Rio/Buzios

 - CARNAVAL WEEK and my aMAZEing (read 'stupid') Adventure

I had no idea who was playing there in Buzios, I said to Bruce, an old friend from New Zealand. I had already paid for a place in Rio so when he told me he was waiting for me at the bus station and we were leaving in 20 minutes I wasn't  convinced immediately. After a fait bit of urging and complaining on both sides, I left the hotel with no more than my watch and wallet and sped towards the bus station to see someone I hadn't even heard from in 5 years.
We made it to Búzios and pulled an all nighter, but after failing to rouse my blacked out buddy, I decided to head back and didn´t stay more than one night.
 LOTS of beautiful women there though ( club Privilege was awesome with international djs playing all night), you get a charge card when you arrive and they fleece your Cr. card on the way out. A great system but dangerous if you´re a drinker!

Búzios, RJ Brazil

www.hotelmandragora.com.br

Be sure to enquire about the service charge fee they ask that´s mentioned below.

Anyway, back to Rio.

More than a great cafe, within the favella in Catete, there is an iconic boutique hotel called "the Maze," it´s  run by an expat Brit called Bobby (does a bloody good curry, has black beer etc.)

 He started building around the period that the movie "City of God" was set. The place looks out over Rio and you can see Nitoroi is the distance, well worth the trip up the hill (get the combo van at the bottom for a couple of Reals) He usually has writers or foreign bands sometimes staying, check it out for sure.
 I remember vaguely rolling out of his place in the wee hours of one morning, you know that moment when you just have to leave, after many shots of cachasa and black beers I said to Bobby I'd be back tomorrow to collect my backpack and began weaving my way down through the favella and into the neighbourhood of Gloria onto Flamenco beach.

The following morning I awoke to see a mosquito sucking on my foot, 'great', I thought, 'dengue for breakfast' (when I walked through the favella I had seen a few doors painted with huge green letters, the word dengue). I was in a hammock. I love my hammock, and we had become very close over the last years. I looked out from it to see a stunning purple and pink sunrise, with the waves gently rushing onto the beach below... quite a long ways below it turned out, maybe 20 foot up in a tree I found myself that morning, a faint twinge of vertigo tried to invade the space in my head currently occupied by my hangover.
With a bit of difficulty I managed to uncouple the hammock off of the thinnest of the two branches I'd decided to hang myself from a few hours before. Lord Lilly. I gathered it all (the hammock silk), together, knots in my stomach and all and as Flamenco is not the safest of places to be, even 20 feet up in the air, I waited until the few early morning walkers passed by below before squirreling down and began to make my way back up the favella steps...

95%/5%?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/british-owner-iconic-maze-hotel-5540384

Street Bands
and Parties

Each neighborhood in Rio has its favorite Carnival street band(s). There are more than 300 of them in Rio nowadays and each year this number increases. Each band has its place or street for its parade and the big ones usually close the streets to the traffic. They usually start in January and last till the end of Carnival. Since the beginning of the year, you can often see groups of people dancing samba in the streets of Rio at the weekends and during Carnival.

Frequently the people who organize the band's procession compose the music for their own parade.

The Carnival bands consist of an orchestra, mainly brass. They march along a predetermined route or stay at the same place, however, are always joined by hordes of enthusiastic samba revelers dressed in costumes, bathing suits, plain clothes, and even many in drag. Blocos are usually smaller, attracting more of a neighborhood crowd. Bandas are bigger in size.
The most famous Carnival bands are

• Cordão do Bola Preta - one of the most traditional bands parading downtown
• Banda de Ipanema marches on three separate days in Ipanema, followed by a huge crowd with lots of gay revelers
• Suvaco do Cristo parades in the Botanic Garden District, right below Christ-the Redeemer statue's arm. The name in English translates to "Christ's armpit", and was chosen for that very reason
• Carmelitas was supposedly created by nuns but in fact it is just an allegory of the band. It parades in the hills of Santa Teresa.

The operation of a Carnival street band is really quite simple. First people gather at some well known spot, such as a square or neighborhood bar. After a couple or more hours of getting together, the band starts marching its way down the streets. Do not miss the initial warm-up gathering. Enjoy the show performed by drag queens and children that stop cars and buses trying in vain to make their way through the crowds. Drivers caught in a band gridlock have nothing to do but relax and enjoy the moment.

Seniors and children of all ages also participate in these marches, so this is the ideal time for the whole family to have a good time together. South Rio bands march in the afternoon. Gathering usually starts around 4 p.m.
Where the bands pass, streets are closed to traffic and bus routes are changed, to avoid the inevitable jam. Some bands attract as many as over 10,000 participants. Most bands also have official T-shirts for sale on the spot for about US$10, to help with the costs. They make great souvenirs, as they are sold only on Rio Carnival days.
more on evrything carnaval related here: http://www.rio-carnival.net/