Rio was another bucket list item checked off…the long flight had always caused me to put it on the back burner due to time constraints…fortunately, Cope urged me to take the trip…cool…we booked our flights on Copa Airlines…flying out of Dulles in Washington D.C., its about 5 hours to Panama City, Panama…about an hour or two layover and then another 6 hours to Rio…my plane landed around midnight…go through all the security and get my bags…taxi to my hotel where I will stay for one night in Barra da Tijuca…Cope will arrive tomorrow night on the same flight route that I took today…I usually arrive a day early on all of my trips…I like to map things out…get everything that we will need that we didn’t bring so we can hit the ground running the next day…the weather is warm…slightly humid but the breeze makes the weather in Rio perfect post-midnight…the roads are pretty clear…it seems like we are the only car on the highway…in the back seat I’m texting everyone to let them know that I’ve made it safely since there was no internet on the plane…the car starts to slow down…I look up…police road block…police with big ass military assault rifles…the taxi driver rolls down the window…they say something in Portuguese…police look at me in the backseat for what was probable 2 seconds but felt like 10…wave us on…as we get into the city, closer to Barra…activity increases…people partying and hanging out in the streets…a good vibe…a few blocks more…favela…I don’t get nervous much but I know this isn’t a place where I would want to get out…we speed on pass to my hotel…I check in…shower and a good nights rest…the next day I go check into our Airbnb on Copacabana beach…it’s located in an apartment building right above a fort…well safety won’t be an issue…the view off to the left of our apartment gives us an amazing view of the beach…the shore is packed full of people enjoying the sun and temperate weather…bars line the boardwalk…street vendors selling soccer jerseys, key chains, towels, and anything with Brazil stitched on it…Caipirinhas are being sipped as it is the staple Brazilian alcoholic beverage (more on that later)…I explore the city some to get my bearings together…grab some food and drinks for the fridge…a pretty chill day…Cope arrives after midnight…he had the same experience with the police except they actually had him step out of the car…I’ve had several bad experiences with harassment from law enforcement but he catches hell every time…smh…all is well that ends well…the next morning Cope is ready to go…we are supposed to go hang gliding off some big mountain…neither one of us care for heights like that but this is a bucket list trip and we are celebrating a huge blessing for him (may or may not discuss that later)…we arrive at the bottom of the mountain…the guide tells us that the winds are not blowing in the right direction, also with my weight and height, there are no room for mistakes…they need to find a guide a similar height to jump with me and they don’t have one today…they tell us to stay by the phone and that at any point during the week when the weather is right we can come back…the weather wasn’t right until the morning that I was flying back home…but next time, Rio…we got you…later that night we are formally introduced to Caipirinhas…I was immediately in love…light texture and refreshing drink, a hint of lime and will creep up on you…we sit outside on the corner of an intersection watching all the passersby’s…you could feel that this was gonna be a great trip…Cope was already trying to think about how he could move there lol…we made plans for everything that we wanted to do while we were there…we did the best we could but Rio is gigantic…you literally need a month just to get a full experience and you still wouldn’t be able to check everything off of your list…our favorite activity though…as always…visiting the people…Rocinha…is a favela near Barra da Tijuca…its safe to visit with a tour guide and during the day…the guide informs you that you can only take pictures at certain times and in certain places…the guide will tell you when and when not to…the gangs do run the favela but they don’t mind tourists coming to visit…their only rule for everyone is “no stealing”…the route to the top of the favela is steep and long…we hop on the back of motorcycles that seem like they are struggling to get us up the hill…when we reach the top we see how huge the favela is…there is no exact count on how many people live there…its estimated to be a couple hundred thousand in just this one…the streets don’t have names…the mailman drops all the mail in sporadically placed mailboxes and the residents have to sort through them…I imaging that your mail is always in the same area but still…that was crazy to me…it looked like a maze…the favela pretty much had it’s own economy…the views were stunning…the people were friendly…the music…capoeira…fresh meats being grilled…I always feel grounded around the people…Brazilian Steakhouses…the finest cuts of meats…caipirinhas…frozen acai…and Cope’s favorite fresh squeezed juices and soursop…there is a fresh juice stand on practically every corner in Rio…and this dude had to go to the same one everyday…a couple of times a day…and never remember exactly how to get there…we walked around one night for at least an hour trying to find this particular juice bar again…passing by at least 10 others just like it…I can’t be too mad at him…we I have my heart set on something I can be just as persistent…The Selaron Staircase in the tourist haven of Lapa was beautifully designed by Jorge Selaron in 1947…it’s a hotspot for tourists and locals alike…it’s also where Snoop Dog and our fellow 757 brethren, Pharell Williams of the legendary “Neptunes” music group, shot the video for “Beautiful”…a really dope experience!!! A little history of the staircase (https://freewalkertours.com/selaron-staircase/)More tattoo…I got the tattoo of Heru on my inner forearm reimagined into 3D…and on the backside of my fore arm, I got Djehuti/Thoth…added some decorative hieroglyphics and cracks in the background to give it the feeling of carvings on an ancient wall…my artist…@marcobrandaotattoo was very detailed and did remarkable work…thoroughly researched pictures and made his own improvisations…I’d trust him with any assignment…Cope got some work done on his chest done by @RicardoKing7tattoo…amazing artist as well…if you’re in Rio and want some work done…don’t go anywhere other than @king7tattoo. On our final night, we sat down on Copacabana beach at our new “favorite bar”…ordered the signature caipirinhas and talked about how perfect this city is…a young man came walking along selling candy…we didn’t really want any sweets but considering we were leaving the next day we decided to give him the remaining Brazilian Real (the currency of Brazil) that we had…we knew we probably wouldn’t exchange…I always have left over currency from places I visit…we gave it to him and he was elated…in all it might have amounted to $50 or $75 USD…but he had a look on his face like he had hit the jackpot…in truth that money might have fed his family for the week or longer…his expression tugged on both of our heartstrings…Cope in particular, was overcome with emotion…as hard as he is…he’s also very passionate and sensitive…so am I but I have mastered the poker face…that can be a gift and a curse…we took about a picture with the young man…he was probably about 12 or 13…walked back to our Airbnb…made sure we had everything in order for the night…and shut it down…
LUX Rio 08 2 bedroom in Copacabana Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hosted by Alexander
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/29975605?source_impression_id=p3_1722537236_P3fpwOIILxTC6uSE
Rocinha Favela Tour
Hotel Nacional Rio de Janeiro
https://www.hotelnacionalriodejaneiro.com/
Stay TripPen Travel 