Rio , There is no place like it . I have been to Rio Twice , My last trip I was there for Two Months. So I got to know a side of Rio that many people do not understand or know about.
Please understand that Rio is a portuguese speaking city , Trying to talk English to get anything in Rio is met with a polite brushing you off like you don’t exist. But Try and speak a bit of portuguese , and the locals will love you , they will help you and go out of their way. Rio is the only place in the world where i stopped a Taxi and asked to be taken to the Yacht Club , I asked in English , The Taxi driver looked me up and down and said " Nao " ( means NO ) and he drove off… I asked in portuguese the next time.
The Weather in Rio , is HOT , Humid , Sometimes Wet , never cold , And the whole culture is about looking good , been fit , been seen been fit and showing off your fit body without been vulgar. Nudity is a BIG no no , show skin , loads of skin , but dont be rude about it. And even if you are over weight , or have flabby arms , make an effort to exercise and dont hide or be ashamed of your body…
Jogging , RollerBlading Cycling Skateboarding , Volley Ball , Footy bal ( Volley Ball using your feet only ) , and age is no excuse . Get your grey hair down to the beach and give those young men a lesson.
At the Rio Universities they have a highly respected and sort after degree called Beach Engineering or Culture. Let me explain. RIO is way ahead when it comes to their beaches. Every evening Copacabana and Ipanema beaches have the top 30 cm of sand sifted and fluffed and all harmful things like cans , plastic , cigarette butts are all removed out the soil. Tractors with special soil sifting equipment very quickly sift the sand on these massive beaches.
The Atlantic Ocean that has waves crashing on Both these famous Beaches can be extremly scary. 4 Meter Shore Breaking waves , you can feel the ground ru,ble as these massive waves break on the beaches,
Copacabana Beach is the Longest Beach , stretching a whole 4 Km ( 2.2 Miles ) , there is a Rocky Outcrop with a massive fort , and a 1.5 km walk has you on the far Beach Called Ipanema and that’s 2 km .
Behind the beaches and Behind the Rows and rows of Hotels and high rise apartments is a massive Granite Mound , It looks like a Massive backbone and that is like a backbone of these beaches. And its HUGE. I think there are two spots where there are 4 lane one way tunnels that cut through these massive Hills and allow traffic to pass into the areas behind the Mounds.
Now I will tell you about how everyone is welcome and its almost somthing you need to get your head around , EVERYONE , no matter how strange or weird or old , or young , rich or poor , you need to socialise and exercise on the beaches. Its a place to be seen , and see.
If i may just point out the pattern of the Paving , that undulating curve is Copacabana Beach Pattern , and places in the city.
In the photo above you can see the paving design for Ipanema beach.
I mention this as its great to know were you are when you wake up drunk , hungover and sunburnt , at least looking at the paving you know whereabouts you are … well maybe…
Now remember i mention that university degree called Beach Technology , , the world has so much to learn from these guys. If you look in the above photo , you will see what look like lines . the showers are Portable and they are set up close to the ocean , the reason is you will want to rinse off the salt water , and when you get to the paving you will be dry. Now the genius part is , that sand is damn hot , its like lava , so the pipes that go to the showers near the waters edge have little holes in and water cools the surrounding sand and creates nice walk ways to the sea so you don’t burn your feet . How Genius is that … Brilliant
Along the Paving area spaced about 800 meters apart are Coka Cola stands. And want Wifi ? Buy a Coke , Give your phone to the person behind the counter , he or she puts in the password for the day , and while you drink your coke you get free wifi around that stand… The password changes at Random times , so just Buy a drink , get the password and enjoy , and send pictures to everyone on facebook.
You will notice poles with all sorts of Flags flying on the beach tanning areas. If you spot your countries flag , there is a very good chance you will meet fellow countryman under and around those flags.
Its just this pretty cool thing that they do , no one tells you about it , but if you want to keep away from fellow countrymen , the flags let you know where they are. Sexual diversity is celebrated and widely accepted in Rio. its not frowned looked down at. If you know anything about Gay Culture , you will know that certain Flags signal to other gay and lesbian people that this is a safe spot with loads of other gay folk. Inside the gay culture they even have special flags and colors for what ever your fetish or desires are. So there is a flag for hairy guys who like hairy guys , a Flag for Young gay men , One for older gay men , and Flags for ladies who like older ladies , and one for butch ladies , and feminine ladies. . Its an education , where once you just thought , ohh look pretty flags … Umm nope , there are reasons
And as the day starts to cool , and the sun goes down , Night time beach Volley ball games start up , the roads just near the beach walk ways are closed down , and become Pedestrian , bicycle routes , On traffic island spring up Flea markets selling paintings , hats , sunglasses and toys. There are even larger crowds in the evening , people exercise , stroll , chat and socialize. This all just happens , smoothly , no fuss , oads close , people walk , shops open , cleaners clean . .and Yes , you can by beer at many of the stalls / bars that sell Coka a Colas , and almost 24 hours a day.
Hope you enjoyed that , This is just Part 1 , I will post the next Insider view of Rio in a few days .
