Rio De Janairo

Despite the rainy weather (which sadly meant no tiny Brazilian bikinis on Copacabana beach), we were determined to make the most of our four days in Rio. In fact, the plan was to pack everything into three days and use the fourth for a day trip to Ilha Grande—an island advertised everywhere as "Paradise on Earth," just three hours from Rio.

We arrived in Copacabana on Sunday and spent the day walking along the main avenues, the beach, and the nearby neighbourhoods. Thanks to the rain, the streets were quieter and felt a bit safer, even if the usual vibrant street life was missing. We wandered through Rio’s seaside streets, visited some open markets and fairs, and ended the evening with a touristy rodizio-style meat buffet followed by caipirinhas at a bar specializing in cachaça (appropriately named the "Cachaça Academy").

Monday came with more rain, so we decided to explore the massive shopping avenues of Barra da Tijuca—an area filled with shopping malls and big-name hotels. Walking around, it felt like we were in New York, as there’s a strong U.S. influence in Rio’s retail areas.

Finally, on the third day, the sun came out for a few hours—just long enough to get the locals out playing beach volleyball (still no tiny bikinis, though). We ventured to the center of Rio but found it overcrowded, loud, and dirty, with little sightseeing to offer except a few museums. However, we did enjoy an exhibition dedicated to Carmen Miranda.

The weather continued to improve, so we took the famous tour to Corcovado to see the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. It's an amazing sight and worth the hype, though it was packed with tourists.

There are a few quirky things about Brazil that I’ve noticed:

1. Coffee culture is odd: Brazil produces tons of coffee, and people drink it, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a proper coffee shop where you can sit down and have breakfast with your coffee.
2. No peanut butter: This is more of an issue for Dora than me, but for some reason, peanut butter is nowhere to be found. Despite all the types of nuts they have, peanut butter just doesn’t seem to be a thing here.
3. Unique pricing strategies: Brazilian restaurants have all kinds of ways to charge for food. Besides the usual à la carte, set menus, or buffets, they also do “all-you-can-eat” served menus, where you can order as much as you want but must finish each dish before ordering the next. They also have places where food is sold by weight or volume—like a buffet, but you pay based on how much you’ve loaded your plate. This concept practically eliminates the need for fast food, and it’s surprisingly convenient.
4. Polluted beaches: Shockingly, the famous Copacabana beach is too polluted for swimming (or so we were told). Imagine being on one of the world’s most famous beaches and not being able to swim!
5. No siestas: Unlike many other Latin American countries, Brazil doesn’t embrace the midday siesta. They keep working through the hottest part of the day, which seems like a missed opportunity for a proper nap. This is what you get for being colonized by Portugal and not by the laid-back Spaniards.
6. Running red lights: Apparently, it’s common for taxi drivers to ignore red lights, claiming it's for safety reasons to avoid getting robbed at intersections. It seems more like a convenient excuse to speed through traffic.

Tomorrow, with the weather looking better, we’re finally heading to Ilha Grande for a day trip. I’ll let you know if this so-called "paradise" lives up to the hype...