Maya in Bahia: Girl from Ipanema

Dec 14th to Dec 17th

Once I realized my visa issues weren’t going to be resolved any time soon, I decided to catch the next flight to Rio de Janeiro and see a bit more of Brasil. I’m glad I did because Rio is definitely the most unique city I have ever visited. The best word I can use to describe it is wild. From the scenery to the people, everything in this city exists without boundaries.

Rio from the Plane

I spent my first few nights in Rio staying with another couple that my Dad indirectly knew. They lived out in Barra, which is a barrio a bit removed from the city, but close to some great, secluded beaches. The first beach I went to was nestled between two cliffs. In order to get to it, I had to climb down the rock face and trudge through the high tide. It was well worth the dangerous trek because the beach was something out of a postcard. It seemed like only surfers knew about, and aside from all the ants in the sand, I felt like I was in paradise

That weekend, I experienced Rio Carioca style. I met up with Desta, a friend of a friend of mine from University. Her and her boyfriend, Pierre, had moved from Belgium to Rio about two months ago, and were incredibly kind enough to show me around the city. Pierre’s cousin was also visiting from Spain for a week so they immediately showed me some of Rio´s cultural highlights. On Friday, we checked out a soul club in Lapa, the red-light and nightlife district of Rio. It was very cool to watch all Carioca walk around the neighbourhood, including several transsexuals who were definitely some of the most convincing women I have ever seen (Church street has nothing on Rio). The following day I spent the afternoon chilling on Ipanema beach at Poste 9, notoriously known as the spot where all the gorgeous people strut there stuff, as well as the place where Girl from Ipanema was written. Later that night I went to an Escola de Samba with Pierre and his cousin, where the group who had won last years carnival performed. The whole experience was amazing. People from all ages were drinking and dancing their hearts out. There was so much energy that despite the sunstroke I had received earlier that day, I was still able to dance until 3am. My paternal grandmother would have loved it!

All in all my first few days in Rio were great. I realized that despite my limited Portuguese, it was still easy enough for me to get around. People in Rio are generally nice and helpful. Even when I missed my stop in Barra the morning after partying Lapa, this family I spoke to at a gas station was kind enough to drive me home. They found me quite amusing because I was walking down the highway in midday looking confused, still wearing my clubbing clothes from the night before, with my painful stilettos in hand. I insisted that I had just stayed over at a friend’s place the night before, but they found me hard to believe. I must have looked so ridiculous!

View from my room - I got lost because a huge national park divides the Centre of Rio from Barra and it´s hard to orient yourself when taking a bus through this forest.