Rio is a mix of New York’s hustle and bustle, the lifestyle of a relaxed Mauritius, and the splendor and poverty of India. You can’t be neutral to Rio. Someone falls in love with the city, and someone hates it with all their heart. Only one thing is certain: you have to go to Rio at least once.
5 reasons to hate Rio de Janeiro
1. If you admire the clean coziness of European capitals, then Rio is not for you.
I have a mixed impression of a week in Rio. It is not clear to the end whether this is a resort or a metropolis. A woman in a pareo half-naked with an ice cream enters the elevator of an apartment building. On the street, old people play chess and read the newspaper. A meter away from them, a man eats grilled chicken and wipes his oily hands with the same newspaper, and a bum sleeps nearby.
2. If you want to relax, then this is definitely not in Rio.
In this city, you need to be on the alert! My friend and her boyfriend once decided to swim in Copacabana, leaving t-shirts with slaps on the beach. Returned – no clothes. And ice-cream seller is rapidly moving away. The guy ran after the ice cream maker, he threw the refrigerator and started off, their belongings were at the bottom of the refrigerator.
3. Introverts have to stay away from Rio!
Otherwise, the brain will explode. Brazilian temperament in principle involves communication and emotions. But that’s not all. You will never be left alone by sellers and merchants. Of course, they are far from the ones in India or Egypt, but they can easily spoil the solemn lunch.
4. Do you like to walk? – Not in Rio!
This city is not the one you can observe walking. The distances are too huge, and it’s too hot. On the first day in Rio, we decided to walk from Copacabana to the Sugarloaf through a noisy dusty center. What a mistake it was!
5. If you like peace and quiet, then Rio is completely not your place.
In January, teams participating in the Brazilian carnival hold rehearsals renting special barracks, where anyone can come to see. Compared to this spectacle, Ibiza’s nightclubs are a kindergarten. After one such night, I personally walked for several days with stuffy ears, swollen pupils and smoky lungs. And for Brazilians, this is the norm.
5 reasons to visit Rio de Janeiro
1. If you like beaches, sun, and heat, the answer is Rio.
Who has not heard of the legendary Copacabana or the elite Ipanema? Brazil has the longest beach line in the world. The life of any Brazilian partially takes place on the beach, and near the exit from the apartment, there are always beach chairs ready. But watch out in the summer in Rio (the summer in Brazil falls on the European winter months) it is very hot, sometimes even too hot.
2. If you like an active lifestyle, then Rio is the best place.
Rio is a city of contrasts, and it continues in a lifestyle: one half gets up at 5 in the morning and jogs along the Copacabana promenade. The second – hang out until morning in the Lapa area.
3. If you are a sports fan – go to RIO.
Here you will meet soul mates and will be engaged in your favorite sport for days. The beaches in Rio are one large sports sandbox, where the football field continues with a volleyball court, beach tennis, foot volley, fitness, and many other sports.
4. If you are a foodie and want to try new tastes – visit Rio.
I will write a separate article about what you should definitely eat in Brazil.
5. And finally, if you want to see exotic nature, wander through the jungle in the morning and have lunch in the city center – this all you can do in Rio.
Jungle, mountains, wild animals, beaches, waves – and all this in the urban area of Rio. Imagine what you can survive by going on an adventure to the Iguazu Falls or the Amazon!
By the way, we lived in Rio in a two-room AIRBNB apartment right on Copacabana for only 200 euros for 7 days!
