Rio de BUCKET LIST:
Mardi Gras
Maracana Stadium
Ipanema Beach
The vivacious Brazilian city won’t fail to seduce you, says Rose Dykins
B
arefoot, we beach-walk along Copacabana towards Ipanema, stopping to buy skull-tingling caipirinhas from a cart. Joggers sporting brightly-coloured short shorts overtake us, seemingly immune to the afternoon sun baking my legs inside my skinny black jeans (far too overdressed). The ferocious Atlantic waves and towering backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain add to the drama on the beach – the music, the street hawkers, the family outings, the show-boating, the intense games of volleyball. For cariocas, the beach is
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SURREY BUSINESS
not a fair-weather feat, it’s a year-round social hub. Rio de Janeiro stands out on the world stage for its larger-than-life personality. Its rainforest, favelas, samba bars – all of these invite you to suspend your Britishness and experience life more intensely for a short while. Whether you time your visit for the carnival (February 21st-26th next year), or stop by Rio as part of a South American odyssey, it’s somewhere not to be rushed in and out of (you’ll regret it if you do).
Rio’s many neighbourhoods take time to explore. A cable car ride up to Sugarloaf Mountain one day, standing at the foot of the magnificent Christ the Redeemer statue the next – these are just the tip of the iceberg for a Rio itinerary. For nightlife, Lapa’s bars and dancefloors are where you want to be. The art galleries of the hilltop Santa Teresa district are a must – and so is a photo in front of the brightly tiled Escadaria Selaraon steps. Rio’s glamorous side is best expe-
