Rio de Janeiro is a bustling, colorful and cosmopolitan city squeezed between the endless fantasy beaches and vertigo-inducing mountains of Southeast Brazil’s Atlantic coast.  While its natural setting is spectacular and the set-piece tourist attractions – Sugarloaf Mountain; Samba City; the Christ the Redeemer statue; Maracana football stadium – largely live up to their reputations (more about them later), it’s Rio’s people who linger in the memory after my week-long visit.

Intersection Juggler in Rio Suburbs

Rio residents, 13 million in all, are known as Cariocas in Brazil.  Rather like considering oneself a New Yorker in the US, being a true Carioca is as much about state of mind as street address: it’s a work-to-live (as opposed to live-to-work) attitude that many in my hometown, Los Angeles, and all over the West could learn from.  That doesn’t mean that Rio is full of idling layabouts.  Far from it: their mantra is “work hard, play harder”.  The city’s economy is pretty vibrant (massively boosted by the discovery of vast offshore oil field, announced while I was there) and its people productive, but Cariocas believe in living – living in the moment and celebrating life rather than just slaving for material trinkets and sacrificing happiness for retirement plans.

Flying via New York and Sao Paulo ( Brazil’s chief international flight hub) on the excellent Brazilian TAM airline, we arrived at out first hotel, the smart Ipanema Plaza (about a block from the legendary Ipanema Beach) after dark and beneath light drizzle.  Even then, when I took a stroll to the expansive white beach, there were - just as reputed - model-perfect local lads playing foot-volley (volleyball where you can only use your feet and head – almost universally popular in Rio) under the golden stain of seafront street lamps.

Ipanema Beach by Night

Breakfast on the Ipanema Plaza terrace offered a window onto a brisk city where many residents regard sport and exercise as part of their daily routine.  Cariocas tend to get up early; eat a big breakfast and work-out in some shape or form (swimming, jogging, foot-volley etc.); go to work; sometimes even nip back to the beach at lunchtime; then just eat lightly in the evening while socializing/dancing.  It wasn’t unusual to see men in their 60s striding purposely towards the ocean in just Speedos and running shoes – not as funny/obscene as it sounds, as these guys are usually slim, tanned and toned (the thought of similar attire on folks of that age in many countries doesn’t bear thinking about!)

Swimmers are relatively few and far between off Rio’s beaches, as the water is colder than it looks year-round.  But of course soccer – the national (and let’s face it all-but global) obsession – is evident everywhere, with permanent goal posts set in the sand.  Kitesurfing (surfing on a small board propelled by a power kite) also seems increasingly popular: the brave participants can catch major air when they get it right and, despite the popularity of the sport on Sao Conrado Beach, they somehow avoid embarrassing (and potentially dangerous) tangles.

Kitesurfer on Sao Conrado Beach

Talking of soccer, a tour of the legendary Maracana Stadium (built for the 1950 World Cup) is well worth an hour if you’re a fan of the sport.  The stadium itself is a little more faded than expected (it is after all used by 4 different football clubs, as well as hosting international matches and major concerts etc.), but the behind-the-scenes stuff – the VIP room which has hosted the Pope and Queen of England; the changing/bath areas where so many greats of the sport have prepared; and the odd little astro-turfed room where the goalies warm up – is a rare insight into a world seldom scene by us mere mortals.  A bloke in Brazil’s national soccer uniform obligingly trots-out some soccer tricks and poses for the tourists’ cameras and the tour is over. 

Soccer Skills Demonstration at Maracana Stadium

Amazingly, they still groom the Maracana’s giant pitch with a hand-propelled mower (we watched the poor groundsman doing this from the VIP seating used by dignitaries on big match days).  Why they don’t sell bags of the cuttings, especially after big games, is a mystery to me (they’d certainly be more of a souvenir than the sometimes tacky ornaments and over-priced team shirts in the run-of-the-mill gift shop).  The Maracana will also host the 2014 World Cup Final – a fact which is only heating-up Rio’s already boiling-point soccer fever.

More Soccer Skills at the Maracana

Also worth a visit is the Metropolitan Cathedral, which looks like some sort of 1970s water treatment plant from a distance but in fact has a cunning pyramid design which is perfectly ventilated for Rio’s changeable climate.  The towering stained glass windows put everyone’s cameras to work.

Metropolitan Cathedral

Driving through Rio reveals a constantly shifting mélange of ornate Portuguese architecture ( Portugal was the former colonial power in Brazil), more functional contemporary designs, and sprawling favelas (shanty towns) clinging to the lower slopes of the mountains.  It’s a shame that (albeit excellent) movies like City of God have given the impression the city is a dangerous place.  I felt safe in the tourist and shopping areas.  Sure, Rio has its share of violence, much of it drug/gang-related, but so does L.A.  Avoiding a trip to Rio because of the favelas’ reputation would be like cancelling a stay in Santa Monica or Beverly Hills because you think you’ll be caught in some Crips vs. Bloods shootout in distant South Central.

Sculpture Inside Metropolitan Cathedral

An insight into an alternative side of Rio life is provided by a trip into Santa Teresa (accessible by car or traditional trolley).  This leafy, cobble-stoned neighborhood consists of steep, winding streets and well-established, substantial 19th Century homes nestled behind high walls.  With its many artists, Santa Teresa has been dubbed “the Soho of Rio”, but it also reminded me of the Hollywood Hills: an eclectic, almost rural-feeling community yet overlooking a vast metropolis which you feel you could almost reach out and touch from its serene gardens.

Some of Santa Teresa’s beautiful mansions have been turned into bed & breakfasts, and these are really worth considering as an alternative to the main city’s large hotels.  To make these more accessible to travelers is the invaluable Bed & Breakfast Project ( Cama e Café in Portuguese, the language spoken in Brazil), which offers a 5-tier ratings system, transport to-and-from the airport to its 50-plus participating properties (each with trained hosts), etc.  Amazingly, these folks offer round-the-clock cell phone contacts in case you have any questions during your stay: invaluable, especially for first-time Rio visitors.  The bed & breakfast houses we visited were diverse, homely and would offer a sense of really staying in Rio rather than within the sterile confines of a same-everywhere international chain hotel.

For the second half of our Rio stay we moved to the Olinda Othon Classic hotel: a quietly elegant affair right on the famous Copacabana Beach – the view from my room was literally beach, beautiful people, sea and sky.  Again, breakfast here was an excellent buffet with impeccable service.

Star Monkey on Claudio Coutinho Trail

Sugarloaf Mountain, reached by a two-stage cable car, merits a visit for the views alone.  Looking down over Rio’s many neighborhoods (and across to the dramatic, often cloud-shrouded Christ the Redeemer in the distance) really helps you get your bearings – like studying a giant, moving map.  At both the summit and on the Claudio Coutinho Trail, which hugs the rocky coastline below, semi-tame star monkeys will all but eat out of your hand.  They’re easy to spot – just look for the squealing, snap-happy crowds.

Christ the Redeemer

The giant, iconic Christ the Redeemer statue can be reached by a special train but, as Rio’s snarled traffic cost us some time, we were driven all the way up on a dramatic, hair-pinning road which again offered stunning cityscape glimpses through the dense foliage.  Once there, the statue is everything it’s cracked-up to be: giant, majestic and awe-inspiring.  You get distant views of the statue from all over Rio, so to finally see it at close quarters is fascinating.  Of course you’re constantly wondering “how on earth did they ever build this thing, all the way up here?”, but luckily there’s ample info on hand to explain exactly that.  Tourists can no longer take the staircase up inside the statue (that’s reserved for celebs these days), but the little chapel in its base is still open.  The experience is only slightly dented by the repetitive antics of fellow visitors (the thing to do, apparently, is to be photographed in front of the statue while mimicking its arms-outstretched pose).

Rio Seen Through Fence at Christ the Redeemer

Less high-profile, but also interesting, is the Burle Marx Estate: the former property of the late, lauded landscape artist who (amongst many other things) designed the wavy Copacabana sidewalk pattern. 

Artwork ar Burle Marx Estate

Marx didn’t just create art, but greatly appreciated the works of other artists too, so his estate is crammed with pieces from all over the world including many indigenous Brazilian creations.  One little tip: the Burle Marx Estate is set in a semi-jungle setting outside of town and features many (beautiful) ponds, making it a perfect habitat for mosquitoes – wear repellant.

Burle Marx Estate

If you’re fortunate enough to find yourself in Rio, at all costs devote some time to Samba City.  Opened in 2004 in a huge disused railway yard, Samba City (which is often referred to as the City of Samba locally) provides facilities for 14 of the city’s top samba schools to prepare for Carnaval (in early February).  Every day of the week except Tuesday the City is open to the public and visitors can tour the lofts and workshops where the truly jaw-dropping wagons, costumes and instruments are created.

Indigenous Art at Burle Marx Estate

The real fun at Samba City happens on Thursday nights when a blazing Carnaval night combines food and drink with a samba crash-course stage show, much dancing in (provided) elaborate headgear, and a mini- Carnaval finale which gyrates its way around the City’s practice circuit.  Our night at Samba City was an absolute blast: everyone from age 8 to 80 gets up and dances with abandon and even a frosty Englishman like myself soon had a ludicrous hat on and – after a couple of caipirinhas ( Brazil’s way-too-easy-to-drink national cocktail) – was up on my feet.  Absolutely unmissible if you’re in Rio on a Thursday.

Wherever we ate in Rio the food (and welcome) was excellent.  Porcão is one of the city’s most popular churrascarias ( Brazilian BBQ served off huge skewers at your table).  All manner of grilled meats appeared – more rapidly than we could consume them – and were complimented by a spoiled-for-choice buffet boasting everything from tropical fruits to sushi.  This spacious eatery offers ocean views which, even on a rather grey day, nicely completed the experience.  ( Porcão has multiple locations in Brazil, as well as restaurants in New York City and Miami).

Columbo Coffee House

The proudly old-school Colombo Coffee House, opened in 1894, offers a generous buffet served upstairs while first-rate pastries and coffee are savored downstairs beneath gilded ceilings and stained-glass skylights.  This Victorian tea room is where Rio’s elite meet for meals and deals. 

Casa da Feijoada is a just-as-delicious contrast, serving Brazil’s national dish, feijoada: a bean stew served in a clay pot with sausage, bacon, carne seca (dried meat), pork loin and more.  This hot-pot, which originated amongst the slaves on Brazil’s vast haciendas (from the mid-1500s to late 19th Century), is hearty, evocative and offers a welcome communal aspect to dining.  To counter the grease, orange slices and green salad accompany the feijoada, as do white rice, stir-fried cabbage, and farofa (roasted manioc flour).  My favorite dining experience in Rio.

Gugut Restaurant, out near Prainha Beach, offers classic Brazilian food in a home-style setting characterized by photo-covered walls.  We ate at a long table out on the veranda with a view of Gugut’s pleasant garden setting.  A wise choice for a long, relaxing meal and meaningful conversation with friends old and new.

Gugut Restaurant

Rio made me think: about whether life might pass me by while I focus on my next deadline and ambition; about building more sports into my all-too-sedentary writer’s lifestyle; about living life and expressing myself from the inside out rather than the other way around.  And I’m still wondering how so many ludicrously gorgeous women can all live in a single city - it almost doesn’t seem fair to the rest of us.

www.rcvb.com.br
www.riotur.com.br

Bed & Breakfast Network: www.camaecafe.com
Burle Marx Estate: www.burlemarx.com
Ipanema Plaza Hotel: www.ipanemaplazahotel.com
Olinda Othon Classic Hotel: www.othonhotels.com
Porcão: www.porcaous.com
Samba City: www.sambacity.info
TAM Airlines:  www.tam.com.br

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