So I'll start with a big tip for women (you'll thank me later): If you have frizzy/curly hair that needs constant blow drying/ironing, either get your hair permanently straightened before you come to Brazil, or be mentally prepared to face your true self within 10 minutes of going out :) I did the latter!
So our apartment was a great VRBO find (Thanks Kamala), just minutes from the Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. We reached and unpacked on the 30th night, had a good nights' sleep and headed out to the beach on the 31st morning. The water was beautiful, a bit rough for my taste and I got thrown around a bit. I took the hint and spent the rest of the afternoon chilling in our OzTrail tent.
New Years in Rio was FANTASTIC.
Millions of people gather around the Copacabana Beach to watch the heavenly display of fireworks. Traditionally people are dressed in white to welcome luck and prosperity in the following year, and buy and sacrifice lillies to the Goddess of the Sea who grants them 3 wishes. We walked down our apartment towards Posto 6, and found a spot that was relatively less crowded. Nowhere have I seen so many people on the streets late at night, with alcohol in their system, yet so peaceful and full of positive energy!
About 20 min to midnight we settled down with our Caipirinhas, by far the best and the cheapest one from the beach. We also had our bottle of champagne to pop later. The crowd only gets bigger so make sure you are close enough to the water if you want to experience the fireworks in its full glory in the background of roaring waves of the sea. As the atmosphere builds up, the music begins playing: several barges loaded with colorful fireworks go off at the same time and the effect is...simply breathtaking...25 minutes of the best firework display of my life ends with the whole sky lighting up in red, yellow and green specs...the best NYE party so far..and it was free!
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