Rio De Janeiro

We arrived in the large bus terminal and joined the even larger taxi line on our way to our Impanema beach house accomodation for some rest before exploring all (and theres a bit) that Rio has to offer.

FOOD
Our Impanema hostel was situated in the 'Cottesloe' of Rio so there was alot of good foodstuff to explore without walking more than 10 minutes. They love their Italian and Japanese food and we enjoyed both. The area and Rio in general seem to have a number of pay by the kilo lunch eateries which boast some awsome salads and marinated meats for you to fill you plate with. During our day on the beach we ticked off the coconut and straw option which we all agreed was very refreshing. The girls got obsessed with 'Viasete', an Italian resturant all of 30m from our doorstep. Around 10:30 pm we made the trek for the girls favourite chocolate brownie and/or hot chocolate. Other than that we did alot of our own cooking in Rio with 4 nights of Steak (massive), Hamburgers, Tacos and the favourite by far was Fish that Rhi baked. All the produce was great and very comparable to anywhere in Australia except about 10-15% cheaper.

PEOPLE
A very friendly bunch. All our tour guides were great and spoke good English and the hostel staff were great. The locals were also nice and I got involved with a bit of sport on the beach. Its an amazingly active place and I found it easy to sit on Copacabana beach and watch them play their style of volleyball (soccer rules). They love their outdoors and not wearing much. The girls got adventurous and purchased a pair of brazillian bikini's on the beach - photos to come! (joking)

CITY
AMAZING! A city peppered with cliffs and hills with tunels making it possible from West to East. Beaches are very good and thats coming from a Western Australian, although one day at the beach we noticed very little people swimming and later asked a pome and learnt that the currents were quite strong. My 5 minute dip pushed me at least 30m in one direction with good fun (however strong) waves. There is a massive lake in the middle of the city which the locals ski and row on. One thing that impressed us all was free gym equipment scattered everywhere throughout the city. Large areas of the city are areas where the poor live. These amazing growths out of the hills are known as the 'Favela´s' and our tour there was eye opening. Unfortunately these areas have in the past been run by drug dealers but with the Olympics and Football world cup visiting Rio in the next 5 years the authorities have began to clean up its slightly dodgey reputation and the city is becoming the better for it.  

HISTORY
Not alot jumps to mind other than the well documented Favelas (movies 'City of God' and 'City of Men'). I think what we learnt from our visit is that this city is living in the now and i will not recognise the place if I ever return. With the two largest world events being hosted in the next 5 years and then a jobs boom as a result of a massive offshore petroleum mass, this place will become even more attractive in a decade.

If you like beaches, rockclimbing, soccer and interesting city landscapes - Rio is a must.