RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OHIO

Once I mentioned that I am very impressed that many russian people are looking for my tours, these dearest russians accept a challenge to build a new life in the States, and they really succeed and for me THEY ARE REAL WARRIORS AND GENUINE WINNERS!!! So many special people that I am honored to be a friend, people with brilliant mind and very fantastic plans. PLEASE ALL THE RUSSIANS IN THE STATES AND ALL THE RUSSIANS IN RUSSIAN COME TO BRAZIL AND YOU WILL SEE WHAT THIS COUNTRY KEEPS FOR YOU...ONLY UNIQUE SURPRISES!!!! :) You are all welcome to YOUR HOUSE in Rio de Janeiro, yes, come here thinking that you will find a home, a warm home with gorgeous sea and majestic green forests full of lively hills!!! So my big big big big big big big big big big big big friends Svetlana and Igor, now my new family from Ohio, US...wrote some lines about my tours and I would love to share with you what Svetlana says and from her very generous heart she reports with his own word how I gladly welcome everyone in this magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro.

SVETLANA WROTE:

We are very happy that we followed the advice from tripadvisor.com and arranged private tour of Rio with Rafael Torres Lopes in June 2008.

He loves his city very much and enjoys sharing his love and knowledge and perspective with the guests.

He did not only showed us "the must to see" touristic attractions and sights as the Christ The Redeemer and Sugar Loaf. He took us to the places where we could experience the rhythm of city. We went to the laguna where people were jogging in the morning, we ate "authentic" Rio food from the street stand. We wistled monkeys in Tijuca forest and hand fed them with bananas. We danced with locals in downtown street cafe. We had dinner at the restaurant at the local market, where people were singing and dancing samba after the day of work.

He even took us to the cultural center to take a glimpse on a celebration of 100 years of Japanese community in Rio. And all this while we were surrounded with the most beautiful views on the planet.

Rafael surprised us with his deep knowledge of hsitory of Brazil and the world. His English is perfect, his sense of humor is great. He took our photos and emailed them to us. Rafael's car is roomy and air-conditioned.

We highly recommend his private tours service.

Svetlana Golba

IF ONCE YOU COME TO RIO...ACT AS A CARIOCA

The Cariocas are so fortunate to have many forests withing the city, they are proud to have green everywhere, beautiful hills all around and everywhere they look they see the ocean, this people are used to have wild life in their daily life. If you get home very tired from work, you can have some hours outside walking in the beach, or in the so many natural corridors that we have. In almost every district you have a little green space for you to enjoy SIMPLE LIFE! But in the weekends we do more...we go trekking and we find ways to enjoy our natural beauties, one of our landmarks, the terrific famous PÃO DE AÇUCAR - Sugar Loaf, right? - can be reached on foot..from the very local place Pista Claudio Coutinho, you find a trail which leads you up to the first hill, here we call it, MORRO DA URCA.

The second hill you've got to be very keen on mountains...the Sugar Loaf itself challenge real specialists who dares to go there without the CABLE CAR, hahahaha :) My great friend and future very brave Tour Guide Marcone, the VOICE OF RIO, Patricia, and my other two dear friends Carlos and Claudio and me picked up a sunday afternoon and decide to go for it!!! AND WE HAVE REACHED THE MORRO DA URCA WITH OUR OWN LEGS!!!!

For more information about how to be a Carioca in Rio de Janeiro, please be free to contact MR. EMBASSADOR RAFAEL TORRES LOPES at donrafainrio@yahoo.es

QUE VENGAN LOS ARGENTINOS!!!!

Something really incredible in my job which I love so much is that I meet people from all over the World, and this people come to see the best of my own land!!! I am a real carioca and I love to feel their "Embassador" (From many different countries), so I am here to addapt their culture into our local culture, I am here to make life easier for every foreign visitor, I am here to help with the language, I am here to simplify what it could be very complicated to them! This is my view about a Tour Guide in Brazil. Not only to take them to places where they obviously have to go, my people has to be with my people, if you know what I mean... Do not expect to find a guide who will direct you as "sir", "right side" or "left side". Be sure you will have someone to look at you in the eye, and this person (well, me!) will always welcome you with a large smile in the face and will ask you..HEY WHAT'S UP??? YES YES YES, YOU WILL HAVE A FRIEND HERE!!!! :) And this time I have got here my very dear neighbors...my ARGENTINEAN FRIENDS, people from a country that I simply adore!!! YES I ALSO HAVE GUESTS FROM ARGENTINA, and they really come despite of all difficulties their country is facing, and that makes Brazil a very expensive destination. So if they come, it means that Brazil is a home for them, and my duty is to make it comfortable and always interesting! As usual they came for just one day and my old challenge to make one day something so unique that I am pretty sure they will always come back!!! They saw the Christ, but they found out a magical place called PARQUE DA CIDADE!!! Two cities RIO DE JANEIRO and NITEROI in one day!!! MY MESSAGE IN SPANISH - JULIA, FACU, MARI, CAROL Y MONI, GRACIAS...MUCHAS GRACIAS POR TANTA AMISTAD, POR TANTA COSA BUENA QUE PASAMOS EN UN SOLO DIA, PERO QUE ESPERO QUE HAYA CONVERTIDO EN UN DIA MUY ESPECIAL!!! MUCHO MAS TENDREMOS EN EL FUTURO!!! Escribí siempre, mi correo es donrafainrio@yahoo.es

NOT ONLY VISITING YOU, YOU'VE GOT TO FEEL IT!!!

Rio has different sights, Rio has different tastes and why not to say, different fragrances. A real traveller notices all that. The secret of really getting to know Rio is going deeper in our society. Get to know people, never be afraid of talking even know you have no idea about the language (YES, PORTUGUESE IS DIFFICULT). One of the things that very few people know is that Rio has a glorious past which shows us the magnificent mix of south american culture with european culture, and this has a history of more than 400 years! There are some hidden corners that bring us memories from our GRANDMA'S time...turning a corner in the oldest streets of Rio you come across with and old BOTICARIO....In my humble english I would translate it as a CHEMIST's..a place where you find natural beauty products made by the hand of a very nice and traditional family. That store has exactly 147 years. And by the magic hand of Helio, you will find hydrating creams made of typical brazilian flowers, incredible brazilian medicine herbs and creams and colonies made oof tropical brazilian fruits such as PITANGA, MARACUJA and many other exotic fruits, seeds and roots of our extraordinaty Brazil. helio is more than a chemical artists which provide us incredible perfums, bath soaps and so many very soft creams that will give a lot of quality to your life! The store is a typical business of a portuguese time when Rio was part of the the powerful PORTUGUESE KINGDON, and it is located in an area where all the nobles used to live...So in a simple visit to helio's place you will be directed to a very different period of our history. The famous store is called MS. DIVINE and I am very happy when I take my guests to the glorious past of Rio and I see Helio working hard everyday to bring the quality of his very excellent products to a big part of Rio's people!!! And also it is a great opportunity to meet one of the most interesting charecters of lovely Rio. Rafael Torres Lopes Tour Guide and Travel Planner donrafainrio@yahoo.es

THE GREAT SAMBISTAS!!!

I would never miss the chance to show the fantastic performance of a russian couple in the old streets of Rio, dancing SAMBA at Rua do Ouvidor!!!!

This moment was special..it shows the ultimte meeting of Svetlana and Igot with the best of RIO'S CULTURE!

JUNE 2008

MY RUSSIAN FAMILY

Every guest I get just increase the number of a big family that I have all over the world. and I have noticed that a certain group seems to like me a lot and I am very proud of it. It is a honor to welcome so many russian people who comes to visit Rio for the first time. They all live in the States and thanks god each them carry a great story of victory.

They are coming here so much that I have to confess that I seriously thought about learning Russian....do you think it could be a plus in my tours?????

Anyway....but like always I have met so many wonderful people from this lovely country and I am very grateful for that!

Very recently, Svetlana and her husband Igor came, and again...I hve to made two dys in ONE DAY, and I guess I have made!!!

They had heaps of fun...we visited the Christ, we could find the monkeys and provide a real lunch for them thanks for all the bananas Svetlana brought!!! They could taste the local environment of an interesting city like Rio, they saw the people, they could listened to music and dance our Samba, they learn that we are very concerned about culture and guaranteeing free access to everybody!!!

More good friends I have got...Now I know that in Ohio I have a family. Thank you Svetlana and Spasiva Igor for such a incredible moment in my own land!!!

OUR ADVENTURE IS NOW PUBLISHED FOR ETERNITY!!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes
The guide

MY DEAR SEATTLE GIRLS

As usual, they came for just one day...and my challenge was making a week in just 24 hours and I took the challenge! :) We did a lot and they needed a reason to come back to Rio and stay longer; well, they really saw the city, we had fun with the monkeys, in the forest and also visiting the past of Rio when no one imgine that this beach destination has so many incredible history connecting AMERICA TO EUROPE!

Stacey, Heidi and Nick now have one more reason to return, they just had got a friend: ME!!!

And they deserve to find Rio with SUN!!! :)

The sun was a little bit shy, no problem...we went to the beach!!!!

It was a great pleasure to meet all of you, and for anything you need in Brazil you know already who you can count with! :)

We went to Arpoador, Pista Cludio Coutinho and we walk alot in the old city of Rio seeing the cultural centre of Banco do Brasil and so many other spots!