Rio - the city of dreams?
Hello new travelers to Brazil!
In order not to take up your precious time with ahs and ohs how great it is to write, they decided on the merits.
For many summers, they planned to go south by car together. But all the same. Either a small child, or a dacha with mushroom places appeared. So our domestic south disappeared somehow by itself. And here's a gift! Yes, even a silver wedding. It happened! True, not here, but in Brazil, but so what? ! Let it go. The main thing is that tickets for Air France are discounted, and the vacation time more or less coincided.
Perhaps, our report will seem financial to someone, but this was exactly what was missing in the preparation of our trip. What world masterpieces are there in Brazil and what kind of nature is there - scrap information! And here we can master it....There were no problems with the visa either. Two passports were provided, a hotel reservation in Rio for 2 days of arrival and a day of departure, 3700 rubles and that's it! One day - delivery, three days - receiving. Maybe it was lucky, but at the Embassy it was spent for the first time - half an hour, since we had a representative of the travel agency in front of us, and it took 10 minutes to receive it. Moreover, the presence of a second person is not necessary. But this is in our case, when the official marriage. Maybe it’s the same for others, but in the Embassy’s info, you have to pay 300 rubles for this, in my opinion.
The flight by the French pleased in terms of service. Great different from our airlines. The flight is not close. True, a big minus for us smokers - there is nowhere to smoke in the port in Paris! So the 18 hours of the road were sad. I would like to mention right away that our Aeroflot is a member of the international alliance and out of four flights Moscow-Paris-Rio-Paris-Moscow, the last one landed on Aeroflot, which is not great at all, although the plane was half empty and new. Not great, because you know the service yourself, and our backpacks from Paris were not loaded, so on the 31st we had to get them ourselves. ATTENTION! In Rio, at check-in it is better to say SEVERAL times that the final destination is Moscow.
So, the report itself. They decided to divide it into chapters so that everyone reads only what interests him.
Chapter one - HOTELS.
They did the right thing by ordering the arrival and departure via the Internet. It turned out that it is much cheaper than on the spot. Our 4-ka cost 150 bucks on the spot, on the Internet for a month of reservation 40. But it was found on the principle of budget, although it is located with windows on Capocabana, the first line of the "Oceano Copacabana Hotel" (oceanohotel. com. br). The period of stay also matters. We waited 4 days for confirmation of the reservation on December 28, but on the 13-14th it came right away. During the first walk in the nearest lane, they found the same one for 20-ku. Hotel Lido 3-ka "Lido Hotel" And in the center of Rio, though not by the ocean, I met a nice hostel for 9 with free internet. 3!!!
In general, during the 18 days of moving to the south of Brazil, we realized one thing, that the appearance of the hotel or the house does not at all correspond to the price tag. That is, more luxurious conditions are sometimes much cheaper than outright garbage dumps. Next, we give all the email addresses of the townships and hotels where they stayed or came across advertising.
The cost of the hotels and houses where we stayed was from 70 to 140 reais. The course for the duration of our trip was 1.8. Trade is appropriate. As a rule, the house has a small kitchen and includes a cafe - this is a Brazilian breakfast consisting of juice, coffee-tea-cocoa, a thin piece of ham and cheese, fruit and sometimes cereal. There were also apartments for 30 for two, but a block type - a toilet, a shower for two rooms. Campsites are quite common. We don’t know how much, because everyone lives in tents there. Own or not is unknown. A long washbasin like in a Soviet pioneer camp and probably the same toilet. Didn't go inside. Perhaps this is also of interest to someone.
Lyrical digression. One of the estates on Rosa Beach belonged to a former hippie couple. In general, the beach is amazing. We will write in detail in the BEACHES section. We had a half dune dune bungalow overlooking the ocean with a hammock on the balcony. MIRACLE!
ATTENTION! With independent movement, and God forbid, it is better to stop and accommodate during the season before five o'clock in the evening, since by the evening most of the owners are already leaving, and the guards do not solve anything. They have everything locked up. So, in order not to stay on the street for accommodation, choose daylight hours.
Chapter two - MONEY.
Guys - J%! There are still exchange offices in Rio, but they do not work on weekends. Can be exchanged at the hotel or withdrawn from the card at an ATM. But according to the villages we rummaged through... ATMs are not always available. There are no changers. There are no banks. Of course, you can pay by card everywhere. But cash is always needed. Once they were even forced to stop by the big city of Kutiruba, the capital of the state of Parana. We ran! Even in the Bank of Brazil, not all branches change. And the main office is officially open until 16:00, but at 15:30 no operations are performed anymore. Just in case. The Italia shopping center has two changers on the first and second floors. Here is the address: Shopping Italia R. Marechal Deodoro, 630
Local CATEGORICALLY do not take dollars. Only once, in a completely remote village on Florianopolis, on the very mountain, where apparently no tourist had set foot, the owner agreed to take any currency. REPEAT!!!!!! ! Pausada on the very top of the mountain, from where to the beach on deer, cost almost the same as on the very shore of the ocean. BE CAREFUL! DO NOT SET IN THE FIRST ONE YOU HAVE! NEARBY CAN BE BETTER AND CHEAPER!
Chapter Three - BEACHES.
That's what we've seen enough, so it's the beaches. In general, the impression was that the road to the south (not along the highway, but along the BR-101) was solid beaches. The ocean, unlike Rio, is unusually warm and gentle. The beaches are so diverse that you need to be a professional to describe them. There are with a huge ocean wave, there are calm ones, like in a village pond. Sand from white to black. From fine as flour to coarse as bath salt. Beauty is indescribable! When traveling by car, you can choose for every taste. The only remark is that on Rosa Beach all the estates, with the exception of Rosa Sul, which we have already mentioned, where the owners are former hippies, are located on the mountain. So to the beach you have to chop from the mountain, and then uphill. We chose the most deserted. But a couple of times they got to Sochi. For example, in Bombinhas. Developing the theme of the beach, just the tongue itches to share the amazement that people who live by the ocean can't swim. For 18 days, if you saw 5 people floating, then good. Basically, they stand waist-deep in water or sit on folding chairs under umbrellas that they bring with them. Funny! Well, okay, where the wave is not particularly swim. But with 100% transparency and calmness, adult men are waist-deep??? ? Boards are interesting too. Everyone walks with them, they carry them on trunks in covers... And there are only a few floating on them. So... Sometimes they will ride on the belly and that's it! As a rule, they stand in the water with a board under their arm and, like, wait for the right wave. Miracle!
Chapter Four - FOOD.
We are not super gluttons, so there will be little information. The address of Churrascaria Carretao Lido in Rio is Rua Ronald de Carvalho No. 55AeB. Much has been written about them. To date, 36 reais per person without drinks. They came across 40 each. The fish was never found. In the feeders on the weight of the price and range is different. We came across from 2.69R per 100 grams. For two with juice around 25R. If you find yourself in a frank hole where there is no menu not only in English, but also in Portuguese, then we hasten to reassure you, they know everything about beef, salad and capirinha. Russian is perceived in the same way as English. Shrimps are called KOMARAO. They are really small, but not frozen. There was an idea to make a picture book with your favorite dishes, laminate it and take it with you.
Chapter Five - LANGUAGE.
Read the reviews and got a little carried away. English is not quoted. We don't know Portuguese. Come on! We always have a universal translator - the good old calculator. He helped us out as always. Moreover, we did not plan to conduct philosophical conversations with them. And to settle for the night and eat, a calculator is enough. Of course, we learned the word UBRIGADU. THANK YOU in Portuguese.
Chapter six - PEOPLE.
In many respects I agree with the authors of Internet reviews. Very friendly. They try to help, although there was one case when no one responded. It will be in the MUST READ section. One aboriginal took us around the city, albeit a small one, to show where the ATM was located. In everyday life, they are a little slow, like all southerners. We watched with interest for half an hour as four men collected two umbrellas, 4 chairs, a table and a bicycle from the beach. It makes no sense to describe. Everything must be seen or shown in faces. HALF AN HOUR!
But the attitude of the authorities to the citizens is worthy of imitation. In each small town - semi-village where we stayed, small houses were built on New Year's Eve, where Santa Claus sat, and you could take a picture with him for free. Later, he drove with a cortege through the streets of the town and the people rejoiced. Why don't our local officials organize something like that. After all, not everyone can buy a ticket for a Christmas tree in the Kremlin, and so the children came up and received congratulations from Santa Claus. Their parents took pictures. Everyone is happy.
Chapter seven - ROADS.
3200 km. mountain serpentine is not a joke! We did it! Hooray! Virtually no adventure or trouble. The biggest trouble was - a breakdown of the wheel! But it's not fatal! Although the roads in some places are simply "miracle". But prudent Brazilians organize tire shops in abundance along such sites. Our most shabby workshops are super car services by comparison. Replacing the spare tire with used tires cost 30R. The roads are partly just WOW! But you can ride. Further features of the relationship between drivers and signs.
Toll roads. When looking for an exchanger, we decided to stop by Curitiba, the capital of the state, deviated from the route and, as a result, ran into a toll road. Virtually no difference from the usual. Restriction for cars 100-110 km/h, trucks 80-90 km/h, there is one more lane in the same direction. A few nuances of behavior on the roads: - "there are no bulls. " Most of the roads are one lane in one direction, but surprisingly the average speed at the crossings was 80-100 km/h. Everything is simple, if it is necessary to turn to the left, the drivers took to the right, let the flows pass in passing and oncoming traffic, and only after that they turned.
Give way: - blink your headlights like a victim, there is no need to sit on your tail, at a distance of 100-50 meters (depending on the speed, you just need to turn on the left turn signal - "I want to overtake, like : )" - it works... inferior. In general, the people are polite, but the speed limit is observed as we do....In the mountains: - Additional lanes appear on the slopes and a sign for freight transport - "Your lane is on the right" and, after all, they rebuild immediately and crawl uphill. They don't like races like "overtaking"... In the Cities, traffic jams are no worse than in Moscow, but if necessary, it is enough to change lanes by waving a pen through the window, or as standard with a turn signal, they let you through immediately. No one sticks their face in the eye of a needle, they did not meet boors.
Ferries. On the section # 227; o Vicente - Bertioga ran into the lack of a road - PAPROM, when navigating, I used Destinator 6 and maps of Brazil and Rio. In general, the program works, the area knows about 80 percent. Periodically it loses the road and starts to yell heart-rendingly "turn around", but it really helped. And so the navigator brought to the first ferry "some strange road" strange because we immediately entered the ferry... bypassing the cashier, however, a freebie. Having passed through the nature reserve, we got on another ferry, they paid there.
Chapter Eight - Rio De Janeiro
About Rio, written-rewritten. Therefore, specifically From the airport to the hotel on Capocobana, bus number 2018 for 6 R. It makes no sense to buy a survey of the city, as well as to climb Corcovada by train through the park. If the car is already rented, then for 5R (against 36 per person on the train) you can drive along the serpentine and see everything. Their vaunted Tijuca Park is nothing compared to the mountains and views you'll see when you take the BR-101 south. Some creepy plaster figures of animals. Naturally, not a single one is alive, although the guidebook promises a lot of wild monkeys and viewing platforms for photographing. Bullshit! There were two stops of a minute and a half. Dark people! There is really no chance to take a picture, so the Portuguese version of Christ made a greater impression. Although the bottom is impressive.
To Corcovado, bypassing exorbitantly and unreasonably expensive excursions, you can get from any beach on buses 584.583 for 2.1R. Transport is quite expensive. If you are in the center, then bus 497 goes there from the aqueduct. Scheduled excursion on an old tram to the mountain of artists -??? ? There are not even words for what they want to get our 20 dollars. The fare on it costs 0.6R. He stops to the left of the business center, which is next to the Cathedral of San Sebastian. From Copacabana you can take the metro for 2.4 per trip, the Cinelindia metro stop. It makes no sense to take it for 10 trips, since the price does not decrease. But if you take the metro and the bus (they also have such routes), then the metro-bus to the beach can be traveled for three rubles.
Unfortunately, on the day of arrival and the next day in Rio it was raining, maybe that's why the impression is not very good. Although there were also two sunny days before departure, I was still not impressed. On the beach, one people and garbage. No "dental floss" on the super models was massively observed. The people are all fat (VERY! ) and normal. Athletes are also present, but the belly and not frail even among them. The ocean is icy. The heat is unbearable, and it's cold to swim. At least buy a baby watering can like locals and pour yourself on the shore. In general, for those who are not a fan of "stone bags" it is better to take a minimum of time in Rio. Rio is an expensive city. For 4 days of stay, a thousand dollars went as well as for two weeks of travel to the south, with payment for housing, refueling the car and food. Although it is quite comparable with Moscow prices.
Chapter Nine - A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE!
It's no secret that the main theme of all reviews about Rio is banditry. On arrival we met a Russian lady - the diplomat's mother. She flew in transit to her son in Brasilia. She warned that it was better not to go to Copacabana in the evening, as she and her diplomat son were robbed at knifepoint at two o'clock in the afternoon. We took note of the information, but since it rained all two days upon arrival in Rio, we ran to the beach only in the morning to take a picture by the ocean. Upon arrival, because we accidentally returned to Rio on the 27th, and not on the 28th of December, and it was hot, we still went to the beach in the evening. The people are dark. Children, lovers, single girls. Before the New Year, they apparently have something like Christmas time and they tell fortunes - they throw flowers into the ocean and put candles on the sand. Everything is illuminated by spotlights, as in Luzhniki. The windows of the cool hotels overlook the beach. And no one is going to rob anyone. We are already mentally prepared that since you are at Copacabana in the evening, you will be robbed, until two in the morning we walked and scolded everyone who scared us so much. They also giggled vilely that they only rob the mothers of diplomats. On the last evening, having gone nuts from the densely populated beach and icy water, we went to a shurskaria and decided to smoke on the beach. SMOKED! The sportsman runs, says something in Portuguese. We thought he wanted to shoot a cigarette, but he refused. Then we assumed that it was a gunner, because after 5 minutes two more “athletes” ran up to us and STARTED ROBBYING! Everything looked like in a bad performance and it was not at all scary, as the robbers calmed down all the time and said that everything was in order, just give the money back. Since they did not take money or anything of value with them, they were told so. They didn't believe it. Reptiles! They tore our combat bag, in which there was nothing but cigarettes, lipstick and a flask of whiskey. Sorry for the bag. In Spain, the robbers strayed twice in it, but they did not find anything. And this bastard broke. What for? Scary - not scary, but going to the beach, probably, is really not worth it in the evening. That's all our warning. Do not anger God and do not laugh at those who warned you. Here we are giggling. Although it's still great. All in full - and Corcovado, and Capocobana and robbery! And yet, if this training knife were pochikali it would not be great. BUT! In the chapter PEOPLE, I promised to describe all this. Either I didn’t squeal expressively enough, or it’s a common thing with them. Not a single dog even turned around. And on the eve of something and the police went along the beach and the darkness of the people. Or maybe the stars just aligned.
For renting a car ordered from Moscow via the Internet, 790 dollars were paid for 14 days. They returned the day before the sorokovnik was not returned. Read the contract CAREFULLY. It was necessary to warn about early return two days in advance, then they would have returned it. But we still got revenge on them. The rubber on the spare tire is "bald". And one disk slightly pokotsaly. The car was not washed before delivery. So they recaptured their native sorokovnik.
For three days of the hotel (two arrivals, one departure) from Moscow via the Internet 134 dollars.
For accommodation in hotels and houses for 14 days and 1 (erroneous arrival in Rio a day earlier before departure) - $ 796. There wasn't much bargaining anywhere. Twice, with a slight pressure, we were given significant discounts. But this is for those who can. Usually paid as much as requested.
Refueling the car with alcohol - $ 247. Further south, the price of fuel increases.
Travel expenses (toll roads, ferries, tire puncture) - $39.
Only 2006 dollars without flights.
The prices are given for the period from 13 to 29 December 2007.
We wish you interesting travels and safe adventures.
Lena, Oleg.