Iconic, wonderful and turbulent. Rio is a healthy mess where life still spills onto the street. Outside our door an old man strolls past wearing nothing but a speedo and flip flops. Bom dia, this must be Rio – and more specifically the city-beach culture of Ipanema.
My top day in Rio begins with a simple goal: Cafezhino from the nearest corner Lancheonette which will be a strong dose for 1 only real. Brilliant. And the best complements to this are some more of those cheesy dough balls, Pão de Queijo. To complete a Brazilian breakfast the next stop is for a glass of fresh squeezed graviola or an Acai shake with granola and banana from a juice bar.
Steph would join me at one of the many juice stands on almost every corner in Rio, providing sucos - a liquidized fruit with sugar and ice that is blended into the creamiest and most refreshing morning drink you may have ever had. These weird and wonderful juice drinks were also called a 'vitamina' when made with milk rather than water. In fact there were about 30 to 40 varieties listedon the wall , while the juice man and his workstation were hidden under a mountain of fruits. I was a bit lost and then, unsurprisingly, a friendly office worker on his break helped guide me to his favourite concoction while welcoming us to his city. Prices are usually 4-6 reals.
Between the lancheonettes and juice bars on each corner you pass gym after gym, and soon you notice that more people are going about their morning fitness constitution than those who are in a hurry to get somewhere. If you want to join them I would venture for a jog or cycle around the lake path to the botanical gardens. And if this is your first time in Rio you may want to go for the obligitory cable car view from sugarloaf mountain or the statue of christ.
Not bothered, I would head on the metro up into the old town for a stoll around colonial Rio, starting with another pastry and coffee at the grandest of south american settings - the Confeiteria Colombo – or if you prefer to soak up the sun at one of the outside cafes on rua do Ouvridor. Before hopping on the metro back south, I might opt for lunch at Bar Luiz's honest, time-honored beer and traditional food.
Remember not to put your bag on the floor in the cafesand restaurants of Brazil. It's rude. And definitely do not use your finger to point. Also on offer are “Kilogramas” and who knew canteen food could be so swanky? We stumbled on a few of these vast, lavish buffets where we were extremely careful with what heavy or light food items were added to the plate. It was funny to see elegant business diners also trying their best to conform to the game, or surrender and pay extra for the all you can eat set fee. My advice is stick to some lovely salads (a treat for backpackers) and go easy on heavy meats and pasta.
Finally it's time to discover Rio's true cultural spots which lie not in churches or museums but on the magnificent beaches. Start with a taster at Copacabana for people watching and a stroll down the boardwalk with an Acai shake from a local juice shop. Perhaps I would seek out a little souvenier shopping here by first droping by the Havaianas shop to custom build a new pair of the world's most iconic flip flops. You could then pop in to Modern Sound's record shop for some Bossa Nova CD souviniers, and maybe even catch some live music at their cafe.
Perhaps the best place to be immersed is here on the beach where people watching can entertain you for hours. Even in Brazil's so-called winter, you can soak up this beach life, mountains, forests and party spirit of the self-styled Marvellous City in pleasingly balmy temperatures. Then there's the glitz and glam, with helicopters twirling off from rooftop pools up the beach.
To end a perfect Rio day I would continue on south back to Ipanema beach on the metro – saving the best for last! As you pass a few glamorous 60s apartment buildings on your approach to witness the culture that is beach life in Rio. Picturesque peaks line the ends of these stunning beaches that will take your breath away while asking – how on earth can this place be in a city?! Past the sea of joggers, past the sit up benches and the pull-up bars - all taken – it becomes apparent this serves as the city's playground, gym, soccer fields, volleyball courts, swimming hole, surfing, fishing, and of course, place of sun worship. Everyone is equal in this beach society (and equally 98% naked). We wound up in the gay section. Today was a weekday and Ipanema is only mildly packed. Don't these people have jobs anyway?!
Spandex, speedos and string bikinis are the only uniforms here on the bustling beaches and the catwalk sidewalks. OK, I get the obsession to perfect and bronze one's body. But I don't quite understand the blinding neon look that only Brazilian women pull off. I found another export that won't make it overseas - the t-shirt and speedo combo for men, all legs. Not a good look.
At sunset it's time to take a few last looks at the beach in all it's majesty and head for a caipirinhia at the world famous Garota de Ipanema cafe where the “Girl from Ipanema” song was penned by two locals who paid close attention to the same woman who passed by each day. I couldn't help feeling nostalgic of our exhaustive year long adventure that somehow ended at this iconic cafe. The waiter bought us two perfect Caipirinha's, and sticking out like sore thumbs, he brought us a copy of the sheet music from the song which was a very nice gesture (and free souvenier!).
The Girl from Ipanema - The most classic bossa nova song born in the 1960s when two young regulars at the Velosa bar.
To make dinner plans in Rio, I would absolutly schedule a mouth-watering, pan-fried garlic steak at Cafe Llamas. Next time I would see where the music takes you through the world's most vibrant samba scene in the district of Lapa. Samba was born in the suburbs of Rio. You could venture closer by to the Bar do Amido at 8pm for some atmospheric samba on the decks of the Yacht Club at Botafogo.
Perhaps next time I would suggest a football match at the Marecana stadium or museum like the MAC, Oscar Nemeyer's spaceship creation. Either way be sure to pass up the tourist traps like favala tours (unless your friend is showing you around) and favor what the locals are always doing, busy worshiping their physique and tan. This city has a real quality of life different to any other. It has a unique beauty and magnatism for which the world is jealous, and embraces Rio with all the warmth that Cariocas welcome you with
> Where to stay? Let's suppose your pockets don't have thousands of Reals to stay in the Copacabana Palace Hotel. Ipanema seems a perfect base anyway since it is safer than Copacabana but not quite as ritzy as Leblon. There is a small alley known as the 'backpacker village' that has half a dozen options bundled together – the best being Harmony and The Lighthouse (book ahead). Here you are only three blocks from both Ipanema beach and the lake. Around the corner is a supermarket and the brand new metro station that connects you with the train up through Copacabana, Lapa and the historic center.
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