Going down to Rio 5/17 - 5/21 and have no idea what to do.

Likes: Snorkeling, eating, seeing cool things
Dislike: Too much time in the sun (#paleproblems), excursions that will take multiple days

Probably staying in Copacabana at the Arena Hotel (http://www.arenahotel.com.br/) as advised by some friends.

Anyone have tips of things you loved? Restaurants you went to? Sites you saw?

4/29/2013 3:36:06 PM

Quote :

"time in the son"

what kind of trip is this?

4/29/2013 3:40:10 PM

a buddy of mine lives in Rio. he hides his money in his shoe and crosses to the other side of the street every couple blocks to shake the pick pockets and tails.


seriously.

4/29/2013 3:50:34 PM

^^ whoopsie.

4/29/2013 4:03:40 PM

make sure to watch that new show on natgeo called Scam City or something like that. this past episode was about Rio.

4/29/2013 4:45:57 PM

wear flip flops

gawk at dead bodies in the streets

[Edited on April 29, 2013 at 4:49 PM. Reason : l]

4/29/2013 4:49:18 PM

Quote :

"a buddy of mine lives in Rio. he hides his money in his shoe and crosses to the other side of the street every couple blocks to shake the pick pockets and tails. seriously."

Along the same lines, don't use stand-alone ATMs. If you need cash, go into a bank or use one you see a lot of locals using. My sister and BF both had their bank info stolen because the ATM had a one of those scam readers.

4/29/2013 5:07:33 PM

if you are on the beach ... make sure to keep an eye on all your bags all the damn time

they have so many scams set up for beach grabbing that your mind will be blown.

if someone comes up to you asking you to watch his shit while he swims for a couple of minutes then you just got jacked.

4/29/2013 5:46:42 PM

carry your wallet in a front pocket

4/29/2013 6:24:32 PM

Or get a money belt or leg wallet

4/29/2013 6:52:59 PM

4/29/2013 7:03:02 PM

Sounds like fun

4/29/2013 9:54:20 PM

Sugar loaf, Christ the redeemer, coconut juice while you people watch, go to a gringo bar at night, can't remember the name but it is in ipanema one street back from the ocean. And eat at peixi vivo in copacabana. Walk in fort leme. Take the train over the Arcos de lapa Those are the mundane mostly safe tourist things you can do in 4 days..

4/29/2013 10:02:51 PM

I traveled there for ten days a few years ago after spending the summer in Brasilia. My Portuguese had been worked up to a minor conversational level and of course that helped immensely as very few people speak English in Rio and Brazil as a whole. Just talk with your hands and if you know any spanish it may help a tiny bit but it won't get you far past their distinct accent. Nothing bad happened to me and my take is that out of the 20 some countries I've been to, Rio is my favorite city in the world. Cariocas are the most genuinely friendly people. If someone asks you how your day is, they want to make sure you're having the best day possible and they really do get personally upset when somebody is not having a good time. Couples gay and straight make out everywhere and life is very vibrant. It's quite intoxicating and liberating really. I almost entirely hung out between Flamengo and Leblon, sleeping at Ace Backpackers in Botafogo.

General rules: Don't act dumb and listen to and watch the locals. Yes there are a lot of bad people out there and you have to be on high alert at all times. People say that line for every major city, but you don't mess around with the ground rules in Rio. Children are often used to rob somebody in Rio because there is no juvenile delinquency, even for murder. If you are robbed by an adult and child pair, surrender everything immediately, as they have no reason not to kill you. If it were me I'd strip down to my underwear as soon as I saw the weapon. In general, most places with a crowd are safe from violence.

Ground rules by day: Do not ever bring your wallet with you and do not wear a money belt. Nobody will ever ask you for your passport during your stay. Keep your passport and wallet locked in the hotel safe for the duration of your stay. Bring as absolutely little money as you need for each excursion outside the hotel. Never wear any jewelery or watches or flash an iphone or be listening to headphones on the street. Don't even wear name brand jeans, a pair of Levis there is worth $200 and apple products almost 5 times their worth in the US. Don't take pictures or take very very few only at major landmarks like the sugarloaf and christ statue. Do carry a pocketknife with you except for when you go to a club, the soccer stadium, or the airport. Taking the bus or metro is fine and encouraged.

Ground rules at night. You don't walk anywhere at night, you don't drive anywhere at night, no metro (unless to soccer games), no bus. If you need to get somewhere at night you step out onto the curb and catch a taxi and go straight there and same for the return. Only prostitutes will be on the streets at night, and they are legal and most likely transsexual. Moderately-crowded street parties, distinguishable by a strip of bars/clubs, lots of people, drums, and food vendors on the street are ok, but don't leave the crowd unless it's by taxi. All the stoplights in the city blink at night and all but the largest of intersections basically become "yield only," so don't freak out when the cabbie never stops but rather toots the horn and speeds through. And for god sakes do not go onto Copacabana beach or the boardwalk at night, it doesn't matter if it is directly in front of your hotel or not. That's the one place you are more likely to get killed than robbed in all of Rio.

Now for the fun stuff:
-Obviously check out the sugar loaf and christ statue. Christ is best viewed on a sunny day, but even on a mostly cloudy day you'll have a good time up there watching him appear and disappear out of the clouds while you stand at his feet.
-Soccer games are a blast!!! There are four local teams, and seeing the most popular team (Flamengo) play is more fun than seeing any of the less popular teams.
-Go to a churrascaria. If you've never been to one, go to Brasa in Brier Creek before you go so you won't be completely lost when you get to Rio. You can go to Fogo de Chao if you wanna spend the big bucks, but Estrela do Sul was much cheaper and with just as good food.
-Coxinhas and anything with Catupiri cheese are awesome. So are street-made x-tudo burgers.
-Caipirinhas are generally made with cachaca 51 (their version of aristocrat), so ask for cachaca boa ("good cachaca") in yours and you'll love em even more. The rum is great and if you get a rum and coke it's all rum and a splash of coke. Their beers in general suck but the plus side is that they are served in liter-sized bottles at sub-zero temps in their own chiller. Sitting at an open-air bar in plastic chairs at a plastic table drinking liters of Skol/Brahma/Itaipava listening to street music is damn near a city past time.
-Even if you're not much of a club person, they have some awesome clubs that aren't pretentious by necessity. Don't bother getting there before 2 am and stay til sunrise.
-See the Jardin Botanique.
-The beach! Go to Ipanema, end of story. The beach is segmented off in numbers and ask the locals where it's cool to hang out. The sections with the rainbow flags are indeed for the gays, go there only if you want to be harassed by horny dudes. It is entirely normal to have a "waiter" so to speak on the beach in Ipanema. Someone will bring you a chair, the guy with the nearest cart will keep bringing you beers as long as you ask for them. It's fine to leave your shirt, flipflops, and towel at the chair but swim with your money. The hawkers aren't pushy and if you don't want anything just say "nao obrigado" (no thanks) and you will promptly be left alone. It is strongly advised to wear speedos and it does not matter what you look like. A fat man in speedos is respected over a skinny guy in board shorts. If you're hairy get waxed like everybody else, even if you never would do it in the US.
-Last but not least, I'm not sure if they are still doing these, but go on an official "favela tour" if you can. It is the cultural experience of a lifetime, and along with visiting Chernobyl is one of the two best tours I've ever taken. The one I went on was sanctioned and allowed by the leaders of the favelas because the profits went to the schools. Kids doing caipoeira on the streets, spiderwebs for electrical lines, houses stacked like lego blocks- it really is amazing to take in the whole environment. Just don't take a picture of anyone with a gun and listen to your group leader and it will be fine.

Just be aware and have fun the whole time you are there. It really is the city of fun as long as you avoid the seedy underbelly.

4/29/2013 10:19:22 PM

Chriiiiiiist

4/29/2013 11:05:27 PM

Is it true that everyone carries a machete; even on the buses I heard that there is a machete check in and portage areas to stow the machetes while on the bus

4/29/2013 11:09:21 PM

Sounds like a scary place. Is just Rio like that or is it all of Brazil? Better not let my wife do too much research or there is no way I'm getting her to the World Cup next year.

[Edited on April 30, 2013 at 1:29 PM. Reason : ]

4/30/2013 1:29:30 PM

Hm. I was hoping it wasn't as dangerous as I was thinking.

4/30/2013 10:20:23 PM

I went to Iguazu a few years back and it was fine. Knowing Spanish and being on the border near Argentina probably helped, but I didn't ever feel unsafe

4/30/2013 10:45:54 PM

Been to Brazil 3 times, spent about a month in Rio.

Never had an issue and its not as dangerous as its made out to be. Common sense will get you far. Carry the cash you need and no more. Rio is also the best city I have visited.

I could write a page but my favorite neighborhoods are Santa Teresa , Lagoa, and Urca.

5/5/2013 4:05:27 PM

Quote :

"Rio is my favorite city in the world."

Quote :

"wall of text about how you will get murdered or robbed if you go outdoors"

5/5/2013 4:48:21 PM

a lot of gringos in this thread

5/5/2013 4:51:13 PM

Spent some time in Rio a few years back. Essentially everything RattlerRyan said.

[Edited on May 5, 2013 at 5:02 PM. Reason : .]

5/5/2013 5:01:24 PM

what about visas? what were your experiences with the process for brazil?

5/5/2013 11:42:20 PM

Quote :

"Is it true that everyone carries a machete; even on the buses I heard that there is a machete check in and portage areas to stow the machetes while on the bus"

This is the Rio thread, not the Africa thread.

Quote :

"It's fine to leave your shirt, flipflops, and towel at the chair but swim with your money."

SWIM

WITH

MONEY


[Edited on May 6, 2013 at 8:43 AM. Reason : ]

5/6/2013 8:41:18 AM

5/6/2013 8:47:48 AM

Obtaining a visa is uncomplicated. They don't actually ask about your finances or anything like that although I believe they reserve the right to. You most certainly have to have it prior to arrival or you will be denied entry in the airport. If you bring a lot of electronics into the country they might ask questions and may ask you to start up computers, etc. to make sure they are yours for personal use because they are such big ticket items down there. Incidentally, the most stringent luggage security check I have ever gone through was in Rio getting ready to come back to the US.

5/6/2013 9:43:34 AM