This trip was planned to fulfill my goal to complete visiting 6 of the 7 continents before my 40th birthday. I wanted to do something big in South America so I figured Rio Carnival was the way to do it. I was not disappointed. The Brazilian people were so welcoming.
I struggled a lot because I didn’t speak any Portuguese, but even with the language barrier I felt people’s warm reception of me. The staff at the AC Hotel Rio de Janeiro Porto Maravilha was AMAZING! They went above and beyond to look after me and translate for me. I arrived in Rio with no Sambodromo tickets and they helped me solve that issue, they would talk to my Uber’s for me and they gave great advice on how to stay safe in the city.
I think this is an event that everybody should experience at least once in their lifetime. The energy in the Sambodromo is so electric and the details of the floats and the costumes were unbelievable. There were plenty sites to see at Copacabana Beach and it was a party just walking down the promenade. I got caught in a bloco trying to get to the LAPA steps. I don’t do crowds, and thanks to me not speaking Portuguese I walked an hour out of the way trying to avoid that crowd. If I would have known better I would have just waited until the party moved along. I also made it to Cristor Redentor and Sugarloaf Mountain two places you also must visit when in Rio.