Something else to do in Rio
A few weeks ago I had a couple of work colleagues visiting town – one from London, the other from Tel Aviv. They had both visited Rio 3 or 4 times before, always for business reasons, and I could tell they weren’t exactly excited to be here. I suspect that most of you who’ve experienced business travel will understand.
My current job doesn’t involve much travel, but in a previous job I travelled to South Africa, Germany, France, Spain and Switzerland. At first I rather enjoyed telling a friend nonchalantly “Oh yeah, I’m off to Madrid next week…”, but pretty soon I came to understand that the reality was bland business hotels, eating in restaurants on your own, waiting around in airports and obsessing over receipts.
Business travel – welcome to your bedroom for the next 5 days…
So, as the weekend approached I saw the glum looks on the faces of my colleagues and decided it was time for them to catch a glimpse of the real Rio! When I asked what kind of things they wanted to do, they both started off by saying “Not the Sugarloaf or the Jesus statue – we went there on our last visit. We just want to go somewhere normal for a few drinks”.
I realised that the Eat Rio Things to do in Rio section included a museum, some markets and a couple of walks, but what if you just want to go for a nice drink somewhere? Well, the success of our weekend entertainment activities inspired me to add a new entry – spend a sunny afternoon at Bar Urca.
Hanging out on the sea wall opposite Bar Urca beats a meal at Outback in Barra.
I’ll sound conceited if I go on for too long about what an amazing time they had… BUT just let me say that when one of my colleagues was thanking me, he said he’d remember the afternoon at Bar Urca for the rest of his life! I guess a long sunny afternoon/evening at Bar Urca can do that for you!
If your experience of Rio ends at business hotels and meeting rooms then find yourself a spot on the wall at Bar Urca and find out what you’ve been missing (full details here).
The Eat Rio list of Things to do in Rio continues to grow (slowly). Basically this is a list of the things I would recommend to a visiting friend once they had done the obvious things like visiting Pão de Açúcar and Cristo Redentor.
And usually with business travel you don’t have time or opportunity to really do anything in any of the places business takes you. You get in, you take care of business, and then you are gone. The auditors are hip to the game, and they won’t reimburse you for anything questionable. Believe me, I’ve tried it.
Ha ha! You’re right Carlos – I’ve been there a few times too! :D
However, I’ve been on a few business trips which have spanned a weekend or two. When you have a weekend to kill in a city you don’t know, it can be daunting to venture far from the hotel. I remember a trip to Johannesburg when I was told that I shouldn’t go anywhere apart from the mall across the road from the hotel – I would have been delighted to spend my own money on a few drinks and snacks if I had a decent recommendation.