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We have visited many towns and cities, not only on this trip but in our lives, and we both think it is safe to say Rio has one of the mose spectacular settings of any city anywhere. It's just an awsome sight and no amount of hype will distract from that first view you have looking along Copacabana beach. We'd only been in Ipanema a few hours and had firmly decided Rio rocks. It blows bits out of Buenos Aires, kicks Quito into touch and laughs in the face of La Paz.
Waking to bright sunshine on our first full day in Rio we set about the toursit bit and hot footed it to the Corcovado. A crazy 20 minute tram ride and we were stood at the feet of Christ the Redeemer with the city and its bays laid out below us in all their splendour. Spectacular views of Ipanema, the Jockey Club and Lagoa, Copacobana, Downtown and across to Sugar Loaf and beyone with Zona Norte and its massive brdige spanning the bay. A brief snack whilst watching the paragliders cicle above, below and around us then headed to Copacobana for some people watching and fresh BBQ's shrimp on the beach. We took a brief wander along one of the main shopping streets taking in a colourful seafood and fruit market before hopping on a bus to Sugar Loaf mountain. Two cable cars whisk you to the top of Sugar Loaf and we took time at the top fo the first to enjoy the view over a few beers and nibbles before heading up the second to Sugar Loaf itself. Standing in the cable car we surrepitiously listened in on a tour guide telling his group the top lift and station is where they filmed the scenes from James Bond's Moonraker, both of us going 'Oh yeah' in recognition, it really does look exactly like the film, big red fly wheel and all. We'd timed it to be up the top for sunset and we found a chair and settled in soaking up the amazing panoramas of the city as the sun disappeared behind the mountains and the cruise liners sailed off into the sunset. Rio's lights came on and the city showed another beautiful face as she sat twinkling away far below us.
Rio never sleeps and likes to party, and so do we! We headed straight off in search of food and fun and didn't have to look too hard. The first bar we came across was rammed and we squeezed our way onto the balcony and got chatting to a few travellers and a couple of Brazilian girls. Chucking out time came round quickly and as we queued to pay our bill (silly system!) a plan formed for our next move with the Brazilian girls leading us off to a proper locals bar open all hours. We topped up on Caipirinhas and booged away in the cosy little bar before one of the guys had obviously had too much and we helped out his distraught girlfriend by carrying him to a taxi. Tsk, some people! Realising the silly hour (nearly 6am) and still full of jungle juice we set off for Copocabana beach to watch a truly magical sunrise.
Not feeling up to much that afternoon we settled for a stroll around Ipenema and a slap up Feijoada dinner, all and any sort of pig cut you fancy in a black bean stew - certainly an aquired taste especially if you are not a fan of pig trotters, ear and gut!
Having done the beach bit we packed up our bags and headed across the city to Santa Teresa, a bohemian barrio set on a leafy hill overlooking Lapa and Downtown. Our hostel was sat on the steep cobbled street on which the old wooden tram would trundle up and down between the hill top and Downtown. Walking through Lapa to Downtown you really got a sense of the polarity in the city. Dirty, run down streets and buildings only 15 minutes away from the glitz, glamour and money of Copacobana. Downtown was chocca block and it then dawned on us how close it was to Christmas, Oxford street with Latin passion! We rode back to the hostel on the rickety bone shaker of a tram.
Looking for some tasty eats that evening we flagged down the tram and like true locals didn't bother with seats but just hung on the side as the cars and buses whizzed past us at alarmingly high speeds. We found the highly recommended Bar do Moreno, all plastic table and eclectic decor but brilliant food and worldclass selection of Cachach. After dinner we stumbled across a Bohemian littel bar complete with excellent 4 piece jazz band.
A day of shopping on Friday to pick up those last minute Christmas essentials, about 14 pairs of Haviannas! Excellent fresh sushi in Santa Terresa for dinner.
Saturday was our last full day in Rio, so Jona tried to cram as much local culture in as possible and sat in front of the telly watching Premiership football (you have to have some priorities!). While Emma trying to escape from the heat spent the day in the hostel's pool. We had booked to go and see a carnival rehearsal but the rainclouds rolled in so practice was cancelled. All was not lost as we headed down for some Lapa nightlife with a few people from the hostel. Lapa at night is a different story to Lapa by day. The street vendors set up their BBQ's and the boarded buildings open their shutters and set up their bars. What seems like half of Rio heads here on a Saturday night. After a few Caipirinhas we hit a club and laughed at the grown men line dancing to rude boy rap before picking up a few skewers off BBQ chicken heading home for a dip in the pool before bed. An excellent last night in Rio (apart from the camera, eh Emma?!).
WE LOVE RIO!!!
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