Musings from my Rio visit

How far did you have to walk in GIG from the gate to the immigration kiosks ? They usually park the United Airlines flights at the very last possible gate, and it seems like a bloody marathon to get there on some days if there is more than one flight arriving at the same time.

Your luggage was waiting for you ? Go and buy some lottery tickets ASAP kkkkkkkkkkkkkk

Glad you liked Boteco Belmonte, my wife, a Carioca, absolutely loves it, as do I. Don't forget to plan on going downtown on the metro to Confeiteria Columbo for lunch.........

I hope you are on top of Pao de Acucar at sunset tonite, as it is one of the most phenomenal sunsets I have ever seen using the morros of Rio as the backdrop. The moment I first saw this, I fell in love with Rio.

BTW........you do get used to the heat.

@Pablo888

Boteca Belmonte in Domingos Ferreira? I downed many a Choppe there on my Copa visits. Was a nice area in the mid 2000s.  Sounds like your enjoying the trip!

Sorry for the delayed notes....

Days 2 and 3 are starting to blend in together.  I guess that the Rio laid back effect is starting to happen.

Discovered another reason for me not to wear flip flops and even crocs - my feet are not sun baked enough and after walking from Copa to Leme, both my wife and I had blisters.

Tried coffee at the Cafeina on Rua Barata - and yes... the drip coffee tastes much better than the expresso.  The black coffee tastes wonderful - something that I could not do in North America.

Noticed the number of drogarias - sometimes 2 or 3 within the same block - what's up with this?  They sell the same type of things and they appear to be multiplying.

Had dinner at Fogo de Chao in Botafogo - same type of experience as in the Brazilian  churrascaria in San Francisco and Las Vegas - with the exception that the picanha meat was tastier here.

The acai and caipirinhas are wonderful but the caipiri-vodkas - not so much but they do give a small buzz after a few.

I am amazed that people are on the beaches as early as sunrise at 5 AM - running and even hooking up.  It's definitely a city for the young - or young at heart...  After having gone to bed at 2AM, it would be totally impossible for me to be up at 5AM..

Chatting with the local expats confirmed that the best places to stay in Rio are the south part of the city by the beach - going towards the North and inland is not recommended unless you can blend in...  And even those local expats do not do this...

Fruits and vegetables are extremely fresh and tasty.  However, things are not cheap at the mercados - meat appears to rival prices in the stores in USA but the produce is very affordable.

Re: safety - I felt safe walking around - even at night - within the 2 - 3 blocks parallel to the Avenida Atlantica in Copa.  Leme looked a little sketchy to walk at night - so taking a cab or Uber is better.  Thank you, local expat contributions for the common sense recommendations - but I gathered from past discussions - better be attentive and prepared when entering a new environment.

Re: women in Rio - a word has to be said here about that - they love their bikinis even in the scorching sun.  I am not sure if it is because of carnaval but the prettiest ones appear to be from SP or Minas Gerais.  But as @sprealestatebroker has warned - see but not get close - and I am happily married.

@gasparzhino777, your city is a wonderful city.  I am going through the list that you provided - but not too quickly.  I am not on a sprint.....

I think that I will spend the next few days just in Copa - leaving Ipanema and Leblon for my next visit.

USA and its problems are far away.

“Safe” can get unsafe very quickly. One of the most common robberies now days is a guy speeds up on a motorbike and pulls a gun. Sometimes there are 2 of them. It is interesting that New York city is apparently having the same problem. Mostly with " migrants" from Venezuala.

    “Safe” can get unsafe very quickly. One of the most common robberies now days is a guy speeds up on a motorbike and pulls a gun. Sometimes there are 2 of them. It is interesting that New York city is apparently having the same problem. Mostly with " migrants" from Venezuala.
   

    -@KenAquarius

Yes.  My wife and I tend to do status checks regularly - and not get totally lost in all the action around.  Also a good idea to pay attention to what the locals are doing and move with the crowd - not too many people and not too few either....  Life in a big city....

Thank you.

    @Pablo888
Boteca Belmonte in Domingos Ferreira? I downed many a Choppe there on my Copa visits. Was a nice area in the mid 2000s.  Sounds like your enjoying the trip!
   

    -@bepmoht(

@bepmoht

Yes, I have not seen such a variety of sights all in one location - people, geography, and environment.  Overall, it's a good thing that tourists come to Rio often.

Thank you.

>>  How far did you have to walk in GIG from the gate to the immigration kiosks ? They usually park the United Airlines flights at the very last possible gate, and it seems like a bloody marathon to get there on some days if there is more than one flight arriving at the same time.

It was a long walk - yes but not like ATL where I had to go from Terminal B to Terminal E - and I decided to walk rather than take the train....  Most of the wait was in line at the border control.  Wished that I had the Brazilian passport - where the line was inexistent.

>> Your luggage was waiting for you ? Go and buy some lottery tickets ASAP kkkkkkkkkkkkkk

Not sure why this the case - but there was someone puling all the skypriority bags and putting them away.

>> Glad you liked Boteco Belmonte, my wife, a Carioca, absolutely loves it, as do I. Don't forget to plan on going downtown on the metro to Confeiteria Columbo for lunch.........

Yes.  I am planning on going to Belmonte again for dinner.  Confeiteria Columbo is still the to-do list as it is closed on Sundays.

>> I hope you are on top of Pao de Acucar at sunset tonite, as it is one of the most phenomenal sunsets I have ever seen using the morros of Rio as the backdrop. The moment I first saw this, I fell in love with Rio.

I did not get a chance to do that yet.... But I can imagine that this could be life-changing - esp. on a clear day without smog  and a warm breeze... heaven on earth!!!

>> BTW........you do get used to the heat.
I totally understand why Brazilians take 3 showers per day.  I can get used to that but is there a water shortage in Rio?

@gasparzhino777, thank you very much for all the pointers... loved everything that you recommended...

@Pablo888

Checkout “Pizza Caravalle Original” if you want to sample Brazilian Style Pizza. One minute walk from Belmonte on the opposite side of the street headed toward SESC. With all the resteraunts down there don't sit down at the tables next to the sidewalks. If you do someone is apt to either beg money from you or try and sell you something.

    @Pablo888
Checkout “Pizza Caravalle Original” if you want to sample Brazilian Style Pizza. One minute walk from Belmonte on the opposite side of the street headed toward SESC. With all the resteraunts down there don't sit down at the tables next to the sidewalks. If you do someone is apt to either beg money from you or try and sell you something.
   

    -@bepmoht

@bepmoht, I will definitely like to try eating Brazilian pizza with knives and forks....

Thank you for the suggestion.

    @Pablo888
Checkout “Pizza Caravalle Original” if you want to sample Brazilian Style Pizza. One minute walk from Belmonte on the opposite side of the street headed toward SESC.

    -@bepmoht

@bepmoht, thank you for suggesting.  I had a great time with lots of party goers and families with kids there last night.  I had the "Romeo and Juliet" pie with my wife - watching the SF - KC game.

Last report from my Carnaval 2024 trip as I am leaving tomorrow at 8AM.

Learnt a lot from Carnaval - and I am split between Vila Isabel and Portela - although I was with the Mangueira crowd.  I will have to make up my mind before my next Carnaval visit.

@gasparzhino and @bepmoht, I did go to all the list that you recommended - including Confeteria Columbo in Centro and all the spots were as advertised.  The CEO of my life was totally amazed.

My wife and I were at the Belmonte 6 days of our 7 days in Rio - sometimes twice in a day - and at our last visit, the owners and waiters would recognize us by sight - an Asian couple who keeps coming back.... @gasparzhino777, thank you again for the referral.

Re: safety - I had not problems with the homeless, pan-handlers, etc. on Avenida Atlantica until Tuesday night as the carnaval crowd was much less...  Then, the pan-hanlders started targeting the obvious tourists...

Yes, this was an amazing trip to Rio and it was eye-opening for both my wife and me.  More trips in the future are planned.

Thank you all.

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