City of God or how to fulfill your dream
Well, finally I decided on this trip, I realized that I could not wait any longer. And the trip exceeded all my wildest expectations! We flew in transit through London with British Airways. The flight lasts 11 hours, only the presence of an extensive film library in each monitor smooths it out.
We arrived in Rio late in the evening, ordered a taxi. It turned out not cheap, like in St. Petersburg from the airport - 1800 rubles.
We booked two apartments - studio apartments 5 minutes walk from Copacabana beach - on Ronald de Carvalho street. The owner, Ronaldo, is a hospitable and honest Brazilian who owns 4 apartments that he rents out to tourists. The apartment has everything you need for a comfortable stay - a bedroom and a mini living room with a sfoyo and a dining table. In the bedroom there is a double bed, a large chiffoner (namely a chiffoner, not a closet), a plasma panel, internet, a balcony, cabinets. All sockets are adapted for devices that are used in Russia.
Small kitchenette and shower.
A multi-storey building with a concierge who knew us on the second day like family. Under the house - a fruit shop, a bunch of cafes and restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies, exchangers and bus stops. Everything is within walking distance.
An apartment for 10 days cost us 18.000 rubles.
We went to see almost all the sights on our own - by public transport or taxi. The Brazilians are very friendly, explaining in detail how to get there in a mixture of Portuguese Spanish and clumsy English. The abyss will not give)
We went to the favelas with a guide, who handed us over to the guide - a local boy from the favela, 22 years old, Bet. I expected more from a walk in the favelas. But she only took us through a couple of streets that offer a beautiful view of the city and the favelas. He forbade taking pictures of people and generally said that without permission, do not take pictures of the streets. Only where he says. The tour cost us inexpensively in comparison with prices in travel agencies - 50 reais or 900 rubles. But I expected more.
Of the new impressions, I recommend - a hang glider flight in tandem with an instructor! I tried it and it's still breathtaking! JustFly club - flights from Mount Pedra Bonita (altitude 500 m), it is located on the coast of Barra da Tijuca - across the beach after Ipanema. This pleasure costs 250 reais + 160 reais - photo and video of your flight.
During our holiday in Rio, no one robbed us, although we returned home late in the evening and walked in Lapa and Rio. When I was traveling to Brazil, I thought that I would not leave the house after 7 pm. But of course I did not carry all my money with me, the card was always in the suitcase. The camera is only on excursions and always in a small purse. By the way, the owner of the apartment immediately told us that if you act like a victim - look around, hold your bag close to you, you will be robbed. Be at ease, less bags and money, and no one will touch you. And of course not to be distracted, we still felt sometimes that we were being watched by local ragamuffins, but we joined the police or went into shops if we felt tense.
