Posts Tagged ‘rio’
Rio de Janeiro
After my arrival in Rio, I enjoyed a couple of beers instead of having a rest from my 24 hrs trip. It wasn’t reason enough to go to bed! The rest of the days in Rio were no different from the first, as the city is known for it’s wild parties and nice beaches.
During the flight, i decided to stay in Ipanema, which is supposed to be richer and a safer area than Copacabana. I wasn’t disappointed and my fellow traveller (a woman from Rio who was visiting Spain) obviously gave me good advice. The beaches are not any different and Ipanema is very close to Copacabana, but Ipanema has a surfer’s scene as there are great waves to surf on.
However, I decided to have my long planned and awaited surf course not in Rio. Shopping is even better, as Ipanema hosts most of the known designer clothing shops, but I did not feel that I would need anything apart from the brazilian flipflops (everyone seems to wear them and they are called Havaianas) and a skirt. The next evening, we went into an Irish pub and drank until 4am. The hangover wasn’t as bad as I exptected and I got up pretty early to explore Rio’s centre and get to the bus station to buy tickets to the Iguaçu falls (they are located in the border to Paraguay and Argentina) The further up north in Rio you go, the poorer gets the neighbourhood and the favelas start (which is not safe to go in as a tourist anyway) The bus station was located slightly upwards from the centre, in a dodgy area. The city busses are extremely easy to use, but not really safe either. At least I didn’t get robbed, but I tried to be overcautious. The third evening was the worst of all as we went into a club in Leblon, ‘House’ was it called and where we got free caipirinhas until 12pm. I could stand at the bar for not more than 3 seconds and get another strong caipirinha. The fourth day included another hangover (worse than the one before) and the trip to Iguaçu. 3 days wouldn’t be enough to see Rio, but I know I am heading back the latest I will depart from South America, and there are a lot more countries and places to see!
