The "Marvelous City" of Brazil

Rio!
Best described (in my relative terms) as a mix between Italy and Guatemala. I instantly fell in LOVE with this "Marvelous City." It has so much culture, beauty, and AMAZING food!! Fun fact I learned... Rio de Janerio actually means River of January - the Portuguese named it when they sailed into Guanabara Bay.

The minute I stepped off the plane and into the airport bathrooms I knew I wasn't in the U.S. anymore. And no, it wasn't because the toilet spins the opposite way... the standard of living is just different down there. Which is code for it's dirty. At least for the public. The service is different too - very laid back, which in American language is SLOW. But after being down there for a few days, I got used to it. And to be honest, it was kind of nice. No one is in a rush. Meeting times are wishy washy, so it's okay if you're late, it's okay if you get stuck in traffic or get caught up and can't make it on time. People are less stressed. Life isn't a race. It's enjoyed. I like that.

I spent most of the week working at our trade show. It was a cool experience, although the whole time  I had this desperation to be fluent in something other than English. I felt so inferior. People would say, do you speak Portuguese? Spanish? French? Italian? ...I felt like a big idiot. Ugh. The funny thing was though, I noticed a trend among people. When I told them (in my horrible gringo Portuguese) that I only speak English, they continued to speak Portuguese to me and would just keep repeating the same phrase over and over again. For some reason they thought if they said it 7 times that I might eventually get it? haha umm... sorry. I still don't understand Portuguese no matter how many times you say it, or how much you wave your arms at me. It got kind of annoying, but mostly I just felt stupid. Maybe I need to buy Rosetta Stone or something.

Anyway, about the FOOD! Where to begin?... Fresh fruit! It was absolutely amazing. I ate fruit that I never even knew existed. There was one in particular that looked exactly like a tomato and even had the same texture but it was super sweet. They also have the BEST mangoes, papaya and melon. For breakfast I even drank fresh watermelon juice, SO good. And they also have Acai smoothies which I've craved every day since. You may have heard of them as the "super fruit" because apparently they are cancer fighting antioxidants and all that healthy stuff. They are found in the Brazilian Amazon and taste SO much better there in Brazil than anything in America. They also have a yummy treat called Papaya Cream which is just like it sounds: papaya fruit and cream mixed together like a thick ice cream milkshake type treat. Ahhhh, I miss it. So refreshing after a big meal.

Speaking of that... they (obviously) have the BEST all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouses! (like Rodizio Grill for Utah people)... YUMMMMMMM!!!!!!! I ate my meat with a drink called Caipirinha - made with limes. It accentuated the flavor of the meat PERFECTLY. Ever since Brazil, I've turned into such a carnivore for good meat. My favorite was Picanha, which is like Top Sirloin. Holy delicious.

Another one of my favorite parts about Rio... the BEACHES! In our little bit of free time/vacation days, we had the chance to go to Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana and Ipanema. The sand is white and very fine, the water is a gorgeous cerulean blue with waves big enough to surf. The sun rises early and is so hot that you have to swim in the ocean at least every 15 minutes or you'll sweat to death/die of heat exhaustion. Oh I just loved it. And Demi Lovato did too. Apparently she stayed at our hotel, although I never saw her.

I was lucky enough to accomplish TWO life goals while in Rio: 1. Cross the Equator and 2. Stay in a 5-star hotel. But before you get jealous, I have to admit that the last one doesn't really count. It was listed as 5-star, but I think that means something different in Brazil.


Perhaps compared to the other hotel options it's fantastic... but it wasn't any better than 3-star hotels I've stayed at in the States. So... sadly, I'm not checking that one off quite yet. In addition to this sub-par 5-star... my room was attacked by a colony of ants. Yes, you read that correctly. When I got back from working a very long day, my floors, walls and ceilings were swarming with GIANT red ants. It was disgusting and freaky. I tried not to squeal as I stomped all around squishing as many as I could. Then I called the front desk for help. They sprayed some insect repellent but it just seemed to draw more of them out of every crevice. Thankfully, they transferred me to a new room. That's probably all I will end up remembering about that hotel... except maybe the pool, it was nice.

After our trade show work was complete, my co-workers and I had a few days to tour the city. The first day I spent at the beach and the pool. While laying out, a lot of locals walked by offering jewelry, hats, bikinis, drinks... basically trying to sell anything they could. One guy caught my attention with some beautiful, bright-colored wraps. I fell in love with one in particular and probably paid way too much for it... but I did barter. For $10 and a free Acai smoothie, I got this beautiful wrap which can be worn as a dress, a long or short shirt and also as a blanket to lay out. The Brazilian guy who sold it to me tried really hard to be my friend - but he only spoke Portuguese so we couldn't really communicate. I told him my name was Natalie from America, but he kept calling me Lowrie from Liverpool... yeah it was that bad. From what I gathered, he wanted me to walk with him along the beach, swim in the ocean and meet him later that night for another Acai drink... at the time, it didn't seem creepy but now looking back, I'm glad I felt awkward about our language barrier and just kept saying no.

The second day, we all went on a city tour of Rio. First we drove by all the famous beaches - Leblon, Ipanema and Copacabana where we took a walk through the famous Copacabana Palace. It was kinda cool but mostly over rated. Then we did some local shopping for Haviannas, the "official" Brazilian dress code for shoes. I was expecting something similar to Rainbows or Reefs... but basically they're just squishy rubber flip flops. But it's true. Literally EVERYONE wears them... so I bought a pair for Chris and I.

Then we headed up into the mountains for a view of Christ the Redeemer. It was a beautiful "fall" day; which means about 85 degrees and 90% humidity... definitely part of the Amazon rain forest. Here's a picture of me and my awesome travel buddies...(& Christ... far, far away).

  
They are just so much fun! While at this view point I was THIS (hold pointer finger and thumb 1 millimeter apart) close to taking a 7-minute helicopter ride around the Christ statue... I had totally planned on it before coming and set aside the $99. But then I backed out. I told myself that it had to be an absolutely clear and perfect day in order for it to be worth it. And while it was very beautiful, the distant landscape was still pretty hazy and foggy so the visibility wasn't quite what I hoped for. I decided that someday, when we're old & rich, I'll bring Christopher back here and we'll go on a helicopter tour together... but not just 7 minutes, maybe all around Rio. THAT would be awesome. Plus I didn't bring my nice camera because I was afraid of getting robbed - so that was another reason to wait until next time.

Speaking of safety... there were all kinds of warnings and scary websites advising people of how dangerous Rio is. We even had an armored car pick us up from and take us to the airport. So naturally, I was super nervous. I brought pepper spray and a knife with me just in case someone tried to kidnap me and I had to fight them, and I was prepared to do so. But once we actually got to Rio, I felt completely safe and a little silly for being so crazy. I'm sure bad things happen, but if you're smart and aware of what's going on, you'll most likely be fine. 98% of the people are normal, nice, good people. I think it's just like any big city - New York, Paris, Rome... just don't be an idiot and don't go places at night in dark alleys by yourself. It's common sense. Although when I arrived in Rio, I walked over to the baggage claim and notice MY suitcase on someone else's luggage cart. Their purse was in the top crate and my suitcase was on the bottom. When they weren't looking, I pulled mine out and quickly rolled away. I didn't want any confrontation but it was definitely my bag and it's pretty unique looking so I'm not sure how anyone mistook it for theirs... but I'll just assume it was an accident.


Anyway, sorry for the rant. Back to our tour! After the view point, we headed over to see Christ the Redeemer himself, up close. I wasn't sure what to expect because some people said he was smaller than they thought, others said he was over rated... but besides the massive, sweaty crowds, it was pretty cool. You can actually see the nail prints in his hands. Fun fact about the statue - he faces directly East so that he is the first carioca (local Brazilian) to see the sun rise each morning... kinda cool :) But even more impressive than the statue itself, is the view. It's a beautiful panoramic of ALL of Rio, with the Sugarloaf Mountain, the beaches, the mountain ranges in the distance... it's just breathtaking. Pictures cannot do justice!

After seeing the statue we headed back down and drove through some of the old neighborhoods of Rio. It was neat to see the architecture and all the bright-colored paintings and murals. Then we stopped by the Metropolitan Cathedral in the city center. It is the most unique church I have ever seen!! (And after traveling through Europe...I've definitely seen my fair share of churches). This one was a refreshing change. From the outside, it just looks like a giant concrete, modernized Mexican ruin type temple. But the inside is filled with these gorgeous stain-glassed panels shooting up hundreds of feet to the ceiling. I just loved it.

While the points of interest in our tour were amazing... the actual tour guide was horrible. We went through the hotel, assuming it would be safe and worth it, however we were very disappointed. He barely talked the whole time, and when we did ask him questions to try and learn about the city, he reluctantly responded with brief sentences. And he could speak perfect English, that wasn't the problem. He just seemed boring and stuck-up. I was especially mad when we requested to see the Tijuca Rainforest and he said, you've already seen it. It's all around. And I know for a fact you can go on cool hikes to see monkeys and waterfalls and he refused to take us. Then I asked him to see more parts of the Santa Teresa neighborhood and some cool colorful steps I read about and he said, no those aren't very nice. You wont like them. I responded that I really wanted to see them and he just kept driving and said he had other things planned. I got so angry and irritated. WE were paying HIM (by the hour), so I'm pretty sure he should take us wherever we want to go, dang it. After that we all just demanded to go back to the hotel and didn't want to see the rest of his tour. Yeah... lame.


The next day, we went on a different tour which was one million trillion times better. If you are in Rio, you MUST do this tour!! It was only $50/person and they come pick you up in a big, open top Jeep and take you on a beautiful, refreshing ride along the coast with gorgeous views. Plus... get this, the tour guide actually wants to talk to you and share cool facts! Crazy notion, right? Well our guide was extra great, his named was Jose Augusto and he taught us all about Rio's history and shared fun tidbits from the Brazilian-Indian heritage; like Ipanema, means bad place to fish and Copacabana means girl looking for water.

Then we headed back up into the mountains to a place known as a "favela" or slum, but recently a more politically correct term has been given as a "community." In the late 1800's, when slavery was abolished, the poor people had no where to go so they started building their homes up into the mountains so they didn't have to pay taxes. More and more people started doing the same and when there was no where else to build, they started building up. Then when drug dealing started, the gangsters came to the poor people, especially the children and would pay them to deliver "packages." Since the people were so desperate for money, they agreed. And then these children became the next generation of drug dealers and the cycle continued for years until now.


The Brazilians have started a pacification program, where they go into the favelas and take them over and police are stationed there at all times to keep the people safe. This is the only reason we were able to go on a tour, because the favela we visited, Santa Marta, has been pacified for several years. It's actually the place where Michael Jackson shot his music video, They Don't  Care About Us. There's a huge shrine dedicated to him where the music video was shot. It's actually a really catchy tune and does a good job of portraying what the favela is like.

However, it's ironic because the government is TRYING to care... they are giving the people free water, electricity, and subsidizing their satellite TV. It's quite a site to look down and see tin roofs, walls made out of cardboard, mixed with  brick, mixed with wood or whatever they could find... and then a big satellite TV dish screwed on top. One thing the tour guide pointed out is that while some people work and try to make a living, others just blame the government and then trash the place, hence all of the nasty trash and sewage everywhere.

Then while we were on our tour, one of the houses started blasting some music of a female singer. We joked around saying it was the Brazilian Lady GaGa - the tune was pretty catchy and we saw an 8-year-old girl bobbing her head and dancing around to it. We were all smiling and laughing until the tour guide pulled us a side and explained... the lyrics to song were horrible, he said, the song tells girls to have sex as often as they can with whoever they can and she herself pays guys to have sex with her and she does it so much that she can't sit down. I was shocked. He then went on to explain that the artist admits that she has a goal to brainwash children into becoming sex addicts. Seriously so sad and so horrible. To me - that's almost worse than all the trash and drug dealers. Poor innocent children... EIGHT years old.

But in contrast, as we were walking through, I glanced up through the rooftops and saw Christ on the mountain, overlooking the favela. It's a beautiful reminder that we are all His children and he loves each of us, no matter what circumstances we live in, and if we look to Him, he will help us through anything.

The tour made me infinitely grateful and more appreciative for my life and my many, many, many blessings. It's a good reminder not to take things for granted, as it's so easy to do.

On my last day in Brazil, I was brave and went out on an adventure, alone. I'm sure my mom would hate this story... but I wanted to try out the whole "solo traveler" thing. So I headed over to Ipanema beach for the big artisan market. It was beautiful! Everywhere I looked there was amazing, colorful artwork and jewelry and handmade gifts. I wandered around for a few hours and found a few treasures. Then I headed over the beautiful Ipanema Beach!


The big green mountains made a beautiful backdrop for the crystal clear ocean. I just wished I could delete all the people around me and have the whole beach to myself. I took a little nap, drank a Mango smoothie, and soaked up as much sunshine as I could.

Then when the sun started to go down, I walked along the famous black and white pathway and found an empty juice bar close to the mountains. Here I drank the most refreshing Coco ever! (Be careful when you order Cocos though, if you say it wrong like CoCO instead of COco, then you will be ordering poop. Haha, I'm pretty sure I did a few times because they laughed at me and I couldn't figure out why until later). But anyway - it was really cold and refreshing and the perfect way to end my last day in Brazil.
When it was time to go back to the Sheraton, I caught a cab (for the first time ever, by myself!) I enjoyed a pleasant ride back to Barra da Tijuca. And now I must embarrassingly admit... I didn't have enough money to pay the guy!! Plus he didn't speak English so it made it a little difficult to explain that I had just spent my last Brazilian Reais on souvenirs and I thought I had more but turns out it was a 5 Reais bill not a 50. He didn't accept my credit card, but luckily I was able to convince him that my 20 American dollars would easily cover the cost. haha oh my, I felt like such an idiot... but at least it all worked out, I didn't have to flash him or something crazy, and a survived a whole day traveling solo in a foreign country. I was pretty proud of myself because most of the time I'm too scared to venture off on my own for fear of getting kidnapped and sold into sex slavery.

One thing that made this trip really difficult was that I didn't have international service on my phone, so I couldn't call or text people when I wanted and I felt really disconnected and lonely. I especially missed getting little messages from my cute husband throughout the day and I couldn't just pick up the phone and call him. I had to wait until I found WiFi somewhere and we could coordinate our schedules to get on Skype. But in the end...it made us really appreciate each other A LOT more. We realized how sad we would be without each other and how lonely it would be to live alone. If you're getting annoyed with your spouse... take a vacation by yourself to some far away place where you literally CAN'T communicate with them. Most likely, you will realize how much you really need them and how you can't imagine your life without them in it.

Well, in summary... Rio really is a MARVELOUS city! And if you ever have the chance to go, you must go!!