Rio de Janeiro: Bohemian Rio

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Lapa, a downtown area next to Centro, pulses with life on weekend evenings as thousands of Cariocas spill out onto the streets to drink and chat. I saw my 31st birthday in at midnight dancing to samba with two carioca girls. You haven’t lived till you’ve danced with a Brasilian girl doing the samba – watching their legs move in rhythm at speeds that would make the English fall over is one of the most spellbinding things I’ve ever seen. It’s a birthday I’m never going to forget.

My last days were spent mainly on the beach, attempting to consume my own weight in açaí (a gloopy Amazonian fruit smoothie you eat with a spoon), doing a spot of record shopping, a bike ride along the cycle track that runs from Ipanema beach to Copacabana and beyond, and a final tourist trip to the breathtaking Sugarloaf Mountain.

On the morning of my departure I awoke dazed and confused, my hangover mixed with "saudade"; the feeling of longing for something that one is fond of yet that has gone, and which is considered a trait of the Brasilian people.

I love sun, sea and samba, so it was a safe bet that I was always going to fall in love with Rio. I was also lucky that I was fortunate enough to be able to hang out with locals as this allowed me to get a taste of what Rio’s really like.

My favourite memories are those regular everyday occurrences – the intensity of the heat, shooting the breeze with the new friends I had made, the gloopiness of an acai smoothie and of course watching girl’s samba. I’m not planning on waiting another five years for my next visit. In fact I think it’s imperative that Far Out sets up an office in Rio de Janeiro as soon as possible. And as it happens I know just the man for the job.

Rio de Janeiro: Bohemian Rio

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