Brazil - Revelry in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro became arguably one of my most favorite trips. We planned this as a group trip with coworkers to celebrate my good friend, Daniel's, birthday in mid-December. Our company had just restarted direct flight service from DFW to GIG, and we wanted to take catch the inaugural flight to take advantage of this seasonal summer service. What better way for a group of guys to celebrate a birthday than on Brazilian beaches? ;)
Trip Type
Large group (7 people total), weekend trip, two full days and one night. 2 hours ahead time difference. The main intention was to hit the beach, have a few caipirinhas and catch some amazing views!
Timeline
Friday 21:00 - Enjoy the inaugural service celebration at the airport
Friday 22:00 - Catch the flight from DFWGIG
Saturday 08:00 - Arrival in GIG - meet up with our friend from another airline
Saturday 09:00 - Head to the Air BNB
Saturday 10:00 - Check into the Air BNB apartment in Copacabana
Saturday 11:00 - Head to Sugar Loaf for cable cars and views
Saturday 13:00 - Snacks & caipirinhas on Copacabana
Saturday 14:30 - Stroll down Copacabana and take in the views
Saturday 16:00 - Quick change into beach clothes at the Air BNB
Saturday 16:30 - Head to Ipanema for some sunbathing
Saturday 19:00 - Head back to Air BNB for shower before dinner
Saturday 20:00 - Dinner at all-you-can eat churrascuria
Saturday 22:00 - Gelato on Copacabana
Saturday 23:00 - Bar and dancing on Copacabana
Sunday 01:30 - Back to the Air BNB
Sunday 10:00 - Head to Cristo Redentor
Sunday 12:00 - Head to Escadaria Selaron
Sunday 14:00 - Lunch at TT Burger
Sunday 16:00 - Walk around Ipanema market and enjoy an açaí smoothie on the beach
Sunday 18:00 - Check out of Air BNB & head to airport
Sunday 19:30 - Airport lounge shower & snacks
Sunday 21:45 - Head back to DFW
Monday 06:00 - Arrival in DFW, head to work!
LOGISTICS
We caught the first flight of the season on our new inaugural direct service from DFW to GIG, which was celebrated by free food from a local Brazilian steak house! We snacked on pieces of sausages and fried plantains, plus free sodas before the flight.
Most of our group got business class on the flight down, but me and one other friend didn't (sigh). Other than that the flight was great and we were there before we knew it.
Once we were in Brazil we exclusively got around via Ubers. They were so cheap, especially because we were splitting them. A trip from Copacabana to the airport cost around $25 USD, and all the other Ubers from place to place ranged from $3 to $10 USD. Since we were such a big group we had to take two Ubers everywhere, and I mean we went everywhere via Uber. By the time this trip was over we had racked up 16 trips, and it only cost us $32 USD total (per person).
Most of the Uber drivers didn't speak English, but they could understand what we were asking when we spoke to them in Spanish because Spanish and Portuguese are fairly close, and also Brazilians are familiar with it because all their neighboring countries predominantly speak Spanish.
The Ubers are your most safe option in Brazil - it allows you to track your progress on the route via the app, and it provides the extra security that you won't be haggled on the price. Taxis are not altogether too common except for outside of the airport. When we were actually walking around Copacabana and Ipanema we saw a couple here and there, but not altogether too many. You definitely don't want to take public transport in Brazil as a tourist.
We mostly kept around the most touristy and populated areas of Rio in order to stay the most safe. The only point where we didn't feel safe was waiting by the Escadaria Selaron for an Uber ride back to the Air BNB. We had to wait forever and the area wasn't particular touristy, and there were some very shady characters lingering around observing our behavior. Our group was full of 6 men, so I think that helped to keep us safe, but you generally will want to be aware of your surroundings at all times and not linger too long in places that are more sparsely populated.
On our flight back home we all lucked out and got business class on the 767, which I personally think is a little more roomy than our new aircraft business class pods.
It was even more awesome because we had the same flight crew going back that we had on our way down. All throughout the weekend we had kept running into them - when they were out at dinner at Copacabana we hung out for a little and visited, and then ran into them again when we were taking the tram up to Christo Redentor they were headed back down. So when they saw us coming back with them on the same flight back they were so sweet - they even agreed to a group picture!
ATTRACTIONS
Sugar Loaf
Sugar Loaf is the characteristic steep mountain in the middle of the water that you see in so many photos of Rio. It is world famous for its cable car and the amazing panoramic views it provides over all of Rio and the surrounding oceanside.
Sugar Loaf was the very first thing we did because the weather was gorgeous and the cloud conditions are known to change very quickly in Brazil, which can greatly impact visibility from the top of Sugar Loaf, so we wanted to take advantage of the decent conditions.
The ticket to the cable car was probably the most expensive single thing we paid for in Rio and it was only $25 USD round-trip. The cable car is packed full on each of the rides, and they will hold the car until it does get full. The first cable car takes you to one peak right before Sugar Loaf. At the top of this peak there are lots of gift shops and also some eateries, and you can also get helicopter rides from here to tour the city from the sky for relatively cheap - around $160 USD per person. I may come back one day and do that because Rio would be one of the most gorgeous cities in the world to see from above, with all the mountains in the water and the Christo Redentor overseeing the city from the top of the highest hill.
The shops and restaurants up there are obviously pretty touristy, and therefore much more expensive than most of what you can find elsewhere in the city. Also at the top of this peak are some really bright and colorful murals, and I'm a sucker for murals.
From this second peak you take another cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf.
On the top of Sugar Loaf you can catch panoramic views of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Copacabana
This is the famous (infamous?) beach. Definitely known for the bathing beauties and minimalistic swim suits. There are lots of restaurants on the beach, and also there are lots of sand volleyball courts. We had snacks/drinks at a restaurant on the beach and enjoyed watching some volleyball. There are constantly running salt water hoses on the beach where you can wash off from volleyball, cool down or spray the sand so that it doesn't scald you.
After lunch we took a nice long stroll all the way down to the end of the beach, just taking our time enjoying the views (the guys especially enjoyed the views).
Ipanema
In my opinion Ipanema is the superior beach in Rio. It is crazy how close it is to Copacabana, but how different it is from it. Copacabana is way more touristy and Ipanema has a much more local population of sunbathers. Ipanema was much less packed and had way prettier scenery, what with all the mountains in the background and the island across the way from the beach.
Sunbathing on Ipanema was my favorite part of the trip - enjoying a caipirinha on the beach with some of my best friends just can't be beat!
I found this flower on the street on our walk to go get drinks. The wind wouldn't let me keep it in my hair (sigh).
We had to borrow extra sheets from our Air BNB because we didn't pack beach towels.
Cristo Redentor
Cristo Redentor was actually a bucket list item for me. I will never forget when I first started working for the airline I asked my dad where in the world he would want to go if he could go anywhere for free, and he said, "To Brazil to see the Jesus on the hill." I was shocked - this was so not my dad. He is such a homebody and has never really wanted to venture out of his comfort zone or his hometown, and to choose Brazil of all places! Not to mention he is not a religious or spiritual person, so the Jesus on the hill of all things! But for some reason his desire to see this monument made it a bucket list item for me. I guess I believed that if it was in my Dad's dreams that somehow he could maybe live his dreams through me a little. I would love to be able to one day take him here with me to see the awe-inspiring views from the vantage point of Jesus.
Cristo Redentor is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It sits atop the highest mountain in Rio, Corvocado Mountain, and is appropriately placed so that Jesus is the highest above the city, looking out over it and protecting it.
We ended up going to Cristo Redentor sometime shortly before noon, which meant that no one part of the city was altogether too shadowed. Minus the crowds being busier around this time, the lighting was spectacular and allowed us to fully see everything from the top.
Jesus faces east, out towards the sea, so the sun rises in front of him and illuminates him, which allowed us to see all his features and take great photographs. I probably wouldn't recommend coming later in the afternoon or evening because the sun would set behind Jesus and would make it so that front-facing photos of him would be very shadowy. Sunrise would be the most amazing time to witness from this vantage point.
To get the the statue you pay for a ticket at the bottom of the mountain and take a vernacular to the top. The ticket is about $23 USD for your round-trip.
You can also hike up the mountain if you would like, but it is known to be potentially dangerous as burglars allegedly threaten tourists en route.
Escadaria Selaron
These stairs are located in the Centro district in Rio, which is the historic and financial center of the city. These stairs are made up of mosaic tiles, all displaying different graphics and exhibiting representation of many states and other countries. We found tons of unexpected tiles in these stairs.
Like even the Texas Tech logo!
We walked all the way up these stairs and then enjoyed a nice cold water at the top, just chatting on the stair steps.
On our way down there was a gift shop, and across the street from the gift shop was my new favorite mural ever.
Stone Arpoador
Stone Arpoador is a huge rocky peninsula that has some walking trails through huge cactus bushes out to the tip of the peninsula. From this vantage point you can see all of Ipanema on one side and Copacabana on the other. You can sit on the large stones and watch the surfers and sunbathers from a vantage point that seems like you're out in the ocean with them.
Ipanema Market
On Sundays there is a huge market held at Ipanema, or rather just a couple blocks away from Ipanema at Praca General Osorio. This market takes over the square and has tons of booths and tents full of bathing suits, clothing, leather works, jewelry and artwork. This is the best place to go for unique souvenirs from Rio. We strolled through this market, and then on to walk the famous black and white tiled streets of Ipanema, where on Sundays they also close down the main street for bicyclists and pedestrians. Here we enjoyed a final sunset and açaí smoothie.
RECHARGE
For this trip I had absolutely nothing to do with booking arrangements or itineraries. This trip was entirely planned and orchestrated by my friend, Mehartaaj. He is a Brazil connoisseur, and he has been to Rio a ton of times before, so he knew exactly where we needed to be.He booked us an Air BNB apartment that could sleep 7 and it was awesome. It was located in Copacabana, very central to most of what we wanted to do and where we wanted to be. The surrounding streets were safe and clean, and had eateries and a juice stand super close by. We were visited the juice stand down the street at least five times.
Mehartaaj booked it a couple of days prior and we only paid $22 USD per person for the one night we stayed in this apartment ($154 total).
The apartment had three bedrooms. One was a small, coat-closet like bedroom off the side of the laundry room, and this room had a twin bunk bed. This is where I stayed with my friend, Eric. The only downside to this room was that there were no windows and only a small fan, so it was quite toasty for Eric who was on the bottom bunk. We ended up leaving the door open to catch some breeze from the wind coming off the interior courtyard of the apartment complex. The apartment even had a little "wet bath" off the side of the laundry room, next to Eric's and my bedroom, where there was a toilet with a shower over head. It ended up being super helpful to have a second shower/bathroom on this trip for when we came back from the beach all stinky and covered in sand and we all needed to shower at the same time in order to get ready for going out to dinner.
The other two bedrooms were double bed rooms that were pretty spacious and also had windows that helped keep them cool since there was no air conditioning in the apartment. The cross breeze from all the windows being open in the apartment, including the chicken-wire screened-in laundry room facing the apartment courtyard made it so that it was generally pretty pleasant temperature wise, even though it was the dead of summer. The apartment also had a decently spacious kitchen, dining room and sitting room. Our 7th friend ended up having to sleep on the couch.
The owner of the Air BNB was super friendly! She was an older woman who spoke broken English, but could converse with us much better when we spoke to her in Spanish. She was on time for giving us keys and available whenever we were for returning them, and she was super flexible and accommodating. She was staying in the apartment across the hall with her neighbor, and she and her neighbor visited with us for a little while at check-in and check-out. Her neighbor spoke English and could also translate for us.
This was actually my first real experience with Air BNB, and afterwards I would recommend it! Mehartaaj has also had great experiences with another Air BNB in Copacabana area for slightly smaller groups.
FOOD
The food and drinks in Brazil were amazing, but maybe you have to be a carnivore to truly appreciate it, especially at the churasscurias. For dinner we went to this upscale churasscuria that was all-you-can-eat. They seated you at a table and then waiters dressed fancy with bow ties would come by with various cuts of meat, and they would slice off pieces for you, as much as you requested, until you surrendered by putting out your red "Nao" token.
The guys ate seriously impressive amounts of steak. They didn't even waste their time on chicken.
There was a little salad bar as well, but that was wildly unpopular in comparison to the meats. They also brought around sides like potato dishes, plantains and pao de queijo, which is this amazing ball of soft dough with cheese mixed in it ever so subtly. Mehartaaj is a vegetarian, so he just mainlined these the whole trip.
Also wildly popular on this trip were the juices. One of my friends, Edgar, was starting to come down with a cold and found that fresh squeezed orange juice was helping him feel better, so we all tried some fresh squeezed juice, and then we found ourselves stopping at the juice store every chance we got. The passion fruit juice was my all-time favorite and I truly savored it, just like I did with this passion fruit gelato from a coffee and gelato shop on Copacabana - I loved the little crunchy pieces of the passion fruit seed inside of it. It was tart and tangy, but still super sweet. Very refreshing!
My other favorite that I discovered regrettably too late was the açaí smoothies. Acai is incredibly popular in Brazil and is considered to be a super healthy food choice due to all the antioxidants in the fruit. It is slightly tart, but still very sweet. I love it. Its another really refreshing treat, especially on a hot Brazilian summer day.
I had the best burger I've ever had in my life in Brazil. I'm not even kidding you. TT Burger had burgers that I still wake up from dreams drooling about today. This burger was HUGE, and so tasty. It has normal fixings (your bun, lettuce, tomato, cheese, meat), but then it has bittersweet onions (like sweet pickled onions) and "TT Sauce" which was this mayonnaise-based nectar of the gods. I also had a fried egg and bacon added to mine. As a carb addict I also must say that the bun was awesome - toasted on the underside but soft on the inside, buttered and with toasty black sesame seeds on top. I may go back to Rio on a day trip solely to have this burger.
Also, the chips are amazing - they are salted fried plantain chips that are crispy almost like kettle chips and you dip them in the TT Sauce for an orgasmic experience.
We actually discovered TT Burger on accident on our walk from Copacabana to Ipanema. We walked past it and recognized our flight attendants dining on the restaurant's patio. We stopped and visited, lusted over their food, and then the next day when we were in the area we decided to give it a try. Thank God we did!
Of course when in Brazil caipirinhas are a must! Since my drink of choice is typically a margarita I knew I was going to enjoy this because of the similar ingredients. Caipirinhas are Brazil's national drink and they are made of cachaca (sugar cane hard liquor), sugar and lime. The drink is made by first muddling the fruit and sugar together and then adding the liquor. Its garnished with tons of fresh limes, another huge plus for me. It is so tasty and so refreshing, but also kind of lethal.
The last drink of choice in Brazil was coconut water. I wasn't as big of a fan of this, but some really were - like Edgar and Mehartaaj. I swear Mehartaaj probably had about five. They are super reasonably priced (probably about $1 USD), and can be found pretty much anywhere along the beach at drink/food stands. They are just whole coconuts that they use a machete to whack open and then put a straw in for you to drink the coconut water. Coconut water is supposed to be amazing for you - it has electrolytes and is one of the best things for keeping hydrated. I think I just wasn't a fan because it was warm water, and on a hot day in Brazil all I wanted was something ice cold. Like another caipirinha.
I also enjoyed the street corn in Brazil. Of course I love pretty much any kind of corn, and especially street corn (Mexican street corn, anyone?). This was kind of similar to Mexican street corn. The roadside vendor outside of the Sugar Loaf ticket station had butter and mayonnaise, seasoned salt and hot sauce. What more could you need?
WHAT TO BRING
Since we were just going for a weekend, and our intent was to hit the beach here's some of what we brought:- Bathing suit! (Of course). I also couldn't resist buying a traditional Brazilian bathing suit from one of the street vendors on Ipanema, so this season I won't have any tan lines! ;)
- Comfortable walking shoes are a must! There are a good amount of stairs to climb on your way to Cristo Redentor and you're going to want to have something comfortable to walk around the streets and beach with. I brought some boat shoe/tennis shoe blend thing and also my Chacos for the beach! The sand was super hot so you're going to want sturdy sandals and not flip flops, though you can buy Havaianas here stupid cheap!
- Beach towel for sunbathing. We didn't bring anything like this, so we had to use some spare sheets from our Air BNB, which actually worked out great. So I guess maybe I should say, "pack some sheets since those function much better than beach towels."
- Sunglasses. The sun is gorgeous and super shiny, especially when it reflects off the water on the bay from those higher vantage points like at Cristo Redentor. I was thankful I had a spare set of sunglasses in my backpack from my last trip.
- Sunscreen! We were all pasty white, well, most of us were. It was the dead of winter at home after all. So we were not prepared for the strength of the sun. My poor friend, Ben, got the back of his neck torched, so the second day he walked around in a polo with his collar popped all day to get some protection.
MOST SURPRISING
- Safety - Honestly after all the bad things I've heard about safety in Rio, especially after the recent Olympics there, I was super surprised at how safe I felt most of the time. Granted, we were also very good about not putting ourselves in compromising situations and I was traveling with 6 full grown men, but I still think I would have felt safe in the areas we visited if I were in a different kind of group, even if it was a smaller group and more women. I would have felt safe during the day around Copacabana and Ipanema on my own, since those areas are very populated and touristy, but maybe not on my own around the base of Cristo Redentor or in Centro.
- Brazilian Confidence - It was so awesome to see so many people out on the beach just flaunting everything they had, whether they were toned or not. People just love the own skin they're in, and that was so cool. It made you feel the same way about yourself and feel comfortable and at ease in your own skin on the beach.
- Views - I don't know why, but these just swept me away. The views were so much greater and grander than I could have imagined. There is just something about a clear day in Rio - the greenish blue crystal clear water, the rocks, the cactus, the clouds and the mountain backdrop that just fills the soul and settles the mind.
- Food - Enough said above.
THE FINANCIALS
The currency in Brazil is the Brazilian Real and at the time we went on this trip the exchange rate was roughly 3.5 Brazilian Reals per dollar.
Mehartaaj has a sweet debit card that has no international withdrawal fees, so he pulled out a bunch of cash for us all and then just billed us on Splitwise (one of the greatest group finance apps, and our preferred app for these kinds of trips).
You definitely want to have some kind of cash on you because all the street vendors and all the beach vendors only take cash. So basically no cash money no coconut water, caipirinhas or corn. That would be a sad day.
Your dollar will go far in Brazil. The Ubers are cheap, the street food and drinks are super cheap and the entertainment (beaches) are free. It is very sad that the Brazilian economy is struggling so much, but it does make it very advantageous for tourists.
Here's what the weekend cost me:
| Flight | $51.66 |
| Air BNB (per person - 7 people) | $22.00 |
| Ubers to Everything (per person - 7 people) | $32.07 |
| Cash | $15.00 |
| Food & Drink | $83.69 |
| Cristo Redentor Train | $22.62 |
| Sugar Loaf | $24.23 |
| Souvenirs | $29.98 |
| Total | $281.25 |
| PP | $281.25 |
| PPPD | $140.62 |
*PPPD = Per Person, Per Day
OVERALL RATING
Attractions = 10
These views can't be beat (hey, you know what I mean).
Cost = 9
The only reason this isn't a 10 is because I have been other places with significantly cheaper PPPDs. By comparison, Guatemala was $69 PPPD and Australia was $220 PPPD. Most places in Europe range around $170 to $190, so I still find the prices here to be much less than the median and also less than average. Basically Ubers were dirt cheap here, food was slightly less expensive than at home and everything else was pretty comparable to prices you would find at home.
Logistics = 10
It was so easy to get around with Uber! Super direct, most of the time fast pick ups and safe rides. Walking from Copacabana to Ipanema was also super easy and enjoyable. Navigating was easy as you had very distinctive landmarks to orient yourself.
Lodging = 10
The Air BNB experience was clutch. Very clean, very friendly and it provided just the right accommodation for a large group. I do enjoy the travel experiences where you get to stay in an apartment and feel a smidge like a local.
Food & Drink = 10
Just see above. Enough said (I love you, TT Burger...totally worth the $20 final bill).
Overall = 9.7
This is to-date my highest ranked travel destination! It's totally worth your visit, duh.
But I think what made this trip so special to me was the friends I got to spend it with - such a cool group of guys and they just made this almost-perfect-10 that much better.
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