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60-yr old female going solo to Rio - itinerary

60-yr old female going solo to Rio - itinerary

Old May 27th, 2017, 01:36 PM
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60-yr old female going solo to Rio - itinerary

I've decided to fly into Rio before my meeting in São Paulo in September to see some more of the country. I'll arrive early morning on Thursday September 7 (Independence Day) and I need to be in SP by Monday night or early Tuesday.

I've found a hotel in Ipanema (Mar Ipanema on Rua Visconde De Piraja) as this appears to be the most recommended neighborhood. I could save quite a bit of money by staying in Copacabana at Americas Copacabana or an Ibis several blocks off beach approximately Posto 3-4. My top priority is safety. Quiet would be nice. I don't expect an ocean/beach view and I am not looking for nightlife. Stay in Ipanema?

My thoughts for itinerary are:
Sept 7 - transfer to hotel (taxi?) and rest when can check in; maybe walk along beach; maybe Botanical Garden.

Sept 8 - weather dependent - Corcovado Cristo Redento (taxi to cog train?) + Sugarloaf + tour of Santa Teresa. I am thinking that tour guide not required to visit the two mountains, but might be helpful to have a guide when wandering the streets of Santa Teresa so I won't be a single tourist wandering and end up in the wrong place.

Sept 9 - taxi to ferry to Paqueta. Walk along beach, fort of Copacabana. Check into any Samba school rehearsals or go to a bar or show. I'd rather not go to a bar alone, so might end up at tourist show or relax.

Sept 10-11 - uncertain. I've considered Ilha Grande. but if I am not swimming, snorkeling, or walking alone through the forest, it sounds like it could be a lot of effort. I think Parity is too far even if I go to Parity on the 10th and on to SP on the 11th via bus, if practical. A tour to Petropolis (I don't want to drive) is close enough, but what little I've read about the Imperial Museum doesn't spark a lot interest although people seem to give it high ratings. None of the museums in Rio have caught my attention either. Any suggestions?

After SP, a friend and I will be going to Iguazu Falls.
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Old May 28th, 2017, 04:47 AM
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Not sure which Ibis you mean, but the Americas is just a couple of blocks inland from the Marriott. I think it should be fine, although you might want a taxi back after dinner.

I (female, then mid-60s) visited Rio solo before the Olympics. I did the Petropolis tour. You might find my TR useful:

http://www.fodors.com/community/sout...-patagonia.cfm

The Iguazu falls are stunning! Make sure to see both sides.
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Old May 28th, 2017, 05:20 AM
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Thanks for the link to your trip report. So, you liked the Imperial Museum, but not the group tour. Food for thought.

I am really looking forward to the falls. More my "thing" than cities. I just added Rio to the trip because I could easily with the flight schedule and I am unlikely to make a separate trip there, so thought I would see it once.
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Old May 28th, 2017, 06:15 AM
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There are usually downsides to group tours! And I expect mine was on the cheaper end. You might wander into the Marriott if you stay at the Americas and see what they have on offer. (They have very nice toilets, BTW.)
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Old May 28th, 2017, 10:24 AM
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Nice tip.

Thursday, you said you stayed in an apartment. Those are much cheaper than hotels plus state that they have 24-hr doorman for security. I have rented apartments in other cities, but usually when I speak the language or am familiar with the country/city. It also makes my husband more comfortable if he has the name of a hotel with staff to phone if I don't check in regularly.

Did your apartment experience go smoothly?
Did you ever wish you were in a hotel with staff during your stay?
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Old May 28th, 2017, 11:42 AM
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There were front desk staff at the Edificio Jucata. However, the apartments weren't especially comfortable, and it was a bit of a trek to the metro and the beach. In other words, not recommended unless budget is a real concern, but not because of the staff (aside from not telling me about the time change).

Don't you carry a phone? I finally gave in and got an Android phone (I think originally for this SA trip). I have a month-to-month deal with T-Mobile that lets me use the phone with unlimited low speed data and texts and cheap calls in a lot of countries. I find the maps app extremely useful. At the least you could buy a cheap phone on eBay and buy a SIM when you get to Brazil. Or see ekit.com or telestial.com - although I sometimes had reception problems with their products.
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Old May 28th, 2017, 01:44 PM
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I preferred Ipanema to Copacabana; there seemed to be more people out and about and the streets were wider and more well lit.

I also took a day trip to Petropolis. To get out there I took a taxi to one of the main bus station and took one of the intercity buses. It was easy to do. I did not find the Imperial Museum particularly interesting but thought the town was nice and a good way to get out of the city.

Other things to consider: a walk or bike ride around the lake right behind Ipanema, a visit to Tijuca Forest (go with a guide or on a tour though as you are by yourself), ferry to Niteroi and visit the contemporary art museum.
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Old May 29th, 2017, 05:17 PM
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So you have Thursday the holiday arrival, and can travel to SP on Tuesday am or have to start work on Tuesday am? If you have to start work on Tuesday morning, fly from Santos Dumont to Congonhas. Either Monday night or very early Tuesday. Make a reservation as far in advance as possible for best fare.

If you are thinking of going to a samba school rehearsal, it makes no sense to me that you would be timid about going to Santa Teresa alone or of staying in Copacabana.
On the site rio-carnival.net you can find a section on samba schools which lists the samba night and address for each school.
You could also take a taxi to Carioca da Gema club in Lapa to see/hear live samba singers/band and locals dancing samba gafiera. You can comfortably sit at a small table and order a drink or some snacks. Friday and Saturday nights are good.
BipBip Bar in Copacabana has live music, jam sessions, to stand/sit and enjoy.
Pedra de Sal on the wharf has music/shows too.
The Platforma show (and the other similar one) is tacky and more LasVegas touristy than Rio authentic.

Your own behavior and planning are key to staying safe. Carry/wear nothing you cannot afford to lose. No jewelry whatsoever; buy seed/bead stuff there. No iPhone.
Use a small waist pack you can keep a hand on for just enough cash to get you around for the day, or a cross body bag with a strap that can't be sliced. Extra cash and cc in an inside pocket pinned into front waistband.
Do not walk on deserted side streets, no matter what neighborhood.
Small point and shoot camera; put it away immediately after taking the shot (unless up on the ticketed heights).

(and FYI, been going to Brazil yearly for extended periods over the last 20 years, solo, female, now over 60, never any problems)
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Old May 30th, 2017, 03:30 PM
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Thanks for all the help.

I know the safety and situational awareness drill. I do some work in Johannesburg, South Africa. However, I am also cautious, learning more with each trip about where to go, what transport is reliable, etc. With just one previous trip to Brazil (where I was hosted round the clock in Sao Paulo), I don't have that experience/expertise. Language is not a problem in SA either, but is in Brazil. I don't wear/carry anything expensive, so nothing to lose. I know I look like a tourist, though.

I do carry a phone and usually Skype with my husband over the Internet on a regular basis. I've used telestial, in-country SIM with local number, and now have Extension via Vonage so that people at home can call me on the local number and I can call as if in the US over wifi. No matter what I do with the phone, my husband worries and likes having additional ways to find/contact me even though he has only used them a few times over the 30 years we've been married. He won't worry so much when I am in SP or at the falls because I will be with people he knows, but I'm on my own in Rio. He has never been to Brazil and it always adds to his concern when he is unfamiliar. He a lovely guy, so I try to minimize his stress while continuing to travel wherever I can.

Thanks for the show and music venue tips. I imagine that is one part of the trip I will gather information in advance, then decide once there.

Bottom line about where to stay sounds like Ipanema is a nicer neighborhood overall, but Copa is acceptable if the savings are significant for similar quality accommodations.

I went to the Atlanta Consulate this morning to turn in paper copies of my documents for the online visa application. The online system says my visa already approved. Hopefully, passport will start its way home safely through the mail soon.
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Old May 31st, 2017, 11:23 AM
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"sounds like Ipanema is a nicer neighborhood overall, but Copa is acceptable if the savings are significant"

Either is "acceptable". Ipanema looks more like home to many US tourists, so they perceive it as "nicer" (whatever that means).
In either neighborhood (or any other in Rio), you have to know where you can go and where to stay out of. A deserted residential street in Ipanema, however wide and well lit, could be more dangerous than a residential street in Copacabana with locals moving about on their way home or shopping, or even than a street in a favela.

The show and music venue tips were to encourage you to not stay holed up in some hotel room after dark, out of fear. Take a taxi to and from.

Please be careful, though, with suggestions above from folks who have not spent a lot of time in Rio. (So "a walk or bike ride around the lake right behind Ipanema" for example, a location where a local walking his dog was stabbed to death not too long ago, is not a 'walk in the park' to be undertaken blindly or at any hour.)

Until you get used to the city, you walk a fine line trying to figure out what is safe and what puts you in peril, but that is not a reason to stay home or stay inside. Consult the locals at your lodging, but understand that they will inevitably err on the side of being very conservative with guests.

----------

Rio is NOTHING like Jo'burg, though.
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Old Jun 4th, 2017, 09:14 AM
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Paqueta is a very small island, about the size of the Lagoa de Freitas in the city, without a swimmable beach. This month, horses and horse drawn carriages have been permanently banned from this car-less island, and electric vehicles substituted, taking away a lot from the charm of the island IMO.
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