Ipanema, as you'd expect, is really built-up, very touristy, and very evidently a place for the rich. Our first day we managed a bit of chilling on Ipanema beach and a swim, which was awesome as even though it is winter here, it is like the middle of summer to us. There are people wandering along the beach selling everything from caiparinhas and cervejas, through to globo (biscuits), bikinis, shrimp, and even marijuana. The constant calls from the salespeople make it a bit less relaxing, but it is a bit of an experience in itself.
Cat making the most of Ipanema Beach:
We went up the sugar loaf (Pão du Azucar) with Nate and Annie at sunset to catch a really spectacular view of the city. We discovered that if you ask for põ (powder) on the street instead of pão (bread) you'll end up with directions to something very different, but we made it.
We went to our first pay-per-kilo restaurant for dinner - great value but it is hard to stop eating.
On Nate and Annie's recommendation, we spent some time wandering around Catete and out to Flamengo Beach.
We found some turtles and monkeys in the park, and caught a rehearsal for a theatrical performance which we could not understand, but it was entertaining all the same:
Cat sampling some of the local deep fried goods:
And enjoying a little watermelon on Flamengo Beach:
We also visited the Escadaria Selaron in Lapa. The artist who decorated the steps over many years (Selaron, a Chilean) was found dead on the steps in 2013. The authorities didn't say whether it was a murder or suicide, but either way it was really sad.
Selaron enjoying his steps:
We took a tour through one of the largest favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Rocinha. Our guide, Obi, grew up in Rocinha and in addition to taking us through the main parts of the favela, shopping and chatting to the odd local, he also took us to his house/guesthouse, which was cool, and also to a charitable DJ school which the tours fund. We concluded with lunch at another per-kilo restaurant in Rocinha. It was really interesting hearing Obi's perspective on the pacification (transfer of control from the drug dealers to the police) of the favelas, which has been on going since before the Football World Cup. On the plus side, the government is spending more money in Rocinha which means new facilities for kids, better water supply and an increased police presence; but there are also some negatives, including that the police are really only present on the main streets which pushes some of the crime into the deeper alleyways, some of the money spent in the favelas now goes to those living elsewhere, and that everyone who lived in the favelas used to be known to those running the place, meaning it was easier to look out for everyone. Overall, we got the impression that he thought it was a good thing.
We were a little hesitant about taking a tour after what we had heard from some people, but we found it a really interesting experience and it was very clear that the media do not provide a fair representation of life in the favelas. It was also reassuring knowing that the money we spent was going straight into the community and not exploiting those that live there.
The view from the top of Rocinha, looking back over Ipanema:
Looking back up at the buildings in Rocinha:
Wouldn't want to be an electrician here:
The Copa America (football) is on at the moment and we watch Brazil play Paraguay in the quarter final. Brazil lost in a penalty shootout, which the Brazilians weren't too happy about at the time but they don't seem the culture to dwell on these things.
We waited for a really clear day and then caught the train up Corcovado to Christ the Redeemer. The view from here really is breath taking, and we also took the obligatory classic photos:
We wandered back through the streets of Copacabana and sampled a couple of local chocolates, and ate baked goods stuffed with processed meats and cheese. We went out for dinner and had a huge Mexican feast of fajitas, along with a couple of beers and mojitos. Not very Brazilian, but very delicious!
We are planning on heading into Paraguay when we leave Brazil, for which we need to obtain a visa before arriving. Obtaining this was a bit of a challenge given that the Paraguayans speak Spanish, the Brazilians speak Portuguese, and we speak primarily English. We made our first phone call here, managing in Portuguese to find someone at the consulate who spoke Spanish, in order to find out what we needed for the visas, whether we needed an appointment etc. It all seemed to go pretty well until we later went to the consulate only to find that the address we had was incorrect and we had to walk another hour to find it. In the end it took us two days as by the time we had paid the fees at the bank (which was also an experience), the consulate had closed and we had to return the next day.
On the recommendation of a local we met at a café, we visited a Picasso exhibition in the CCBB, which was pretty sweet (and also free), and sampled some street food in the Centro area, while we waited for our visas to be processed. The deep fried croquette-type treats were awesome, as well as some açai which was refreshing.
We also managed to fit in a bit more beach time, and even splashed out on a rental chair and a caiparinha one day:
After over a week in the city we were ready for something away from the traffic, crowds and noise. We headed a bit further south to the edge of the city to a beach called Praia Da Macumba. We managed to get on the local bus at rush hour (after waiting for our visas and the first bus driving straight past us), so we had to spend around 3 hours on a crammed bus with our massive backpacks worrying about how we would ever manage to squeeze to the back door to get off. Thankfully we were one of the last stops, so we did manage to leave the bus, but we've learnt our lesson and won't travel with all of our gear at rush hour again! We are staying in the Surf n Stay hostel here, which is awesome as they have surf lessons, gear hire, and heaps of places to chill. We've each taken some surf lessons and found out how little upper body fitness we have, but have had heaps of fun. It is also much cheaper away from the central city, and a great place to enjoy a churrasco on the street.
Paul getting up (a bit late):
Cat pulling a sick move (fall):
Rio has been one of our favourite places so far.
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