wonderfull city (Rio de Janeiro)

Member Name: vascovi

Product:	Rio de Janeiro
Date:	05/07/06 (243 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Food, cenary, womens, what do you whant more

Disadvantages: Price, Polution on the sea

This was my first time at Rio de Janeiro, i arrived at night with a couple of friends, we asked for a guide and there it was whating for us at the airport, a small japonese lady named Missa, We found that lady was the best guide we ever saw in all trips we made until know, why, well she explain you the real rio de janeiro and the Virtual rio, she told us were we could go with no problem, what whater, even the make of the condom. After a 30minuts of road to the hotel i arrived. We stayed at the new Martinique Hotel, new because it had been open 6 month after we arrived, the location was paralel to the Miramar hotel, on copacabana.
The cheakin was easy, the normal passport deliver, and the key on our hands. Next thing was to take a shower and go for dinner, so we run to our rooms, and they were very good, still smelling new wood. the location coulnt be better, we had the view of copacabana beach from our roon and payed almost half the price of Miramar that is on atlantic avenue, in from of the beach, we also got very happy when we hear the coments of my sister that stayed at that hotel(mirramar) she told us that his room smell like 100 years and the hotel was very old, you should image our face of happyness for making the choice of Martinique.
About half a hour we meet at my sister hotel and drink a champanhe ,gift of the hotel as welcome. After that we whent to a restaurant on the atlantic avenue and eat, the magic was in the air, no it wasnt the food (it was good) but the small group of brazilien that start to play samba at the street.
To digest the food we walk a little throug the avenue there was a small traditional fair, with capoeira and national suvenirs, we even when to the beach, we found no loss of segurity felling. That was the first night and we are tired of the 12 hours airplane trip from portugal.
In the morning we wake up at 8am, because we had booked with the same guide a excursion to the maracana stadium, cristo rei, pão de açucar and a free rodizio lunch.
We arrived at the statium and the day was very very hot, its a harm diferent from Portugal because im used to high temperatures but the whater in the air is heavy so its more hard to resist the heat (take a botle of water with you ...a big one), i was not very impressed with the stadium, maybe because we have new mega stadiums at Portugal ( made for the euro championship), but the felling of being there was good, you also had the view from the favela of rosinha( is a Brazilian shantytown or slum) big very big, then we go to the van in direction of the Pão de açucar, the city of rio de Janeiro is diferent of all i have seen in the world the main thing you notice is that you feel that the jungle is invading the city not the contraly that we found i our citys, that i thing its one of the things that makes rio so magic.
Pão de Açucar, a must to go, if you are afraid of highs that you are going to suffer, but its beutifull, after you reach the top you can see almost all rio de janeiro and with luck you can even see cristo rei.
Cristo Rei, to get there you have to take a small train that goes throug the montain and jungle to the cristo rei, the train is well guard we felt the insegurity when 3 boys were on the train rails, but the police....more like troops, jump out the train with their bullet proof jackets,by the way one of the police was a lady and a beautifull lady....
We arrived at the top after a 30 minut trip, i have no worlds to explain the view, and i whent to the eifel tower at paris a dozen of times, again you see the jungle eating the city not the vs.
At the return to the hotel and after a well served meal we stopped again, this time on the catedral of rio, a piece of art in construction diferent from all constructions i ever saw, you have to see, and the funny thing of this catedral is that all religions can practice there... to end the excursion we had to make a last stop at the carnaval autodrom, i when after the carnaval season but you still can feel the sensation of millions of people dancing and.....
At night we try the top disco recomended by our guide, oh my good, the brazil have the fame that love is on the air, that womens are ....and they deserved all the fame, at least at rio de janeiro, we feelt like food, there was so many girls...all triyng to please you, oh my good, and not just piranhas ( womens from the street ), all kind of womans, ofcourse i didnt had the change to taste because im married, but i had to get way from them!.
The 3ºday and the last for us, we had to go to Buzios, i walked at the beach from copacabana to ipanema, its very nice and i had no problem with thiefs, i dont know if because was not carring a phone or a camera ( like a turist) but i didnt feelt insegure on Rio.
Conclusion
I got in love with rio de janeiro, it as so magic in the air that you forget the crime, and all the bad thing you see on tv and get in love. I have to go there again its the feeling i got with me.
I recomend my hotel and my guide, and at least the circuit i have made.
Ofcourse i was afraid to get roubed there but, i and my friend got lucky and we didnt had any problem and didt see anyone getting roobed, so if you dont get to turist (with a camera on the shoulder or cel phones etc) than i thing you dont experience that also :)

Summary: My favorit city of the World