Daily Life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Recent Inquiries & Responses: 4

Question:

I am coming to Rio for a law school study abroad program for one month.  The program is putting is up in Copacabana in Post 5 somewhat close to the Cantagalo Subway station.  However, everything I read about copacabana says it is incredibly dangerous for foreigners and it is really not a question of if you get mugged but when.  Do you have any specific knowledge about the Post 5 area of copacabana and how safe it is?  I will of course take all precautions necesarry not to become a victim but I am quite worried.  Also, my girlfriend will be with me with me and she likes to run.  Is it safe for her to run alone in the mornings along the beach?  Will it be okay for her to wander around alone at all during the day?  Any specific advice on how to protect ourselves while in Rio?

My Response:

When I first arrived in Rio, I walked from Ipanema/Leblon to Copacabana and back four days per week (to school and back). Never once did I have an issue, but often times I was concerned for my safety/creeped out by certain people.  I suggest sticking to the beach street as much as possible.
I feel that if you take strides to blend in, you can easily live in this area without issue. However, I also hear stories about people being mugged in Copa within 3 hours of arriving from the airport, and so will you (hear of such things). Sometimes it is luck of the draw, but I have been fortunate to have good experiences, as have most of the expats I know here.

I feel it would be perfectly safe for your girlfriend to run along the beach path in the morning, this is a highly populated area and there are tourist police everywhere. It is actually very safe to walk around on the beach street at night as well (but don't go down to the water itself at night).  There is a market set up on the beach street every night and as a result, lots of people. Meaningm, safer. As I mentioned, I walked in this area almost every day, alone, when I first moved to Rio and did not have a problem and so I hope she will not, either.

To give you some specific advice:
1) Try to dress like a local. This means for your girlfriend - actually wearing jewellery (just not expensive jewellery).
2) I think body language is the biggest giveaway when it comes to identifying tourists. Try and look as though you know where you are going (even if you don't), and try to master the "blank stare" most people have on their faces at all times.  I think that many times people are targeted because they are gawking at everything - obvious tourists. To be fair, there is a lot to gawk at here...
3) Don't carry a lot of bags around at any times. This includes groceries. Locals do not do this, they have them delivered. Unless it is just a couple of bags, have them delivered as to not stand out.
4) Vary routines (especially her, with being alone during the day).
5) Always, always, always comply if you are robbed. Do not resist!! This is the only way to be safe.
6) VERY IMPORTANT: Familiarize yourselves IMMEDIATELY as to where the favelas are in your neighbourhood (there are a few) and steer clear of them).

I find the zona sul easy to navigate - being that there are so many landmarks, etc. which is good.

Recent Inquiries & Responses: 3

This is part of a new series in which I am posting excerpts from reader emails and my responses in hopes of helping more people who may have the same questions or concerns.

I received an email from a Brazilian living in Canada recently:

Question:

I will be on my way to Rio, to visit family, next month. I'm going with my spouse ... and I am kind of freaking out. I have been here for so long, I am terrified of all the violence, and high rate of car accidents and things like that. It's all just so different here! I actually don't think twice about going out with my digital camera, iPod and cell phone... whereas I wouldn't dream of doing it in Brazil (granted I haven't been there in nearly 3 years... but still).

Now I am sure I am amping it all up... I did live there for 20 years and was never even mugged... but still! Heh. I was just wondering if you had any thoughts on that, as a foreigner in Rio. I can't talk to my relatives or friends about that as they just wouldn't understand why I'm so scared. So yeah...

My Response:

I just flew back to Rio from Canada myself. I understand how you feel, and had a lot of the same feelings myself coming back this time, especially with having a daughter now, but I think when you arrive you will feel okay. I understand not wanting to talk to your relatives/family about it as they could take it the wrong way.  Just be sure to take precautions - and walk around like you own the place - I think body language is a huge thing! Also remember that much of the violence is segregated into the favelas, which is not the case withgang violence in other cities! You have to remember that things can happen no matter where you are in the world, so we always need to be careful but to try to live without too much fear.  I hope this helps?

My Centro Tour

While our guests were here I had to take them on my "famous" tour of centro that I take my guests on.

As a sidenote: Canadoca stayed with her dad at the office while we did the tour. At which time it was determined that she prefers the lifestyle of "expat princess" to "corporate hotshot".  She didn't like it at the office....

Generally I take the guests to the Escadaria Selaron, go to Mr.DRL's office, take them into the markets on Rua Buenos Aires, stop in at some havaiana shops and churches and random stores, go to the Portuguese Reading Room, go to Colombo for a snack or pastry, go to the bonde station, ride the bonde to Santa Teresa, go to Aprizavel or someplace for lunch and maybe a few shops. Other deviations include going to the cathedral, etc.

Here are some shots my most recent guests took on their tour:

 

Some Rio Graffiti

 

Cathedral view from Lapa

 

The markets

 

 

 

 

The tour is never complete without a stop at Colombo for either a dessert or salgado...

Up the Hill - Aprizavel in Santa Teresa

As I've mentioned several times, we love to go to Aprizavel in Santa Teresa. It's truly fantastic.

Here are some photos of the food & decor...

After many times at Aprizavel, we finally got to eat in a tree house!

The food is Brazilian fusion, the views are divine... go!

Around the web - travel in Brazil

Since becoming Canadoca's mom I have neglected reading a lot of the blogs I normally enjoy. Which means I haven't been passing some of the interesting stuff I find on to you. So here are a few (and some are not so new but that's why!) interesting articles and tips on travelling around Brazil.

Great posts from "Brazil for Insiders" - including:

• Pre Catalan in Rio - Sofitel - which I also recently visited and quite enjoyed. 
• A Tiradentes weekend - great looking pousadas.
• A review of Conde Nast's top beaches in Brazil - and why it might be off-base. Here is a more complete list on the same site. 
• This post is a must for anyone heading to Salvador, Bahia, as is this one from The Moment blog.

From the "Gringo Times"

• Hiking in Rio - fantastic way to see some of Rio's sights in an active manner!
• Some coverage of Trinidade - a little beach community near Paraty that we visited with my inlaws back in November. 
• Or, for a weekend in Rio, check out Markets in Rio in case you are sticking around here... or head to Santa Teresa for the weekend (something I am actually tempted to do on a regular basis since there are so many amazing hotels and dinner spots there!)

From Ben in Rio:

• I don't know where this is but that waterfall waterslide looks like so much fun! 

From Expat American Living in Brazil:

• Pantanal via Train

Finally, with all these great destinations we need some cheap flights! Apparently Brazil's airline industry is going through some deregulation.

Selaron's new tile

As I mentioned awhile back, my mother in law sent down a wonderful tile for Selaron that belonged to Mr. DRL's grandfather, who passed away in January. We finally delivered it to the artist himself:

Jazz Fest

Looking for something to do in Rio this weekend?

Itaipava Premium Leblon Jazz Festival

Marcelo Camelo, Mallu Magalhães, George Israel, Victor Biglione and 4 more
www.leblonjazzfestival.com.br
Saturday 25 July 2009
Rua Dias Ferreira - Leblon
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
2ª Edição do Itaipava Premium Leblon Jazz Festival

My Guestbook - Part 11 - The Finale - Recommendations for Other Visitors

The final question of the survey: Any recommendations or words of wisdom for future guests?

My Bridesmaid & her Boyfriend: Oh this is simple.....GO TO RIO!

My Mother-in-law: Perhaps to learn a few extra Portuguese words to help with their travels.Thank you so very much, Mr. DRL, DRL, and our grandbaby, for a wonderful holiday!

Engaged Couple Friends: Try to avoid the Citibank bank machines - we paid a fortune there - they convert your withdrawal into USD first and then into Canadian. We did better at HSBC and even at a bank machine we had never heard of before in Buzios. And, buy stronger sunscreen then you would normally use. I don't know if its the closeness to the equator, but we burned way more than we do somewhere like Mexico, on a comparably hot day.

My Dad: Take some time to review the language, simple words/sentences.  Bring along a dictionary and sunscreen.  Make sure you do your share and more as the parents to be will need the extra sleep.  Can you believe how much company they are having????  Crazyyyyyyyyyyy!!

My Guestbook - Part 9 - What Did You Learn?

Part 9 of a series I am doing based on a survey I asked my guests to respond to after visiting Brazil.

Question 9: What, if anything, did you learn from your trip?

My Mom: Too many things to mention!

My Mother-in-law: Always an appreciation for Canada after seeing the poverty in other countries.

Engaged Couple Friends: We learned about another culture and way of life, both for the rich and poor. And, we learned about the struggles of being a foreigner trying to make a life in a new country and learn a new language. It certainly gives you a new respect and understanding for anyone who has moved to a new country, including Canada. Mr. DRL and DRL are doing a great job and have accomplished an amazing amount in a short time.

My Dad: How great we have it in Canada, although Brazil is a beautiful country.  Be careful while in Brazil.  Safety in numbers and don't drink too much if you're out as you may need your wit's in event of trouble. Have a game plan as it's too late if you get into a situation and haven't. "Muito policias" lots of police  around, but not sure if they do anything and didn't want to find out given the rumors of corruption....................

My Guestbook - Part 7 - Would You Come Back?

Part 7 of a series of questions I asked my guests after they left Brazil.
Question 7: Do you plan to return? And if so, what would you like to do in Brazil next time?

My Mom: I am booking for June, (DRL comment: mom has already been back since the survey was made!) will spend lots of time holding the baby, will go to Sugarloaf.

My Bridesmaid & her Boyfriend: We would like to return, but it all depends on timing and the thousand other vacations we would like to take in the next couple of years!

If we came back, we'd like to see Paraty, Iguazu Falls in Argentina and MORE SUN!!  Haha, we just had bad luck.  Apparently it was nice before and after we were there!

My Mother-in-law: Would be nice... We would love to see the heritage buildings in Salvadore, the Amazon River, there are semi-plans to meet at Machu Picu in Peru....who of your readers will grant us an unlimited supply of funds, please?

Engaged Couple Friends: There are lots of amazing-sounding places we'd love to see in Brazil, and the rest of South America . . . I'm sure by the time we hear about the rest of the DRLS' visitors' trips, we'll be wanting to go back to do everything they did!

My Dad: Would love to go back and take (my partner) this time, otherwise I'm sure Uncle will be game again....

My Guestbook - Part 6 - What Do You Wish You'd Known Before Coming to Brazil?

Part 6 of the survey - I asked: Is there something you wish you'd known about Brazil before
arriving there that would have helped?

My Bridesmaid & Her Boyfriend: Maybe a bit more of the language.  Knowing a bit of Spanish didn't help me as much as I thought it would.  Having a Portuguese phrase book for out last few days was handy.

Engaged Couple Friends: We did do quite a bit of research before we came, which I would recommend to other visitors. Don't waste your time when you're there figuring out what you want to do!

My Dad: Would have liked to have researched the language and city prior to arriving, but with a busy work schedule and building/moving into a new house spare time was at a premium.....

My Guestbook - Part 5 - The FOOD!

Part 5 of a series of how my many visitors answered questions to a little "survey" I gave them after their trips to Brazil.

Question 5:

Did you enjoy the food in Brazil?

My Mom: The food was amazing, heavier, and more rich, great desserts.

My Bridesmaid & Her Boyfriend: Um YES.  We absolutely loved it.  Porcao was sooo good and both Thai restaurants were awesome.  Fresh fruit smoothies were to be found on every corner too...so tasty.  We also really liked the place in Leblon or Ipanema that DRL took us to for lunch on our second day (when we went shopping - DRL's note: Via Sete). And Koni (a place that just sells sushi cones... so good)!

My Mother-in-law: What's not to enjoy.  Even the buffets at the hotel in Argentina were good.

Engaged Couple Friends: Yes!!!! The fresh fruit was such a treat, and there was tons of seafood and fish. The Brazilian BBQ was very good and really fun. And, I would kill for an agua de coco in Calgary!!

My Dad: Enjoyed the beef, seafood and sushi.  Believe it or not had a great feed of spaghetti, too, but don't tell my Italian wife.

Coming Soon to an Escadaria Selaron Near You

My husband's grandfather passed away in January, and while going through his things, my mother-in-law found this tile, which we will give to Selaron to include in his wonderful work of art connecting Lapa and Santa Teresa.  I'm not sure what Selaron's timeline is like, I certainly hope that he has it included by the time we leave Rio. If not, someday I hope someone can show us where it's included.

My Guestbook - Part 4 - All about the Brazilians

Question 4 on the DRL visitor survey: What was your impression of the Brazilian people?

My Mom:  I found the Brazilian people friendly and cooperative with the communication barrier, they like to talk to you whether you could understand them or not.

My Bridesmaid & Her Boyfriend: I found some to be very friendly and really try to communicate with us even with the language barrier, but others didn't want to even try to understand us.  We had really nice cab drivers the whole time though! That was a relief.

My Mother-in-law: Certainly noticed the difference in driving habits between the hired drivers and taxi drivers!  And now that Mr. DRL drives like a Brazilian, new shocks are needed for his vehicle!  Something to do with flying off speed bumps....

Engaged Couple Friends: It was hard to get an impression, because of the language difference. They certainly don't go out of their way to communicate with you. It really is true that they have absolutely no self-consciousness when it comes to their beach-wear! That speaks a little to the overall bravado of the people. But, the people in the stores and the vendors on the beach for the most part weren't pushy, while I had expected they would be for some reason.

My Dad: I feel sorry for the poor, lots of poverty.  They were not overly courteous on the streets, cutting you off, etc.

My Guestbook - Part 3 - Let's Talk Safety

Part III of a series on how my guests responded to a little survey I gave them after their time in Brazil...

The third question in the survey:

Did you feel nervous or afraid for your safety at all? If so, in what situations?

My Mom: I was probably the most nervous and hot:) when we were walking in Lapa and trying to find the steps.

[DRL's note: I try to make my tours of Centro & area "authentic"... meaning that I take different routes every time and without fail I lose my way for a short period of time each time.  You know, as though my guests were wandering it on their own! This time, it was really hot and we walked from the cathedral to the steps in Lapa, after a taxi driver told us it was too close to drive us... I don't think we took the most "express' route and it took about 40 minutes in scorching heat. My mom has since told me that she does NOT want her grandchild going there (we passed some sketchiness on the way!)].

My Bridesmaid & her Boyfriend: For the most part we felt pretty safe.  We just kept our wits about us and if something didn't feel right, we just went the other way.  There were only a couple of times that I felt a little threatened.  One being on the last day...it was an overcast day so hardly anybody was at the beach and 2 very young girls started following us.  I saw them and turned around to face them and pointed right through them saying "look at the waves" and they hesitated and then took off.

My Mother-in-law: Not so much, certainly due to the forewarning (didn't wear jewellry) and organization of DRL on our expeditions.  Without the Portuguese expertise of Mr. DRL and DRL, I think we may have felt more nervous.

Engaged Couple Friends: No, we didn't (except for that one crazy cab driver who pulled out to the oncoming lane to pass some cars!). Our tour guides definitely steered us straight!We were certainly aware of the danger though, and very thankful that we weren't staying in hotels in Rio or relying on public transportation and maps to figure out our own way. Thanks guys! You made this trip so much easier! We have been spoiled for our next trip.

My Dad:  A bit uncomfortable in Buzios in the wee hours when walking back to our accommodation.   Encountered a group of 10 guys walking towards us and made a quick 180 and ran like hell once we were around the corner. Would not have been out like that in Rio.  Also both of us had our credit cards compromised which was surprising since mine had the new microchip technology.   My brother and I stuck out like a sore thumb....whitest guys in town and definitely looked like tourists...

Picnic

It's amazing how in Rio, a person can see so much just going to the lagoa for 45 minutes for a picnic. I doubt highly that there is a better place to people-watch than Rio de Janeiro.

The highlights:

A cute little CHUBBY boy rubbing his stomach, looking at the ice cream cart saying "Que delicio!" I wish I had it on video... so cute.

Brazilians playing baseball. There is no way to accurately describe it, you must see it for yourself.

A wide variety of smells. Sometimes they would change as often as every three steps ago.

Vehicles on the bike path - ranging from everything from roller blades to bikes to bikes for two to bikes for four to skateboards to skateboards with super-big wheels to every variety and brand of stroller on the market to wagons and mini-cars for kids to foot.

A parrot!

Babymoon part II

I had promised to write up my stay in Florianopolis/Santa Caterina awhile back, finally I am getting to it!

First of all, I would just like to say that if you have a week to do a sidetrip from Rio, I highly recommend this Buenos Aires/Florianopolis combo that we did. We felt as though we'd "travelled" ie) explored a new city, and "vacationed" - relaxing in Floripa, all in one week.  A full week of doing either would be "too much" in my opinion, so this was fantastic.

I was a bit confused when we started booking our trip - were we going to Florianopolis, Santa Caterina, or Floripa? All three... SC is the state, Florianopolis is the main city on the island, Floripa is the nickname. I had at some point made notes to visit all three - recommended by different people - so it was nice to kill three birds with one stone ;)

We flew into Florianopolis at night, and really did not experience any of the city as we immediately headed out to our Pousada. It was about a R$100 cab ride from the airport.  In hindsight, renting a car from the airport would have been a better option for us, but I will get to that later...

We stayed at the Pousada da Vigia on the north end of the island.  We were absolutely THRILLED with the service we received there, and with our accomodations. They were sooo great. Even let me order off the kids menu :)

In our room.

We enjoyed our resort SO MUCH. It was small, just 10 rooms, a governor's mansion converted into a hotel. Below is the view from our room.

The restaurant was overlooking the ocean and we enjoyed all of our dinners there listening to chill music (a lot of Sade) and the crash of the waves.   How could you help but relax?

We spent many afternoons on this patio (above) listening to the waves, reading, playing scrabble, enjoying lunch...

The water was so peaceful, clear and calm - great for floating.

Each day at 12:30, the peace and tranquility of Lagoinha beach, where we were staying, was temporarily disrupted by "the pirate boat" - which we figured was either inhabited by 

a) the severely, permanently intoxicated or 

b) actual pirates threatening passengers to "walk the plank" if they didn't keep up with their dance moves, or 

c) a hypnotist show. 

Either way, those pirates had everyone moving!

 On Saturday we decided to venture out and do a scuba/snorkel tour of Arvoredo Island,  a nature reserve located off the north coast of the island of Santa Caterina.  Obviously Mr. DRL did the diving, I stuck to snorkeling.  I was a bit nervous about him diving as it had been 2 years since his last dive but was very relieved when one of the dive masters spoke perfect English.  All he really needed was a 5 minute refresher but as we often say, there are certain things where you can't afford to have misunderstandings with language barriers! It was muito tranquilo.

The boat ride out to the island was about an hour.

After the scuba trip we spent some time "in town" at Canasvieiras beach, but quickly realized we were not missing much back at our isolated little spot... but enjoyed lunch there nevertheless.

It seemed we parked right in front of the beach's "geriatric" ward... looked around for the senior's center but couldn't see it:
  A storm seemed to be rolling in but it blew over quickly. Made for some great shots though!

After lunch, we embarked on another adventure that is deserving of another separate blog post. I am not yet sure how that story ends though as I am still dealing with some of the repurcussions today, so I will save it (nothing too bad just a company we were dealing with, etc.). I don't want to ruin the tranquility of this post so I will keep it separate.

We enjoyed every moment in Florianopolis, we realize we did not see much of what the island is all about, being up in our little isolated corner, but for our purposes we didn't mind. We read, spent time together, named our baby, walked the beach, swam, ate, and soaked up every moment. It was the most relaxing few days we'd had in quite a while!

My Guestbook - Part 2 - The Differences Between Canada & Brazil

The perceptions of my guests...

Which differences between Canada & Brazil surprised you the most?

My Mom: The difference I found surprising was the restaurants and kiosks, everywhere, food, food, food, and the beauty of the city of Rio is number 1.

My Bridesmaid & Her Boyfriend: Shopping is sooo difficult there!  Nothing has prices on it already, so you have to constantly ask 'how much' on every single item.  Then when you go to ring it in, it takes like 20 minutes and you have no idea why!  I commend DRL for all the furniture shopping and appliances she bought because apparently it take 6 hours to ring in a refrigerator!

My Mother-in-law: We had researched before coming down, so had been prepared for the favelas and sheer size of Rio.  The difference in the store types really does show how difficult it was for Mr. DRL & DRL to set up in a new country.  They have done an amazing job and we are really impressed with their Portuguese!  A little surprised perhaps that there wasn't more English on the streets...

Engaged Couple Friends: We loved the tropical vegetation and beautiful country side (not that Canada's not beautiful - just different). The flowers everywhere were amazing. It was also strange to see the number of people employed in the restaurants and shops - there were always twice or three times as many people as there would be at home. Big population, low labour costs.

My Dad: Drivers are crazy here, "muito louco".

My Guestbook - Part 1 - The Highlights of the Trips to Brazil

As you may recall, I had about 5 months straight of visitors (from September to the end of Jan, almost inclusive).  Visitors ranged from good family friends (a father-daughter combo), my dad & his brother, engaged friends of ours, my mother in law and her husband, one of my bridesmaids and her boyfriend, my mom and sister, my girlfriend and her husband and two small children (2 yrs old & 7 months). I think I'm remembering everyone...

We gave them all a short "survey" to complete after their trip, which has become a bit of a guestbook of sorts. I thought I'd start sharing their responses with you as you must be getting tired of just my perspective ;)

Our guests all had slightly different trips, did slightly different things and of course had different priorities and experiences.

Question 1: What were the highlights of your trip?

My mom: Definitely the best New Years ever, meeting all the friends, and every day was a highlight, just walking down the streets was an experience.

My bridesmaid & her boyfriend: We loved Buzios!  Driving around in the 'Buggy' (pronounced "boogy") was so much fun.  Make sure you put the top on at night though because if the rain comes you may have to sit in a pool of water to drive back to your hotel....or ride standing up while holding on to the windshield like I did.

Other highlights....definitely the Lagoa Christmas Tree Lighting (beautiful views and the best damn caiprhina's ever...my boyfriend had to cut me off because they were pure alcohol and fresh fruit and I could only taste the fruit after a while); Centro & Santa Teresa Tour run guided by the lovely DRL; favela tour and last but not least, the three sunny days we had on the beach!

My mother-in-law: What else!  The big news and being with our kids (all 3 of
them).  Iguazu Falls were out of this world so we do recommend the trip
to any of your other company. With the timing being spring run-off, the
volume was no doubt the best of the whole year!  The beaches at Paraty
and Prainha were wonderful with the boat trip being a highlight.  Having
the beach a block away from the apartment for all our walks was
certainly not hard to take. We loved just having the time to spend
making dinners with DRL and salsa with Mr. DRL. Hugs are much better
than Skype! (DRL's note: we were able to first share the news of our pregnancy with her when she arrived).

Engaged Couple Friends: Buzios was amazing - one of the most beautiful places we've ever seen. We also really enjoyed the futebol game, walking the beaches with Mr. DRL and DRL, and, really, pretty much everything, including an evening of Rock Band at home!

My Dad:
1. Finding out my daughter and my son-in-law are going to be parents.  You know what that makes me.  Giddy-up!!
2.  Spending time with my daughter and my son-in-law.
3.  Spending time with my brother, who came with me.
4.  Visiting Corcovado, Sugarloaf Mountain and Buzios.

DRL's Pregnancy Guide: Wardrobe - Part 2: Non-Maternity Maternity Clothes

This post could also be called why you don't need to buy many maternity clothes or making the most of your maternity wardrobe. I found most actual maternity clothes to be quite frumpy and matronly. Luckily, I realized I didn't need to wear too many of them... so before you go blow a bunch of money on maternity wear, consider what you may already have in your closet or what you can buy that you could wear afterwards. It's such a short period of your life that you will be wearing these clothes, it seems silly to spend much. Besides, I think it will be much more fun shopping for "reward clothes" afterwards than it could ever be shopping for maternity clothes...

As a sidenote - I do not work and therefore I did not need as many things as someone who has to go to work dressed a specific way every day. I lucked out with the timing of my expat-ness.

Below are examples of clothes I wore throughout my pregnancy that are NOT maternity clothes, rather REGULAR clothes (with the exception of a couple of bottoms, which I have noted).

Tops
It was pretty easy to not buy maternity tops - there were already so many appropriate things in my closet and in regular stores that worked from the beginning of pregnancy right to the end...

This top was purchased at My Place, which is in Shopping Rio Sul.
  The pirate top is just a regular tube top from Dex Brothers, bought back home.

Although these are my white maternity shorts, this top from MNG was wearable right to the end.

This top has been one of my favorites. The wrap will also be good after the pregnancy (for nursing etc - it has a built-in cover up!). These bottoms are borrowed and maternity.

Another great top from MNG and non-maternity bottoms from lululemon. I also have this one in yellow. As you can see, it lasted right until the end...

Dresses

This very-wrinkled-by-the-end-of-the-night red silk Zara dress fit until I was well into my 6th month.

The two dresses pictured above were both purchased at one of my favorite spots in Rio - Checklist.

Another item borrowed from a friend - also - leggings were a lifesaver! I just bought low-rise styles.

This knit dress got a lot of wear as well...

This blue maxi-dress is from a store called My Place in Rio Sul.

Another non-maternity favorite.

Maxi dress above was purchased from Eclectic, which is also where I bought the "skirt" below, which I wore through my pregnancy as a dress. Being that it's my non-pregnant size, I can wear it afterwards as a skirt. (I thought it was a dress when I first tried it on but then realized it was a skirt, and thought this could work well...)

As you can see, living in Rio where it is hot hot hot, dresses were my main staple of my wardrobe. I think this may be why I got away with avoiding maternity wear so easily.

Other items

Although I mostly wore bikinis throughout my pregnancy, I did enjoy this swim suit quite a bit around the 4-6 month mark, where I had a "paunch" but not a discernable "belly" yet, as it sort of distracted from that area.

Above- beach cover-ups made great tops! This one is from J.Crew (a couple of years back, now), and the skirt is from Drops here in Rio.

Finally- the can't live without it when you are pregnant item: Lululemon bottoms. Thanks to the amazing lack of actual waistband (see how wide it is? Especially the brown ones) in the bottoms, I was able to wear these ones pictured througout my entire pregnancy. I also have a few other items not pictured that I wore through most of it. As for the tops, I purchased a few one size bigger than my usual, in longer styles, and they worked for the entire duration as well.  Great activewear (definitely needed them for my yoga classes) and also for walking, lounging, etc... and in this climate, the wicking can't be beat.

So anyway! That concludes my 2-parter on the old maternity wardrobe! If nothing else, now you know a few places I like to shop in Rio... 

Where to go for HELP?

HELP Discoteca is a famous "landmark" on Copacabana beach.  Here is the web site.  I've often heard it referred to as the biggest brothel in South America.

It's right along Avenida Atlantica in Copacabana, across from where the outdoor market sets up nightly. Most of the female "clientele" consists of prostitutes and transvestite prostitutes. The male clientele consists of 1) men looking for this type of thing and 2) men who are gullible. I did a quick internet search while looking for the web site, and came across some hilarious travel reviews from men who didn't clue in to the club's actual setup 'the chicks were all over me!' haha... yeah you the man.

Anyway, word on the street is that Help Discoteca is closing its doors, and that the building will become a music museum.

Obviously there are positives to a place referred to as the biggest brothel in South America being shut down. However, there are also negatives.

Such as... displaced sex trade workers. Where will they go? Where will the work? On the streets? This does not seem like a positive thing to me.

Yoga Retreat, Anyone?

My yoga teacher is putting on a yoga retreat here in Rio, the weekend of Friday May 22 - 24th.

Here is the writeup:
Retreat Yourself to the ecological surroundings of Guaratiba to unite your mind, body and spirit through the fluid movements of Ashtanga yoga, harmonizing reflexology, relaxing massage, calming meditations, insightful healing circles and delicious freshly prepared vegetarian food.

For full details on the retreat, visit www.retreatyourself.net

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

We expats rely heavily on those jet planes! A cute article on the actual travel part being the bane of an expat's existence can be found here.

Airline service just seems to be getting worse and worse. Although my recent trip home with Continental went very smoothly on the way there, the way back was a different story, with inept on-board servers, a piece of the plane falling off the ceiling and nearly hitting me in the head during take-off, topped off with the crew discussing recent plane crashes during a particularly turbulent takeoff.  I exaggerate not. Which seems grossly unfair considering a regular passenger would probably be arrested for choosing to go on about that particular topic of conversation. At 27 weeks pregnant and exhausted, I didn't exactly have unlimited patience by the time the last incident occurred...although I certainly had more patience than this guy!

But really, what matters is that we get there in one piece, right? Which is why a law is being put forward to change the amount of time pilots and crews have to rest between flights. I'm all for pilots being well-rested. Read more here. 

Worried about delays? This article details the destinations with the most delays. The quick version - airports in India, Casablanca, Orio al Serio Airport near Bergamo, Italy, New York LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International, Birmingham Airport in England, London's Luton and Heathrow Airports. Just FYI - Some South American airports were omitted from consideration for this survey ;)

Air Canada is notorious for being early to jump on the bandwagon for charging customers for items previously provided, but now they are apparently changing their tune, offering to pay you to get bumped from your flight, via Optiontown.com.  Not surprisingly, it is anything but an easy quick process.

Ah, well.  We just feel fortunate to get to go places, right?  Especially if you're in North America, flights to Europe are cheaper than ever! New York tempts me more and more every day and the looks of this new $10 million Lufthansa Lounge in JFK airport just make for one more reason to go... 

Finally, to close on the topic of air travel, has anyone watched Bravo's "First Class All the Way" ?  Travel reality show?

Dengue Fever in Brazil

Just as a sidenote, most of my guests who have visited travel doctors back home were advised to get Yellow Fever vaccinations to visit Rio, something that is NOT actually required!

It's Dengue season again - Expat American Living in Brazil has a travel alert/update on the situation - check it out here.

Luckily Rio is not yet affected.  Thank goodness for me because pregnant women's oxygen-rich blood is apparently a magnet for mosquitoes!

Bikers, Beware

Sadly, I must inform you of two incidents that happened to friends of mine in the past week.

One friend was riding her new bike (which may have made her a target) in the morning along the beach in Leblon. She stopped to cross the street, and a fellow came up to her and tried to grab her bike away.  She resisted a bit, and a couple who were walking nearby also came to her aid, they scared the guy off.

Another friend was riding her bike at 9:30 in the morning along the Lagoa, when a man sitting on a park bench jumped up suddenly, and stole her bike, knocking her to the ground. She was shaken up but not injured, thank goodness.

In both cases I am very glad that it was not worse, obviously, but it is still sad that this has happened. I will be much more careful on my bike... not that these women weren't being careful! I don't really think that there is anything they could have done to prevent these incidents, besides staying at home, and that's no fun.

So bikers, be aware!

As an aside, it seems as though many incidents in this area that I have been hearing of, have been happening around 9:30 in the morning, a time of day when I probably feel safest (and obviously shouldn't!).

Some Books to Consider

These books were a Christmas gift from some good friends and they have sure come in handy! 

The first is a guide to restaurants in Rio.  Danusia Barbara Guia 2009 - can be purchased at Livraria da Travessa or Senac, among other places.

The second is a guide to Hotels & Restaurants throughout Brasil. Circuito Elegante - comes in very handy for Baby Moon Planning (haha much better than a travel agent - see post from yesterday!)

 

Nothing like getting ripped off....

So my husband and I would like to take a quick trip before the baby is born. You know, a babymoon! We have two destinations in mind, so it's a multidestination flight, which I had a bit of trouble booking online as the airline I'd like to use does not make this easy.  No problem, I'll ask for help.

I enlisted the help of a travel agent, gave him our proposed dates and destinations, even a few flight numbers I'd found.  Specifics on hotels we liked, and which areas we'd like to stay at each destination.

He sent me back an email that stated that he had found cheaper flights than I had (but did not include pricing), reversed the order in which we'd visit each destination (when the order we'd asked for was quite deliberate - it is a more tour-y destination followed by a RELAX destination) and proceeded to tell me that a hotel for the first leg of the trip - which by the way does not quite fit the spec's I'd sent him - would cost us over US$4,000 (for 4 nights).  This seemed EXTREMELY high for the place we are going, so I did a quick online search, found the hotel's website, and checked the rates & availability for those dates.  My price was a little different: under US$800 (for 4 nights).  Even in the hotel's most executive suite, we would only be paying US$1,500 for those nights. Ummmmm... what???

Then, for the other destination, where we provided a long list of potential hotels and pousadas, all very intimate and private, some with just 4 rooms, spa-like, he provides us with one price quote (again, very high) for a gigantic resort that was not on the list. The resort has absolutely nothing in common with any of the places we'd chosen.... again - what???

Something is very fishy...

Saaiiiiling

We had pretty much the perfect day yesterday - went sailing to Itaipu (sp?) with friends.... just loved it. I mentioned recently that we'd found a service for those wanting to go sailing in Rio de Janeiro  - I highly highly recommend seeing Rio by boat if you are coming down, it gives you a different perspective, money very well spent - we were out for almost 7 hours!

We stopped in Itaipu to have lunch and swim - the cool, clean, calm water felt incredibly good....

Fort outside of Niteroi
Looking back towards Rio from Itaipu
Love it.
Our neighbourhood & one of the brothers & Pedra de Gavea from the water.
A bit of a different vista of the Cristo on Corcovado mountain.

City lights at night... 

Academia of Cachaca

If you're in RIo and looking to do some Cachaca tastings...
Rua Conde Bernadotte, 26, Leblon
Check out their site here.

Free ride, courtesy of NET?

They've been set up on Ipanema/Leblon beach lately. Haven't noticed any takers yet but with my swollen feet some days it's tempting!

Sailing?

Want to go sailing in Rio? This fellow comes highly recommended by friends - check out his site - www.anacoraue.com

Parque Lage write-up

Here is a cute little write-up on one of my favorite spots in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Parque Lage! Check it out here...
 

On Travelling to Brazil

Canadian site Canoe.com published a report on some of Brazil's hot spots such as Santa Catarina (...where I think we are now going on our "baby moon" after a stop in Buenos Aires), Salvador, etc. Check it out here!

In airlines news...
US Airways wants to start flying to Brazil - check it out here.  They currently do not fly to any South American destinations.  We like more options. Options are good.

No word on whether Continental has gotten the green flag to extend its direct Rio-Houston/Houston-Rio route it currently operates a couple of days per week.  It really does make a huge difference in my opinion, not having to stop in Sao Paulo.  They would like to extend it, beginning June 1.

Speaking of Continental, in December my husband was flying through Houston, when a snowstorm hit, then was sitting on a plane for more than 4 hours befire the flight was finally cancelled... lovely!  Here's some redemption - Continental now has a new policy that allows passengers to get off a plane that has been grounded for more than 3 hours...  Still not a great situation but then at least you have an alternative!

Anyway!
If you are looking for some smoking deals to get yourself down to Brazil, there are many to be had... check out Kayak.com.  My alert this morning gave me the following deals (flights to Rio):

Like from ...

Miami: $673+     Feb 22 - Mar 25
Toronto: $833+   Mar 15 - 21
London: $724+   Feb 23 - Mar 16
Seattle: $838+   Mar 31 - Apr 14
NYC:     $755+    Apr 7 - 14
Houston $785     Deals to be had in March, April, May & June
LA:        $724+    Mar 14 - 28
Vancouver: $763+   Deals to be had in Feb, March & April
Calgary: $767+    Mar 7 - 18 - Deals in April as well!

Skating in Barra?

Although we'd shopped at Barra Gardens before, and heard of this legendary ice rink in Rio de Janeiro, we hadn't yet seen it for ourselves.  Two weekends ago, we headed to Barra to do some errands and made a quick pit-stop, as we wanted to see ice skating in Rio for ourselves!

We immediately felt right at home when we saw the Vancouver Canucks jersey in some advertising on the wall...
Mr. DRL had been excited about the prospect of perhaps picking up a game or two of pickup beer-league hockey here in Rio.  However, when we saw the PILLARS in the middle of the rink, we were both less enthused about this concept...
  I mean, look what happened to poor Frosty's face...

There were a number of Brazilian adults & children out there having the time of their lives on that half-melted ice in their plastic skates, many wearing outfits I'd not ever seen in an ice arena, such as dresses and tank tops! What a great way to cool off on a hot day. But now we know... yes, there is skating in Rio.  There is an arena.  Just in case anyone else was wondering...

Reminders

That life is not always a beach in Rio.
Yesterday at 10:30 in the morning in Ipanema, a British couple was robbed outside their hotel and STABBED by the assailant. The husband in the chest, the wife in the hand. He is still in hospital and expected to survive. A reminder that we can never be too careful here in Rio, and never to resist someone trying to rob you - it's not worth your life!

On January 2nd we heard of a couple who were robbed at a RESTAURANT in Copacabana within hours of landing in Rio, and according to this article, ten days ago, three men robbed two Italian tourists at knifepoint near Rio's Copacabana Beach.

Be careful!

Porcao is the place for kids

Having visitors with two young children has opened my eyes in many ways to what life is like in Brazil with kids. More specifically, how kids are received here. It's much better than in North America, I'll tell you that!

For example, here, walking into a fine dining restaurant with two kids under three - no one flinches. My girlfriend who is visiting and I find this so funny because back home there is a chain called "Earl's" which fancies itself to be upscale but in reality it's just a place to grab a bite. At the location we would go to, they really don't cater to kids, it's impossible to get a booster seat even, and the official "line" of the restaurant is that it's not as though they don't like kids, they just don't do anything for them. O---kay.

Then there's Brazil....
We've taken the kids to Carlota and Sawasdee in Leblon and were treated exactly as we would have been without the kids.

We took them to Porcao and my goodness it is a parent's paradise...
The servers (all male) were all over the kids, lifting the 2 yr old in and out of the highchair, feeding the baby her bottle (see photo below). In fact at one point when the baby had less than oh, six or so, adoring (all male) admirers doting on her she pitched a fit. Pretty funny!

I like how men feel more comfortable to reach out to kids here. I think in North American society there is such concern about pedophiles that it has made men scared to even show that they like little kids in a lot of places. For example, men won't come up to strangers with babies to say hi to the baby, whereas here you can't go anywhere without it happening. Some people may find this creepy, I find it helpful even! It's help keeping the kids entertained!

Here are some photos of Porcao...

More notes on Porcao - the servers also cut up the meat for the two year old, and there is a supervised play area where people can drop their kids off... WOW.

Celebs in Rio

Lately there seem to be many reports of celebrities in Brazil, and Rio in particular. I wrote about Matthew McConaughey's visit to Rio & Sushi Leblon in particular last month. Since then, I've read about visits from Sylvester Stallone, who was photographed checking out Brazilian tabloid photos of himself, and Jude Law with his family (they stayed at the Copacabana Palace).  Jude Law reportedly ate at Via Sete, which is one of my favorite spots these days. I've been making it there about once a week... it's a wonder I'm not making any celeb sightings...

It's not just celebrities who are here these days, though, it's clearly high tourist season. We attempted to visit Sugarloaf last Saturday for my mom & sister's last day in Rio and were met with a whopping two hour lineup just to get to the ticket booth. Crazy. Usually we just walk right in and right on... the lack of an appropriate clear day the days leading up to  Saturday no doubt let to the craziness but come on.... did I also mention it was 38 degrees celsius that day???

Oh, Behave!

Last Friday was my mom & sister's last full day in Rio. I took them on a bit of a walking tour of Centro, to Mr. DRL's office, through the markets, to Colombo, tried to take them on the bonde but it was the busiest I'd ever seen it, the cathedral, etc.

Generally our guest's adventures in Rio go quite smoothly, not to pat myself on the back, but we have a lot of things "figured out" for them - transportation, the best places to go (not that I claim to know them all, I find new ones all the time!), translation services from yours truly... it's definitely easier for them than if they were to venture here on their own.  Then again, they have to stay in an apartment with a pregnant hormonal woman so who's to say what's easier? haha....

So I feel a bit torn about bumps along the way - as a host I want my guests to have the trip of a lifetime, hassle free, but then again if everything goes perfectly smoothly, have they really experienced an authentic journey to Brazil? And won't they think I am completely insane when I complain about the difficulties of getting simple things done? It's a fine line.

Let's just say my mom & sister did get to see a bit of a show during their last 24 hours, and because nothing serious happened, it was nothing but validating for me...

1. At the bonde station, after deciding not to wait what I figure would have been at least an hour to catch a ride, we decide to take a cab to the "stairs" (Selaron) then go to Aprizavel in Santa Teresa. We approach a nice looking cab in the cab lineup, who apparently thought we could use some exercise... he suggested we just walk. I knew the two places were not tooooo far apart but hadn't walked from point a to b before.  To make a long walk short, it was about 30 minutes walk (partly because we got bad directions not once but twice), a bit dicey, over 34 degrees... let's just say we could have used the cab! Unreal.
2. At Aprizavel, we arrive at about 2:30 without a reservation. I've done this plenty of times without a problem, but on this particular day, it was packed. Fair enough. We end up waiting an hour. However, in the meantime we witnessed all kinds of antics and behavior... Aprizavel is located on basically the side of a cliff and there is one very steep staircase in and out. Apparently there is no service entrance, as while we along with many others waited for a table, a Hortifruti truck arrived with groceries. These guys were hauling huge crates of produce down the stairs for about 20 minutes, again it was a HOT day, my goodness I felt sorry for them! But what did a bunch of people do? Basically make a big pain of themselves, getting in their way in every opportunity... no consideration whatsoever (do you really need to stand in the entrance? No, you do not.) FInally, just as the people in front of us were about to be seated, 2 cabs pull up bringing one group in including an incredibly vocal woman.  She is told that there will be about a 90 minute wait at this point, and she proceeds to completely flip out. Apparently she'd called for directions and no one told her there was a wait, so she FREAKED.  She was using every card in her hand "We have kids here..." clearly trying to manipulate her way into getting a table. At one point, she even took the host's radio to yell at the guy she'd spoken with earlier.  It was just ridiculous as even people who legitimately did have reservations were waiting at least 20 minutes for tables at this point.  When she overheard us commenting to another couple about her sense of entitlement to a table, she claimed that she was not in fact trying to get a table ahead of anyone else... so then what exactly were you trying to accomplish? Ahhhh, people! I must say our hour of waiting was entertaining to say the least, and the meal at Aprizavel was well worth it as always.
3. The following day, we had one of those cab drivers who really took us for a ride... practically everywhere but where we wanted to go. To be fair, this was not the first time this happened to my mom & sister, the day they went to the Corcovado we were all in the cab, I instructed the driver to take them to the train but he apparently somewhere along the line decided to take them to the bus instead. It ended up being a good thing in the end, but still! Not what was communicated! Then on their way back, a driver tried to charge them R$80 to get back to my place (R$35 should be the MAX it would cost using the meter). A lot of these vulture like drivers seem to hang out at tourist spots like Sugarloaf and Corcovado so beware!

Again, I'm glad that they saw a glimpse of what life can be like here, it makes me and my stories seem less crazy. But I'm also glad that this was the extent of the trouble!

Muscle Beach

I've been meaning to post about this for awhile!

Muscle Beach has set up in Rio for 3 months - the "summer" - is free of charge, offers lots of classes!  To use the facilities you do have to register and it is open to tourists as well, but what I don't know is whether or not it is still open to registration.  Anyway there are a lot of outdoor "gyms" in Rio along the beach but this one is certainly the most state of the art I've seen, apparently there is also one in Barra.

To read more about Amil's Muscle Beach on Ipanema or Barra beaches, click here.

Here is the class schedule for the one in Ipanema:
 

Plataforma

Every group of my visitors luckily does something slightly different. It keeps me sane! One group and I went to the show at Plataforma one night...

The guidebooks I've seen all feature Plataforma in them, don't really recommend it and call it a tourist trap, but fail to recommend an alternate place where you can see the same variety of Brazilian dancing.

I agree with the guidebooks on the point that it is a bit pricey -$130 per ticket- and also admittedly a bit cheesy, but being that I don't personally know of another show where one can take in an evening of samba, capoeira, fantastic carnival costumes and bahian dancing, I would still recommend it to someone who is looking for an evening of Brazilian entertainment.  But maybe suggesting alternatives is something my readers can help me out with?

I did not eat there (they have a churrascaria) but have been told by Brazilians that it is very good.

The costumes...
Our male guest commented that he had paid more to see a lot less in Vegas!  (In the T&A department). In fact, one of the costumes the girls wore featured a bra sort of thing that only really covered the nipples (with little, pink round sparkly pieces)...

The best part of the show in my opinion was the Capoeira (below). The demo was very impressive.

This pic is pretty blurry but shows one of the many amazing carnival costumes which are part of the grand finale. 

The funniest part of the night? A toss-up between this guy who did an act with a whip sort of thing that was so macho and needed his ego fed so badly that he really spurred on the crowd (in a funny, fantastic, amusing, entertaining way!), and the part where they try to get some audience interaction by surveying the crowd on which country they were from, then invited each well-represented country to come up and do a little song and dance.  The night we were there the people from France and Puerto Rico were especially entertaining.  A big group of French people got up and did sort of a big congo/can-can number while the representative from Puerto Rico was an older gentleman who was obviously quite intoxicated and got up, grabbed the mic and sang a long song.  Oh and by the way, we were not totally sure he was actually from Puerto Rico because we had already noticed him earlier when he kept putting his hand up for pretty much every single surveyed question (of which country we were all from)...  It was great. I loved the audience interaction part because it reminded us how many different countries were all being represented in the same room rather than just being "the audience"... pretty cool.

Plataforma is in Leblon, Rua Adalberto Ferreira, 32  Tel: 2274.4022

Shoulda gone for sushi (earlier in the night)...

It has come to my attention that Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves were in my hood on Friday night.  As in about 2 blocks from my house, people....

Here is a photo which I poached from www.gossipgirls.com Please don't sue me.

They had dinner at sushi leblon, which is one of our favorite spots.  We actually were just down the same street that night, meeting friends for drinks.  We even grabbed a KONI later (see, we ate sushi too... Just like a block away...)

In my neighbourhood, the paparazzi are often lurking around, taking photos of people who I have never seen before (Brazilian stars). Being that I have no idea who these people are, they don't really get any special treatment from me.  But Matthew McConaughey, yeah I think I'd recognize him.

They also ate at Zozo at the base of the sugarloaf gondola, another one of my favorite spots (and incidentally, where I told my dad he was going to be a Gramps!)...

Apparently they stayed at the Hotel Fasano down the beach in Ipanema/Arpoador.

Weird Weather

I feel terrible for a reader who emailed me a couple of weeks ago because they were heading to Rio and the forecast called for nothing but rain and everytime they had checked it in the past few days it had said it was constant rain in Rio (which at the time, was not the case). I emailed them back and confidently said I doubted that it could possibly rain the whole time they were in Rio.

But I think it did.

As you know I have had company from Canada for the past 6 weeks straight in addition to 2 sets of visitors each here for 10 days or more a few weeks before that.  This last group has had terrible weather with the exception of today (so far so good!), Monday and Tuesday.

I must say this though: the international weather reports and forecasts seem like they are off. Before one group came down they'd been checking the weather in Rio online and it was claiming a high temperature of 23 Celsius which was far from the truth (at the time 27 - 28 would have been more accurate).

Advice for visitors (this is what I always tell my own): you never know with the weather here and frequently a beautiful morning does not last the day, and ends at noon. Just as a cloudy morning can clear for a gorgeous afternoon and sunset. So get your beach time in when you can and find things to do when it socks in with clouds.  Plus: go and do the "views" (Sugarloaf, Corcovado, Vista Chinesa) at your first opportunity because you just never know...

Ripped off in Rio

Being that I have had guests for pretty much the past 6 weeks straight (plus another 2 weeks before that!) I am really getting a taste of what it's like to be a tourist in Rio again. Most of it's fantastic, but some of it is definitely not pretty.

To make a huge, potentially unfair, sweeping generalization, many Brazilians seem to fail to see the big picture. As in: they are more concerned with winning the battle than the war.

What do I mean by this? Well many seem more concerned with getting their R$5 extra out of unsuspecting tourists than building a reputation on which they could garner more traction for their business. I will give a few examples.

• At Pao do Acucar - As I was leaving in a cab with my dad & uncle, I realized the cabbie (who had been oh so eager to get us in his car) hadn't turned on the meter, and I alerted him to this. Oh no, he says, it's a flat rate to Leblon, R$35.  Well that's funny, I said, as we just came from there and it was a $R22 cab ride. Turn your meter on. He refused and insisted on the fare. Realize that by this time I want to jump out of the cab but we are a few blocks from Sugarloaf by this point and it's dark and we have two very expensive cameras on us (not to mention that as my dad often put it - he and my uncle were "the whitest guys on the beach" - obvious gringoes). I was totally infuriated! Don't these people realize that tourists are their bread & butter? I have had similar experiences with ridiculous taxi rates at the Sofitel in Copacabana - never, never, never catch a cab there!!!!
• At the suco & salgado place (juice & snack) around the corner from my place, I sent my gringo friends down to get themselves a snack, they came back annoyed as after trying two pastels, they were charged for three after the guy insisted they'd had three... guess where I won't be sending people anymore. 
• This one takes the cake... last night before the lagoa lighting party my girlfriend from Canada & I visited the neighbourhood salon to have our very curly hair blown out. I told the girls at the front what we each wanted as my friend was arriving slightly after me, and proceeded to take my appointment. When it came time to pay, hers was significantly more expensive them mine (and I'd had my nails done too!), I'm talking to the tune of $R100 more expensive. I asked why and the girl at the front - who I'd spoken with at the beginning showed me on the screen that my friend had gotten a "deep conditioning treatment" along with her blow-out. I had been warned about these at salons before. I said she hadn't ordered/asked for this and asked for it to be taken off the bill. The stylist was called over and the receptionist bawled her out, saying that of course she should not have been doing this when my friend clearly did not speak a lick of Portuguese... so we were not charged for it, and the receptionist apologized profusely, so I will go back there, but will warn my guests ahead of time!

In so many instances, I see Rio depicted in the international media as a scary place where tourists are robbed and taken advantage of. With the internet being one of the main sources of travel information and word spreading more quickly than ever about where to go and to avoid, I wish that people in the industry here would realize this and be less concerned with the quick buck and more concerned with Rio's overall reputation and not ripping off tourists - because then there would be more of them, and more to go around.  I realize a lot of this stems from genuine desperation to feed families, etc. which is heartbreaking but I still don't like to see people get ripped off when they come here and I take it really personally when I am the one who has invited them here/recommended a place, etc.

GPS in RIo

I strongly urge people to be careful if driving in Rio and relying on GPS. Ever seen the episode of the Office where Michael drives into a lake because the GPS tells him to? Well, let's just say you could get yourself into a lot more trouble than that in Rio.

Recently, three Norwegian men had their GPS set to "quickest route" on their way back to Rio from Buzios, the GPS led them into a favela, and their car was shot at, the driver was wounded but luckily survived.  The incident is being blamed on a faulty GPS system but I think it probably genuinely did show them the "fastest route"... not that it was a safe one!

Incidentally I know some people who were making the drive to Buzios and accidentally had their GPS set to "no tolls" so it directed them to go all the way around the bay rather than taking the Niteroi bridge. They quickly realized this and saved themselves several hours of travel in the process! (The toll is definitely worth it!!)

To All of Those...

...Who find me by looking for a place to rent a cell phone in Rio: try presscell.com apparently they will even deliver to your hotel. Maybe I should have tried this option, huh?

...Who were on my blog because they were hunting for a place to have Thanksgiving dinner in Rio - I tried checking out a few places for you, but no luck.  There are turkeys at Sendas in the frozen food section, hopefully your hotels have ovens? Yeah, maybe not...

...Who find me by looking for places to go for live music in Rio - how the heck did you end up here? Try this link to Gringo-Rio's site where you will find a great listing (which is what I use when I want to know the same thing).

...Who arrive here because they have googled "hot brazilian bunda" or bunda of the day or hot brazilian girl... best of luck to you, best of luck.

...Who keep checking my blog just to find out what the heck my announcement is? Sorry, you will have to wait a few more days (December 1st!) but I like that it keeps you coming back!

 

Escadaria Selaron

Hard to believe that it took me almost nine months in Rio to get to one of its most famous landmarks: the Escadaria Selaron. 

 It's the famous 250 - step staircase between Lapa & Santa Teresa that has provided the backdrop for the likes of the Snoop Dogg "Beautiful" music video, U2's "Walk On" video, and a even a playboy photo shoot! American Express, Coca Cola, Fanta, Pepsi and Kellogs Corn Flakes commercials were also shot there. I would like to see these commercials but couldn't find them online, if anyone knows where to find them, let me know.

It's a must-see in RIo - you will have to check it out.

What Our Visitors Buy

What do our visitors typically buy as souvenirs/mementos/additions to their wardrobes/gifts for friends and family, while in Brazil? This post could also be titled "good buys in Brazil"...

1) The number one item, hands down, would be Havaianas. Everybody buys them. I spend a lot of time frantically texting and emailing people back home for their shoe sizes while standing in Centro with my guests while they shop and try to figure out their girlfriends/wives/daughter in laws'/sister's/brother's shoe sizes.
We have had visitors leave with more than 25 pairs. Below are the acquisition of a recent Casa DRL guest...
What's the big draw for Havaiana's here? Well they are quite a bit cheaper than back home. For plain jane Havaiana's in Canada you generally pay $20-$25.  Here, the plain jane ones are $R10 in Centro (which is about $6.50 Canadian). There are much "fancier" designs available here, as you can see, and besides people love to say that they were purchased in Brazil!

2) Shoes & Purses. As I may have mentioned before, shoes in Brazil are, in my opinion, are a great price for excellent quality shoes.  Wide variety of styles and colors, very funky and unique styles. Although I don't have photos of shoes my visitors bought (as in the case of the Havaiana's, above), here are a bunch I've purchased in Brazil. Yes, I realize these photos are already on the blog in different places.

3) Swimwear
Biquini's & Sungas... gotta do it. With a lot of the styles at places like BlueMan, they are easily enough worn back home as well. Here is a selection of swimwear I've purchased in Brazil...

4) Jewellery
Be it handmade wooden jewellery, strands of beads, cascading earrings with semiprecious stones (there is an amazing kiosk in the Ipanema 2000 "mall" on V. de. Piraja in Ipanema with tons of beautiful sets of these), or some serious bling from Amsterdam Sauer or H. Stern, Brazil is a fantastic place to buy amazing, unique jewellery!

5) Clothing
Everyone asks me about the clothing shopping here and to be honest, I find it hit-and-miss. If you are looking for something specific, forget it! But if you come here with an open mind and don't need anything per se, clothing shoppping in Rio can be a lot of fun.  Items I don't recommend buying: for women - bras (weird weird sizing...) and business clothes (generally of pretty poor quality - but men's are much better).

6) Coasters
Seems silly & simple but there are some beautiful stone coasters here - like little works of art in fact- we started buying them for hostess gifts for friends & family back home when my husband started working down here, they come in a wide array of colors and are just gorgeous and very unique.

7) Art
The Hippie Fair & Copacabana Art Markets (are there other regular ones we should be frequenting? Let me know!) make some great sales thanks to our guests - art is incredibly unique and cheap here in Brazil.  Most mounted canvases can be removed and rolled up (you just have it re-stretched and mounted upon returning home).

8) Books
After trying to capture as much of this fantastically picturesque city, many of us have not quite admitted defeat but enlisted the help of a coffee table/photo book to remind of the bluer than blue skies and mountains that emerge straight out of the ocean. Also a popular read with our guests: How to Be a Carioca.

9) Cachaca!
Enough said.

10) Funky cooking stuff
Like this beautiful limestone and copper fondue pot (they also have pizza stones - Santa Teresa shops) or a wooden mortar and pestle set for making caiprhinhas with the cachaca you already bought...

I would also like to divulge that guests purchased 12 sparkly wigs, 12 pairs of light-up sunglasses a six pack of Guarana, and two pirate hats. But I am not saying who's who...

Tired Bear

I am - as we call it at my house - a tired bear.  My dad & uncle left today and we are expecting more guests on Sunday (we have guests for the entire month of November).  We had a great visit, lots of laughs, and I was very sad to see them leave.

Having guests reminds us where we came from & how to say "eh", makes us appreciate the beautiful place we live in, makes us sad to see some of the injustices of this country because it's like we are seeing them again for the first time when seeing it through our visitors' eyes.

It brings us closer together. We so appreciate the financial and time commitment it takes for our visitors to come here.

SugarLoaf Yesterday

Or "Meat Loaf" as my dad kept calling it...


Really really can't wait to get my lens back from Nikon - these are all taken with this portrait telescope type lens... not ideal for this type of photo!!!
Hopefully one of our visitors in the next couple of weeks can bring it down for us :)

Lessons

In Rio, there is no shortage of lessons to learn, secrets to uncover, or tricks to teach.

Every visitor that comes our way shows us a little something about this city that is new to us.  My dad & uncle are currently visiting, and they are no exception.  For example, I had no idea that each of the "posto's" or lifeguard stations on the beach have washrooms.  I always just scurried the couple of blocks home when I had to go when spending time on the beach.  This is very useful information.

Also, their fascination with this street performer who has been set up outside the Caesar Park Hotel in Ipanema has been a learning experience.  They have both lived in small towns in Western Canada most of their lives so this was a particularly special treat for them.... I must say I have never seen two straight men so intrigued by a gay dancer! 

I must admit his little flotation device is quite interesting!
 
This is their favorite part of his act.  Besides the part at the end when he tells off the drivers of the cars which are stopped and don't give him money. Which I admit is quite entertaining!