After a 30 hours journey, I finally arrived in Rio de Janeiro. Joy radiated from my face as just eating and doing nothing on the plane for 26 hours is not my idea of fun! Happiness was short-lived when I realized that the arranged airport transfer didn't showed up ( he probably left as flight was delayed for more than an hour) It got worse when I didn't have the apartment´s address nor the contact person´s number with me ( I really wanted to kicked my own ass) So ended up spending the next 2 hours calling hostels only to hear "No beds" " Its full" " don't speak English". Luckily we met Matthew, an English guy who spoke Spanish and also looking for a hostel who helped. Our last call finally got us beds at Hostel Ipanema Just for the night!
Cant really complain about the 2 double deckers beds squeezed in the tiny room and the 2 disgruntled backpackers on the lower bunk.
The price was exhorbitant at RS145 (S$100) per bed but at least I am not sleeping in the airport nor the streets. After settling in at 3am (Brazilian time), we were too tired, so we stayed in with a beer in hand and watched TV with Samuel the night watchman..
The next morning was spent sorting out accommodation (as the hostel was kicking us out) and also subsequent domestic flights. Went for a walk around the city, we actually thought it was pretty ugly and it smells... like the wet market we have back at home. Here we had read all these descriptions about “oh, the view from such and such makes Rio undoubtedly the most beautiful city in the world…”, but it really looked pretty dumpy. We passed tons of favelas on the way in…these are slums that are known throughout Brazil and are notorious for being very dangerous and very poor.
Afternoon was spent at Copacabana beach, sipping caipirihnas in the barras (sidewalk cafes) and people watching.. Rio is definitely a city of boobies, asses and speedo-clad men.. yeah, men pretty much all wear super tight colorful speedos, but what is funny is that they walk around town like this. The women, well, I´ve never seen so many boobs in my life. And, to debunk a little myth here - not all the women are beautiful, really, most of them are pretty average. The difference, perhaps, is that none of them is ashamed to wear the tanga ( the smallest piece of bikini you´ve ever seen) with their ass hanging out, which only perhaps makes them more beautiful in the fact that they're comfortable with themselves.
When night falls, we met up with some new Brazilian friends, Juliana, Paulo, Michelle, Claudia, Liz and Philippa (USA), 2 Norweigian guys and 2 English guys to the Sambadrome for the Carnaval parade which last till the next morning.
At the Sambadrome
The Brazilian girls managed to get our tickets for RS40 each, what a steal compared to the tourist prices
What ever you´ve heard about the carnaval, the stuff you´ve read in the guide books, nothing can prepare you for the energy vibrating out from the people gathered there. We are talking about hundred of thousands of people!! We were "packed in like sardines " that we can barely move a step :) The atmosphere was simply electifying and you see people from 2 years old to 60 years old doing the samba all night long! Everyone looked so happy, even with the sweaty bodies all pressed together. I simply cant ignore the contagious energy around me... if you cant´beat them, you join them.. even with my injured knee!!
Passionate, exuberant Rio comes alive when the Carnaval begins! Say carnaval and what images comes to mind: Fantastically and scantily garbed dancers, half naked dancers, pounding samba rhythms, parades? It is all true!! Despite all the jiggling, sweating flesh on display last night, nudity carries a different connotation in Brazil than in many countries.
They say nakedness at carnival is about sexuality, not just sex.
Overall, the first day in Rio went well. Oh..in all the excitement, I forgot to mention a car ran over my left toes when we were all hanging outside the entrance to the Sambadrome! Pain was excruciating but what the H%$#, nothing is going to stop me from having a party. No broken bones ( I think) and so the party continues!
