We booked a tour through our hostel on our first day here so that we could get all the key sightseeing out of the way. So after a whistle stop tour of Cristo Redentor, Pao de Azucar, Catedral de San Sebastián and Escadaria de Selaron (all of which were very impressive) we were free to roast our pasty bodies on Ipanema beach (photo below - of the beach, not the bodies!). After tasting our first (and last) feijoada, we headed to Lapa, the samba district, with the 101 Argentinians who were staying at our hostel. After weaving our way through the several hundred people dancing and drinking in the street, we headed to a bar called Leviano - an odd but fun bar with a live samba band on 2 floors and an unexpected hip-hop/reggae nightclub complete with an abismal but highly entertaining Michael Jackson impersonator on the 3rd floor (those of you who know of my MJ obsession can imagine my delight!). Caipirinhas were drank, booties were shaken and much fun was had.
On Saturday morning we went for a walking marathon along the lake to the lush botanic gardens which left mine and Cata's feet looking like inflatable toys. In the evening we had tickets for the winner's parade at the Sambodromo. The parade was truly awesome - jam packed with feathers, sequins and gyrating muscular bodies on the most amazing floats imaginable (apparently costing up to 1 million reais each!). Having said all that, 8 hours of samba is too much for even the most determined traveller to take! We didn't quite make it to the end (5am) as we were exhausted from the previous night and had a tour to the stunning Angra dos Reis the next day at 7am.
I am on a 6 hour bus to São Paulo at the moment where we will stay one night before heading to Foz do Iguaçu to see the falls.
Key Info, Rio:
How we got here: 11 hour British Airways flight from London.
Hostel: Che Lagarto, Ipanema. - Clean, helpful, sociable and well located.
Length of stay: 5 nights
Highlight: Views from Corcovado and. Pao de Azucar.
Key info, Angra:
How we got here: 2.5 hour tour bus from hostel.
Highlight: Incredible beaches and the great samba band on our boat!
Interesting first pics of your trip and the beach looks awesome but would have loved to have gone to that reggae Hip Hop club not heard any of those since Uni! Plus Samba parade is deffo on my to do list must have been an explosion on your senses! Enjoy Iguazu, Dave and i saw the falls when we were in Argentina with Olly and they are truly out of this world, take it easy to the both of you and enjoy Kate :), Moe
ReplyDeleteLooks like an amazing place to visit!! I should add this to my bucket list :)
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