Carnival! - A Week in Rio

At the end of a brilliant but exhausting adventure, we've given ourselves a week in Rio to relax: idiots!

First, the Carnival!

We have a great seat to watch the carnival processions from the competing samba schools but nothing, that's NOTHING can prepare us for this. The processions start at 9.30 pm and we tough it out until the last procession at 6am... all the while watching unbelievable costumes, floats and a seething mass of participants, all to a pounding, incessant samba beat. The pics just can't convey this experience but here goes...

And a short video might help..
Movie Clip from our stand

Before the carnival, we arrange a personal tour of a favela despite the tour advice being NOT to...
...we get a lift on motorbikes to the highest favela and really begin to see how these basic communities work. Our guide is keen to publicise the project to provide work and bring investment; she enthuses about a previous visit by Charles and Camilla and the classroom that his charity provided.

We also make a fascinating visit to Selarón's Steps, the never-ending life work of the Chilean artist Jorge Selarón:
Info Here

And, of course, we visit the usual sites:

Recognise this?

Rio from Sugar Loaf mountain

Sugar Loaf Mountain from the cable car

And the last thing to be done is to spend a couple of days relaxing (at last!) on Copacabana beach... We get a free upgrade to a hotel right on the beach with free sun loungers on the beach... and we really make use of these at the end of a wonderful but exhausting tour.

Well, when I say relax..
Copacabana Beach Fun