After a long 20+ hour journey with a short stopover in Toronto, I made it to Rio and met up with the girls to begin celebrate with Saba, the bride-to-be. I’ve always wanted to see the aerial views of Rio de Janerio and experience the world famous carnival. 

Day 1 – Friday February 5, 2016

After checking into the hotel, Tania and I saw Copacabana beach nearing sunset and the hills surrounding it. It was a beautiful welcome to Rio. 

Our first impressions of public buses were tarnished as we saw a bus crash into a Mercedes and another one ram through a street sign. Michelle’s climbing local guide told her driving laws were relatively new. We found a Middle Eastern/Brazilian spot where I enjoyed some local brazilian steak. After dinner, we tried to find a street block party known as a “bloco” but failed since we didn’t really know where and when it would happen.

Day 2 – Saturday February 6, 2016

We reserved tickets to take the tram to the world wonder, Christ the Redeemer. It was insanely crowded but it was exciting to see an 360 aerial view of Rio. Man, it was hot. The blazing midday sun and the crowds were exhausting so we sat down to enjoy some ice cream and drinks. I got to try an Acai slush for the first time and it was not bad but hard to describe.

We went to the Escadaria Selarón, the Chilean steps in the Lapa area. Lapa was old and smelly with bums lying around on the street. But the party atmosphere was intense here. It was quite rowdy and probably not safe. The steps were way more interesting than I expected. They photographed really well and there was artwork on different tiles.  

We went back to our hotel to get ready for Saba’s bacholerette night. We wore our designated Brazilian flag colors and I had a makeshift dress from Tania’s long sleeve shirt. I got it to work quite well though. We headed out to a hotel bar called Baretto Londres where we quizzed the bride on her fiancé. Wrong answers results in taking a drink and right answers means the other girls drink. The night started out tame before our bartender gave us free shots.

The girls were gone and it was hilarious to watch them stumble and wobbly back to the hotel. Michelle chuckled and stole the drunk bride’s blankets from her bed while she was in the bathroom. The bride complained but was too tired to get them back. She was in fetus position hopelessly asking Michelle to give them back. I mediated this weak fight and made sure they were tucked in properly. 

Day 3 – Sunday February 7, 2016

Surprisingly, we all made it to breakfast that morning. We headed to Ipanema beach to find a bloco party but we were early by two hours. We waited around and explored the beach. It was packed and the sun was draining. Taking a break from the sun, we ended up finding a cozy place, Felice Caffè for refreshing drinks and gelato treats.  

Finally, the bloco started but we were due back at the hotel to catch the sunset at Sugarloaf Mountain. We experienced the bloco for a few minutes before a human traffic jam. It was shoulder to shoulder, front chest to someone’s back under the heat and everyone is sweating. It was insane and very uncomfortable. 

We made it out alive and headed to Sugarloaf Mountain. When we got there, the mountain was hidden in fog but I was still determined to go up despite it. As a result, the lines and crowds were low. The first cable car landed us in Urca with amazing views of Rio. The fog started to clear. The second cable car placed us on Sugarloaf Mountain to watch the sunset. It was phenomenal and I was taken away by the views.  

I picked the top Brazilian all-you-can-eat churrascaria steakhouse for dinner but when we got there it was closed! I texted the other taxi with half of girls but due to miscommunication, we ended up at two different restaurants with the same name, Carretão! My group walked to the other location along Copacabana beach since it was closer to our hotel. It was a lively walk with beach bars and people having a good time. Carretão was tasty but didn’t surpass my expectations… There was no grilled pineapple compared to the Toronto Brazilian steakhouse! 

Day 4 – Monday February 8, 2016

Tania and I woke up early to go hang gliding. It was fantastic but a short flight… About 5 minutes. Running off the platform and the landing was exhilarating. I’d do it again but would consider paragliding for a longer airtime. 

We went to Ipanama to be beach bums but it was so crowded and the ocean current was too strong to swim. It wasn’t the most pleasant beach day. 

I had a lovely chicken dinner at Felice Caffè again before we rushed to the carnival parade. Seeing all the costumes and floats was astonishing. I was blown away with the scale of the samba route which in a 700m long stadium called the “Sambadrome”.

The parade showcases a samba school about every hour and each school competes with different floats and costumes contributing to a yearly carnival theme. We stayed for three schools which was only half of the show that night. The three schools were diverse and you could see the differences between the float details and samba dancers. 

We also saw Saba and Dionne dance in the parade. They specifically purchased costumes to participate and it was a game of “I spy” when we recognized their costume block. Sofia spotted them with her bare eyes while Tania kept looking though her binoculars. Michelle took a turn with the binoculars and found them in the middle about fifth row down. Tania tried again with her advice but had no luck. I used the binoculars and then spotted them near the camera crew. They were smiling and having a good time! Tania tried again but still failed and never got a chance to see them. Poor Tania!   

Day 5 – Tuesday February 9, 2016

Unfortunately all the shops were closed after the carnival parade but regardless we explored the high-end Ipanama shopping area in the heat. Along the way, we stopped for some snacks which included an Acai berry ice cream shop and a tapioca crepe place. The acai berry ice cream was okay but I preferred some of the unique ice cream flavors such as corn! The tapioca crepe was crispier than I expected but it was different… though not that memorable. We stopped at a french bakery where Michelle wanted to order a decaf coffee… The staff had no idea what a “decaf” was and Sofia confidently advised Michelle it’s a “decaf-inato”. Michelle restated that to the staff and they understood. Soon after, Sofia admits she just made it up. It became a inside joke as the trip went on.

Somehow we ended up touring an high-end H. Stern jewelry store. The audio tour of how they produce their Brazilian stones was fascinating but I had no interested in buying anything. It was still interesting experience. 

Our last meal together in Rio was at Casa De Feijoada, which I suggested because I wanted to try the “Feijoada”, the national Brazilian stew. It was unlike anything I’ve every eaten with interesting textures and flavours. The girls were very giggly from the strong drinks for Sofia’s toast. We shared our best part of the trip so far. It was a memorable time with great conversations and laughter. We laughed over firm legs “Because you’re not firm!”, eating sides that don’t belong to you “Where’s my rice?”, server’ advice to put one pepper and Dionne scoops five and Michelle, the cautious one letting loose with 2 beers and 2 shots. Saba also generously treated us for celebrating with her.

We packed up and headed to our flight to Manuas, where we were going on an Amazon eco-tour. At the airport, I discovered Casa do Pão de Queijo, the “Starbucks” of Brazil. They sold coffee and Pão de queijo–a cheesy tapioca bread. It was delicious and my favorite new food in Brazil.