First Impressions of Rio

Rio does not have a very good reputation.  I met a German girl in Iguazu who was living in Rio for a short time while she worked on her thesis on what Rio can do to overcome its bad reputation and attract more tourists from Europe.

I have been pleasantly surprised.  I arrived on an overnight bus (which I am pleased to say is my last overnight bus ride of this trip) and took a public bus to my hostel in Copacabana. I don't know if it's because they're getting ready for the Olympics already, but everyone was super helpful, pointing me in the right direction even when I wasn' t even asking.  I made it to my hostel with no traffic (okay, it was a Sunday morning).

The first thing I did?  Gulped down a big açai shake.  Yum!

Then I strolled down to Ipanema on the beachside road that is closed on Sundays to cars.  The beach area was packed with people running, walking, biking, playing handball and volleyball, and sunning themselves.  I was a little disappointed in the lack of really hot women on the beach, but am happy that women of all shapes and sizes here wear skimpy bikinis! 

I had a very relaxing afternoon hanging out on the rooftop pool of the trendy boutique hotel, the Fasano Hotel in Ipanema, where my Norwegian friend Odd is staying. 

Then Odd and I took the subway, which was incredibly clean and fast, to the center of town.  In the subway, a very nice Brazilian guy jumped up to ask us if we needed help, gave us directions and tips about what stop to get off at, and ended with a big, "Welcome to Brazil!"  From the center we took the bonde, a SF-like cable car, to the hillside neighborhood of Santa Teresa, which is filled with old houses and has a gritty, artsy vibe. There had been dire warnings in the Lonely Planet about safety in the center and Santa Teresa, but it didn't feel unsafe. 

After grabbing a beer and listening to live music, we took a taxi back.  The taxi driver was so friendly, pointing out landmarks to us and stopping the car to see if we wanted to take photos.  Later that evening, I walked alone along the beach from Copacabana to Ipanema, of which the Lonely Planet had also written some dire warnings.  Nothing sinister at all!

View of Ipanema beach from the top of the Fasano Hotel

Yes, I know that Rio is a big city with a lot of social problems and neighborhoods that are not as nice as the ones I've been in this past day.  But I do think that the bad reputation isn't entirely well deserved.  Honestly, I have met so many treavellers who were robbed in Buenos Aires, yet Buenos Aires doesn't carry the same kind of negative connotations.