Jill In Brazil: Rio 2011

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Rio 2011

I was so excited to go to Rio de Janeiro for the first time. At the last minute we found out that we would not need to bring the children so the next decision was car or bus. A vacation was just what we needed. As I began to talk about going to Rio, many people began to offer their opinion of what I should expect both getting there and being there. I found out that many people who had opinions had never been there and most people talked about the violence and the crazy road that we would be driving on.

On Saturday as I was getting my things together I thought about what everyone was telling me, it dawned on me that If I was going to die sometime in Brasil… that this would be the time and probably on the bus ride. It must be Rio de Janiero because the rest of Brasil assuming that you are a good person and you treat everyone nice and with a smile, it isn’t scary at all. However, to be on the safe side I spent the last 30 minutes at home writing my last will and testament, sent it on to 4 people and hoped for the best.

When we got to the bus station it was like a mini airport. It was so efficient and you seriously only had to be there 10 minutes before the bus left the station. When we got on the bus the seats reclined and it was very clean and comfortable. Rodrigo and I had a few beers and snacks and then closed our eyes for an hour or two. The sensation of driving was so soothing that it took nothing to sleep. I slept like a baby to the sound of white noise.

When we arrived Rodrigo’s cousin picked us up and took us to LAPA. It was great, lot of people standing around and partying. The streets were full of clubs and people; I was taken back to the time that I spent in New Orleans as you could feel the history of the streets. Whatever you want you could find in Rio at LAPA. We went to a bar called Antarctica. Antarctica is a type of beer in Brasil and this was its bar. We chatted and watched the Under 20- World Cup as the Brazilian Boys team won the championship and then we tossed back a few and drowned ourselves in great conversation. Tiago’s girlfriend Patricia was with us, we spoke a mixture of English and Portuguese. That night we stayed at their house and again slept great. When I woke up I felt a bit silly after writing my last minute will and quickly used my cousin’s internet to make sure that everyone knew we were still alive, then after a Brazilian Breakfast and Lunch we were off to the hotel.

The hotel was in the center of Rio, kind of like a Holiday Inn express but more express.

From there we went to this amazing place which was in the Favela (ghetto). A man from Peru tiled the steps all of the way up. It was a sight to see and the tiles were perfectly placed and from all over the world. This has become a famous place to visit in Rio. Luckily for us the artist was there that day trying to sell his work. His work is nice and always there is a pregnant black woman appearing somewhere within.

The Steps

The Pregnant Black Woman who always appears

The Artist

Brasil Flag

After that amazing journey we headed around the city and to Copacabana. I wanted to go to the most famous part of the beach where I could see Pão de Açúcar and Christ the Redeemer. When we got out of the car I looked around and said, “Um ok, but where is Christ the Redeemer”? Then I was told that the photos that I have been seeing were actually photo shopped or from a helicopter. I guess that made sense darn it... so Brazilian of them.

The Christ and off in the distance Pao de Acucar

Anyway we walked the beach and had a drink while listening to live music. This was my ultimate goal, but after that I was in search of Brazilian Beer served in garrafas and Soccer (garrafas are 20oz bottles, chilled at freezing and shared).

10 block later we were sitting outside at the boteco (little bar) watching the game. Flamengo from Rio was playing and on this team is one of my Brazilian favorites “Ronaldinho”. He is a character indeed.

This was great because it is truly the best part of Brasil; Futebol and Cold Beer.

Next on my list was pizza. We sat at a little outdoor patio and shared a huge half Pepperoni & half Frango com catupiry pizza and each bite better than the last. By now it was 9pm and time to get home. We had a big day ahead of us at the US Embassy and I wanted to be well rested. Up by 5a.m. to get ready, have Breakfast and take a mile walk to the Embassy. The day was long and we walked a ton around the city of Rio. A couple of gifts for the kids later we were on the bus home at 5:15p.m. The trip had been smooth and in the end, I recommend Rio and the bus.

a market in Rio