It’s all about Rio in 2016, with or without the chopper. Picture: Gustavo Wittich
A NEW year brings many things: the hangover, the rapid evaporation of your dreams of a “better you” and months of work stretching ahead. That’s why it’s time to start thinking about your next holiday, the plan you can cling to when all others fail.
And the number one place to be this winter is Rio de Janeiro, which will host the world’s biggest event from August 5-21, when the Olympics roll into town.
While there are serious concerns over the toll the Games could have on Brazil’s finances, it’s now in everyone’s interest for them to be a success, and tourist dollars could save the country from disaster.
Tickets for major events start at $30 and a dose of vibrant Brazilian culture is exactly what most Australians need to brighten up our shortest days. Here’s why this could be the best decision you made in 2016.
You won’t be looking at your book on Ipanema Beach.
Catch some capoeira. Picture: Gustavo Wittich
Play frescobol at the Copa. Picture: Gustavo Wittich
START ON THE SAND
Rio is rightly famous for its buzzing Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, but there’s much more to this city. Start by the water to soak up the atmosphere and go from there.
Choose the stretch of Ipanema Beach that best represents you (there are favoured spots for families, the gay crowd, hipsters, the party set, etc) grab yourself a deckchair from a beach bar and order a cocktail or a coconut.
The people-watching is unparalleled. Whether it’s girls in bikinis (toplessness is a no-go), guys in tiny shorts grooving to music, or vendors offering you every product under the sun, no one here looks at their holiday reading.
Heave yourself from your seat for the affordable sandwiches (avoid the shrimp) and to watch men in budgie-smugglers playing fast-paced frescobol (beach tennis) and mixed groups tackle high-powered volleyball/football hybrid futevolei.
The Games are this year’s hottest ticket. Picture: Gustavo Wittich
Art and culture burst from every seam of the city streets.
THE SPORT
The city’s beach action offers just a hint of Brazil’s sporting prowess, with the young boys and girls who show off dazzling footwork in the evening on Copacabana beach making way for the Games’ party hub this August.
Brazil intends to use the Olympics to build on its legendary football skills, so it’s building slick new venues around the Olympic Village in Barra that will become public pools and athletics training centres after the event. Football fans will get their fix when the iconic Maracana stadium hosts the finals, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, while a third location, Deodoro, will host hockey, shooting and equestrian events.
Visitors will get to work up a sweat too, hiking up Leme Fortress rock mountain for the view, jogging by the waterfall in Tijucas Forest or dancing their way to an Ipanema beach bod.
Rio’s food scene is charmingly esoteric. Try Aprazivel to live out your tree house fantasies. Picture: Gustavo Wittich
Lose track of time as you watch the bands, and the walls, at the quirky Rio Scenario.
ELECTRIC NIGHTS
Eating, drinking and dancing the night away is something Brazilians do with flair. Meat-lovers will be in heaven at the up-market buffet at Churrascaria Palace or barbecuing their own at the table with a chopp beer in Bar Garota, where the song The Girl from Ipanema was conceived.
There’s an esoteric mix of cuisine on offer, from bohemian Moroccan-Asian fusion at Zaza Bistro to perching atop the city at Aprazivel for a gourmet feast and homemade cacacha — the must-try lethal local alcohol distilled from sugarcane and used in the country’s classic cocktail, the caipirinha.
Work your way through the bars of Ipanema and Leblon, and head to Lapa to try the Samba, the Afro-Brazilian dance synonymous with carnival, or simply share beers and burgers at a hipster bar. There’s nightly live music at the quirky Rio Scenarium or party into the small hours at00 (Zero Zero) and Fosfobox.
Rio is now packed with beautiful Airbnb listings, like Anna’s in bohemian Santa Teresa. Picture: Gustavo Wittich
The Escadaria Selaron (Selaron Steps) are covered in colourful tiles from across the world. Picture: Gustavo Wittich
CULTURAL
The rich history and culture is, of course, the most appealing element of the city. Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain are the most towering of the tourist sights, although packed with crowds, but the hidden gems offer even greater appeal.
Art lovers will adore the eclectic mosaic of tiles that covers the stairs Escadaria Selaron, the space-age Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum and the hip, shopping district of, Santa Teresa. Watch some capoeira, a dramatic dance-fight invented by slaves who wanted to spar without their bosses knowing, or attend a food-making class to create your own Brazilian delicacies.
Don’t stay at a hotel — there aren’t nearly enough to go around during the Olympics, anyway. Instead, choose one of the city’s many stylish Airbnbs, where you can soak up genuine carioca hospitality. The homesharing site has made a concerted push to help more locals become hosts, with 80,000 beds now available in Rio — more than in all of Australia. Airbnb has been such a hit in the city since the World Cup that architects are increasingly designing homes with an extra room for renting, some with separate entrances.
Pacified favelas are now packed with shops, bars and hotels. Picture: Gustavo Wittich
Rio’s ‘cariocas’ are famous for their hospitality. Picture: Gustavo Wittich
The city’s favelas are its heart, cascading down from the hills. Picture: Gustavo Wittich
Another way to experience the “real Brazil” is to stay in one of the safer favelas, the slums that are the heart of Rio, scattered over the spectacular green hills that rise out of the city. Those in the south zone, such as Vidigal and Dona Marta, have been “pacified”, and burst with attractive hotels and hostels, lively bars and cafes serving traditional food such as feijoada, a bean and meat stew. Be sure to visit a favela, even if you’re staying somewhere more luxurious.
It is the people living here for whom the success of the Olympics is most crucial.
This reporter travelled courtesy of Airbnb.
Flights to Rio de Janeiro from Australia in August cost from $1300 return.
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