Blog of the Morning Calm

Rocking In Rio

Our final few weeks in Brazil ended with a bang... followed by many more bangs, all in time with each other in a way that could be described as musical. A huge music festival called Rock in Rio hosted an amazing send off for us, during out last few weeks in this amazing country. The festival isn't like an English festival where people camp outside in the rain and get muddy and don't shower and do a lot of drugs to make up for a lack of sleep. No not at all. Tickets for Rock in Rio are sold as single day tickets and we managed to get our hands on some for two different days. The headliners on the very first day of the festival were Queen, fronted by Adam Lambert, and they were fantastic. Adam Lambert had a lot of charisma on stage and it was an impressive performance from the rest of the band as well. It was just amazing being at an event where tens of thousands of people were singing along to Queen songs.

Our mate Brian

We also saw One Republic who were pretty decent, although neither of us are big fans. One of the more interesting parts of the night was a tribute to the fact that it was the 30^th year of the festival - the main stage showcased some music that had been played throughout the years, some of which was played by bands who had actually performed at the first festival. It was mostly Brazilian music but we recognised a couple of the songs and it was great to hear. We then saw a few Brazilian artists who were very good actually – one was a tribute to a young artist who had climbed to fame and then died of a drug overdose in classic rock and roll style.

The Sunset Stage hosted a lot of Brazilian performers

Our second day at the festival was headlined by System of a Down. We have both wanted to see them live since we were teenagers, listening to them solidly for months on end. It was an unbelievable show and my voice was a little hoarse the next day at work after so much singing and only a couple of hours of sleep... A truly great performance from one my favourite bands. Chop Suey just isn't long enough as a song though... It seemed to fly by in a haze of screaming and rocking out!

The Main Stage

Supporting System were Queens of a Stone Age, who were excellent, and also Hollywood Vampires - a super group including Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp! We heard lot of music in a short space of time, as is the way with all festivals.

You can just about see Mr Depp's eyelinered face on the left there, and I think that's Alice Cooper on the right

The crowd were friendly and there didn't seem to be much of the aggression or drunkenness which one expects from a festival (in Britain anyway!)

The whole week-long event took place a ten minute walk from work, which was incredible. Being able to walk to a festival is a genuinely lovely thing to do. Rock in Rio also has its own theme song... I think more festivals should have their own song as it was a great little hook.

Oh and fireworks. Every night began and ended with a firework display and the ones we saw were awesome.

I was genuinely surprised after living in Brazil for 9 months that it was actually very well organised and was up there with the European festivals I have been to. There was also an amazing zip line that flew past the stage and was running all night. It sold out at the beginning of each day though so we didn’t get to try it... So many people were rocking out on the zip line while they shot past the bands that were playing.

We left Brazil a couple of weeks after seeing Queen and were shocked to see Brian May on the plane with us. I shook his hand and thanked him for an unbelievable show. He was polite and humble and went about his way. I bet System wouldn’t have been so polite.

"It could be epic"...well actually, it was!

This was the dance stage - we would have gone to see the performers after the headliners but weirdly, everything ended at the same time! We thought people would be raving until the wee hours but apparently not.

So much metal!

Everything was branded, even the wheelie bins!

Maracanã

It has taken me too long to visit one of the most famous football stadiums in the world considering where we have been living for the last 9 months. The Maracanã is a temple to most cariocas and home to the most popular team in Brazil, Flamengo. I had been pestering my colleagues to come join us for a game at this huge stadium (both in stature and history) for many weeks and when Pablo said he could come with us for a local derby, I was a tad excited. It turned out that Pablo had a friend working for Fluminense (another team in Rio) and he was able to sort us free tickets for the game. Free tickets make everything better.

We parked at Parque Shopping had some lunch, before taking the subway in. The carriage was filled with Flamengo supporters in their black and red stripes and the air was thick with excitement. Cariocas live for these local derbys so they can have bragging rights and create all the memes. The two teams couldn’t be in a more different place right now with Flamengo on a hot streak winning their last four while Fluminense have lost their last four. The subway goes over ground and from the carriage we got our “first” look at the stadium – first look this day anyway! It was heaving with fans and a lot of touts. There were also people selling beer and snacks before the entrance.

It still seemed possible to buy tickets from the counter at this point as there was a large queue by the office. It was a real “fila da puta”. We entered the stadium and were soon looking over this historic pitch. The amazing games that had taken place here including the recent world cup final gave this grass a presence. We arrived over an hour before kickoff and the stadium was already half full. People had begun their chanting and singing and the atmosphere was very different from a premier league game (especially one in the Emirates).

There wasn’t really a pre-match show or anything, the players just warmed up. As the match drew closer the noise grew louder. Both sets of fans were going for it singing many booming songs at full volume and it was highly entertaining as a spectator. I learnt several new Portuguese phrases that are not suitable for work.

The game itself was a sideshow to the real entertainment for a visitor like me and Katie. The crowd were very loud and the singing and cheers were deafening and slightly intimidating when you know none of the words! It’s difficult to explain but something about the stadium and experience was just very magical. I guess the history of the ground coupled with the passion of the supporters pushed the experience to a new level. What a great day, thanks a lot Pablo and your friend with the free tickets!

The Final Score

Special Edition 200th Post!

Can you believe it? 200 posts! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we thought we'd share something that will surely make you all green with envy. Because after all, what is this blog if not a way to show off how much fun we're having on our amazing travels?

Do you remember the video David made of his tiny flat in Korea? If not, you should definitely watch it again (here!) because it really is hilarious how small it was! And to think we both stayed there when my family visited for two weeks!

Anyway, our current living situation is quite different to that in Korea. By now you all know we live in Rio by the beach but since we'll sadly be leaving before anyone has the chance to visit, we made a video to show just how fantastic our current situation is. I tried to edit it down to a reasonable length but it's still a little long - stick with it though, it's worth it for the machete skills at the end!

What's Up Beaches?!

Rio de Janeiro is incredibly famous for its beaches, and there is little wonder why as they are truly sublime. This year the weather has rarely let us down and we've noticed that the average Carioca spends more time on sand than grass. This post reviews some of the wonderful beaches we have visited, giving tips and advice for visiting, as well as hopefully some ideas for when you are next in Rio.

Essential Rio Beach Terminology:

Posto

Pronounced post like in posture rather than postman. Each beach is lined with postos, which are tall lifeguard stations. They are used as location markers along the beaches, and often have toilet and shower facilities (for a fee). We have been told that along the more popular beaches certain postos are frequented by certain groups of people, meaning there is as a family zone and a gay zone etc, although in reality we haven’t really noticed the different "sections" at all.

Quiosque

Pronounced similarly to the English word kiosk. These kiosks sell more than just newspapers and sweets - they are permanent beach stalls that are normally located on the promenade with seating facing the beach. The food and drinks available range dramatically from quiosque to quiosque and beach to beach but you should definitely drink an agua de coco at every available opportunity. Oh and try an açai as well.

Barraca

Nothing to do with the President, as the rr in the middle sounds like a h. So it's more like bahaka. These are the temporary huts on the beach from which you can rent chairs, umbrellas, and often buy drinks. They are sometimes associated with a quiosque, meaning some can provide food for you right there on the sand. I recommend trying the aimpim (mandioca) frita, which is fried cassava - similar to potato for those who haven't tried it. At the barraca you generally start a tab and then pay for everything when you leave the beach. Be sure to ask in advance if you intend to pay by card, as some only accept cash.

Orla

This is the Brazilian word for the promenade, or boardwalk along the beach. Each major beach in Rio has its own unique pattern on the pavement, following an old Portuguese tradition of making pavements with black and white stones.

Copacabana (Zona Sul)

The most famous beach in the world (go on, think of a more famous one!) and for good reason. It is a gorgeous beach with lovely sand and fantastic views of the surrounding mountains, including Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf) and Corcovado (with Cristo Redentor on top). The downsides of this beach are the busyness and the safety - we have been warned by our Brazilian friends about the safety issues of the more famous beaches. They recommend not using mobile phones in public and of course not to wearing jewellery or expensive clothes – this should be considered fairly standard practice in all Brazilian cities though, not just these beaches.

Copacabana Rating

Barracas & Quiosque Availability: 5/5 - Bloody excellent variety and quality

Beach Vendors: 2.5/5 - Plenty around but they do give you a bit of hassle

Busyness: 1/5 - Rammo

Cleanliness: 2/5 - Pretty dirty

Ipanema (Zona Sul)

This beach is right next to Copacabana and is equally as wonderful. My only comment is that the quiosques aren’t to such a high, fancy standard as the ones you find in Copacabana. But then I have found no quiosques that are as nice as Copacabana (except in Fortaleza!). Leblon is also alongside Ipanema and is to a similar standard.

Ipanema Rating
Barracas & Quiosque Availability: 4/5 - Great stuff!

Beach Vendors: 2.5/5 - Plenty around but they do give you a bit of hassle

Busyness: 1/5 - Rammo

Cleanliness: 2/5 - Pretty dirty

Barra da Tijuca (West Zone)

Living in front of the longest beach in Rio has turned me from being grumpy and annoyed about sand getting everywhere, to accepting it for what it is - a permanent reminder of living in such a glorious location. It is a stunning beach and cycling along the dedicated beachfront cycle paths is something every visitor should do. We suggest you use the very cheap Itau bikes (R$10 a month) by downloading the BikeRio App (rather than using the more expensive phone service).

A lot of volleyball is played, as on all of the main beaches, and the quality of these games is very high, making them fun and interesting to watch. The quietest parts of this beach are between posto 8 and 9, which is long a stretch of beach between Barra and Recreio. You need a car to get there though, as the buses don't go that far. For us, Barra beach is our preferred place to be – it's safer and quieter than the Zona Sul beaches but with all the conveniences of the quiosques, chairs, umbrellas etc. Also the sand under my feet is so smooth and there is next to no litter. I love it.

We generally hang out by posto 5 as this is where we live and it’s quieter than some other parts. With the subway soon coming to Barra, I imagine this beach is going to get busier. But it's a great place to visit and the area around posto 2 is really lively so great in the evenings too. The bus 332 goes from Zona Sul all the way to the beach, so it's easy enough to visit even before the subway station is finished.

Barra da Tijuca Rating

Barracas & Quiosque Availability: 4/5 - Coco Loco!

Beach Vendors: 4/5 - Plenty but without the hassle of the tourist beaches

Busyness: 3/5 - Quieter than Zona Sul

Cleanliness: 4/5 - Pretty clean

Prainha and Grumari (West Zone)

We started out trip to Prainha and Grumari beaches by waking up before sunrise. With weekends rapidly running out and our must-do activities planned in every available moment, we had the arduous task of doing them all. I’m being facetious of course, it was an absolute privilege to wake up and drive to these beaches for sunrise. I had just had my stitches removed after my final wisdom teeth were pulled and we wanted to celebrate in style. My friend recommended a great view point to stop at, on the first hill as you enter Prainha from Recreio, called Mirante do Roncador. It was completely empty and the two of us took in the awesome view of the sun rising over the sleeping giant with only the sound of the crashing waves as company. The experience was truly breathtaking.

Once we decided we had seen enough of this view, we drove along the coastline, stopping at various points to take it all in. Having a car was proving to be a real delight.

As we got to Grumari at around 6am, the beach was a bit chilly so Katie had a nap in the car. I walked along the beach and soaked up the beauty. It was just me and a few surfers. But it wasn’t too long until the hoody had to come off and swimming trunks and sun cream were put on. I woke Katie up and she made it to the sand before falling asleep in the beach chair. We stayed for a few hours, with me running my toes through the sand, before driving down the coast and stopping for lunch. It was now incredibly busy by Prainha and we couldn’t stop at the restaurant we had first chosen. Grumari was still quite calm and we stopped at a restaurant there with a lovely garden where we saw this hummingbird buzzing around, which was very cool.

We then drove around the twisty steep roads and eventually came to another area called Barra da Guaratiba. We had planned to explore a beach we had only seen from above as we flew over, with its ridiculously long stretch of sand, but unfortunately it seems like this beach belongs to the military. We stopped at a nearby party beach, which was crazy busy with a loud Brazilian vibe going on. We didn’t stay long but it was another beach ticked off the list of 2095 beaches in Brazil.

Prainha and Grumari Rating

Barracas & Quiosque Availability: 1/5 Few and far between

Beach Vendors: 1/5 Just a few wanderers

Busyness: 2.5/5 Empty in the mornings but pretty busy as the day goes on, especially weekends

Cleanliness: 4/5 Pretty clean

Geriba Beach (East of Niteroi)

We recently went on an adventure along the coast running east from Rio, and during the drive we visited many beaches. We have already written about the drive and the places to stop but it’s impossible to review all the beaches separately. Instead, we will review Geriba beach, which is where we spent the most time compared to the other beaches.