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Travel Adventures with Rita

Rio de Janeiro:  Experience the Culture
By Rita Cook

I couldn't help but constantly hum the 1960's song "Girl From Ipanema" as I walked down the streets of Rio de Janeiro experiencing a city - a culture - that a person must definitely become one with and not just read about.

There were only a few things I had on my "must do" list when I arrived in Rio and I set out to "do it all." I wanted to visit a Favella's (Rio's slums), feel the pulsing energy of the beaches and witness the near-naked bodies that I had only seen in photographs and by all means, eat - or better - experience a real Feijoada day.

Brazil is a catholic and colonial country. You can feel it when you step foot off the airplane. To that effect, the churches are Portuguese influenced with blue and white tile mosaics and carved and gilded interiors.

It's a tropical sort of European feel, but the baroque style and the old world tradition is everywhere.

Rio's population are called cariocas, meaning energetic, exuberant people in love with life. It's true - everywhere you turn you see the cariocas smile.

And dancing is as much a way of life as eating and sleeping. So much so that Rio is probably the most well known Carnival destination around the world.

The samba schools pulse with the rhythm of the dance - awaiting that week in February - and the bossa nova beat sways along the white beach as prevalent as the people walking up and down it 24-hours a day.

Rio has an estimated 860 restaurants, 85 theaters, 75 movie houses, 82 night clubs and 60 museums and is home to the largest urban forest in the world called Tijuca. And above it all, looking over the city like a mother protecting a child is the 125 foot-high statue of Christ of Corcovado.

Discovered in 1501 by the Portuguese, Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil until it was moved to Brasilia many years later. Capital or not, Rio is a thriving city. Take the cable car up Sugar Loaf and enjoy the sunset.

The Sao Bento Monastery is one of the finest Benedictine complexes in Brazil and Gregorian chants are still featured on Sundays. Also on Sundays, visit the Hippie Market in Ipanema awash with food, art and knick knacks and Jardim Botanico is home to some of the world's most unusual flora.

While talking to some of the cariocas I was informed that one of my favorite Brazilian artists was playing at a festival the weekend I was in town. Jorge Ben is as much a staple of Brazil as is Sugar Loaf and Christ of Corcovado.

Deciding the only way to really enjoy a city is to become one with the natives I arrived at the outdoor festival, a little nervous, but a lot more excited at the prospect of experiencing the thrill of raw dancing right along side the cariocas. Ben did not let me down, nor did the thousands of pulsing bodies moving in the heat of the hot Brazilian night.

In fact, like the Ben experience, this Rio trip seemed to constantly go that way. Perhaps it was because my guide was as open as I was to new experiences. We were forever taking the wrong turn (at my prompting) and ending up somewhere new that made Rio come alive for me.

No other city in the world matches Rio for an energy that thrives on beauty and movement, its people respectfully call it Cidade Maravilhosa - the Marvelous City - take a trip there and you'll understand why.

Don't miss: Feijoada day on Saturday. You can expect fresh beef, pig ears, smoked sausage, pig's trotters, tongue, pig's tail, ribs, dried beef, black beans and, to top it off, batida. Batida is a drink made from cachaca, alcohol distilled from sugarcane and mixed with suco. Yes, it's strong.

There is also the caipirinha, a drink made from cachaca, sugar and limes. Climate: Subtropical. The hottest months are December to March (Rio's summer).

Brazilian Airlines Varig - I had a stopover in Lima and Sao Paulo, but didn't have to de-plane. The flight attendants were friendly and the on-time service impressed me. Varig is the only way to fly to Brazil.