The One Where I Turned 30 In Brazil - Part 2 - Rio de Janeiro.

They say sequels are never as good as the original - but I hope to prove that wrong with part 2 of my Brazilian adventure. I finished the last blog with my partner and I travelling to Rio de Janeiro on a night bus from São Paulo, en route to the Carnival! We had booked our tickets in advance through Busbud as we anticipated that it would be a popular route. We found ourselves stuck in standstill traffic on the outskirts of Rio adding 5 hours to our journey which was frustrating but understandable considering the amount of people who attend carnival each year. As we approached the bus station in Rio we looked outside the window to see festival goers still partying from the night before, the streets were full of people in colourful fancy dress and the sound of live music could be heard from every direction. I remember thinking to myself - ‘Aaaaah we are finally here!’ Attending Rio Carnival had been on my bucket list for a few years and I was so excited to get off the bus and embrace the atmosphere and the party!

Once we found our way outside the bus station, it was chaos! There was a sea of yellow taxis and a one way system implemented on the roads. Remembering how cheap the Ubers were in São Paulo, we walked away from the crowds and managed to book one to our hotel relatively quickly. We had decided to stay at Rio Design Hotel which was just off Copacabana Beach and cost us £679 for the 5 nights we were there. There were plenty more expensive hotels around but we settled for this ‘mid-range’ one as the location was perfect and the reviews were also very good. My logic was that we wouldn’t be spending a lot of time in the hotel anyway so as long as it was clean and located near where we wanted to go, it would be great!

After checking in we grabbed some lunch on the beach and then headed back to the hotel to unpack (we may have also had another 30 min power nap!l) We knew what sights we wanted to see while we were in Rio, but we took this time to try and plan out the days ahead to ensure we didn’t miss a thing. That night we headed to a vegan restaurant called Teva. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would find a vegan or vegetarian restaurant in this meat loving city - but there we were and the food was delicious!

The following day we took a walk to Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon which is in the south zone area of Rio, where we hired a paddle boat for an hour. This was a nice and relaxed way to take in the breathtaking views that surrounded us all around the lake. We could spot the mighty Christ the Redeemer at the top of the Corcovado mountain, as well as closer hills such as the Morro do Cantagalo, Morros dos Cabritos and the nearby National Park of Tijuca. After an hour of paddling it had resulted in tired, shaky and achy legs (it’s harder than it looks) so we took an Uber to Praia do Leme which is a beach slightly further down from Copacabana. As we were attending the Carnival parade at the Sambadrome that night the idea was to relax, and this beach was away from the crowded beach parties giving us the perfect opportunity for a little downtime.

Once we were back at the hotel, I got ‘sequinned and glittered up’ as we got ready in our carnival outfits and headed out to get some food before it started. We found a Dominos - and let me tell you, it was THE BEST DOMINOS I have ever tasted, not like the greasy pizzas we know so well here in the UK. It was perfect for lining the stomach as well - because we had a long night of partying ahead of us!

I booked our carnival tickets through Carnival Service in January. There is an option to collect them from the ticket office but it was a little out of the way so we paid the extra £12 to have them delivered to our hotel upon check in - much easier! Tickets vary in price but ours (seated in Sector 8) cost us roughly £178 in total for them both and we chose to go and see the Samba Parade which is one of the first two days of the event. I don’t know why but until I booked our Carnival tickets, I thought that Rio Carnival was a daytime event. However, I discovered that the doors to the Carnival open at 7PM and the parades run from 9PM - 6AM! We made our own way there and back, although there is a transfer service which you could purchase with the tickets - we just weren’t sure how long we would last for and we wanted the freedom of not waiting around for the selected bus to depart.

So with a Caipirinha in hand after an eventful subway journey to the Sambadrome with people dancing, singing and jumping up and down, we walked through the doors and were greeted by the beat of the music and a mixture of locals and tourists drinking, laughing and singing. The energy was incredible. We found sector 8 and managed to squeeze in between some locals on the bench (it’s not allocated seating). Words cannot describe how I felt as I looked down the parade route. The floats, the dancers, the costumes, the music, the locals surrounding us already knowing the music and singing along, the flags being waved in the crowds and the passion behind it all. The buzz in the Sambadrome filled me with so much happiness and excitement, their energy was completely infectious.

A few more Caipirinhas and many a Smirnoff Ice later (don’t judge) we got a taxi back to the hotel. It was around 4.30AM (impressive!)

The next day we were booked on a Favela Tour with LiveRio. We were collected from our hotel at around 1pm (which gave us enough time for a lovely little lie in after the night before) and then were on our way to discovering the Rocinha Favela. On my previous trips to Brazil I had never been on one of these tours but it had always been something I wanted to do. I think it’s important to see the ‘real’ side to a city or country and with 11.25 million people living in Favelas in Brazil, although it’s not the picturesque image we all may have of the country - it is real life. The tour guide was brilliant and we were in a small group so got plenty of time to ask the questions we wanted. I’m not going to lie - we walked past a lot of men with guns and drug deals were happening all around us which put me right on edge, but the locals were friendly, the kids were adorable and one older man even let us into his home. I’m glad we had the tour guide with us as the residents were familiar with him and he made sure to tell us the times it was not safe to take any photos. It was a very eye-opening day to see a part of Rio previously unknown to me and I would recommend it to anyone.

I woke up the next morning with lots of balloons around me - IT WAS MY 30TH BIRTHDAY! Raj had worked with the hotel staff and created a treasure hunt for me all around the hotel which eventually led me to the front desk, where they handed over envelopes containing my birthday presents! We didn’t take anything valuable with us to Brazil as the crime rate is a lot higher during carnival so my presents were safely in our apartment in London. We got ready and the day turned out to be one of the hottest days of the trip so far! Considering the forecast had been rain for the whole day I was so happy to see blue skies with no clouds in sight because it meant we could visit my favourite view in Rio, Christ The Redeemer! One thing I would say is that if you are visiting Brazil for Carnival, definitely try to extend your trip a few days either side so you can see the sights without the crowds. Christo was the busiest I had ever seen it but the view nonetheless was incredible. I just don’t understand how something you have seen before can leave you feeling so overwhelmed when you see it again!

Afterwards we got an Uber to Parque Lage which I had been recommended to see and we ate lunch in the cafe there. It is beautifully located at the foot of the Corcovado Mountain and is set in the middle of the subtropical forest with many walking trail options around. Fun fact : The Cafe was actually featured in the 2003 music video for Snoop Dogg's single "Beautiful"! We expected to wait a while but we were seated quickly and the food was lovely! I made some phone calls to my family while we were there as they wished me a happy birthday from the UK.

Last stop for the day was Sugarloaf Mountain and it looked like we would make it in perfect timing for the sunset! It was my first time here and although the cable cars made me a little nervous at first, the view from the top was just INCREDIBLE! We felt like we were literally on top of the world. Watching planes take off from the nearest airport, spotting thunder storms in the distance and watching the city light up beautifully as the sun set behind the mountains - it was so romantic and the perfect ending to my birthday.

We decided to have a beach day the following day as we hadn’t really stopped since Carnival and we needed the rest. We headed to Ipanema Beach which was a 20 minute walk from the hotel. We grabbed a sun lounger, took it in turns to swim in the sea and drank Caipirinhas until the sun set. I ate corn on the cob coated in melted butter and sprinkled with salt from a beach vendor - delicious!

One thing synonymous with Brazil is of course, Football. There was a big match being played that night at The Maracanã involving one of Brazil’s most famous clubs, Flamengo. We decided we had to chance it and take an Uber there to see if anyone was selling any tickets. After an hour of lurking around outside the stadium looking out for someone who might look like a ticket tout, we were finally approached by a man who asked us if we wanted a ticket (the match was completely sold out by the way - and this was our last hope before giving up and heading back to the city). Tickets in our hand (and our hearts pounding as we went through security in case we had been sold fakes) - we were in! I do like a good football match but I don’t think you need to be the biggest football fan to enjoy the atmosphere we saw inside the stadium that night. Football is massive in Brazil and the passion of the fans surrounding us was captivating! We joined in the songs and chants the crowd were singing and by the end of the match we were covered in beer that had been spilled in celebration. Flamengo had won 3-0!

Our last full day in Rio, before moving on to Ilha Grande, consisted of seeing the Escadaria Selarón, also known as the 'Selaron Steps’ and bar hopping in Lapa drinking way too many Caipirinhas! Lapa is known for its nightlife and we ended up at Café Cultural Sacrilégio where they had a live samba band playing the most amazing music - If you’re ever in Lapa, make sure you head here!

The city of Rio will always have a special place in my heart and although I hope I have depicted the beauty of it to you here, nothing beats going there and experiencing the lively culture for yourself. I couldn’t have chosen anywhere else I would have wanted to be for my 30th birthday and I will definitely carry the memories made on this trip with me for the rest of my life.

My next blog post will be about the final part of our Brazilian adventure in Ilha Grande, Paraty and our last 2 days in Rio so keep your eyes peeled!

Laura-Ann

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