Travel Notes: Rio de Janeiro

Birthdays usually mean eating cake, blowing out candles and celebrating with family and friends. I don’t know why but during our relationship my husband and I were often abroad on that day and had to party alone. And over time, we have actually developed this into a competition about who spends his birthday at the most exotic location.

Last week it was hubby’s turn and he picked Rio de Janeiro arguing that we should take advantage of the short flight time while we are still in the region. Yeah, right, that was the only reason. But who was I to protest?

So on his birthday we had cake and presents in the morning, then went to work for the day and from there drove straight to the airport in the afternoon to catch our plane. Everything went smoothly and we made it to the hotel in Rio in time to change and hit the Copacabana promenade for one or two of a many birthday Caipirinhas at one of the chiringuitos along the beach. It was really a great way to kick-start this Carioca Birthday Bash, and I can only recommend it.

So what else did we do in Rio? On the first proper day we took a stroll down Ipanema promenade that was also in walking distance from our hotel and checked out the beach, the Postos – the numbered lifeguard stations - and the Cariocas who were out and about doing sports or enjoying the sun and the surf. Blue sky, sunny 27 degrees … no wonder they weren’t at work. After a nice lunch at the Zaza Bistro Tropical we took the metro downtown, then hopped on a bus and rode the cable car up to Corcovado and the famous Cristo Redentor. Not only is the view up there amazing, but to actually stand underneath the statue ... Pinch me, please!

The next day the husband cashed in the voucher I had given him for a helicopter flight over Rio. Reserving seats for a party of only two was impossible – especially over the phone with the Portuguese-only employee I tried to talk to more than once. But as things go in Brazil, we went to the helipad and everything sorted itself out in the typical Brazilian laissez-faire fashion. We were thrown together with two guys who wanted to take the same route, and off we took for a 20 minutes flight over the beaches, the bay, the sugar loaf, the Christ statue, and alongside the Maracanã Stadium. Wow! Talking about a city within a beautiful scenery. No wonder the Cariocas call their hometown Cidade Maravilhosa - the Wonderful City.

The views even made me forget my fear of heights most of the time – but I was nevertheless happy when I was back on the ground and able to walk off the shaky legs in the quiet and beautiful Botanical Gardens of the city that we visited afterwards. After having had Sushi the night before we rounded off this day with a typical Feijoada – or at least the light version of this hearty stew (a.ka. without the pig ears, trotters, tail or other unspeakable body parts).

Casa de Feijoada

A Favela with a view

The following day we took in a completely different aspect of Rio de Janeiro when we joined Zezinho on a walking tour through the Rocinha Favela up in the hills at the south end of the city. Zezinho is half American, half Brazilian who grew up in Rocinha, spent some years in the US and Canada but then decided that he’d rather live in the Favela. I am glad that we picked him as our tour guide because he really seems to know everyone, patiently answered our many questions and gave us a well-balanced picture of life in Rocinha. And he really cares about changing the external perception of a Favela.

An electrician's nightmare

Can we now completely fathom how it is like to live there? No, but now we know that not everyone is involved in drugs and crime, that people tend to be very friendly and open, that most of them work hard to improve their lives and living conditions in Rocinha, and, yes, that the drug lords sometimes take better care of the community and the people than the government that only wants the votes and after elections quickly forget the promises made. Sounds familiar? Yes, but for the people in Rocinha this means for example that the open sewers remain open and that the trash is not collected on a regular basis although people pay taxes.

Mail delivery system

Back streets of Rocinha

On our last day in Rio it was time to hit downtown and the historic part of the city. Should you ever want to do the same take my advice: Book a tour! Finding our way around with only a small guidebook map and a non-existing tourist office was a bit frustrating, so go for the pro-support. We couldn’t organize it in time and were on our own, but at least we managed to see the famous stairs Escadaria Selarón, have a bite at the Confeitaria Colombo and take a look around Santa Teresa before hitting Ipanema beach for a well-deserved nap on the sand. The night before we had had dinner at one of those Brazilian meat restaurants where the waiters come around with big chunks of grilled meat and cut off little pieces for you and put it onto your plate. So now we tried to change it up a bit and ate Bacalao and White Fish at Garota de Ipanema, the famous bar where the two guys wrote the song Girl of Ipanema. And wow, apart from great food, they serve a mean Caipirinha at that place!

On departure day we just had time for a quick sun bath and a stroll around the Ipanema Hippie Market that takes place on Sunday morning, before heading for the airport and back home to Buenos Aires. Well, I hope the husband had a good time in Rio – I at least enjoyed the trip and wouldn’t mind going back again at some time. Not on my next birthday, though … well, as I said, it is kind of a competition.

I will keep you posted.