Journalled on Friday, 10th of January 2025 | Santo Cristo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 28 degrees, hot and overcast.
We’re back home in Rio after three days in Paraty, the historic town about 200 km down the coast. It wasn’t quite what we’d expected, with so much rain.
Even so, we got to see a little of the town, and more importantly, Julie did too. We took a speedboat trip around the bay, visited some beaches and islands, and generally relaxed together, with a few good evenings in the bars and restaurants downtown.
It’s much hotter in Rio than almost anywhere else in Brazil, or so it feels. Sometimes I think Rio must be the hottest place in the whole country, which is probably not entirely true. I once spent a week’s holiday in Porto Seguro, in southern Bahia state, more than 1,000 kilometres north of Rio and much closer to the equator.
In theory, the closer you get to the equator, the hotter it should be. But when I flew back from Bahia and landed in Rio, the moment the cabin crew opened the door and we stepped off the plane, the heat hit us like a brick wall.
Rio was clearly hotter than Porto Seguro!
Parts of Brazil’s interior, including the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, are scorching. They’re home to the Pantanal, the vast wetland that’s legendary in Brazil and around the world as one of the most biodiverse, and hottest, places on Earth.
Further north, the Amazon rainforest straddles the equator itself, so it’s hot there too. From the Tropic of Capricorn all the way up to the equator, around 95% of Brazil is hot, and in some places, Rio included, it’s ridiculously hot, especially in summer.
In the morning I worked on the computer and uploaded a video to YouTube, which pleased me no end. I helped Julie with some housework, and together we unpacked and got everything back in order after the trip.
We headed out for lunch at our local per-kilo restaurant, and once again, Julie was impressed with the food.
Afterwards we took the VLT tram and then the metro down to the South Zone, specifically Leblon. I thought it was about time she saw one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in Rio, if not all of Brazil.
We got off the metro at Praça da Paz in Ipanema, meaning to walk along the beachfront. It was hot today, too hot for Julie. The sun beat down on us with barely a cloud to soften it.
Along the beachfront promenade we walked in the direction of Leblon and São Conrado. At the far end of Leblon rises a mountain and the Vidigal favela, separating Leblon from São Conrado.
Avenida Niemeyer is the road that winds around and through that mountain, connecting the two neighbourhoods, clinging to the cliffside as it climbs.
Near the start of the avenue there’s a viewpoint with parking and a few kiosks where tourists and locals sit, eat and drink while looking out over both Leblon and Ipanema beaches. It’s a good spot to relax, take photos, and grab a bite.
We bought a beer at the first kiosk and found a table with a lovely view over the rocks and the beaches below. The big umbrellas gave some shade, but the sun still found its way through, and we were slowly roasting, Julie especially.
It was too much, so we moved on, heading into Leblon proper to make the most of the shade from the buildings.
Avenida Ataulfo da Paiva is Leblon’s high street and main shopping strip, just as Rua Visconde de Pirajá is Ipanema’s, both lined with some of the best boutiques and labels in Rio. Every so often as we walked, Julie stopped to look in shop windows or duck inside.
We stopped at Talho Capixaba, the well-known café that was once a favourite of Rio’s rich and famous. I’m not sure it still holds that reputation, but it was as busy as ever, and we sat down for two large coffees.
I wanted Julie to see Talho since she works as a barista, and I thought the experience would be useful for her, a chance to broaden her sense of the trade.
The coffee was very good. Not the best we’ve had together in Brazil so far, but very good all the same. We didn’t linger, and soon continued our walk towards Ipanema.
After about fifty metres we turned down a side street, and I remembered a famous cake shop nearby called Kurt, which I’d visited once before. I wanted Julie to see it too.
Inside, the shop was immaculate: the cakes, the Brazilian snacks, the décor, all perfectly arranged. Even the staff looked the part, hair pulled back, uniforms spotless, just the right amount of makeup on the women behind the counter.
What struck me was the owner, a woman well into her nineties, sitting outside and watching everyone who came in. The shop was already full, so she came in herself to serve us.
We hadn’t planned on having anything since we’d just had coffee at Talho, but her warmth won us over, and we ended up ordering more coffee and sharing a slice of cake.
Julie chose a lemon curd puff pastry. We sat outside under an old tree beside the street, drinking good coffee and eating an excellent lemon curd tart, in one of the best cake shops in Rio, in one of its best neighbourhoods, on a perfect day.
How good is that? We paid, and before leaving, I went back in to thank the owner for such a warm welcome.
Further down the street, I remembered that the old Odeon cinema is now a Decathlon store (you actually take an escalator down to get in, rather than up). We ended up buying trainers for us both, my treat, and an 8kg kettlebell, Julie’s treat for me. I’d always wanted a kettlebell to train with, and now I finally have one.
Continuing down towards Ipanema, we made one last, unplanned stop that turned out to matter just as much. Just off the main street is one of Rio’s most famous and traditional chopperias, Bracarense, a true carioca institution in Leblon and across the city.
A chopperia is a bar that specialises in chopp, Brazil’s light, cold draft beer, a bit like lager, still fermenting when it’s served.
I used to go to Bracarense twenty or thirty years ago, back when I had a lot of friends in Ipanema. We’d spend the day at the beach there and often stop by Bracarense on the way home.
When we arrived, there was a row of high bar tables and stools along the pavement by the kerb. The bar itself now has a glass conservatory you pass through to reach the main counter.
Bracarense was buzzing as always, every table inside full, people eating, talking and, above all, drinking chopp, brought round by an army of quick, soldier-like waiters in white, precise and unhurried, making sure your glass was never empty.
We chose to stay outside at one of the high tables. We ordered two chopps, enjoyed them, then ordered two more, and then two more again, until more than an hour and a half had passed and we’d lost count of how many we’d had.
I ordered a saideira for us both (the last two chopps, plus the bill). I wasn’t drunk, chopp isn’t strong, it’s a fairly light beer, but I was tired and ready to head home and relax. Julie, on the other hand, was in great spirits.
We crossed to the other side of the street and waited at the bus stop, and almost immediately a bus heading all the way home pulled up. It was Friday evening in the South Zone, so traffic through Leblon, Ipanema and Copacabana was heavy. The metro would, in theory, have been faster, but I didn’t have the energy for the crowds.
We got on the bus and, luckily, found two good seats. The air conditioning was working, so it wasn’t too bad after all. Within the hour we were home, and I was completely worn out.
In bed by 9 p.m.
Thank you for reading. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
