport with matching backpacks (not pre-planned)! They may look spacious, but let me tell you, fitting your whole life for 5 months into a 70-litre backpack was not an easy task.
First Stop: Rio de Janeiro
The first thing that hit me on arrival in Rio de Janeiro was the intense heat, made worse by the 80% humidity (no exaggeration). England being England, it had been chilly and rainy back home in the weeks leading up to our departure, so I wasn’t quite prepared.
We’d decided to save some money by getting an AirBnB, and our hostess was a lovely elderly Brazilian lady who spoke slightly more English than we did Portuguese. The location of our flat was perfect – just one block away from Ipanema Beach. So far so good. However it was lacking in one crucial thing: air con. We would definitely come to regret that later…
Ipanema
You can’t talk about Ipanema without mentioning the famous song, of course. The bar where it was written is still open for business today. Capitalising on the success of the song, it is imaginatively titled Garota de Ipanema (Girl from Ipanema in Portuguese). Of course, I couldn’t resist paying it a visit, and had dinner there on my first night in Brazil.
On the waiter’s recommendation we ordered Picanha à Brasileira, which turned out to be a massive iron griddle lined with sizzling slices of steak. Apparently picanha, also known as sirloin cap or rump cap, is quite popular here. The majority of the other diners were eating the same thing! It smelt and tasted amazing. Halfway through the meal, a band outside also started playing the restaurant’s namesake song. I’m sure the waiters were sick of the song, but it was the perfect accompaniment to dinner for us.
On the way back, we noticed bright flashes in the sky and walked to the beach to investigate. It turned out to be lightning on the horizon out at sea. It lit up the sky quite impressively. Unfortunately, we watched the lightning for a bit too long and the storm caught up with us. We were thoroughly drenched by the time we got back. We later found out that parts of the city had flooded that night!
The next week passed by in a blur. The heat was ridiculous and, with only two electric fans, the nights were not comfortable. I made the mistake of opening the window to cool down once – it wasn’t very effective and I unfortunately got to experience Rio’s mosquito population firsthand. Even two showers a day weren’t enough to combat the heat and constant sweating. But moving on…
Partying it up at Carnival
Our first experience of Carnival was a bloco (block party) along Ipanema Beach. It was hard to miss – swarms of people in bright costumes at every turn. Google Maps had even marked out the area! People were already blasting music and dancing while waiting to exit the metro station. Roads were cordoned off, and street vendors sold beer from polystyrene ‘coolboxes’ on every corner.
We decided to first stop off at our accommodation to wash off some sweat and empty our bladders in an effort to avoid the gruesome carnival portaloos. We therefore arrived a bit late, and unfortunately it seemed that most of the party was already over. Apparently South American timings don’t apply to blocos. There were swathes of people in weird and wonderful costumes standing around drinking beer, but a severe lack of samba (or dancing of any kind). Thankfully our disappointment didn’t last long, as we returned the next day for a second attempt.
Bloco: Take 2
A large crowd was already gathered when we arrived for our second bloco. We were greeted by a sea of pink tutus, feathers, sunflowers and fluorescent hats. The costumes were akin to what you might see on a night out at Halloween, minus the zombies and gore. People dressed as anything from superheroes to bunny rabbits, usually with copious amounts of tanned and glitter-bedecked skin on show. Rather bizarrely, bikinis and tutus were quite popular costume choices for the guys.
The focal point of the bloco was a purple and yellow open-top bus, which led a procession of drummers and dancers along the Ipanema beach front. There was also a giant cake on wheels, although sadly not edible. A band on top of the bus played live music, and the mass of people followed behind, dancing and singing along. Think Champions League-style victory parade, but ten times rowdier. The whole neighbourhood buzzed and even the drizzle that later started didn’t do much to the dampen the mood.
Carnival Magic at the Sambadrome
The Sambadrome, as we later found out, is where the real Carnival magic happens. Over the course of the week, Rio’s best samba schools each put on a spectacular performance, with a winner chosen at the end.
The Sambadrome itself is a rectangular arena with a long central runway and concrete tiered stands on either side. These are divided up into thirteen sectors, with one specially reserved for tourists. We’d booked tickets in a regular sector for locals, and it turned out to be an excellent decision. Those sitting in the tourist sector looked like they were having way less fun, and had also paid more to get in.
The Samba Parades Begin!
The atmosphere was electric; each performance was a spectacular burst of colour and sound. Starting from one end, the processions would make their way to the arch on the opposite side of the arena one by one, accompanied by their respective team songs. Helpfully, the lyrics were supplied in the printed programmes, so that even we could join in.
Some parades had clear themes or messages, and others seemed to simply be explosions of feathers and neon lights. The flotillas were spectacular sights to behold: featuring puffs of smoke, flashing lights, and jets of water. From the stands, the dancers were whirling ant-sized dots marching along to the drum beat. Every so often, the procession would stop in front of our sector to perform an elaborate routine, and then the ribbon of colour would continue on.
The inevitable debris that followed each procession was efficiently swept up by a line of men in orange boiler suits, who could easily have been part of an urban dance crew.
The Party Goes On…
As the evening went on, despite the incredible performances, we needed more and more caffeine to keep up our energy levels. The spectators in the tourist sector were long gone at this point, but our stand was still very lively. It didn’t help that there was an interval between each parade when the buzz calmed down enough for us to start feeling sleepy. I was really flagging, but somehow the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd hadn’t waned. We were clearly not up to Brazilian standards of partying. Earlier in the week I’d shared a taxi with two Brazilian girls who’d been partying for 24 hours straight, make-up completely intact! I need to know where they got their eyeliner from, seriously.
We managed to last until 5am, which wasn’t even the end – there were still two samba schools to go.
We were left completely bedazzled by the experience. When we later greeted our taxi driver with ‘boa noite‘ (good evening), he laughed at us and pointed out that it was already the morning!
Exploring Rio de Janeiro
Christ the Redeemer
The remainder of our week in Rio de Janeiro was spent visiting some of its famous attractions. Of course, number one on the list was the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. Situated atop Corcovado mountain, it towers majestically above the city. Up close, you can appreciate the detail of the triangular soapstone tiles covering the concrete surface, with an occasional gap in the mosaic armour. Apparently the women who helped make them wrote their wishes and dreams (and the names of their boyfriends) on the backs of the tiles.
Unfortunately it was a bit of an Instagram versus reality moment, as there were hordes of people all trying to take the same shot, with no kind of order or respect for personal space. To be expected, I guess, at one of the Wonders of the World. Ironically, the same group that kept interrupting my photo then asked me to take one for them.
Sugarloaf Mountain
We got the cable car to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain later that day to watch the sunset. We had a beautiful panoramic view of the city’s lush greenery, sparkling blue seas and golden beaches.
Lush green forest surrounding Sugarloaf Mountain
While at the top, we witnessed another lightning storm. One bolt struck quite close to the Christ the Redeemer statue! Due to its lofty position and Rio’s tropical climate, the statue actually gets struck by lightning a few times a year, and requires occasional replacement of the tiles. Unfortunately, the quarries where they got the original soapstone have run out, and the new tiles aren’t exactly the same colour. There’s not much difference now, but eventually the statue will change colour as the tiles are replaced over time.
Copacabana Beach
Rio de Janeiro is famous for its beautiful beaches, and none more so than the seemingly endless golden stretch that is Copacabana.
We rented two sunloungers and an umbrella for a relaxing day on the beach. Being a cheapskate, I didn’t want to rent two umbrellas, although we probably should have. Towards midday, the umbrella’s shadow got smaller and smaller… and I ended up with sunburn on one leg!
Maracanã Stadium
I realised a childhood dream of mine by visiting the Maracanã Stadium, the home of Brazilian football. It was built for the 1950 World Cup, where Brazil famously lost 2-1 to Uruguay in the final. More recently, it was the site of Germany’s victory against Argentina in the 2014 World Cup Final.
The stadium has various items on display from the nation’s football heroes, and you get the feeling that Pelé’s football jersey is as much revered here as any saintly church relic.
Metropolitan Cathedral
Speaking of churches, a surprising highlight of my visit was Rio’s unique Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian. The cathedral is a pyramid built in the Mayan style, which is interesting in itself, although I wasn’t aware that the Mayans had ventured so far south…
On the cathedral’s exterior there are what look like lines of ugly concrete vents, but the inside is remarkable. The ‘vents’ are actually beautiful panels of stained glass, which are angled to let in natural light. The stained glass windows form an enormous cross, with the centre high up at the pyramid’s apex, and the arms running down the walls.
Perhaps it was the majesty of the stained glass and high ceilings, or the refreshingly cool interior, but this place had a feeling of tranquility that particularly resonated with me. I was very content to just sit and appreciate the beauty of the place.
Churrasco
Finally, the most important attraction of all: the food, of course. Brazilian barbecue, or churrasco, is an experience in itself. We tried two different churrascarias (churrasco steak houses) during our stay: Churrascaria Palace and Carretão. Both were excellent.
Before the barbecue part, you first load up your plate with a selection of sides from the buffet. These aren’t your regular boring sides you want to skip over. These sides are so delicious you accidentally eat too much and don’t leave enough room for the steak. I’m talking an array of grilled vegetables, salads, rice, fancy cheese, soup, sushi, and even fresh oysters!
Then comes the meat. The waiters bring skewers laden with different cuts of barbecued meat straight to your table. It feels like an endless conveyor belt of deliciousness. You’ve barely taken a bite of the first piece before a different waiter offers you the next juicy cut. It’s hard to keep up.
Luckily, you get a double-sided yes/no card, so you can flip it to show ‘no’ if you need a breather. It’s not the kind of meal you should be having every week, but when in Rio…
I’d tried churrasco back home at a now-closed restaurant in Yarm (North East England). At the end when you’d eaten all the meat you could, they always gave you a delicious slice of grilled pineapple covered in cinnamon. I was very sad to find that the churrascarías in Rio didn’t do this. Not sure whether the pineapple was ‘authentic’ or not, but it certainly tasted amazing. I’m still searching for somewhere to have that heavenly cinnamon pineapple again.
Goodbye, Rio de Janeiro!
Well, it’s been an intense and memorable week in Rio de Janeiro, the first leg of my five-month trip. Next is a brief stop in São Paulo before moving on to Spanish-speaking South America, where I can hopefully hold more of a conversation than just ‘Fala inglês? Não falo português‘.
Know of a churrasco place that does cinnamon grilled pineapple? Let me know in the comments!
Next stop: São Paulo, Brazil
Seems like you’re having a wonderful time Mimi. Those stained glass windows looked stunning and that steakhouse looks amazing!
Looks like fun and anticipating a lot more adventures ahead! Not sure I would have survived without the air con though haha.
Even as a veggie, your description of churrasco is making my mouth water!
That is a huge compliment! Thanks Chandni 😆