View from PÃO DE AÇÚCAR
Samba Show
Our enticement with Brazilian soccer, endearing Rio footage led us to South America, a continent not visited by us thus far. We thought about it back in 1997, but couldn't get the logistics done, and we took a lame package deal to Acapulco. Rio - Cidade Marvilhosa (The marvellous city) invited us with open arms this time.
Here are some movie recommendations to warm you up - Cidade de Deus (City of Gods), Woman on Top, Lonely planet, Rio DVDs etc.. Don't forget to get the Brazilian Visa.
We used our NW frequent flier miles to travel to Rio – partially in business class - thanks to Delta's new flight from Atlanta. The Rio segment was mostly empty and we could stretch out and catch up on sleep (read – no jet lag). We had boarded with a big group at San Francisco, saw them at Atlanta and later at Rio in our very hotel, very strange.
http://bloggrk.blogspot.com/, has a few Portugues words that we had printed out, and we were practicing on the flight, so were other couples, even at the immigration line…strangely we didn’t see a whole lot of families with kids visit Rio for the holidays. The airport seemed to be like the Mumbai airport decades ago.
One of my corporate colleagues had very kindly arranged a private cab to pick us up from the airport (180 Reals, $1=4Reals at that time). Armando (his business card said ‘Executivo Motorista”) was not English speaking and we dropped him in a hurry once we were at the hotel. I got a chance to try out a few lines of Portuguese on Armando and I got a reply back, which was encouraging, though I didn't understand a word. He did check with me if I was born in the area, and asked if the wife was French (strangely!).
We had reservations at the Copocabana Palace Hotel for 6 nights. Copacabana Palace is a neoclassical gem by French architect Joseph Gire. It has played an important role in the social and cultural life of Rio since it opened in 1920's. Edith Piaf, Orson Wells, Carmen Miranda, Rock Hudson, Queen Elisabeth (and Prince Charles and Diana) have all enjoyed their hospitality at this hotel. Seemed like the ideal place for us to spend our sixnights. We checked in, and caught up with some sleep.
That evening, we were in the city with a few of my corporate colleagues in a little bar. We had to pick up a standard menu - put our name on it when we entered this bar. The waiters would check mark what we ordered on this menu and we were to pay on our way out. If we lost it, the damages would be very high! Nice place, live music and the young and the old were there to have a good time. The city has a Las Vegas feel to it, where everyone is out to have a good time and the world be damned. There was a woman in Red who was doing the Samba – we couldn’t get our eyes off her - seemed like she had come down straight from the office with a quick change – and man she knew how to move. One of the locals drew the moves on a napkin 1 through 12 steps – mainly how to move the feet (seemed like a big knotty mess to me), but the people dancing seemed to have seen this drawing, and seemingly adhered to it. We tried out Caprinha and it was a bit too strong for both of us. When we left this bar, one of the guys took us for a quick tour around the city, including some great tips and hints. We ended up at Xmas tree on the lake, where we first tried out GUARANA, kinda like sprite, but has its unique flavor.
The next morning, we started having second thoughts about the hotel. The room we had didn’t have an ocean view – they were sold out for the tourist season, we had a city view which was not much. The room was small and definitely not in comparison with a Venetian – Las Vegas does have some magnificent hotels we reminisced. We did have breakfast buffet included, but it was alright – nothing to write home about. The hotel seemed to be a little too traditional and sometimes stuckup too. It wasn’t as bad as this review below, but there was nothing exciting about this hotel.
The facade is beautiful but once you get inside the building is old, damp, and smelly! And I'm not being a snob about this! The mattress was stiff as a board. The sheets were of very poor quality. And the rooms all were so so wet from the air that we had to move rooms - our clothes were actually getting wet. I found the staff could have care less about helping us with our room, and when we asked about renting bikes, the front desk started empyting out the ask trays while answering my questions (which was they couldnt help me). This hotel has looong since passed it's heyday. Go somewhere else where you get a good night's sleep - and your money's worth!
They did have a nice executive floor wherein you could do your work while having a fax machine, computer and a butler at your disposal. I spent a couple hours there doing my research on Rio, that was nice.
We decided to tryout the Marriott where I was hoping to get the corporate rate. We did not get the corporate rate, but we got the ocean view on the Executive floor. Worked out great!. The executive floor had access to breakfast and also an evening reception. We loved both aspects of it, the staff was very helpful. Even the Concierge ROSANE was one of the finest concierge person we have interacted with. They had all the answers and really helped us. Unfortunately, we moved there on Saturday 11/25/2005 and that was the only rainy day we hit. We ended up not doing a whole lot that day, walked to the Fort Copocabana which was a short walk from the hotel. This fort had some great views of Copocabana, but it was a cloudy day. The café inside this fort was well worth it though. They charge you 2 Reals (1 to get inside to the café and another two if you want to take a tour of the inside fort (not a whole lot). Brazilian coffee was great, very strong – and we loved it. (Unfortunately this was impacting our sleep and we abstained from it after a couple days). We had a leisurely stroll down to Rua Vinícius de Morais — a strip lined with bars, shops and restaurants, including the famous Garota de Ipanema Bar (originally called the Velloso Bar). It was here that Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Morais penned the lyrics to "The Girl from Ipanema." Seemed like a tourist trap, we also checked out Dolce Dolce and wanted to do some shopping there, but it was past 5PM and many of them had already closed. They were also closed on Sundays, a tad strange.
The hotel has the evening reception and breakfast included – as we were on the executive floor. It was quite good. Breakfast ended at 11AM, and we would be there a little after 10AM and find it completely empty, the office crowd already gone. The reception had decent hors d'oeuvre and the staff was very friendly
View from the Marriott Terrace
CURRENCY: The feedback I had got speaking with Brazilians (I knew in the US) was it should be cheap – the US $ should go a long way. We discovered that the US $ had fallen in value since then, at least that is what we surmised, and this vacation was turning out quite expensive. Things seemed to be overpriced. We saw a chess board in the Barra shopping mall that was selling for 30 Reals i.e $15 (1 US Dollar == 2.2 Brazilian Real). This same chess board was available in the mall in Bombay for Rs.150 (4 US Dollars). We were told to take ATM card and not carry too much cash. But we had decided to take travelers check. The travel agency money changers do not like Travelers Check or rip you off if you want to exchange travelers check and we ended up cashing our travelers check at the American Express next to the Copocabana Palace hotel. They give you “same as cash” rate for the travelers check. We stayed away from travel agencies who also exchanged cash.
The next day, was a Sunday. The forecast was still cloudy and rainy. We got up rather late and were pleasantly surprised to on drawing the curtains to see a great sunny day. The beach was thronging with zillions of Cariocas – just like in the promo shots. After a quick breakfast we joined the Cariocas. We do look a bit Brazilian – I was asked a couple times if I was a native of Brazil – . We tried hard to blend in. We had learnt the numbers and with a little broken Portuguese managed to wheel and deal with the Cariocas. We ended up taking a nice walk into Ipanema where the Sunday morning Hippie Faire was in progress. There were vendors selling anything from precious stones (quite a deal I heard, though hard to judge) to Brazilian art, and touristy stuff. Selling semi precious stones in some sophisticated necklaces by Evan & Bruno for $10. (that is the only place he sells, Bruno spends the rest of the week designing and crafting.) A little bit negotiation was OK, but we enjoyed the flea market across HELP bar on the strip (do NOT think of entering this bar) a little bit more conducive to bargaining. Prices we felt were better at this Flea market that is held almost every evening from 6PM to 10PM. We shopped for some soccer shirts, shorts, hats. Rio de Janeiros has 4 teams in the 1st league : Flamengo ( 2 times World champion ), Vasco, Fluminense ( the best team right now ), Botafogo.
From the Sunday fair, we ended up on the Ipanema beach and walked back to Copocabana. The beaches are indeed a treat to be at. Specially watching the Brazilian Wizardry with the soccer ball. Cariocas stand around in circles and kick the ball using the legs, body, head, – ensuirng that it never lands on the ground. Everyone one – even teenage girls – had great ball handling skills – no pun intended, and was a treat to watch. There are folks also jogging on the wavy sidewalks next to the beach, and sipping a cold coconut water and people watching – certainly relaxing. The beach Cariocas also enjoy playing VolleyBall and everyone seems to be particularly good at it, but from time to time would see a group that would play volleyball with their feet. Amazing! Most weekday evenings, the schools would descend into the beaches with soccer practice and training time. The Favelas along with the Carioca elite have a common meeting place – the beach. The beaches are indeed a treat. You can spend hours there and not get bored.
- There are lots of eating choices in the Copocabana area – catered for the tourists, which are open till late 2AM or so. Multi-ethnic cuisine that is quite decent. We ate some Arabic, Italian, Chinese and some Brazilian. Food is expensive, but what do you expect in the heart of the touristy area. The location is quite nice, you get to see the street, the beach and the mountains while seated having your lunch, dinner whatever. “Siri Mole and Cia” was a decent Brazilian restaurant, that we had lunch at, which worked out to 110 Reals, almost $55 – rather expensive, but quite good. Tips are included in the check (10%) and we usually did not add to it. There are two Indian restaurants too in Rio, but we didn’t get a chance to try them out (Nataraja, RaajMahal – see below). We had been recommended to try out Vatapa, Acarajé, Moqueca food from Bahia ... basically they use beans and seafood on their dishes... some are very spicy, but we didn’t get a chance. This is a very good restaurante in Rio http://www.marius.com.br/html/restaurantes_linguas/ingles/crustaceos_ingles.htm. Make sure you have the national drink- caipirinha- This traditional Brazilian drink prepared with cachaça is all the rage in Europe and the US now. I guess you could say it USED TO be Brazil's best-kept secret, now it's the connoisseur's cocktail of choice from New York City to Miami, commanding hefty prices. Some of the foods to eat with caipirinhas: fried manioc, codfish balls, and caldinho de feijão (soupy black beans served in a tall glass or a small bowl).
barbecue house, that now has a theatre and shows. They also have a meal plan, but most eating in Brazil is meat oriented. Samba show was quite good. It is almost never too late to Samba. You can learn how to Samba at the Samba School. Or get vicarious thrills at performances like the ones at La Platforma. La Platforma has a touristy show of girls in gorgeous costumes. After a while the loud music becomes a bit monotonous, but the photo opportunities abound. Best seats are actually on the balcony upstairs, but visibility is good throughout the theatre. The hotel concierge arranged this for us, that included the pick up and drop off. For the drop off we talked our driver into taking us to a club in Ipanema, but didn’t meet our expectations.
Tuesday – we woke up and got the urgency bug, time to check out the tourist attractions. We headed to Corcovado. We decided to not take the private taxi (the yellow cabs are way cheaper anyway) as we wanted to take the train ride up the mountain. That was quite good, and some fantastic views. We got there a little after noon and turned out not the best time to shoot the statue. Morning would be better I think. It was crowded, but if you wait a few minutes, you will hit a window where everyone disappears and you can get some great pictures. On the train ride, don’t forget to take pictures of the luscious huge jackfruits hanging from the trees.
View from Corcovado
After we got back, we decided to go to the Sugar Loaf . It is awesome! We timed it to be there for sunset. We got there about an hour before sunset and the place does get packed. It does get cool, up high in the mountains, so make sure you pack a sweater. It is definitely worth it to be there for sunset. The cable car base is a short cab ride from the Copocabana area (20 Reals). You can purchase your tickets (Round trip 70 Reals per person) at the cable car station. There is also a restaurant on the top, which promptly shuts off at sunset. The cable car stops midway to the destination and you can choose to disembark there, and hop onto the next one, after taking some pictures. If it is cloudy day, the trip is worthless.
Wednesday - we were focused on doing some shopping. We went to the flea market across HELP and also at the Brara Shopping Mall - the new mall - the biggest mall in Rio – the hotel arranged a nice bus for us to take us to the mall. It was a very nice mall. Things seemed to be overpriced. We saw a chess board in the Barra shopping mall that was selling for 30 Reals i.e $15 (1 US Dollar == 2.2 Brazilian Real). This same chess board was available in the mall in Bombay for Rs.150 (4 US Dollars).
Thursday was our trip back. We decided to take the cab to the Botantical Garden. Last couple days had been muggy and we were not in the mood to do much walking. We did walk around and met mainly visitors like us – none of the locals were there on a Thursday afternoon. If you have nothing to do, this is a pretty good option J . We had checked out the hotel but placed our valuables in the hotel safe – lobby area.
One regret, we did miss out visiting the Iguaçu Falls which is *absolutely*amazing. We skipped it as we wanted to make this vacation relaxing, and this was a 4 hour flight away from Rio. If you decide to go, I would highly recommend both the Falls ("Iguaçu) and the Dam ("Itaipu"). The falls are unequally divided between Brazil and Argentina. To see them properly, you must visit both sides. In Brazil you get the grand overview and in Argentina you get a closer look. The 275 falls are over 3 kilometers (2 miles) wide and 80 meters (260 feet) high, which makes them wider than Victoria, higher than Niagra, and more beautiful than either. Neither words nor photographs do the falls justice - they must be seen and heard in person. The view at the precipice is hypnotizing. You will be treated to a multi-sensory experience: roaring falls, hugh rainbow arcs, drenching mist, and, in the distance, parrots and hawks cruising over a deep green jungle. Really nice BERBEN hotel, right underneath the falls - GOL - is the low cost airline for brazil. Can do online booking. Better to do get a Brazil city hopper type deal.
Trip back to US that night was not bad - we were confident enough to take the yellow taxi, which worked out to 35 Reals The cab drivers are all very nice people. Overall our impression of Rio was very nice - friendly people everywhere we went. Made it a pleasure vacation. Brazilians are a warm-hearted people and very much receptive of foreigners. So I guess just observe the usual travel precautions and avoid clothes that scream "tourist", "American" .
Check out your corporate travel advisory, as we did, but here are some additional tips given to us
- Don't leave anything on the sand, it will be swiped.
- Watch out for hungry kids. They will swipe and run. Petty theft is a serious problem.
- Atlantic avenue - walking and running, very nice.
- Go have a SHURASKO - eating @ PORCAO - 35 Reals you get a continous type of meat.
- Saturdays - national dish - seijodo -say yo jada - big plate of beans with meat.
- Try to blend in. don’t carry camera on your neck. Don’t flash your camera on the beach. - if you plan to bring digital camera, you should try to bring a small one and don't carry it showing the machine or even the camera's bag ... keep it inside any other bag or in the pant's pocket... first look who is around before taking snaps, mainly at the seashore... At Pão de Açucar and Corcovado, you can feel free to take as many pictures you want, those places are very safe.
- Don't take jewellery - don't attract attention.
- Don't take the side streets.
- Avoid using ATMs. 90% chances your ATM card will get duplicated (image and pin captured) and money withdrawn.
The currency is the REAL. Don't carry too much cash. Always use ATMs INSIDE the hotel and not the street since there's alot of thieves. $1.00R = 2.30Real. Your money goes far. Good to buy gems in Brazil- BlueTopaz, Emeralds, Aquamarines etc...
On the way back on the flight, the wife commented about our honeymoons. Our first one was in Goa – Portuguese India and our 2nd one was in Rio – Portuguese South America….some connection there.
Samba Show
View from the Marriott Terrace
View from 
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