Holiday in Rio? Anyone been?
Discussion
go up the corcovado..the one with big JC...much higher and so better view than sugar loaf. do both big beaches which are nuext to each other. Also go to maricana stadium to watch a match 200,000 people...when they cheer...like an earthquake.
great city. On flight in try to have window seat
great city. On flight in try to have window seat
MacGee said:
go up the corcovado..the one with big JC...much higher and so better view than sugar loaf. do both big beaches which are nuext to each other. Also go to maricana stadium to watch a match 200,000 people...when they cheer...like an earthquake.
great city. On flight in try to have window seat
great city. On flight in try to have window seat
Thanks!MacGee said:
go up the corcovado..the one with big JC...much higher and so better view than sugar loaf. do both big beaches which are nuext to each other. Also go to maricana stadium to watch a match 200,000 people...when they cheer...like an earthquake.
great city. On flight in try to have window seat
Agree completely!!great city. On flight in try to have window seat
Went last year and it was great. Only take out as much money as you need and be careful with camera's.
Hopefully you'll get to see a street carnival like we did last year 500k people+ on the beach and having a great time. If going to the maracana, it's only about 5 reals to get in, the money the tour companies charge is massive. Corcovado is inspiring and the views are brilliant!!
T-J-K
you'll live like a king even with the weak pound
i went a few years back with a mate and we had a penthouse suite overlooking the beach on copacabana (towards the ipanema end).. cost us naff all.
went to the footie stadium to watch a game... went up sugar-loaf (a bit crap) and went for a rather 'laid back' tour of a favella (scary as f*ck).
it was certainly an eye-opener, but i wouldn't go back again... it's one of those places where you can't help but feel slightly 'exposed' at all times. i never felt completely safe when out and about, even during the day.
aside from that... pop into the McDonalds a couple of streets back from the beach... it's quite funny that all the locals queue up to buy fillet of fish as fish seems to be so ridiculously expensive over there, whilst the beef seems strangely abundant.
i went a few years back with a mate and we had a penthouse suite overlooking the beach on copacabana (towards the ipanema end).. cost us naff all.
went to the footie stadium to watch a game... went up sugar-loaf (a bit crap) and went for a rather 'laid back' tour of a favella (scary as f*ck).
it was certainly an eye-opener, but i wouldn't go back again... it's one of those places where you can't help but feel slightly 'exposed' at all times. i never felt completely safe when out and about, even during the day.
aside from that... pop into the McDonalds a couple of streets back from the beach... it's quite funny that all the locals queue up to buy fillet of fish as fish seems to be so ridiculously expensive over there, whilst the beef seems strangely abundant.
MacGee said:
go up the corcovado..the one with big JC...much higher and so better view than sugar loaf. do both big beaches which are next to each other. Also go to maricana stadium to watch a match 200,000 people...when they cheer...like an earthquake.
great city. On flight in try to have window seat
+1great city. On flight in try to have window seat
But i'd still do the sugar loaf too, favela tour is fascinating too if thats your type of thing.
Word of caution if you've not travelled anywhere similar, it can be quite the culture shock for some people and its relatively easy to get yourself into a bit of trouble!
I used to live in Rio and loved every minute of it. Do all the Tourist stuff.. Corcavado, Sugar loaf, catch a game at the Maracana. The Hippy Fair on a Sunday Morning in Ipanema is nice. I wouldn't bother with Copacabana Beach as Leblon and Ipanema are nicer. Be careful after dark on any of the beaches though. Don't wear any expensive jewelry and carry a spare wallet with a little money in that you can hand over if someone sticks a gun in your face.
I felt more uneasy in Cape Town in the evenings than I ever did in Rio. Never take out more money than you need, and look out for yourself.... There are stories about every major city, but you need to take care.
As an aside, I quite liked Sugar Loaf, 2 cable car rides to the top, the monkeys taking food from your hand etc
As an aside, I quite liked Sugar Loaf, 2 cable car rides to the top, the monkeys taking food from your hand etc
Horrible, horrible place! I went in 2003, flew BA First (only £12,000 each 
) and prepaid for a 14 night stay at the Copacabana Palace (supposedly the best hotel not just in Brazil, but all of South America)
It's posh enough that one day at lunch Kofi Annan and the Brazilian President were seated at the next table! This was at the time that the UN mission in Iraq had deen bombed and Kofi was there for the funeral of the Brazillian Head of the mission and was ataying at our hotel.
It was impossible to lay on the beach without being accosted every 10 minutes by vendors flogging everything from grilled prawns on a stick to football shirts!
Simply walking down the street to find a local bar was a nightmare. The 1st time we set off, the manager of the hotel's jewelry store ran out and told us to go back, remove our watches and jewelry, leave them in the hotel safe and only carry $10.......or we were certain to be mugged, if we followed his guidance, we were downgraded to "will probably get mugged"
There's little to do there apart from constantly worry about your safety and spend time in a bar watching European and American businessmen pick up underage prostitutes!
After one week, I pleaded with my travel agent to get us out of there and left for a thoroughly enjoyable week in South Beach. I happily paid nearly 3 grand for one way flights to Miami, and simply ignored the fact that I forfeited the prepayment for the 2nd week's accommodation.....it was worth it to escape alive!
I felt considerably safer taking my chances with the gangs in Miami!
It was by far the most expensive holiday I've ever had........and the absolute worst until we got to the USA, from then on it was brilliant!
A friend of mine who is a seasoned "traveler" i.e. budget prices and hostels type, who has done most of Asia and a lot of S.America said he would never return to Rio, it's the only place he's been successfully mugged, every other time he's managed to either talk or fight his way out of it, but even he wasn't prepared to take on 3 young guys with machetes, one of which was held to his girlfriend's throat!
) and prepaid for a 14 night stay at the Copacabana Palace (supposedly the best hotel not just in Brazil, but all of South America)It's posh enough that one day at lunch Kofi Annan and the Brazilian President were seated at the next table! This was at the time that the UN mission in Iraq had deen bombed and Kofi was there for the funeral of the Brazillian Head of the mission and was ataying at our hotel.
It was impossible to lay on the beach without being accosted every 10 minutes by vendors flogging everything from grilled prawns on a stick to football shirts!
Simply walking down the street to find a local bar was a nightmare. The 1st time we set off, the manager of the hotel's jewelry store ran out and told us to go back, remove our watches and jewelry, leave them in the hotel safe and only carry $10.......or we were certain to be mugged, if we followed his guidance, we were downgraded to "will probably get mugged"
There's little to do there apart from constantly worry about your safety and spend time in a bar watching European and American businessmen pick up underage prostitutes!
After one week, I pleaded with my travel agent to get us out of there and left for a thoroughly enjoyable week in South Beach. I happily paid nearly 3 grand for one way flights to Miami, and simply ignored the fact that I forfeited the prepayment for the 2nd week's accommodation.....it was worth it to escape alive!
I felt considerably safer taking my chances with the gangs in Miami!
It was by far the most expensive holiday I've ever had........and the absolute worst until we got to the USA, from then on it was brilliant!
A friend of mine who is a seasoned "traveler" i.e. budget prices and hostels type, who has done most of Asia and a lot of S.America said he would never return to Rio, it's the only place he's been successfully mugged, every other time he's managed to either talk or fight his way out of it, but even he wasn't prepared to take on 3 young guys with machetes, one of which was held to his girlfriend's throat!
last ime I was there was in 1987. but main concern of local family we stayed with was muggings. So to be careful ...dont wear flash jewelery, watches and show the cash. When the son of the family took me to the footie we left everthing except the small cash for entrance and a drink...I wanted to take camera but a no-no. He told me that his previous visit ended up with him being surrouned by a mob of large dudes who literally left him with only his calvins !!
if you watch the local TV, the news is bazaar...they interview gangsters mid crime, even with hostages...they all seem willing to talk and be on TV...
dont let this put you off because stunning place...just use sense and appreciate that this is a very poor country.
if you watch the local TV, the news is bazaar...they interview gangsters mid crime, even with hostages...they all seem willing to talk and be on TV...
dont let this put you off because stunning place...just use sense and appreciate that this is a very poor country.
I loved it.
Agree with all the places to see mentioned so far. For the Corcavado we got a taxi driver to drive us there and wait so we didn't have to use a tour operator or local bus. He was really cheap, plus he gave my mate a cd he was playing in the car, and took us to his house so he could give his wife the money and give us a coffee.
After dark stick to main hotel bars and well lit open places. Not a problem if you use common sense.
One of the best things I did was hang gliding off one of the hills and landing on the beach. They had a camera on one of the wings and walkie talkies so I could chat to my mate as we both flew about.
Favela tour was fun....even at the bit where they told us not to take any pictures or look at the people holding automatic weapons. All good fun!
Agree with all the places to see mentioned so far. For the Corcavado we got a taxi driver to drive us there and wait so we didn't have to use a tour operator or local bus. He was really cheap, plus he gave my mate a cd he was playing in the car, and took us to his house so he could give his wife the money and give us a coffee.
After dark stick to main hotel bars and well lit open places. Not a problem if you use common sense.
One of the best things I did was hang gliding off one of the hills and landing on the beach. They had a camera on one of the wings and walkie talkies so I could chat to my mate as we both flew about.
Favela tour was fun....even at the bit where they told us not to take any pictures or look at the people holding automatic weapons. All good fun!
I'm in Rio just now although i go back today 
I've been lucky as i have a friend who lives here and he could show me the highs and lows with the necessary precautions. I think it's a great place, full of vibrancy and passion. I would also say there is much more depth of culture than many other places i have visited, you just have to appreciate that there's usually someone not very far away waiting to screw you over.
Cheers
Rob
Edited to add that the Vasco vs. Flamengo cup game i went to at Macarana on Sunday was simply amazing, never experienced such an atmosphere. Although the 1000 marauding Flamengo fans running down the road towards us was an adrenilin rush and i had the faint aroma of teargas on me for some time!
I've been lucky as i have a friend who lives here and he could show me the highs and lows with the necessary precautions. I think it's a great place, full of vibrancy and passion. I would also say there is much more depth of culture than many other places i have visited, you just have to appreciate that there's usually someone not very far away waiting to screw you over.
Cheers
Rob
Edited to add that the Vasco vs. Flamengo cup game i went to at Macarana on Sunday was simply amazing, never experienced such an atmosphere. Although the 1000 marauding Flamengo fans running down the road towards us was an adrenilin rush and i had the faint aroma of teargas on me for some time!
Edited by Guffy on Tuesday 23 June 02:58
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