I'm in RIO!

Copacabana beach

I have wanted to visit Rio for years and years and years.  It was on my 'places to go before I die' list.  So I was super-excited to come here.

However, thus far I'm actually not as impressed as I thought I'd be.  The mountains are beautiful, the beaches are great, some of the architecture is lovely etc etc, but there's some magic thing that I'm not getting yet.  I'm holding off on final judgement because I haven't explored all the sites I want to see yet, but everyone went on and on about how amazing this place is and it just...isn't, so far.

I was told it was really beautiful, I've actually seen prettier.  They could have done a hell of a lot more with the beaches and the seafront in general - there's hardly any shade.  A lot of the stunning art deco buildings in Copacabana have either been replaced with ugly square monoliths or the ones that are there are left to rot.  It's sad.  Someone told me Rio "doesn't smell" (I haven't noticed many bad smells in SP tbh) - I can tell you quite confidently that it definitely does.  The people are not that friendly.  My mum tripped on an uneven patch of pavement the other day while she was out with the dog, fell flat on her face, and not one person offered to help her up.  To illustrate my point, she dropped her sunglasses in the middle of a pedestrian crossing on Avenida Paulista (in Sao Paulo) once when the lights were changing to green and every single lane of traffic (all 3 of them) waited for her to pick up them up.

The lack of friendliness may be down to the local population being sick to death of tourists.  I know I hated them when I lived in London, so if that's it I can understand how they feel.

But before any Brazilians (or anyone else for that matter) jump on my back about being a negative bitch, I've got plenty of exploring to do in Centro and elsewhere, plus I haven't been up Corcovado (where the Christ is) or Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain) yet so I'll probably stop complaining soon.  The landscape is stunning, I'll give you that.  Plus I'll be going back to the Botanical Gardens for a daytrip because they were just delightful.

We're also planning a daytrip to Petropolis, which I've heard good things about - it was the Imperial City or something.

And I need to go out clubbing.

Anyway, I'm glad I decided to settle in Sao Paulo: a) the atmosphere is nicer and b) Rio is much more expensive when you compare like-for-like.  Seriously, we were in the poshest, most central part of town in SP (Jardim Paulista) and the property prices there are a fraction of what they are in Rio (Ipanema).  AND getting basic food from the supermarket is about 25% more expensive.  I have no idea how the Cariocas (people who are from Rio) get by.

I am really enjoying the holiday atmosphere - people are definitely laid back and relaxed here and I'm really unwinding quite nicely.  My time in Sao Paulo has been incredibly stressful on all fronts, and I need the break.