Omg, I love Brazil. It’s truly a country that has such a special place in my heart. Everything about it — the nature, nightlife, people just makes it so special. I particularly love the major cities has such a wide range of different ethnicities, makes for great food, culture, and me not feeling like I stick out like a sore thumb.

My experience with Brazil has always been so magical, I go in with half baked plans or not really sure what to expect, and always end up so blown away.

ITINERARY

  • March 2019 - Rio 5 Days @ Discovery Hostel

    • Great hostel, but I dropped way too much a night for the stay. 6 bedroom room for $80/night? Bleh.

    • My friend stayed at Selina Hostel for half the price, and it looked a lot nicer…

    • I had pretty low expectations going into Carnaval… knowing how over-hyped occasions like this can be but overall it was EVERYTHING I had wanted and more. Rio in particular is the perfect blend of a city I love, it’s just like how I describe Taiwan. Perfect mix of island life with the benefits of city life.

  • January 2022 NYE with MIT Sloan Friends

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HIGHLIGHTS

  • Partying during Carnaval. Wow. Carnaval, so much to say, not room to write about this! Basically for a week Rio literally shuts down (think banks closed, blocks shut down) and throughout the city there are blocos (block parties) that pop up. It’s crazy, steps turn into stages, stages pop up on monumental locations, and there’s nonstop dancing and music throughout. Some blocos are set stages and HUGE, some are smaller and impromptu, and some are moving blocos where you’ll literally walk along in a huge parade. It’s also SUPER cool because unlike other really “worldwide hype events” this is filled with locals. I really did feel like I got such an inside glimpse of Brazil after this weekend. A few helpful tips from a Carnaval survivor…

    • ATMS > Exchange Booths. ATMs actually will give you a better deal than at Exchange Booths. During Carnaval, XR will actually charge a “tourist surcharge” and instead of a 1 USD to 3.81 Real ratio, it’ll convert to a 3.4/3.3. #notworth It’s better to use a debit card and pull from an ATM (depending of course on your ATM service fee). I have a Fidelity Debit Card with ATM Fee Reimbursement. (Highly recommend for all South American travelers!)

    • Have cash on you. Card will rarely be accepted, and drinks / food will just be sold on carts. It’s easy to grab and go.

    • Participate in costumes. Glitter, tutu’s, jewel designs are among many that happen in Brazil. We didn’t pack anything (and I don’t recommend you do unless there is something you really want to wear) and instead spend ~30 min walking through areas to buy everything. My friend Gracie and I bought EVERYTHING we needed to wear for sub $15 in 20 minutes.

  • Dancing in the crowds at a Sambadrone. It was AMAZING, and such a one in a lifetime experience that you have to go to during Carnaval. Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí is a venue literally built for samba parades. It’s huge, and tbh most of the sections are more or less the same. Don’t pay more than $25 for a ticket, otherwise you are getting ripped off. They start at 10:30pm, but not worth to go until ~12am or so. We stayed until 3/4am and each hour is dedicated to a Samba School. It’s wild, and crazy to see how much pride people have.

  • Catching views at Sugarloaf Mountain (Pao De Azucar). Absolutely a beautiful view and highly recommend going at sunset. There’s a cable car that links both mountains: Sugarloaf and Morro da Urca, for a total of 4 rides and 6 minutes of cable car fun! At the mountain there’s fun bars, shops, and even a small forest at Sugarloaf. Catch the same day at Christ the Redeemer. From Christ the Redeemer you can see a view of Sugarloaf and vice-versa. Buy tickets online for 10% off and a shorter wait. No need to plan ahead, I bought mine in the Uber ride there.

    • If you’re feeling hica, you can book a 6 min helicopter flight for $80 around Sugarloaf when you get up to the mountain.

  • Feeling monumental at Christ the Redeemer. Unlike Sugarloaf Mountain, this is a bit more difficult to get to. Here’s a few ways to get up and the one I recommend:

  • Caipirinha or bust. The best Brazil’s national cocktail made with cachaça (sugarcane hard liquor), sugar, and lime. It’s great. Trust.

  • Relaxing at Copacabana and Ipanema Beach. Both beaches are excellent and filled with chic shops and great restaurants. For 10 reals (~$3) you can rent umbrellas and chairs to really relax and tan on the beach. People will come up to you and sell towels, beers, caipirinha and my favorite acai bowls. It’s amazing and recommend dedicating at least an afternoon to unwind.

  • Eating acai bowls. Wow, I love acai bowls, so much so I’m willing to pay $10 in San Francisco and San Diego to have one. Coming to the birth place of acai was incredible. Along the beach there will be small stands that sell them for $3 USD and you can have a DIY topping bar.

    • Try Tacaca do Norte for authentic acai (low sugar) and very creamy. This wasn’t my favorite, but hey… maybe I just really like sugar.

  • Catching local pubs like Boteco Belmonte. This bar is bomb, and delicious food. Tapas style, waiters will come up to you with plates of food and you can just pick off what you want from their tray. They also do an AMAZING grilled calamari. Still dreaming about this place…

  • Checking out Selaron Steps. Artist Jorge Selarón decorated these steps in Blue, Yellow, and Green (colors of the Brazil flag) from tiles with pictures from around the world. Eerily, he was found dead on these same steps in 2013. Kind of weird to visit as a bloco was happening on it.

  • Spending so much QT with some amazing people. Best part of traveling is getting to spend time with friends. Brazil was great because I got to spend time with Gracie’s journalism friends (Ana, Tomas) and Uber friends/ friends of friends… (Gracie, Blake— one of the first people who interviewed me at Uber, and Jerry!). I say this a lot, but probably not enough… it’s always the people that make the place.

    • & slightly related… but Really cheap drunk food. I bought a whole pizza + 4 beers for 10 people for $10, a box of stir-fry noodles for $2 (from a lady who spoke Chinese and gave me free water!), and $1 hot dog with quail egg. Bless this wonderful world we live in where drunk food is so cheap.

  • Visiting a favela. This is a bit more controversial, and I encourage anyone who does visit a favela to go with a tour group that donates or supports the favela they tour. Coming to Brazil, I was super nervous how dangerous it was, and visiting a favela really opened my eyes. I went in the morning with a certified tour group and felt completely safe. I’m also glad that tour guide lived in that favela, and I had an opportunity to see the neighborhood through his eyes.

    • A bit more info… Favelas are urban spaces (usually built on hills) that don’t have much regulation in terms of electricity, sanitation, running water, or tax. Because most homes within a favela don’t have an address, they don’t pay property tax. Electricity is made by many electricians being bribed to “rejigger” wires into homes.

    • My philosophy on traveling remains: no matter where you go, if you really want to understand the culture you can’t be afraid to really fully explore.

 

lowlights

  • Finding the entrance to the Sambadrone. It’s such a huge venue I ended up walking around for an hour with Gracie, Blake, and Jerry to find the entrance.

  • Weird tour guide at Favela Walking Tour. This place had AMAZING reviews, and while I’m really glad I went, I felt like the tour guide was a bit questionable. (Being a tour guide myself, I have weirdly high expectations though.)

FOR NEXT TIME

  • Jardim Botanico. It looks so pretty!

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