Going to Belo Horizonte & Rio, need advice
Sep 24, 2012, 6:38 pm
#16
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 1,607
your gf being from Minas Gerais will certainly like the Milton Nascimento show:
http://www.last.fm/event/3365165+Mil...os+de+carreira
buy tickets here: http://www.vivorio.com.br/shows_detalhe.asp?ID=482
http://www.last.fm/event/3365165+Mil...os+de+carreira
buy tickets here: http://www.vivorio.com.br/shows_detalhe.asp?ID=482
Last edited by boboqui; Sep 24, 2012 at 6:43 pm
Sep 29, 2012, 6:49 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 25
Third day in Belo. Reactions:
- gotta be careful while being a pedestrian. drivers don't care about you.
- gotta be careful when driving. everybody here is a race car driver.
- so many Beetles!
- so many women!
- roads are absolutely horrible - speed bumps everywhere!
- alcohol is about 50% cheaper anywhere compared to USA.
Two more days till Rio. Still open to more suggestions
- gotta be careful while being a pedestrian. drivers don't care about you.
- gotta be careful when driving. everybody here is a race car driver.
- so many Beetles!
- so many women!
- roads are absolutely horrible - speed bumps everywhere!
- alcohol is about 50% cheaper anywhere compared to USA.
Two more days till Rio. Still open to more suggestions
Sep 29, 2012, 8:51 pm
#19
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Programs: AA / AV
Posts: 647
Nice to hear back from you. It would be interesting if you could comment on what you have done (from the suggestions here) as well as offer some other recommendations based on your experiences.
- gotta be careful while being a pedestrian. drivers don't care about you. True, unfortunately.
- gotta be careful when driving. everybody here is a race car driver. I disagree on this one. Are you US based? Drivers there are too slow . . .
- so many Beetles!
- so many women!
Behave yourself, or the rest of your trip will be w/o GF!
- roads are absolutely horrible - speed bumps everywhere! True, I hate them, even more so than the also ubiquitous craters (at least the craters were not put on the roads intentionally)
- alcohol is about 50% cheaper anywhere compared to USA. Only Cachaa, Choppe and Beer, higher grade alcohols will be more expensive
- gotta be careful when driving. everybody here is a race car driver. I disagree on this one. Are you US based? Drivers there are too slow . . .
- so many Beetles!
- so many women!
Behave yourself, or the rest of your trip will be w/o GF!- roads are absolutely horrible - speed bumps everywhere! True, I hate them, even more so than the also ubiquitous craters (at least the craters were not put on the roads intentionally)
- alcohol is about 50% cheaper anywhere compared to USA. Only Cachaa, Choppe and Beer, higher grade alcohols will be more expensive
Sep 30, 2012, 7:52 am
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 25
I've been a bit busy with the wedding last minute and some souvenirs shopping in the center of BH. Leaving to Rio tomorrow so looking to use some of the advices from here there.
Took a bus to the city. It was a very exciting experience. I honestly felt like in a race car, that carried 20 people at the same time.
Oh and what I found absolutely insane was how everyone is involved in the local futebol games, when Atletico or Cruzeiro plays. On the way to the wedding I saw 5 (!!) multiple car crashes and one bike crash. All in perfect driving conditions. Knowing everyone was blasting the game in the radio, this was surely one of the contributing factors of those crashes.
Again, Rio tomorrow. Can't wait. Decided to stay one more day there, till Sunday.
Took a bus to the city. It was a very exciting experience. I honestly felt like in a race car, that carried 20 people at the same time.
Oh and what I found absolutely insane was how everyone is involved in the local futebol games, when Atletico or Cruzeiro plays. On the way to the wedding I saw 5 (!!) multiple car crashes and one bike crash. All in perfect driving conditions. Knowing everyone was blasting the game in the radio, this was surely one of the contributing factors of those crashes.
Again, Rio tomorrow. Can't wait. Decided to stay one more day there, till Sunday.
Oct 2, 2012, 5:16 pm
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 25
I'm in Rio. Went to Corcovado and it was absolutely a blast. Took a bus 583 there and then switched to a bus for 25R that drove us up to another location from where you could see the sugar loaf and then they drove us to another bus that cost $25R that got us through the gate to the stairs near the Cristo. Great weather, awesome time.
Now it's Tuesday night and contemplating which bar/restaurant to go to. Perhaps something with some live music?
We were told to go to Lapa on Thursday/Friday. Any recommendation there?
Now it's Tuesday night and contemplating which bar/restaurant to go to. Perhaps something with some live music?
We were told to go to Lapa on Thursday/Friday. Any recommendation there?
Oct 2, 2012, 9:10 pm
#22
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Programs: AA / AV
Posts: 647
http://www.lanalapa.com.br/default.asp
which is a website that lists all events (music/shows/...) each week at Lapa.
Oct 5, 2012, 5:05 am
#24
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 25
Went to Scenarium last night. Great samba music and good crowd. We were seated right by the scene so it was even better.
Yes, girlfriend is brazilian so I have my personal translator.
Got lost on a way to lapa. Took the metro to Carioca and then walked through some of the scariest parts of Rio, I'm guessing
Made it safe to Scenarium though.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Yes, girlfriend is brazilian so I have my personal translator.
Got lost on a way to lapa. Took the metro to Carioca and then walked through some of the scariest parts of Rio, I'm guessing
Made it safe to Scenarium though. Thanks for the suggestions!
Oct 5, 2012, 5:31 am
#25
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,667
Those streets are not, by far IMO, some of the "scariest" parts of Rio for a newbie gringo.
(May I suggest better prep--i.e. thorough look at map before leaving--and to more prudently take taxis more often after dark. You may not always be so lucky.)
Glad you enjoyed the music and ambience at Scenarium though.
(May I suggest better prep--i.e. thorough look at map before leaving--and to more prudently take taxis more often after dark. You may not always be so lucky.)
Glad you enjoyed the music and ambience at Scenarium though.
Oct 5, 2012, 3:45 pm
#26
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 1,607
Check this out: http://www.rioturismoradical.com.br/...edrabonita.htm
or this: http://www.barraleme.com/radicalPedraGavea.htm
or this: http://pt.rioxtreme.com/HikingTours
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or this: http://www.barraleme.com/radicalPedraGavea.htm
or this: http://pt.rioxtreme.com/HikingTours
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Last edited by boboqui; Oct 5, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Oct 14, 2012, 9:41 am
#30
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,188
Third day in Belo. Reactions:
- gotta be careful while being a pedestrian. drivers don't care about you.
- gotta be careful when driving. everybody here is a race car driver.
- so many Beetles!
- so many women!
- roads are absolutely horrible - speed bumps everywhere!
- alcohol is about 50% cheaper anywhere compared to USA.
Two more days till Rio. Still open to more suggestions
- gotta be careful while being a pedestrian. drivers don't care about you.
- gotta be careful when driving. everybody here is a race car driver.
- so many Beetles!
- so many women!
- roads are absolutely horrible - speed bumps everywhere!
- alcohol is about 50% cheaper anywhere compared to USA.
Two more days till Rio. Still open to more suggestions
-So many Beetles? You mean the VWs? Fuscas.
-Roads being horrible because there are so many speed bumps: in many places, such as here in Fortaleza, the majoriity of speed bumps are de facto speed bumps (holes in the road). Once you've seen Brazilian drivers long enough you'll know why there are speed bumps. Brazilians may have a rep for being carefree and not in a rush, but once in a car they change.
-Domestic alcohol, as in cachaa, may be cheaper than in the U.S., but most decent beer is pretty equivalent in price to what you'd pay in the U.S. (and most of it pretty weak, a la Budweiser, though there are some nice micro brews), and imported booze is much, much pricier than in the States.
-So many women: well, just grin and bear it.