My first Carnaval

Well my first Carnaval has been and gone. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. The two main attractions of Carnaval are the blocos and the parades in the Sambodromo.

I attended a number of blocos but, to be honest, they were not quite what I expected. In my mind I had always imagined colourful and lively street parties filled with music. In reality, they were a little hit and miss. I definitely enjoyed the blocos during the day more than in the evenings. The evening blocos were a little sketchy at times whilst the ones during the day had a friendlier feel. However a lot of the time I found myself waiting around for the music to begin and, along with everyone else, confused about whether the bloco had actually started or not!

What absolutely exceeded my expectation however was the Sambrodromo parade. It was absolutely incredible. Here is some information that will hopefully help you if you are planning to attend:

Choosing a parade

There are a number of different parades that you can attend over the main weekend of Carnaval and the Saturday following. If you are in Rio prior to Carnaval weekend you can also attend a rehearsal parade from approximately 4 weeks before. The main parades however are held on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights of Carnaval and the following Saturday night.

The samba schools are split into two categories: Special Group and Access Group.

The Friday and the Saturday nights host the Access Group parades. The Access Group is like the second division and therefore tickets are considerably less expensive on these nights.

The Sunday and Monday nights are for the Special Groups which are the 12 top groups in Rio. Tickets for these nights are the most expensive.

The following Saturday night is the Champions Parade which is the 6 top placed Special Group samba schools. This is the night I went to and I would highly recommend. You see all the best schools but the price is significantly cheaper than the Sunday and Monday parades.

Parade timing

Each night, the parades typically commence at around 9pm and continue well into the morning. Typically they don’t finish until 5am and almost the entire crowd stays in the Sambodromo until the last float has gone through. On each night there are 6 samba schools on show and they typically take about 90 minutes each.

Where to buy tickets

Tickets can be purchased directly from the Sambodromo in the lead up to Carnaval for the cheapest price. Alternatively, you can use the website Rio Carnival which is recommended by the Lonely Planet. When buying a ticket you need to first pick the type of seating and then the sector. When selecting the type of seating, it really depends on your budget.

Choosing a ticket type

The most expensive option is either the Camarotes or Frisas. Camarotes are VIP seating like a corporate box. Typically you would need to be invited to a Camarote as a guest of the company who own the box. The Frisas are dedicated seating areas for 6 people with a little coffee table that are air conditioned and are a great option if you can afford it. However, on the busier nights (Sunday and Monday) you may need to purchase the entire Frisa as opposed to just buying one or two seats. The cheapest option is just to buy access into the main grandstands which is a non-dedicated seat on the benches that line both sides of the Sambodromo.

Choosing a section

In terms of sections, I would recommend choosing an even numbered section (e.g. 2, 4 etc.) as they are located on the side closest to the Metro station (Praca Onze). The odd numbered sections require you to walk right the way around the Sambodromo which can take up to half an hour. The higher the number section, the more you will be located towards the end of the parade. Section 8 is often a popular section sold to tourists as it doesn’t get as packed as some of the others. However, I would actually recommend sitting more toward the beginning of the parade (sections 2 or 4) as it can take a float more than 30 minutes to make it from one end of the Sambodromo to the other meaning that those in the higher numbered sections need to wait around the longest for the parade to start and end.

How to get there

The easiest, safest and cheapest way to get to the Sambodromo is by Metro. The Sambodromo is a short walk from the Metro station Praca Onze. Signage between the station and the Sambodromo is not the best however you really just need to follow the person in front of you to arrive at the Sambodromo without any drama. The Metro is also the best option for leaving the Sambodromo at the end.

Here are just a couple of photos from my Sambodromo experience.

Some personal news

Just thought I would share with you who read my blog that excitingly my boyfriend and I got engaged earlier this year. So now this one last adventure has taken a new turn as we plan a wedding for 2015! I would not consider myself a “bridal” person so so far its all been a bit of a new and overwhelming experience trying to pick a venue etc. but I am really looking forward to actually being married and having my fiancé as my husband!

Brasilia

Catching up on some very old posts now. Last year, I took a trip to Brasilia to see Australia get absolutely thrashed by Brazil in a football warm up to the World Cup.

The capital of Brazil, Brasilia is steeped in recent history having been founded in 1960 as a replacement capital to Rio de Janeiro.

The city was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and is like no other city I have ever been to.  It is divided into numbered blocks and then those blocks are grouped into sectors such as the Hotel Sector and the Banking Sector making it easy to get your bearings quickly. In addition to its unique design, many of the buildings are extremely unusual as well with modernist structures such as the National Congress Building and Cathedral of Brasil.

The most striking element of Brasilia however is just how different it is from Rio de Janeiro. I could barely believe I was still in the same country. The actual landscape reminded me a lot of Australia and there are definitely easy parallels to draw between the city of Brasilia and the purpose built Australian capital: Canberra.

Here are some photos from my trip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favourite site was the Dom Bosco Sanctuary, a beautiful chapel filled with blue stained glass.

Bairro map of zona sul

Click on map for a zoomed in view

 

 

The Elusive RNE

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may remember the above picture from one of my first posts titled:The Stuff You Need. Well, after 12 months in Rio, I am very happy to say that I finally can check off the last box on this list. I have my RNE card, in all its laminated glory!

So that is the good news.

The bad news is that it has an expiry date on March 2015, so technically I probably need to be starting the process for my renewal now!

Unfortunately, my partner hasn’t been quite so lucky as me. On collecting his card, he noticed that it listed him as being Northern Irish. And whilst he is a very proud Northerner, it is the altogether different nation of England that he originates from. On pointing out the mistake, he had his card quickly whisked away from him only to be told to expect a new collection date in about 3 months time.

Apartment update

Almost a year ago now I wrote a number posts about the trials and tribulations of apartment hunting. As it turned out, my experience was relatively straight forward, with the actual number of trials and tribulations fairly limited.

Since then, I have witnessed a number of new colleagues’ experiences relocating to Rio. Unfortunately they have not encountered such smooth sailing. In the lead up to the World Cup, a number of property owners and/or letting agents seem to be trying their luck with short-term, high price rentals aimed at international guests arriving in the coming months. What this means is that the number of reasonably priced apartments available on a long term basis in Zona Sul is lower than it was when I arrived.

To combat this issue, many people are being pressured to actually widen their search area a little into neighbourhoods such as Flamengo, Laranjeiras and Humaita. Whilst these are perfectly safe and liveable neighbourhoods, I can understand the reluctance.

For me, a huge factor in coming to Rio de Janeiro was the beaches. It is likely that never again in my life will I have the opportunity to live such a beach lifestyle and I intended to take full advantage of it. By living just a little (and to be fair, it is only a little) further away from the beachfronts of Leblon, Ipanema and Copacabana, you do actually kind of lose some of that. The key thing in Rio is that the traffic is, at times, nothing short of horrific. And so that extra bus stop or two from the beach can actually translate into a bit of a nightmare at the weekend when all you want to do is sprawl yourself on the beach.

Therefore, in Rio (and I should caveat that this is just my personal perspective only) I would recommend compromising on the actual property that I was renting before location. Properties here may feel small, especially if you are coming from North America or Australia/NZ/South Africa. In addition, they may feel a bit quirky in terms of layout and built in features. But I would recommend embracing these quirks as much as possible so as not to sacrifice on location.

My other recommendation is for single people relocating to Rio to consider sharing their apartment with someone else. An apartment with two (large) or three bedrooms is consistently bigger and better value than a one or two (small) bedroom apartments. I have seen one bedroom apartments without space to swing a cat on the market for R$4500 versus a relatively spacious two bedroom for R$6000. Whilst the outlay upfront is higher, the now apparent shortage of properties in Rio means that spare rooms do not stay empty long and you end up with a lot more space for a lot less money in the long run.

Morning run

Let me start this post by clarifying that I hate running however, more than running, I hate waking up early in the morning!

So, you can imagine my surprise at writing for you now a post about my morning run; something that I have been almost enjoying in Rio for the past several months.

I think the difference for me here is the scenery. I am lucky enough to live only a very short walk from Ipanema beach. This means that the reward waiting for me each morning if I manage to drag my lazy butt out of bed in actually quite spectacular.

I don’t run far and I can’t say I have any desire to improve and run any further but for 30 minutes each morning, I am reminded of just how lucky I am to live in such a spectacular location.

Some mornings I manage to catch the end of the sunrise, which never disappoints. But even if I miss that, it is a rare sight to have in front of one of the worlds most iconic beaches; completely empty save a few boot camps and volleyball enthusiasts.

However, by far my favourite element is the waves. They seem extra dramatic in the morning but perhaps that is just in contrast to my lazy eyes. It really is a special sight to behold as, one by one, these huge, powerful things roll in, crashing recklessly into the crystal blue water. It’s so calming yet absolutely awe-inspiring and chaotic… the perfect distraction to an otherwise painful morning chore.

Buzios – Getting There

Anyone who has the opportunity to come to Rio for more than a handful of days will have Buzios close to the top of their to-do list. Located just under 200km east of Rio, it is a perfect weekend escape on the coast.

The most straightforward way to travel to Buzios is via car. It is relatively easy to rent a car from Santos Dumont airport. I find this location the easiest as it is open pretty much 24/7 and easy to reach via bus or taxi from where I live.

Once in the car, just follow the signs to Niteroi and then continue on the BR-101 until Rio Bonito. At Rio Bonito, take the turn off to follow the signs straight to Buzios. Be warned, however that as you approach Buzios, Google Maps gets a little lost! Just keep on the RJ-106 until you get to Tamoios and then take a right to follow the RJ-102 all the way into town.

The only downside to driving is the traffic. Particularly on the return to Rio the traffic can be quite horrific; especially if its a Sunday afternoon. For that reason alone, I actually prefer to take the bus.

The bus leaves from the main bus terminal in central Rio (Rodoviaria Novo Rio). Busca Onibus is a great website to search various bus timetables and to then get the link to purchase bus tickets online when possible. The Rio – Buzios bus is run by a large bus company 1001 that let you book online and collect on the day. 1001 tickets can be bought or collected on the first floor of the main bus terminal in Rio, right at the far end of the station (windows 68-75).

Like all long-haul buses leaving from Rodoviaria Novo Rio, the buses are extremely modern and comfortable enabling you to really relax and enjoy the journey regardless of how crazy the traffic might me. The drop off point (and pick up for the journey back) is a field of sorts on the main road (Estrada da Usina Velha) just before the turn off to the high street so something to consider when booking accommodation.

Once you are in Buzios, you can happily survive without a car considering the many, many taxis that will happily take you to any beach in the area (and also maybe even negotiate for you a deal on a sun lounger and lunch!).

Or, if you are sick of being a passenger, you can rent a buggy to drive around in. These are really cool and so fun to drive. There are many rental places all over Buzios and not too expensive to rent for the length of your stay.

Happy New Year

Belated feliz ano novo to everyone out there! My new years resolution for this year was simple… write more posts!

I have so many stored up share so stay tuned over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, I hope 2014 brings you and your family love, happiness, good health, harmony, prosperity, joy and peace x

A Turn of the Head

A note that I wrote on my flight back to Rio from Melbourne:

I am on the flight from Melbourne to Sydney, the beginning of my 27 hour journey home to Rio. As is always the case, I cried quite a lot just in the last few minutes sat here on the plane. I rarely ever cry at the airport. I am quite used to the process of actually saying goodbye and see you soon. So much so that sometimes when saying goodbye to teary people I almost feel compelled to fake cry.

Anyway, when I say goodbye to my family, the actual goodbye is okay.

The pain and heartache comes when I actually turn my head away.

I think it is something to do with the fact that in turning my head to not be able to see my family anymore, in that moment, I may as well be a millions miles away. Once out of sight, they really are gone. That’s it. And my next steps are all actually quite irrelevant.

Yes, I will walk over to the plane, board, find a place for my bag, sink into my seat, peer out the window and wait for the force of the plane to launch me to the skies. But the actual moment when I feel the most distance from my family is just in that simple moment of finally, after much stalling, turning around.

Boom. They are gone. I am gone. And in that absence, my heard aches. In that second, I long for them. And in that moment, the longing is probably the most intense. The memory of the last hug, the last goodbye and the last see-you-soon is so familiar. That which didn’t make me cry earlier becomes my most vivid memory of what I am now separated from and my heart yearns for just five seconds more.

But, then the plane takes off and the physical distance grows greater and soon I feel, once again, far away and out of reach. So I readjust my expectations for our relationship accordingly. I start to look forward to reading their text messages when I land and the next Skype call. And that last farewell is no longer a vivid, heart wrenching memory but blurs into another special moment in a haze of many moments that are cherished collectively. Not because of any real significance that they hold but rather it is a memory of a time when I was spoilt, being able to see touch and hear my family as and when I chose.