Carnaval in Rio

Once we got to the Connection Rio house, it was all about the bloco or street party. It was a full house when we arrived with almost thirty people and everyday, a group was going to a bloco in Ipanema, Copacabana, Gavea, Barra, somewhere. To kick off the weekend of partying, we went to Lapa on Friday night. Lapa is the place to be on Friday nights so we figured the Friday night before Carnaval would be even better. Lapa's a little seedy and an eclectic mix of people, bars, and clubs. We walked around, absorbing in the sites and sounds of the craziness abound. Casually dressed Brazilians in simple costumes, ready for a week of partying, and sporadically someone you needed to avoid walking by. The caipirinhas were cheap, strong and good! Ramanan was feeling a buzz, after his first and I wasn't. Either I am becoming an alcoholic or he is now a lightweight. I'm in favour of the second explanation. We decided to bar hop, and things were going well until the guys realized that they had been robbed at the last club we were at. None of them had realized it when it was happening, but they had gotten their money and a phone taken. We were more fortunate though, Ramanan had kept most of our money in his socks, and not his pockets. That ended up being a buzz kill and we headed home a little after.

The party begins on the beach. The music, Baile Funk, played on moving vehicles starts at one post of the beach and makes it way down to the final stop, inching slowly along and the crowd following it. It was hot and partying in the sun is tiring! But there was plenty light beer to buy to quench your thirst. And once in a while, you have to find a palm tree or some shade to cool down. Brazilians come dressed in costumes, men cross dress, sometimes it's a simple garland or flower in their hair and other times, it's a troupe with matching outfits. Too bad we didn't have the camera with us! When the official bloco ends, cars and trucks with music blasting arrive, park themselves along the road, and draw in the crowds. If you're not into what their playing, you just move on to the next car. Having a good time comes easy to Brazilians. Beer, and some music is all you need, and the crowd is ready to party forever!

And then there are the stories from the Connection Rio house. There are the guys who partied for seven days straight, like soldiers. There are guys who met Brazilian girls, who knew exactly what they wanted. One of the funniest was of the two guys who ended up at a love motel with just each other. The night started with one pretending to be a UFC fighter and the other his manager. They got VIP service, bought people drinks thinking some were on the house and picked up a couple of girls. Unfortunately, they spent too much money at the bar, and not really understanding what what the manger was saying to them, just took off throwing a sock full of money at the cashier. They decided to go to a love motel with the two girls. It just went downhill from there. They were both drunk and passed out, with the girls abandoning them. Next morning they didn't even have money to pay for the room so they gave what they had and promised to come back. Luckily the guy at reception let them go. The entire Connection Rio house could not stop laughing about their adventures.

Carnaval is endless partying. A week of beer and caipirinhas, Baile Funk and Samba, and peeing just about anywhere you have to! You have to watch out for wet trees and shrubs along the road! It's also about stamina. You can party all day and all night, everyday for the entire week. I love this country! I also have Nicole and Cody to thank for the photos. So now the question is which Carnaval will I be at next year?