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.

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.

Circo Voador

Circo Voador is an iconic music venue under the arches of Lapa in Rio de Janeiro.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend a concert there for one of my favourite Australian bands The Cat Empire.

I arrived about half an hour before the band were due to start and lined up to by tickets from the box office. Online, the tickets were quite expensive but at the door I paid half the price by bringing with me a kilo of non perishable food.

Once inside, the setting was incredible. The stage is beautifully set under a white dome roof with a small seated area upstairs and a standing area down below on a gentle incline, very similar to Brixton Academy. Surrounding the stage is an open-air area with a small bar, merchandise store and basic food stall where you can get hamburgers, pizza, fries and other such foods.

There are plenty of plastic tables and chairs to sit at and enjoy the vista of palm trees, bright lights, the beautiful arches and the night sky. I made full use of this area as, typically for Brazil, the band came on about 2 hours after they were due to start, but also typically for Brazil, they then played an incredible 3 hour set!

It really is a music venue unlike any that I have been to and I would so recommend a visit.

A colleague told me that its origins are in the 80s and 90s when it was located in Arpoador and basically you weren’t anyone in Brazilian music until you played a gig there. Today, it continues to host some of the biggest Brazilian artists but also many international bands.

Information on acts playing at Circo Voador can obviously but found on the website link given above but I also use this website generally to see which artists might be playing in Rio – http://www.queremos.com.br/

In a couple of weeks another Australian band, Tame Impala, will play there so I will be visiting Circo Voador again!

Over the bridge to Niteroi

Last weekend, I was invited to a colleague’s birthday in Niteroi. It was such a great night and involved me crossing the huge bridge over Guanabara Bay for the first time. This bridge is definitely one of the most iconic sights in Rio at approx 14km long!

I took the 740D  bus that leaves from the corner Rua Apollo Onze and Rua Gomes Carneiro, right next to Praca General Osorio. It took me down Av. N. S. de Copacabana through Copacabana, past Rio Sul Shopping, along Flamengo, past Santos Dumont Airport and then ran express along Vevd. de Perimentral (a most interesting road!) over the bridge and into Niteroi.

The party I was going to was in Sao Francisco and the bus took me all the way there. Along the way it stopped for Ponta D’Areia, Centro and Icarai. I think the bus line ends not long after Sao Francisco in Charitas.

The theme of the party was Festa da Junina which is the theme of many parties throughout June and July in Brazil. Everyone wore flannel and straw hats and a lot of the evening was dedicated to traditional songs and dances associated with the festival – so much fun! They also had a barman mixing any cocktail you could imagine. He insisted on me taking some photos of him in action:

 

 

 

 

The area of Sao Francisco was stunning and I would love to go back during the day to take in the views and the beaches. My colleague’s house was like something out of a movie complete with an outdoor bar, swimming pool and sweeping views across Guanabara Bay, Morro do Pico, the beginning of Zona Sul and Christ the Redeemer lit up in the background.

On the way home, I took a taxi back to Ipanema as I wasn’t confident finding the right bus at night. The taxi ride took about 40 minutes compared to the hour and a half bus ride but cost almost R$60 as opposed to the bus which from memory was about R$4.

Sailing Guanabara Bay

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to go for a work “away day” on my bosses sail boat. La-di-da, I know!

We met at the very exclusive Yacht Club in Botafogo – Iate Clube Rio de Janeiro – and took lunch in the dining room. It was very opulent with a beautiful buffet, but perhaps most impressive to me was the table of exceptionally well-off older women eating next to us. I think they were some kind of woman’s group and they were dressed in head-to-toe gold, diamonds and pearls, wore almost costume-like makeup and were helping themselves to champagne by the gallon. Very interesting group of people to observe… I only wish I’d been able to understand what they were saying!

After lunch, some of us (not me!) changed into their yachting attire and we boarded the boat. It was a beautiful boat, almost brand new and fitted the eight of us on nicely. My boss then sailed us along the inner western coast line of Guanabara Bay, out along Urca, past Sugarloaf mountain (where we got the unique view of Sugarloaf mountain with Christ the Redeemer behind it) and then around to Leme beach.

On the way back we saw eastern coast line of Guanabara Bay, not quite going as far as the bridge to Niteroi but right up along Morro do Pico, which I was excited to tell my partner looks exactly like England!

The weather was stunning to begin with but got a little chilly once the sun went down. I am not complaining though, it was an incredible once in a lifetime experience and I had to pinch myself on several occasions.

Here are some photos

 

 

 

 

 

Outdoor seating area of restaurant

 

 

 

 

 

Views from the harbour before take off

 

 

 

 

 

The unique views of Christ the Redeemer (you can just make it out here I hope) and Sugarloaf mountain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tiny patch of England – this photo delighted my partner!

The wonder of Santa Teresa

A lot of people had told me that I would love Santa Teresa so I was really pleased when a Brazilian friend of mine suggested we met there for afternoon feijoada last weekend.

I took a taxi as sadly the tram that used to run from Lapa to Santa Teresa is no longer in operations. I say sadly for two reasons. One, it was an awful tragedy that required it to close in 2011. And two, the tram was such a beautiful icon of the city, travelling along the aqueduct in Lapa, up the cobblestone streets and to the top of Santa Teresa hill providing stunning views of the city – I really wish I could have seen it in action.

My taxi driver actually wasn’t overly keen on taking me to Santa Teresa. It seemed he didn’t like driving through the favela to get there and also was worried about the damage the cobblestones and narrow streets would do to his car. He used this to justify charging me Tariff 2 on his meter but I am pretty sure that was just him taking advantage of my gringo-ness!

He dropped me at the top of Rua Paschoal Carlos Magno and I walked down from there, past a number of enticing bars and restaurants to Bar do Mineiro – the famous Sunday afternoon home of feijoada.

Before going to this restaurant, my experience of feijoada was simply the black beans and rice that I have as an accompaniment to just about every meal these days. Here, however, it was a stew of pork “parts” I guess is the only way to describe it… with the black beans, bits of sausage and a delicious broth, served with sauteed kale and rice. It doesn’t sound anywhere near as good as it tasted! It was so tasty and satisfying… I cannot recommend highly enough.

But honestly, the feijoada wasn’t my favourite part of the meal!

When we arrived, we had to wait a good 45 minutes for a table. Whilst we waited, however we were able to sip a beer or few on the pavement and take delivery of the pastel de feijoa.

These little pastel de feijoas are likely the most delicious savory treat I have ever tasted. I could honestly eat them all day… forget the meal! So simple, just the beans and dried shavings of pork with some herbs in a small pastry square. Again, I am finding it very difficult to do it just with the description so you will just have to trust me and give it a go! Apparently Bar do Mineiro is one of the few places in Brazil that serve them.

After the meal, I headed down the street to Armazem Sao Thiago. This was a very cool bar to have a post feijoada drink at. I was so full from all the eating though that I couldn’t stay out for long but I will definitely be back.

The Lagoa

Rivaling Ipanema beach as the most stunning body of water in Zona Sul is the Lagoa. Finally, last weekend, I took a walk around its 7.5km track that circles the beautiful lake. It was so beautiful I wanted to share some photos.

Again, these were taken with my phone so definitely do not do it justice but hopefully give you a flavour.

On the Lagoa, there are two islands housing what looks to be two members clubs

• Ilha Piraque, home to Clube de Regatas Piraque. It seems to be a rowing club but attached or within it is the most amazing kids playground so if I had children I would definitely be inquiring how I go about getting in!
• Clube dos Caicaras looks to be a proper American style country club with restaurants, bars, tennis courts, open air pools to lounge around and access via a tiny ferry. I think it is the type of place where you must be a guest of a member to enjoy the facilities or be recommended by a member if you would like to join. Although I cannot be sure as all the information I could find on the club is in Portuguese

Other than the clubs, there seems to be a lot to do around the lake. There is the Space Lagoon which has a number of restaurants, and plenty parks right the way round. But most popular of all is just to enjoy the walk/run/cycle along the 7.5 km path. Right near Ilha Piraque you are able to rent tandem little bicycles like this one. I thought it looked like a fun activity to suggest to some of my visitors over the next few years.

So many other sights and sounds to describe so I am sure there will be more entries of the Lagoa to come. In the meantime, I found this great website that does a much better job than I ever could of introducing you to this piece of Rio.

Parque Lage

The greatest thing about being in a new city or country is that, more often than not, everything you see is a new discovery, a new experience. I stumbled across an incredible discovery this weekend when walking around Jardim Botanico and the Lagoa – Parque Lage.

I only had less than an hour to spend there before I needed to meet some friends but without a doubt I am counting down the opportunity to go back. Apparently it is known for its great hikes and walks and its breakfast in the atrium of the beautiful mansion house.

My photos don’t do it justice as they were taken with  my work phone. But it truly is a stunning way to spend an afternoon at the foot of Corcovado

Arpoador

There is a lot in the travel guides to Rio about the way the beaches of Zona Sul are segregated into different groups. To be honest, I have not really noticed this apart from the odd rainbow flag in the “gay area” and it being a little less busy at the Leblon end which is supposedly the “family area”.

Regardless of whether these areas exist or not, one that I hadn’t heard anything about was Arpoador so I thought I would take a look. A colleague said that it is the perfect place to view the sunset and whilst, unfortunately I have not been there at the right time to take advantage of this advice, during the day the views are stunning.

My new apartment is not far from Arpoador beachfront and I can definitely see myself wasting away many a weekend soaking up the rays and these views.

Lapa

Last night was my first night out in the central area of Rio (e.g. away from Zona Sul). I met a few friends at a bar called Bar Brasil (catchy title) on Avenida Mem de Sa in Lapa.

Being on this street was like being on another planet, it was amazing. The most incredible old buildings with cut-out huge floor to ceiling windows so that the bar and accompanying tables and chairs seem to fill the street. There was samba music coming from every bar and club and people everywhere.

I went straight from work which was clearly an early time to start the evening. It wasn’t until about 10-11pm that everywhere really filled up and the music got going. I guess it then goes on into the morning.

I’d liken it to a Shoreditch in London, Smith Street in Melbourne and Long Street in Cape Town… but like all of those on steroids. I took a handful of photos but none do the street justice. I highly recommend!