In Rio with friends: Cachasa, favela, football and TV shows

In the next issue of the travel column of our heroines - the story of Elina Chebboch about a spontaneous trip to the second largest city in Brazil. Where to spend days and nights, what to eat, where to have fun, how much to spend and what is better not to do - in a guide that is as emotional and colorful as the Brazilian way of life.

Preparing for the trip

It is difficult to be objective in the text about Rio, since the probability that I would not like it there is zero. I wanted to go to Brazil at the age of 14, listened to Brazilian music and learned Portuguese, plus my friends live in Brazil. My former boss, who now lives in New York, introduced me to other people as “This is Elina, and she is crazy about Brazil.” In late August, the power of desire exceeded other forces, my friend told me that they were going to a huge company in Rio and would only be glad of a new person. I was the tenth. When the cache fell on my head, I got tickets to Air France from Moscow with a transfer in Paris. They cost 40 thousand rubles, you can take directly on the site. Other guys from the company flew from Helsinki with a transfer in London. We booked a four-room apartment on Copacabana for two weeks through Airbnb, having thrown off at 11 thousand rubles per person. The owners were German and Brazilian, so they sent us a contract, although its practical use is zero. Fly to Paris for four hours, then another hour in Charles de Gaulle and 11 hours of flight to Rio. The local airport for international GIG flights is worse than most of Moscow. At the exit comes across a bank in which you can exchange dollars and euros for real money, but this should not be done because of the huge commission with a good course. A little further away there will be a taxi order for 105 reais, where they also offer currency exchange, but without a commission. More than $ 100 should not be changed - the city is full of exchangers. You can go to the second level and take a taxi to the city cheaper, reais for 70, buses also go, and the fare in them costs about 10 reais.

Money

The course is about 15 rubles for real. There are a lot of ATMs in Rio, so you can safely take cards, problems can only be with debit cards, sometimes they didn’t work for some of us. It is convenient to pay with a card, as they are accepted even in street cafes, where they sell freshly squeezed juices (we called them "juicy").

City

One of the best features of Brazilians is their unwillingness to change something, if it already works well. Their special lazy hedonism is manifested in everything - the city looks like a pretty jungle with all its development, high-rise buildings, business centers and shopping malls. Everything is preserved in its original form, the Brazilians have never been innovators and not apologists of the construction site. Therefore, wherever you are, there you can always see a palm tree, an old building and graffiti. The latter is on almost every building - and crazy beauty. Brazil's most advanced architect Oscar Niemeyer is essentially kitsch and commie, and the fact that he is the founder of modern Brazilian architecture says everything about Brazilians: what difference does a high-rise building live when you can get to Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, even better walk.

Because of the eternal summer, as well as the popularity of sports as a way to get out of favelas in Rio, the absolute cult of the body. Gyms are located in almost every house, and, according to local, in other areas of the city, they are also within walking distance. Every day we watched as twenty people ran together along the paths while we were returning drunk from the beach. The love of the locals for sport is extremely contagious, so even I, being in the least tender relationship with sports, signed up for a rocking chair and went there twice a day until the end of the trip. One of my instructors was Brazilian Ricardo Tartakovsky with a grandfather from Ukraine and the phrase "Dap of time?" Learned. In the street cafes they sell sport pit, although this is not necessary - due to the saturation of the local food with proteins, you will quickly build up a relief.

About the food is to talk separately. Food in bulk is very popular in the city, but if in Moscow in such places they sell what even cows will not eat, everything in Rio is incredibly tasty and cheap. Especially it is worth noting their gravy from the beans, which they prepare at home. As a side dish is always rice, french fries and vegetables. The rice is crumbly and tender, as if ten Koreans gathered together and staged a competition for the perfect method of cooking. Be sure to try the fish balls served with lime. But the most striking places were in Lapa. Imagine a street rygalovka with plastic chairs, a TV, which is sure to play football, and a number of homeless people who dance and shoot cigarettes. They serve the most tender meat and the freshest beer. I especially recommend Antarctica, Brahma (there it is different) and Skol.

Local

Because of the craze for gyms, all local men look very good. The city seems to have declared genocide to be fat, and every guy is diligently working on the relief. When we walked with a Brazilian friend, we could meet several of his friends over the evening, with whom they rubbed for fifteen minutes selflessly about rocking and exercises. Brazilians consider it beneath their dignity to behave like pigs, so they will never pester a woman on the street and hoot after her, but will definitely turn to appreciate her asshole. Brazilian women are very self-confident and, unlike men, not always with a perfect body. But whatever they are, their breasts and ass live a separate life. They don’t walk down the street - they carry themselves, and they prefer motley clothes, with sparkles and sequins, and more. Brazilian fashion is generally very different from the rest, their clothes are sewn, taking into account the peculiarities of the body structure of Brazilians. And even in 80 years, the Brazilian women do not believe that they are so good from the height of their experience, so they also go to gyms, just with their grandchildren.

Company

Because of the constant summer and high humidity, the city falls early and rises early, and we along with it. Almost every day everyone woke up at 7-8 in the morning, and at 11 they were amicably cut down. Only in the last days, when it was pouring rain in the city, did we start to sleep and time slowed down a bit. Rio is not an ideal beach and water, not the cleanest city and not the most friendly local, but how nice it is there! It seemed that the Russians were treated very strangely, but later they explained to us that Russia is still in the eyes of the majority a wild oil country, where every day is thrash, hell and waste. And on a trip to Rio, we save up the year.

To fly to Brazil you need to be a big company, and this rule was observed by almost all the tourists we met. Flying Colombians, who smoked like steam locomotives, arrived in three. By the end of the trip, we were overgrown with three more Russians, friends of friends, and in spite of this, we were still not enough. One of the girls was in the company of other Colombians, who seemed to have left South Park. These were the children of rich parents who rented apartments with a safe in which lay two barrels, a bag of cocaine and a bundle of money. Another stray friend was a breakdancer from Moscow, who initially spent a week in São Paulo in competitions. He lived for free in a favel, at the entrance to the apartment he was offered a joint and gathered people for a battle. All week, the mother of the favela boy, with whom he lived, drank cachaca and threw gobies around the room. Those who did not live in favelas did not know the country.

If you watched the Brazilian TV series of the 90s, you probably remember the scenes from the beach. I got to the tapas e Beijos sitcom shooting, and it was not only an attraction for me. There was no need to enclose a part of the beach, since no one would even think of climbing into the frame. On the set, we met members of the crew of Globo TV, one of whom turned out to be gay. There are a lot of gays in Brazil, they are protected by law, so no one believed me when I told about the gay propaganda law. If you don’t give gay a place in a bar, he will really think that you are infringing upon him. According to our new friend from sitcom, half of the actors from the favorite Russian TV shows are gay. The influence of television and the actors is still significant, so when the shooting was over and it was time for everyone to disperse, the main character was transferred across the road right in the robe, stopping oncoming cars with his hands. Among the film crew was a Russian girl who worked five times a week on TV shows and was studying on weekends. The Brazilians, by the way, are quite serious about their studies: three of my friends did not get in touch for several days because they were preparing to take the test. But after I was led to get drunk in a cachasa bar, on the way back from which I spat out all the roads of the city.

Alcohol

Although it seemed to me that they drink more in Rio than in Moscow, during the whole time I was there I did not see a single drunk local. For them, alcohol is a companion drink, they drink slowly and know what they are dealing with. Traditional Brazilian alcohol, Cachaca, is a very strong drink with different tastes, but everyone knows about it. What they warn no one about is caipirinha — cachaca with ice, lime and sugar, which is drunk lighter than lemonade and, after the very first time, hits the head incredibly. Beer in Rio is very tasty, fresh and always cold.

Football

Just during our stay in Rio, Brazil’s most famous derby took place: “Fla” - “Flou”, or “Flamengo” - “Fluminense”. The game was on the “Maracana” (emphasis on the last syllable), and although the stadium’s occupancy was low (34 thousand people), it was a very impressive game. In Rio, they are preparing for the championship in every possible way, so next to the box office there are people with “I speak English” badges who direct you to the necessary box office and explain about the teams, if you are interested. We went to cheer for Flamengo, because I support CSKA, and Flamengo gave us Wagner Love, whom in Brazil, by the way, are not very fond of. 99% of fans were in branded T-shirts, at the entrance you can optionally paint your face in traditional red and black colors. Brazilians are ill passionately, as they play. Both teams consist of quite theatrical guys, but no matter how the situation on the field is, all the players are very active. Allow yourself to slowly walk around the field, as this is another derby, no one can afford - the fans react instantly and jealously. When the goalkeeper successfully catches the ball - applause, when “Fla” smears past the gate - a massive “oh!” and exhalation, but no mate and discontent, unless a disappointed blah blah. I stood surrounded by thousands of fans, walked the second half, approaching the end, all the time there were drums and hymns sang, and the only thing I wanted was for Flamengo to score a goal. And they beat him! The whole stadium began to dance, shaman, the drums intensified, the Italian fans at the lower level took off their T-shirts and began to jump in a satanic way, although until then the whole game had been quietly and attentively following the field. Brazilian fanaticism is still incredibly contagious, and when we left the stadium, the whole crowd, despite the civilized way out, merged into the anthem of Flamengo, and we along with it.

Sex

Brazilians and Brazilians are very natural and sex is easy. Local told that to call a friend who is always ready, and offer to have sex - this is quite the norm and never a reason for wringing hands. At the age of 13-14, a real Brazilian father comes up to his son and says: "Son, you are probably ready, so I ordered you a prostitute." Walking around whores is not a walk of shame at all, but a way to achieve what you want, if not for free, although free is also good. If you went to the club, you kissed there with five girls, but you didn’t get through with any of them, it’s not at all shameful to call the escort. Although the Brazilian buddies clinked and said that the current generation of 20-year-olds was a little offended and advocates a healthy lifestyle - this is when for love for the first time. The latter fact caused them to have some special hysterical laughter.

Surprisingly, strip clubs are not very common in Rio, and if you go there, you can only see visitors - Russians and Colombians in large numbers. Sometimes local youths arrange so-called Stars hotel, when at night cars line up on the beach, in each of which they indulge in entertainment. If after a heavy drunkenness you suddenly find yourself in your Brazilian apartment, you shouldn't get upset - everything will go like clockwork, in the morning you will have coffee and breakfast, wrapped in a T-shirt and slippers that you forgot on the beach yesterday.

Law

What does a Russian do when she arrives in Rio? Breaks the rules. Because of the upcoming soccer championship in Brazil, a huge number of laws have been passed, and even the local ones have no idea what these laws are and how they work. At the same time the police are around, and if you pig it, they will notice it, for example, they will fine you for throwing a bull. The signs “Rio sem fumo” (“Rio without cigarettes”) hang on every corner, almost no one smokes, and orange bins are placed around the city. When I threw out a cigarette right in front of the police station, two representatives of the prefecture approached me, one of whom politely handed me a bull. In Portuguese, they asked me for a passport number, wrote something down, and handed me a piece of paper, according to which I was fined for vandalism and I had to pay a fine of a hundred reals. To do this, you had to go to the site whose address is listed on the fine, print out your form and pay it in place for the purchase of lottery tickets. I honestly went there all the time in Rio, but I didn’t find anything about myself and my fine. Brazilian friend Tony, as well as his mom, dad and sister, concurrently turned out to be lawyers (and the best friend is a judge in general), so when I stayed with them, they together said: "You don’t have to pay anything, it still doesn’t work." As it turned out, when I left the country, I didn’t have time to break the law and, by tradition, everything ended well. But you don’t need to litter on the streets - not only here.

Sensations

Our company in Brazil has the expression "beautiful life", which is necessarily pronounced with a strong Russian accent. When we sat on the beach and swallowed wine from the throat - it was a beautiful life. When climbed to the highest mountain on foot instead of the funicular and saw the whole of Rio - beautiful life. When we walked on Friday in Lapa, the most tusovy district of the city, and drank Cachaca in the local “Second Breath” - beauty, just beauty. In Rio, brains are well cleaned, the excess goes away, and the past is experienced and forgotten forever. Old friends with whom you broke up and worried about this, also remained in the form of memories somewhere on the tenth pile of Cachaca. Unfulfilled relationships, which you once relied on, died after the fifth interested look. When you wake up the next day, only you are left, and your past has gone to the favel. It seems, in Cachacus, after all, not 40 degrees, but more. Rio is an uncollected, wild city, which civilization has entered only because it is necessary, but the fact that it really appeals to itself is in every possible way preserved. Although the favelas are not as dangerous as they used to be, and even hostels appeared, they still don’t pay for electricity and shoot at night, homeless people sleep on the street, and street vendors still don’t know English, but it’s inexplicably comfortable in the city. Ryo is when you sing a hymn together with 30 thousand fans four times in a row, not knowing a word, when 70-year-old grandmother comes to you and shows you how to dance, playing along with your tambourine. When you return to Moscow and hate everything in it, but that evening you throw your head on the back of the sofa, stretch your legs and think: "Fuck, beautiful life!" And she really becomes a beauty.