rio: where mountains meet madness
well, i just got back from rio de Janeiro and my brain is still trying to process everything. it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the weather's sticking around 24.94°C with 100% humidity, so you're basically breathing soup most of the time. not exactly complaining, but it's definitely something you need to prepare for.
so this city is basically built between mountains and sea, which sounds nice until you realize how much walking up and down hills you'll be doing. it's all spread out, with different zones that might as well be different cities. centro is the old center, zona norte has some hills, zona sul is where all the beaches are, and zona oeste is...well, it's a thing.
everyone talks about christ the redeemer, which is cool and all, but honestly, the view from sugar loaf is way better in my opinion. and don't even get me started on the beaches - copacabana and ipanema are famous for a reason, but they're also crazy crowded. if you want to actually enjoy the sand, you might need to wake up before the sun does.
food-wise, rio's got all the brazilian classics - lots of seafood from the bays, feijoada if you're into that sort of thing, and street food everywhere. someone told me that the best pão de queijo you'll ever have is from this little place in flamengo, but i couldn't find it. maybe next time.
oh, and the cariocas - that's what the locals are called - are something else. they're beach people through and through, with this whole samba and carnival thing that seems to happen year-round in their heads. it's pretty infectious, honestly.
if you get bored, são paulo is just a short drive away, or you could check out petropolis, which is this highland resort town up in the mountains. a nice escape from the heat and all the people.
someone told me that the favelas can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, so maybe stick to the tourist areas unless you have a local guide. also, don't plan on getting anywhere fast - traffic here is no joke, and the mountains make everything take longer than you'd expect.
rio's got this crazy mix of natural beauty and urban chaos that's hard to find anywhere else. mountains rising up from the beaches, christ the redeemer watching over everything, and this constant energy that's either exhausting or exhilarating, depending on the day. it's definitely not a city for everyone, but if you're into that sort of thing, you'll probably love it.
You might also be interested in:
- https://topiclo.com/post/messy-wanderings-in-san-salvador
- https://topiclo.com/post/chiba-through-my-lens-a-tired-photographers-ramble
- https://topiclo.com/post/straight-outta-nadampayaliyam-and-me
- https://topiclo.com/post/sticky-nights-and-salsa-knees-surviving-cali
- https://topiclo.com/post/muscat-mess-sun-sea-and-trying-not-to-melt