Any last min. suggestions?

[Guest coolguy]

in a few days i'll be in rio

Is there anything else that i should know?

bring some clothes with me or shop around at ipanema?

Anyone been there and just came back?

[firecat]

Hey Coolguy,

 

Just make sure you give up updates on the best men that you find and which saunas you like best etc.

[+ Axiom2001]

Coolguy, I have yet to travel to Brazil; my plan is to shoot for October. Presently I have read everything on this board, plus I have sent a myriad of questions which have (by this time) been answered by veteran travelers to this South American country.

I've also purchased books and have begun to read; I have searched various websites, namely www. Impanema.com.br. Just this morning I did a Goggle search-- more and more and more valuable information.

 

Aside from what we respondents have written to you about clothes, read what's on the www. Impanema.com.br site; it's one of those very positive "every thing you want to know" and then some sites. I'm glad that's it's here as well as this site and its very. very helpful respondees.

 

Have an excellent trip, and do plan to write a brief report for all of us to read. I wish you the best, for I too am anticipating a grand time to be had when I land on this soil in Brazil's spring.

[trilingual]

Remember, Rio is informal and you won't need a steamer-trunk full of clothes. Also, let's face it: you're a material girl, shopping is fun, and there are lots of nice shops and boutiques in Rio. With the exchange rate being what it is, clothes shouldn't be expensive, even in Ipanema. Besides, shopping for a wardrobe in Rio will help you blend in. Just cruise through the RioSul shopping mall, along the Av. Visconde de Piraja (and side streets) in Ipanema, and the São Conrado Fashion Mall (take a cab) to see what's being shown. Of course, also pay attention to what the guys are wearing! Especially the ones who hang out at places like LeBoy, and bars like Blue Angel in Copacabana and the Galeria in Ipanema. (I.e., the smart crowd.) Don't forget to buy appropriate, in-style, Rio swimwear.

 

Even though you won't want to wear anything you buy there on the streets of Rio, it's worth taking the tour through H. Stern's jewelry concern in Ipanema. (There's no obligation to buy anything and it's very low key.) H. Stern is the Tiffany's of Brazil, specializing in a dazzling variety of colored gemstones. There can be good buys, because although the prices of gemstones are set by the world market, the labor costs of cutting, polishing and setting them are lower in a country like Brazil. Also, H. Stern has branches in N.Y. and Miami, so if you ever have a problem with something you buy, you can deal with them in the U.S. and not have to try to deal with them back in Brazil.

 

So leave room in your suitcase (or bring an empty) and have fun. When you go home you'll have a great wardrobe for your next trip to Brazil. And believe me, after you've been once there'll be a next trip to Brazil, and a next, and a next. . . :-) :-) :-)

[CT Dick]

Taxi to your hotel:

 

In the middle of the international arrivals hall, there are four connected booths offering fixed price cab rides to your hotel. The first asked R49. When I went to move on to the next, she came down to R43. I was too tired to try harder.

 

Food:

 

Within a few blocks of any hotel should be a restaurant offering food by the kilo / quilo. I highly recommend trying it. Get a ticket on entry, have your plate weighed, they will mark everything on your ticket. Then, after you pay, KEEP THE STUB. You need it to leave the restaurant.

 

Breakfasts in the hotels are all amazing. They have mountains of fresh fruit.

 

Bom viagem! :-)

 

Dick

[Guest Jake]

I will add my enthusiastic vote to the "por quilo/kilo" restaurants and reiterate that of the six or eight of these I have visited, all were quite high in quality and the clear standout of them all in Rio is the Sequoria Grille on Sequoria Campos a half block off of Atlantica. OUTSTANDING!

[trilingual]

Dick has a good point about the "por quilo/kilo" restaurants: they're a godsend for single travelers. Brazilian sit-down restaurants tend to serve portions designed for two (literally) so if you're traveling alone you're always finding yourself being served far more food than you can eat. And if you aren't staying in an apartment, a doggy bag won't do you much good. At the "por quilo" places you just select as much as you want, get your plate weighed, and that's it.

 

Just to be clear about the system: you'll get a ticket when you enter. When you serve yourself, have your food weighed and have your ticket marked. You can go back to the buffet if you want more, just get a clean plate and get your ticket marked again. Same when you want dessert. For drinks, a server usually will come around to take your order, bring your drink and mark your ticket, but sometimes that's self-service, too. When you're done, take your ticket and pay at the cashier. Take the ticket, marked "paid" with you. You'll have to give this to a large, burly person at the exit in order to get out!!! :7

 

By the way, some bars and roadside bus stops work the same with tickets: you get one at entry, your consumption is marked while you're in the place, and you have to pay as you leave in order to get out. Even if you don't consume anything, DON'T lose the ticket, or you'll end up having an unpleasant scene and possibly have to pay a significant minimum charge. Fair warning!