A Day in One Place - Rio de Janeiro
Samba. Warm breezes. And Caiprianha. You've reached one of South
America's Crown Jewels and you only have one day. As you exit the airport from baggage, go all the way
down to your right across an island to the last shuttle stop marked with Linx on
it. You will need to call for the shuttle. The Linx hotel is about 8 minutes
away from the airport. If you have arrived overnight, your room may not be
ready. The front desk should be able to hold your luggage. I was fortunate
enough to only wait an hour, so I changed in the restroom and used the free
wi-fi and charged my electronics. Take a business card from the hotel so you
have the number and address to show any other cab drivers for the return ride
back. You may be at another hotel in the city, if so, disregard this tip.
I signed up to see Cristo Redeemer through Viator. Since the
tour company doesn't pick up at the airport but in Copacabana, you can put
Copacabana Palace as your pick up point. If you are able to check-in, then
quickly drop your items upstairs, freshen up and go. Ask the front desk to get
you a taxi to Copacabana. I tried to get one that accepts "credit card".
However, the card reader wasn't connecting with my bank and I had to pay using
USD, which the driver took. You can get Reals upstairs in the airport, which I
recommend because I had to scramble in town to find another bank. Copacabana
Palace will not let you use their ATM because you are not a guest. If you want
to confirm your pick-up location prior to arriving to Rio, call the US support
number and have them reach out to the Grey Line tour bus company that will pick
you up. I suggest backing a small bag/pack with a bottle of water, snack, maybe
a towel and bathing suit to hit the beach later since it's ridiculous to go
back and forth. The cab should cost you about 65-75 Real which can be like
$20-25USD. Traffic can be slow. If you are staying in Copacabana, you should
still find an ATM at the airport to pull out a few reals. Currently, Uber has a strong presence, and I have used it for subsequent visits; and it is even less money.
Copacabana Palace from the outside is gorgeous and one of Rio's
premier hotel destinations. Once on the bus, tell the tour guide your name,
take a seat and relax. They will also want your paper voucher. There may be a
few more stops along the way to pick up other guests, but it takes only a few
minutes before you are on your way. The tour guide will point out a few places
of interest.
You will arrive at Christ the Redeemer and be dropped off. We
arrived a little early for the next cog train up the mountain, so the tour
guide let us have a few minutes to roam. Stay close or they will leave without
you. Once you reach the top, you can take either the elevator to the very top
or walk the stairs. There are a few shops and cafes up there. Again, not all
take card, only Real. You have about 45 minutes up top to take pictures and enjoy
the view. Try and buddy up with someone else on the tour who can take photos of
you and the statues. The best spot is just a few more feet in by the stairs.
There are lots of people that can shoot a photo for you, too. Sometimes you
have to lay on the ground to get the best angle. Up top you will see all sides
of Rio including its other attraction, Sugarloaf Mountain, the bay and Ipanema.
The descend down is interesting, too, but can often be packed with tourists so
hold tight.
There are two famous beaches in Rio, Copacabana and Ipanema.
Once you return back to Copacabana around 3pm, you can either stay at the beach
a little or walk around. There are little vendors and palapas all across the
beach for snacks, coconut water and other treats. I was able to find a bank a
few blocks away for Reals. Find where the vendors are for the coconuts. I think
it was $3RL
Then, grab a cab, either on your own or from one of the hotels.
Ask them to take you to Gavota de Ipanema. It is a famous restaurant where the
song, Girl from Ipanema was written. Brazil is known for their picanhna and
other meats. The Picanha here is generally served for two people but they might
do it for just one. I opted for the grilled Filet steak and fries which was
excellent. They also have wi-fi and a restroom! There is a little boutique next
door that sells shirts and other items. Once you exit, go across the street and
take a frontage picture. Then, walk up by following the signs towards the
McDonald's. This is a good area to walk around, get some souvenirs, There is
also a Starbucks in this area. Stop into McDonalds for free wi-fi and get an
ice cream cone with chocolate. Order in the back, take receipt towards the
front. I grabbed a cab around 9pm. I suggest writing down the name of the restaurant
and address to show the cab driver since many do not speak a lot of English.
Your second day you can either get up early and do the Sugarloaf
tour which would require you to be at the pick up location around 8am. Or, take
a cab back to Ipanema and relax on the beach for a while which is what I did.
This is where you can also enjoy a coconut water in a real coconut. I then
headed back to Gavota de Ipanema for a late lunch. This time I also had the
fried cheese balls and cream papaya dessert. I left the city around 4pm to get
back in time to retrieve luggage and freshen up in the lobby restroom. The
airport counter opened at 6:45pm. Once through the check-in and pre-security
and you have dropped your bag, head to the restaurants and shops located on the
upper level. There is also a food court (it's okay) also pre-security. One
thing to try while there is the Brazilian coffee and pao de quijero (pow duh
Kay joh) which are tiny cheese bread that are to die for! It's like 2.80 Real
for 6 pieces or one large one which is like .80. There is also a Brazilian shop
that sells logo'd t-shirts and Havianas flip flops for like $5-8 USD! I did not
see much 2016 Olympics items here except for a beach towel and a few shirts.
There might be more since it's closer to the Olympics. There is also a great
chocolate cart across from the coffee cafe that sells amazing chocolate. You
can spend a little bit of time here before your late, overnight flight. Once
through security and into the departure halls, there are a few more shops and a
McDonalds, which by the way, made the best Big Mac I have had in a while. You
should also pick up coffee here if you haven't already. Other than that, the
airport is unimpressive.
Boarding starts then off you go!
Songs: Girl from Ipanema
The Coffee Song
by Frank Sinatra
Rio by Duran
Duran
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