polo | FunkyTravel

It´s been a quick ride through South-America, so now I´m sitting by the pavement on Copacabana. After two months I´m in Brazil, the sun is shining, and I´m waiting for my brother Jonas to arrive. Really looking forward to see what Rio has to offer.

Sitting here people-watching, you realize how many styles of running exists. You have the “laidback runner”, so laidback he almost fall backwards while running. Feet forward and upper body way back. So scared of falling forward so he´s over compensating.

You see a lot more: The “jello” style, soft knees and shaking, looks like a breakdown bound to happen. The waggler, with his head going from side to side in a strict manner. The skeleton, stiff with empty eyes; can´t believe why they chose to go for a run. The confident, with his chest a meter in front of the rest of the body. The wheel, knees straight out, too many k’s. Should I take a taxi? The walker, so slow you’d walk past them. Every movement looks like in slow motion. How is it possible to run that slow? The imaginary athlete. Run fast, shout at people to move, headset and heartrate monitor, new nike outfit and running shoes, but only last for 2k. You´ll spot them from the real athletes going back. When they´ve got it, hard, stiff legs and no more energy. They´ll change from imaginary athlete to skeleton, waggler or the wheel on their way back.

After a day in the sun we wanted to go out, check out the nightlife. Melt, in Leblon, on a sunday turned out to be a real hoot. We were the only tourists (it seemed like), and the Brazilian vibe almost shook the roof off. It was live music until midnight, and then club. Everyone was dancing, singing, just having fun. And then you had two guys at the bar, doing the head shake, if totally crazy, stamping one foot with the music, drinking and watching. Have to be Norwegian. But not for long. After one spiky Caipirinha we joined the crowd and introduced Rio to some Norwegian rythms. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a lot of fun 🙂

One of the tips I got before I went to Brazil was to visit a Brazilian steakhouse, a Churrascaria. We picked Churrascaria Palace and hoped for the best. The most frustrating thing about eating at a churrascaria, I learned, is getting full. And with all the meat flying by, it doesn’t take that long. The concept is that the waiters bring different meats around the restaurant, and offer you some. And they don´t stop. Spareribs, all kinds of beef, lambchops, lamblegs, chicken, pork, you name it. Priceless for meatlovers. What do you think was the side dish? Sushi, as much as you could eat. I just died and woke up in heaven. Put some gravy in there and you have my ultimate dream. Add great Caipirinhas and you have your night set. And i had an oyster. Not that it’s so good, but when it’s there you have to try, with a lot of tabasco that is. Everyone who knows me know that I have big problems stopping if the food is great. To say the least, been sweating for hours now.. The mother of my ex was a great cook, and an even greater food pusher. I’m like a woonded gnu in those scenarios. So full as I was after the Churrascaria, I haven’t been since her easter dinner. 🙂

After checking the nightlife- and restaurant scene, we started on our sightseeing route. First off was a visit to a favela, Rochina, the biggest one in Rio with 70.000 people. There are 950 favelas in Rio, and 20 % of the people live in one. Slaves were used in the war for the republic, and they were promised land and houses when won. History repeats it self, and they got nothing. So they built their homes from what they had, where they could, and it was the beginning of the favelas. What strikes you is that there are no east and west when it comes to favelas, they are everywhere, where ever there are room. We were driving through the rich areas and suddenly you have a favela. We were passing private schools (grade schools) that costs close to 3000 bucks a month, and on the other corner you have a favela, with an average income of 300 bucks a month. That´s diversity for you, within 100m! Earlier the favelas was run by the mafia, but now the government are taking over the territories. Was a part of the deal when they got the Olympics and the World Cup I heard. Even though the government has police in the favela, it´s still an internal justice system in the favela. You have to be on the right side with the people to move there, or build there, not the government. If a neighbor says ok, you can build another floor on top of his house. If he says no, you won´t. Not exactly building permits and inspections. No matter how tough it is to live in a favela, the community inspired me. They really do as best as they can, from what they have, and they are working hard with the electricity, garbage system and the sewer system. it´s not easy as the favela is built up, with no streets, but they find their ways.

After the favela tour we went to one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Corcovado, Cristo Redentor. It was a beatiful ride up, even though we missed the train. A spectacular view of the city. Definately a must-do when in Rio. The fog was chasing us on our way up, so we feared the worst. Luckily we just made it, and it was a special feeling reaching the foot of the statue. The view of the city, with the massive statue, it´s hard to describe how beautiful that was. One of those moments.

With Christ Redeemer out of the way we headed for the sugar loaf. Another Brazilian landmark. We had to take a cable car to get there. First you arrive on one top, before the last lap to the top of the loaf. The view is amazing, and you can see most of the city, ocean, beaches and mountains from there. You can see the most of the same from Corcovado, so if you´re not a sucker for cable cars, or just have to do all the sights, it might be enough to do the statue. Anyway, it was a beautiful view on a nice and sunny day.

After a long day of sightseeing we wanted something else, to experience the passion for football. One night at a club, suddenly they pulled out a tv at 1pm and showed a UFC match. Apparently it was a big match between a brazilian and an american, but still. What happened was that everyone was watching. And I mean everyone! The girls, the guys, the bartenders, the guards, everyone. It says something about the importance of sports in this country, so we really looked forward to our match after buying tickets to a local derby, Botafogo – Fluminese.

The match itself was not extremely entertainming, but the atmosphere was electric. I´ve been to Old Trafford, Anfield, White heart lane, and several other big stadiums, but the sound and atmosphere the relatively set few people made, was extraordinary. It was constant, and you could feel the vibrations in your body. Great fun, and an amazing experience. On our way to the stadium we also stopped by the famouse, and massive Maracana stadium. It was being prepared for the Olympics so we couldn´t see the field, but it was strange to think about that this arena, at the peak, took 199.000 people! That´s got to be some kind of a record, and it is 🙂 For us Norwegians we need to add that Aha played for more than 100.000 people here.

Not many I know have ever been to a favela. Noone I know have lived in a favela. We have. The last 5 days in rio, after stating at fancy hotels on Copacabana, we wanted to try something different. So we rented a room in Vidigal favela. It’s a hostel, but our private room was placed a block away from the hostel, in the middle of the favela. All our neighbours were locals living there. You hear a lot of the problems in the favelas. “It’s dangerous, dont’t go there. You’d be robbed and killed”. My 2 cent is that the favela isn’t more dangerous than Copacabana. I didn’t feel unsafe once, and people were friendly. You have to use common sense, as anywhere you go, but it’s a misconception that the favelas are dangerous in itself. The people that live there are normal workers that can’t afford to live in fancy appartments. They are proud of their neighborhoods, and as long as you are respectful, they will let you be a part of it. Most of the problems, not all, but most, are drug and mob related. As long as you keep away from that you should be fine. That said we only went to three favelas, and lived in one. So I can´t speak for all, but the ones we went to, we felt safe and I think we got a good look at the life in a favela.

Our appartment @ Vidigal

We had plans on going to Ilha Grande and Florianopolis, but as the weather wasn´t anything to write home about, we decided to stay in Rio. Have to come back to see more of the country later.

After close to two weeks in Rio, we checked out and set the compass for another famous South-American city. The “European” capitol of South-America, Buenos Aires. The first impression wasn´t great. The worst passport queue in the history of airports. No kidding, hundreds of meters with queue. But that first impression didn´t last for long. What a city!

We arrived at the hotel late, around 11pm. So we checked in at L´hotel in Palermo (a superb one), put our bags in our room, and asked where to go for a great steak. Argentina is known for beautiful women, and amazing steaks, and Maradona of course. La Cabrera was our arena, after the strong recommendation from Manuel, the general manager. For you that have seen Fawlty towers, it was a fun experience, as he spoke spanglish with the strong spanish accent. He even had a mustache. With his mustache he actually looked a bit like the famous Manuel. 🙂 La Cabrera did not disappoint. The meat was perfectly seasoned, the side dishes was to my taste, that means many, and teeth were unnecessary. It´s hard to say who has the best steaks, USA or Argentina. I think it´s a tie. I guess you understand, we had a lot of red meat the coming days. 😉

From the Favela in Rio to L´hotel in Palermo

After great meals you want to enjoy a great night out. So is that possible in BA? The nightlife in BA is crazy! Crazy!!! To explain it in not too many words. We went to an irish pub to have dinner at 9pm on a sunday. As it turns out, sunday IS funday. After hitting 3 clubs with some new local friends, we walked out of the last one at 10.47 am. It was a door with no signs, looked like an appartment, but behind the door was a nightclub. A secret one. Indeed a crazy experience. You can party 24 hours in BA, no problemas. The 24 hour bar next to our hotel is a witness of the true city that never sleeps. Yes, I know what you think, aren´t you too old for that? Didn´t you just turn thirty? Apparently not, or yes, but noooo 🙂

The power of people.

Why is it still people that don´t understand the power of people? It’s amazing how people can make a good place with great food bad, and how a mediocre place can be great because of the people that work there. That businesses still don’t get it, seem to amaze me every day. Luckily there’s a lot of exceptions. #someonehadaroughnightoutyesterdayorarejustsimplyinthewrongprofession

Apparently you can’t go to Buenos Aires and don’t see tango. We found two options. Either a tango club, a milonga, or a tango show. At the milonga you’d participate, so you that have seen me dance understand that we chose the show. Cafe de los angelitos was the scene, after recommendations at the hotel and tripadvisor. And what a show! I´m not a big sucker for watching dance, but this was a spectacular performance. I need to learn tango one of these days. I don´t got any pictures, but trust me, it was great!

The night progressed to an alternativ electro concert before we hit a club. And it was like it was saturday. “Monday are the day for rest, nothing´s going on anyway”. Not in Buenos Aires. It just never stops here!

Being Norwegians, if it´s sunny, we put on our shorts. While the Argentinians had their winter and was wearing their duffel coats, we refused to wear anything with long legs. We saw two others with shorts, and hundreds with winter jackets. That´s how we roll 🙂

For our last day in BA we wanted to do something cool, something different. When in Rome…

So Polo turns out to be huge down here. Why not we thought? I tell you why not, Ørjan: You don´t know how to ride and horses don´t like you!! Anyways, we headed for the ranch outside the city. When we were driving up to the ranch you got this feeling of being a part of an American cliche. “The horse whisperer, the sequel”. Gorgeous surroundings, and hundred of horses. Our riding experience is less than nothing, and Fernando didn´t have a lot of confidence in us, even though he tried to hide it 😉 We put on the gear and got to it. As it turns out, I´m not like Lin in Shantaram, though I did rip my pants getting on the horse. Less than elegant I can say, but I got on. I actually managed to stear the horse, and was hitting the balls. I wanted to go faster and felt like I got in to it. Then suddenly the horse got enough of me, and just took off. He wouldn´t take any commands, and started to kick with his feet when I tried to stop him, and performed some small jumps. At least I managed to stay on the horse, but it couldn´t last for long. Fernando luckily got to us, but the horse still wouldn´t calm down. He held the laces, and then I jumped off. Within seconds the horse was calm again. Yep, I´m not cut out for riding, either. At least travelling educates me on all the things I can´t do 😉 After this me and my brother switched on riding the other horse, and it was easier. We got along a lot better, and I was in control again. The entire experience was extremely fun and different, though I will never be a Polo player. Recommended if you want to do something off the sightseeing-, eating- and drinking route in Buenos Aires.