Happy New Year!
Dec. 30
After our much needed nap we headed to Copacabana to check things out. We walked around the beach and then stopped at a bar for some drinks. The local brew is called "chopp." We ate at a churrascaria that our guide book recommended and were woefully disappointed. We were so distraught we went back to the hostel after that. We met a few people in the hostel lounge and got the skinny on the New Year's Eve festitivies then headed to bed.
Dec. 31 - New Year's Eve Day
In the morning we took the bus (yes, the bus again - we're getting good at this) to the tram station to head up to the famous statue "Christ the Redeemer." There were several guys outside claiming we would wait 2 hours for a tram and that they had a quick taxi up the mountain. We passed and luckily it was only 30 minutes 'til the next one left. The view at the top was spectacular. Going here early in the trip helped us get our bearings as we were able to get a 360 degree view of the city. The landscape is amazing, with the mountains rising up behind the beaches. We could see Flamengo beach, Botafogo (where we are staying), Copacabana and Ipanema. After our morning outing we headed to the beach. It was a cloudless day and Matt's 100 SPF suncreen broke down after about 25 minutes - it was hot! So we headed back to the hostel to get a much needed nap in before the evening festivities.
New Year's Eve
We rang in the New Year at Copacabana Beach, along with 2 million other people. Most people wear white to signify peace for the coming year. Others wear yellow if they are looking for money, and those looking for love wear red. We opted for white. At midnight, there was an awesome fireworks display. The fireworks were going off in four different places along the beach and Matt and I had somehow managed to wander into the middle of it all. It was perfect.
We had walked down to the beach with a large group from our hostel, but as soon as we arrived everyone dispersed. It was hard enough for Matt and I to stay together in the mass of people, let alone 30 of us. So we took off to take in the sights and sounds. We enjoyed the street vendors - beef on a stick, crepes, and plenty of Skol beer. Although we have been tempting fate (eating salads, drinking water with ice) even I had to hold off on the very yummy looking corn on the cob and fruity frozen drink. The last thing we needed was to be in urgent need of a bathroom...there weren't too many available. Anyway, it was a great way to ring in the New Year and the atmosphere was amazing.
Jan. 1
Since we didn't go to sleep until 3:30 or so we slept in, then got some chow and headed to Copacabana for round 2 of the SPF test. Luckily today was partly cloudy and Matt was able to last a remarkable 1.5 hours. When our beach time was over we headed to the bike rental place. On Sundays they shut down half of Atlantic Avenue along Copacabana and open it up to pedestrians and bikes. We rented what can only be called a "golf cart bike." This contraption looks like a golf cart but it operated by pedaling. Think Fred Flinstone. We had fun riding up and down the street, with Matt threatening to run people over and me ringing the bell to warn them to get the hell out of the way!! We had to give the bike back so we decided to head to the hostel to clean up. By then it was 7pm and Matt was in need of his watering and feeding (see Weather below). We had round 2 of the churrascarias and while this one was better it was still disappointing compared to what I had experienced in Porto Alegre.
The Weather
It is hot and extremely humid here. Our hostel has no a/c. See below. Matt is constantly sweating bullets. I have to water and feed him often.
Our Hostel
Our room can only be described as a cave. There is an odd sort of plaster on the walls that resembles rock. There are no exterior windows and zero ventilation. It is hot. It stinks. There is a ceiling fan that pushes the hot air around but it doesn't really help and it's loud. We shall post pictures before we leave so you can see that I don't exaggerate. And now you ask, why do we stay here?!? Rio at New Year's is ridiculously expensive. Much like at Carnaval, the prices are jacked up...and we're on a budget!
After our much needed nap we headed to Copacabana to check things out. We walked around the beach and then stopped at a bar for some drinks. The local brew is called "chopp." We ate at a churrascaria that our guide book recommended and were woefully disappointed. We were so distraught we went back to the hostel after that. We met a few people in the hostel lounge and got the skinny on the New Year's Eve festitivies then headed to bed.
Dec. 31 - New Year's Eve Day
In the morning we took the bus (yes, the bus again - we're getting good at this) to the tram station to head up to the famous statue "Christ the Redeemer." There were several guys outside claiming we would wait 2 hours for a tram and that they had a quick taxi up the mountain. We passed and luckily it was only 30 minutes 'til the next one left. The view at the top was spectacular. Going here early in the trip helped us get our bearings as we were able to get a 360 degree view of the city. The landscape is amazing, with the mountains rising up behind the beaches. We could see Flamengo beach, Botafogo (where we are staying), Copacabana and Ipanema. After our morning outing we headed to the beach. It was a cloudless day and Matt's 100 SPF suncreen broke down after about 25 minutes - it was hot! So we headed back to the hostel to get a much needed nap in before the evening festivities.
New Year's Eve
We rang in the New Year at Copacabana Beach, along with 2 million other people. Most people wear white to signify peace for the coming year. Others wear yellow if they are looking for money, and those looking for love wear red. We opted for white. At midnight, there was an awesome fireworks display. The fireworks were going off in four different places along the beach and Matt and I had somehow managed to wander into the middle of it all. It was perfect.
We had walked down to the beach with a large group from our hostel, but as soon as we arrived everyone dispersed. It was hard enough for Matt and I to stay together in the mass of people, let alone 30 of us. So we took off to take in the sights and sounds. We enjoyed the street vendors - beef on a stick, crepes, and plenty of Skol beer. Although we have been tempting fate (eating salads, drinking water with ice) even I had to hold off on the very yummy looking corn on the cob and fruity frozen drink. The last thing we needed was to be in urgent need of a bathroom...there weren't too many available. Anyway, it was a great way to ring in the New Year and the atmosphere was amazing.
Jan. 1
Since we didn't go to sleep until 3:30 or so we slept in, then got some chow and headed to Copacabana for round 2 of the SPF test. Luckily today was partly cloudy and Matt was able to last a remarkable 1.5 hours. When our beach time was over we headed to the bike rental place. On Sundays they shut down half of Atlantic Avenue along Copacabana and open it up to pedestrians and bikes. We rented what can only be called a "golf cart bike." This contraption looks like a golf cart but it operated by pedaling. Think Fred Flinstone. We had fun riding up and down the street, with Matt threatening to run people over and me ringing the bell to warn them to get the hell out of the way!! We had to give the bike back so we decided to head to the hostel to clean up. By then it was 7pm and Matt was in need of his watering and feeding (see Weather below). We had round 2 of the churrascarias and while this one was better it was still disappointing compared to what I had experienced in Porto Alegre.
The Weather
It is hot and extremely humid here. Our hostel has no a/c. See below. Matt is constantly sweating bullets. I have to water and feed him often.
Our Hostel
Our room can only be described as a cave. There is an odd sort of plaster on the walls that resembles rock. There are no exterior windows and zero ventilation. It is hot. It stinks. There is a ceiling fan that pushes the hot air around but it doesn't really help and it's loud. We shall post pictures before we leave so you can see that I don't exaggerate. And now you ask, why do we stay here?!? Rio at New Year's is ridiculously expensive. Much like at Carnaval, the prices are jacked up...and we're on a budget!
posted by Jenny & Matt at 12:43 PM
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