boxcox

Hi my husband and I just got back so I thought I would throw my two cents in to thank all of you who helped me plan our trip. Hubby and I are late fifties ,travel abroad once or twice a year for work for my hubby, and then side trips. We started in Rio..sorry Im not one to write all the fun long stories so Ill just do the points!

1. I was nervous about doing Rio after reading all the stories and pick pockets etc. Perhaps it was that we were in the off season and it wasn't crazy crowded, that is probably a blessing, as I wasn't too worried. This trip did get us more safety conscious however after reading some tips. We now have a separate travel only debit card that is not tied to our other accounts and only took small cash and two credit cards, each of us a separate one ..when we went out. Used the safe in the hotel. The biggest help was the line "only take what you don't mind losing"..so I had my small camera and my husband iPhone 4 instead of mine . of course no nice jewelry. I travel with a $20.00 watch. We stayed in Ipanema and there were two restaurants only ten blocks away I would have like to go to, but we wanted to walk, This was not suggested , so we ate closer which was fine. That was probably the only thing in not being able to walk somewhere. We stayed to the lighted shopping streets.
2. Loved staying in Ipanema ,for us it was perfect. I had a first reservation in St Theresa, that would have been a mistake for us. It really is out of the way considering the traffic can be horrible and the tolled is not running. We liked being able to to walk to the restaurants at night about four to five blocks away. Copcobana has a more interesting beach front but the streets and stores are not as nice so I would not have wanted to stay there. I think it would have been a cab ride to restaurants for dinner. We walked from the botanical garden and pretty far around the lagoon one day on our way to Christ the Redeemer. Leblon next door was also nice for lunch.
3. Rio is expensive.. although it probably doesnt have to be..but we had some great dinners. Someone had mentioned the bread and tapanade they bring around. In the other cities they did ask if you wanted it, as you are charged, in Rio these were higher end spots and they just assumed. They were fabulous baskets though, or they brought a big basket around and you selected. Really tasty and worth whatever it was.

first night Bazzar, contemporary ..nummy!! we got there at the unfashionable early time of 8!. sat outside on the patio. They spoke pretty good English. Hubby speaks Spanish so sometimes that helped. I had a 7 year aged risotto that was so tasty.

second night Vieira Souto. Italian in a beautiful 17th century something house. Again fabulous breads ,service and dinner.

third night we had a drink at Via Sete which was nice, and then walked across the street to Alessandro and Frederico where we had a great Argentine steak ,salad, and of course tasty bread and Malbec.

Lunch on the last day was Saturday and a fun experience although we weren't quite sure of the whole protocol. Esplanada Grill. Very busy with local families and shoppers. This is an experienced waiters in the black suit kind of place. They bring you ..yes the bread and tapanade.. hot!! nummmm.. then serve you salad. After that they bring you the menu to select your main course. Most people were ordering steaks and frites to share.

3. the cab drivers were insane. We had three so close misses to scooters. One swore and the other touched his rosary beads three times and crossed himself!! In the Rio guide that I downloaded( www.MyRioTravelGuide.com)there was translation for asking your driver to slow down. I thought that was funny until we were in the car. The traffic from GIG was horrible. It took us an over an hour in crawling traffic to get to Ipanema.

4. subway was great to get to the city centre. The people at the window understood us and it was fairly easy to figure out which subway. I know I had looked and didn't see a station in Ipanema, maybe I missed it. anyway there is one. We walked to Copacabana one day and took the subway from there to the centre. and then back to Ipanema on the way home.

I really liked that Rio guide. as it has colorful walking maps which are large enough to see.They had one for all the major areas. Also great tips on the taxis, getting from the airport etc.

We stayed in the centre for maybe three hours ,The cathedral was great and we went to the museum. the opera house was closed. bummer. We did go to the . have to find the name. Colombo Cafe. but it was crazy busy. You are supposed to go to the cash register and ask for what you want to go. they ring it up. and then you hand the slip to the gal. We somehow did it all backyard. This was the only time our English didn't work. I don't eat any seafood and somehow we ended up with three quiches. all salmon!! We just sat on the steps in a plaza and ate. (well one of us did!)

ok stuff to do!! later.....

tripplanner001

Thank you for sharing your experience in Rio. I too used MyRioTravelGuide as one of my sources, and agree with you about the usefulness of the maps, although it didn't work out too well for me in Santa Teresa.

boxcox

well tripplanner001 puts my report to shame! lots of detailed onto on that report.

4. Christ The redeemer. enjoyed that. the concierge bought our tickets online,which is probably a good idea. We went on a Wednesday afternoon and it was pretty crowded, with only a two hour later time. Not sure if we could have walked up. They did ;et us on a 20 minute ear;ire train which was good as the sun was going down. VERY windy up there that day. If you're afraid of heights not such a good place. I didnt go over to edge, mostly as it was gale force winds!! Nice place to have a snack or drink up there and enjoy the view. Yes as mentioned somewhere. sit on the right side going up(Backwards) same side going down for the best view. We walked around the lagoon past the swan boats and caught a taxi the rest of the way. Pretty easy to get one on the way back. Traffic at 4pm was so congested. Hotel had said 15 minutes. it was more like 30 just from the lagoon area.

5. Sugar loaf. hmm what can I say that hasn't been said. Nice plazas to sit and have a bite to eat or drink, or even nap..taxis easy to get after..view fabulous. we went on a Friday off season so just walked on.

6. Botanical garden. Hadn't planned on that. We ere going to do Santa Teresa that day until I really looked at the map and realized to go there ,back to Ipanema, then back to the airport was stupid, so the botanical garden won out. We cabbed it over and walked back with a stop at the Espalande grill for lunch. Garden was really nice. There was an orchid show on, but they still have bromeliads and orchids all the time. Two cafes for a bite to eat and drink. although i think one will be closing.

I think that was it for Rio, didn't get to do the music thing at night, just went for the nice dinners.People were really nice,views great ,food tasty!! miss those bread baskets. Had bread a t dinner last night here in the US.. didn't compare at all!! but then i would end up ten pounds heavier!!

Off to Belo Horizonte for the work end of the trip, although a talk was given also at a university in Rio and a nice lunch with the hosts.

I won't cover BH as its really a city for business, not so much for tourists..although it was nice and has some nice museums and we found some tasty spots in Lourdes where we stayed.

tripplanner001

Really enjoying your take on Rio, boxcox, and cannot wait for your report on Ouro Preto. We didn't make it there on this trip, but it's one of the places I'm interested in seeing on a future visit.

boxcox

oh forgot!! one more note for Rio. We were on the off season but two days were really warm and the last Saturday we were there the beaches were packed. We did not see one Bo Derek running along the beach as in Ten! Not one string bikini or any fabulous bodies. It was really just normal people with all sorts of long shorts, tattoos, colorful swimsuits and regular bodies. So bring that swimsuit!!

boxcox

ok off to Ouro Preto. We took the bus from the Belo Horizonte bus station which was very easy. No need to book in advance. Just dont walk there, take a taxi. It was a nice two hour drive. They pick up people along the way. Probably could have gotten on closer to our hotel but then didn't know you can purchase your ticket on the bus.

OP is not for the faint of heart! The streets are very uneven with slippery cobblestone and steep!!This is where I wore off the bread and steaks! Tennis shoes only or good walking shoes. Never wore my sandals at all. Wherever you are staying probably a good idea to have a google maps map. The taxi driver took us to the wrong location for our stay, then there seemed to be quite a discussion on where it was,which seemed odd as there seems to be only thirty streets or so. English is really not spoken here except a tiny bit in the restaurants.

We stayed in a house Solar do Carmo listed on I-escpae.(there was a hotel with the same name) this has no sign. The owner was not there and the housekeeper only spoke Portuguese, which was not supposed to be. So that provided some frustration and comedy.. It is a beautiful house , and the reviews are fantastic, if the owner is there. We had a nice time. stayed there by ourselves.

We arrived Thursday at noon and left Sat at 8:30. This was plenty of time for us, and included a trip to Mariana. We didn't see all of the churches,(no car and five were enough for us) and went to about three museums.. but did the town pretty well otherwise. Museums are mostly in Portugese so that does make the experience a little different.

We had lunch at Casa do Ouvidor with every tourist in town. usually we are better at searching out but I had had to point to a picture of food at the house to the housekeep and she just pointed in a direction. and we were hungry. However great location, service and food was just fine. French doors opening to the street fora picturesque view.

The rest of the afternoon we just walked around. There is a mine in the town ,which is actually located in a restaurant. Ill find that name..It was interesting however not needed if you are going to Mariana as the bigger and better one is there. This one was really a ten minute ,if that , walk in and out. Ok this one is so tiny that its not even on Trip advisor!!

Walked back, Really this is like a hike, the streets are so steep. Dinner was at Bene da Flauta. We actually ate there both nights. It was very good, nice view, great service. It was close to the end of two weeks and the thought of walking in the dark up a steep street after a bottle of wine just wasn't that enticing. But the steak with the mustard sauce nummy!! It is a pretty big spot and I imagine in the season it is quite noisy. But it was very quiet and we sat in a different room the second night.

The next day we set out for the train. i see the times are correct in trip advisor now, but it was 11am and then when we got there it had been changed just awhile ago to 10. Or I did my research so long ago and maybe it was six months ago! Anyway it worked out fine as we did the nice church ..Igreja N. S. do Pilar, close by it. We then trekked all the way to the bus stain. Thank goodness for google maps on the iPhone. That was a long walk, seemed so short to taxi it. and actually we didn't see one. Which had been the plan. Anyway easy bus trip to Mariana.

We went to the Catedral Basiica da Se after lunch as we had missed the 11 am organ concert and now at noon it was closed. It did open up back at 1:30 as well as the museum that is attached to it. That was really the only church open..although one other was open later at 4pm as we drove through the town. Very sporadic.

We took a taxi to the Mina da Passagem mine. It was about 20 minutes away ..a flat rate of 20r. You go way down underground on a mining type train/trolley .We got to sit at the back going down and the back going up. hanging on. Lots of kids on a trip..which provided the heightened thrill seeking element.It was large and the guide sounded interesting and knowledgeable. although in Portugese. I think they said you are down there 45 minutes and then the wait time down and up could be 3o minutes each way so it could be up to a 2 hour plus excursion once you are in line.

There are no taxis there but they did call at the office. However it was obviously their friend, and we waited awhile. and had to call again.. We shared the taxi with another couple as were were asol trying to get to the train station for the 4pm train, and we needed to buy tickets. The driver told us how he was asleep and something to do with his sister doing laundry which we never figured out who that fit into the situation. Anyway he drove like a madman and got us there in time. The train so so worth it. It was funny as they have an information sign in OP (which the office was totally worthless), really a kid working on something in the office. No maps or booklets etc. We had to buy a guidebook..We asked about doing the train and he had said NO! it takes way too long. So glad we didn't listen to him ,it was such a nicer experience that the bus.The other couple had taken it there as well .Pretty pricey.but worth it. A nice relaxing hour. They say the bus is 30 but it was really 45 with so many stops.

A note on the tourist office in Mariana. looks nice.lots of booklets maps. but as noted somewhere it is unreliable as to when it is open. It says 8-5. but it was closed at 12pm.

Hiked back uphill to the house as not a taxi in sight. A nice dinner again and packing up as an early departure to Inhotim tomorrow .

tripplanner001

Still following along. The trip down to the mine sounds fun as is the train ride.

SambaChula

@Tripplanner001-- for your future trip research, there is also a steam train (Maria Fumaca) between São Joao del Rei and Tiradentes (another must see colonial town) that is also interesting and scenic.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E9ls6QXPCjc

@boxcox-- Take advice about Brazil from TA at your own risk. The Brazil forum and its so-called experts disseminate more bad and biased and self-serving info than any other, a great deal of it from certain experts' Google, not personal, experience. And what other forum (knowingly) would allow the owner of a B&B to use a forum to slam other competing establishments in the same city?
Anyway..............Thanks for the nice trip report.
Alessandro e Federico is one of my favorites. Great pasta with mushrooms (linguine with porcini iirc) in cream sauce.
And FYI the cafe is technically called "Confeitaria Colombo", from the Portuguese word for confectionary.

boxcox

Hi back for the last few days.

I did think it was funny in Rio when we did see street signs pointing the way for the Confeitaria Colomo. You could also hear the noise from down the street. Quite the happening spot. I wished we had been hungry to have eaten upstairs.

Lets see Sat 8:30 am .We left for the Hotel Fazenda Horizonte Belo in Brumadinho. This is where Google translate came to the rescue. Standing with the housekeeper, who had booked the driver, and the driver ,both with no English, we are able to tell him we wanted to go to the hotel first and not Inhotim. We ended up typing back and forth and all went well. Then thank goodness for Google maps!! as this place was way off the beaten path , it is a farm .

The whole plan was that we wanted to spend two days at Inhotim ,and it really is out of the way . You can easily take a bus in the am and back in the pm(only one there to and back)from Belo Horizonte, about an hours ride.However we needed to get back to Belo Horizonte to catch our plane home earlier than the bus. Plus again the two day thing. SO glad we did! this was the part in the trip that I agonized over,(to spend a night in Belo Horizonte or on a farm with nothing around??) I had different plans and then when our plane from Rio's time changed I ended up going back to the original! what a fiasco but so worth it!!

Inhotim, pronounce close to In-yo, chine was fabulous. It is like a huge botanical garden with lakes and then these incredible contemporary art installations and galleries. It is so large they do have golf carts to go around in. The first day they were having a concert with a symphony and Lenine. Wow was it packed. but that was very fun.Long time to wait for a hot dog(best one in a long time when you're hungry!!)..but I found the beer and doritos stall so we had fun in line and started a trend. We were there from 11 to 5:30 and had not seen maybe half of it. Lots of walking and hills!!

The Hotel and the owner were fabulous. I wasn't expecting much from this place,but he spoke English and it was on Booking.com, so I went for it. PLUS ..big plus, they offered a shuttle to Inhotim. Ok I should clarify my statement. The hotel is not fabulous. It is fine. a nice patio, pool, great for young kids. Two young boys were being led on small horses the next am . The employee who was sent find us a Inhotim didn't know what he was in for. People were in the parking lot for an hour.(only because of the concert) Luckily all went off without a hitch and Hubby spotted him in the second parking lot. We had a nice dinner and a bottle of wine. Dinner included in the price, which was a surprise. and the pork was really quite good. Breakfast also included which was a quite large buffet. He arranged for a taxi to take us to Inhotim and we stored our luggage there for a pick up with another driver later back to Belo Horizonte. The owner was so nice Im not quite sure what happened but hubby was asking how to pay him the 130r for the wine and minibar. like cash or credit. . Maybe he thought we said we didn't have it? Anyway he wrote down emails phone etc said " no stress". Couldn't figure it out. The English was good, not perfect. Anyway I have sent that in the mail now. pretty funny.

The last day there we were there from 9:30 am until 2:30. and also had a nice lunch at one of the restaurants. they do take reservations so if you are going in season I would advise it. The one overlooking the lake was packed.

So even though this was out of our way and kind of a hassle,( the part of the trip I was crossing my fingers on)It was definitely worth it. We will probably never be back so I have good memories of it. .and I now listen to Lenine on Spotify!!

All in all a great trip !!!

tripplanner001

Glad you had a good time and thanks for sharing with us. We made a point to have a light breakfast of coffee and some pao de queijo the day we decided to go to Confeteria Colombo for lunch.

SambaChula

The hotel fazenda is a very typical type of establishment for Brazilians to vacation, perhaps taking them back to their rural roots, and that particular one seems typical of its type. Comfortable, but hardly developed-world 5 star luxury. Minas Gerais is well known among Brazilians for its savory meat dishes, which you seem to have sampled. So congratulations on being among the minority of foreign tourists to have a genuine Brazilian experience. Glad you feel it was worth it to get off the beaten path a bit.