Eat Rio Blog - Page 52 of 106

Where to stay in Rio

15/02/2013/10 Comments/in Where to stay

If you’re coming to Rio for a holiday, finding a place to stay can be tricky. If you want something cheap then you’ll probably start looking on the various hostel search websites and soon you’ll discover that “cheap” is a relative term! A bed in a dorm in Ipanema will set you back around R$50 (US$25) per night.

Further up the pecking order you’ll find pousadas (guest houses). These vary enormously, from basic to boutique. There are some real gems out there so if you’re looking for something with personality, this would be my recommendation. I’m no expert on accommodation in Rio (I live here!), but there is one pousada I can definitely recommend because it’s where Mrs Eat Rio and I got married!

Casa Áurea in Santa Teresa. Ahhh, happy memories of our big day!

Photo Post: A walk around Pão de Açúcar

15/02/2013/5 Comments/in Things to do

After all the mayhem of carnival I decided on Wednesday that what I needed was a nice tranquil walk in peaceful surroundings. I had heard that there is a path that goes around Pão de Açúcar and unlike many of the hikes in Rio, this was an easy stroll without any steep slopes – perfect for my carnival-weary body! You pick the track up just next to Praia Vermelha, not far from where the cable car takes you up to the top of Pão de Açúcar.

There are plenty of more taxing hikes that actually take you some of the way up the Sugarloaf or its neighbouring hills, but I opted for the super-easy path which I had heard was a little over 4km. In the end it turned out to be even easier as after around 2.5km there was a sign warning people not to go any further without a guide. I expect it is quite possible without a guide, but I was feeling intensely lazy and only wearing flip-flops so I was quite happy to turn around and stroll back the way I had come.

Even on this fairly short walk I spotted all kinds of interesting sights along the way.

As I set off on my leisurely stroll, I looked back through the leafy branches and caught sight of the hectic scenes back at Praia Vermelha (Red Beach).

Carnival Costumes

13/02/2013/4 Comments/in Art and culture

One of the things I like most about Carnaval de Rua (the free street carnival, as opposed to the paid procession at the Sambadrome) is the dressing up. And from the looks of it, I’m not the only one! Of course there are the classic costumes that show up every year (about 50% of all carnival photos will contain at least one pirate), but some people really go to town.

Today I thought I’d show you a few of the fantasias (way cooler then the English term I grew up with, ‘fancy dress’) that caught my eye this year. Let’s start off with Watermelon Man! Sure, anyone can put a watermelon on their head, but the shirt, cape and arm ‘protectors’ take this outfit up a level.

Simple, effective and, well, a bit mushy on the head I guess.

Next we get a bit naughty!

Escondidinho – the little hidden

08/02/2013/10 Comments/in Food and drink

I know, I know – not everyone uses carnival as an excuse for a full-on, 5-day fun-binge. Some people actually dislike carnival and do their best to leave town during what is admittedly a bit of an inconvenient time if you want to do anything which doesn’t involve dressing up as a nun/ballerina/pirate and dancing in the street. Happily I fall into the full-on, 5-day fun-binge category and so for me this is a time I look forward to all year.

If you ask people who’ve been to carnival if they have any tips, you’ll probably get all kinds of advice, from best pee strategy (go whenever you get the opportunity, even if you don’t really need to go), to best bloco enjoyment strategy (set your alarm and get up early – a lot of the best stuff starts at 8am).

Today I’m going to give you another tip: Don’t forget to eat! I know that may sound a bit like saying “Don’t forget to breathe”, but it’s surprising how easy it is to get carried away with all the dancing and singing and moving from one bloco to the next. Before you know it it’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon and you’re absolutely exhausted and ready for bed.

If you like some beers and caipirinhas with your samba, you are going to need something good and heavy to keep you going – a green salad ain’t going to cut it! May I present Escondidinho:

Escondidinho (sounds like eskon-jee-JEEN-yo). This will keep you samba-ing to the end of day.

If something is hidden, it is described in Portuguese as escondido (sounds like eskon-JEE-do). Well you remember how much Brazilians like to add their diminuitives? The dish you see above roughly translates as ‘Little hidden’ and when you start eating it you soon see why.

Who wants to be a Brazilian?

08/02/2013/31 Comments/in Musings

I want to start by saying that I really love Brazil and Brazilians. Brazil is a beautiful and diverse country and if I had to characterise Brazilians, I would say that they were kind, warm, hard-working and thoughtful people. Of course Brazil has its fair share of problems, and not every Brazilian is kind, warm, thoughtful, but I think Brazilians have plenty to be proud of.

Ordem e Progresso – the motto on Brazil’s excellent flag.

I wanted to make that clear because I don’t want the rest of this post to be mistaken for being somehow anti-Brazilian. With that out of the way, let’s continue!

A few weeks ago I finally received my official Brazilian ID card for foreigners (RNE – Registro Nacional de Estrangeiros). It was a great moment, the culmination of 2 years of filling in forms, making visits to the Federal Police and waiting – with the arrival of my ID card I was finally an official resident of Brazil! When I mentioned this to friends and colleagues, several people asked if I would now go on to seek Brazilian citizenship. This got me thinking – do I actually want to become Brazilian?