AUSSIE NEWS ABOUT RAFA

I had a fabulous time with my friends Marilia and Ryan...she is a sweet girl from São Paulo who lives in Australia since she was a little girl...Brazil lost one beauty and Australia won such a precious treasure, and that is Ryan's responsability to take care of so much richness!!!

Marilia has a lovely portuguese accent, she still speaks beautifully our language. Ryan is a great enthusiast about Brazil and he knew that Brazil is very present in his life!!!

They are incredible people, I had lots of happiness to spend two days with them in Rio and MARILIA WROTE A VERY NICE COMMENT ABOUT MY TOURS AND HER EXPERIENCE IN RIO WHICH YOU CAN READ BELOW:

I just wanted to say a massive heartfelt thank you to you for yourwonderful hospitality whilst Ryan and I were in Rio. Your patience for waiting for us at the airport after our flight stuff up and beingflexible enough to accommodate our requests whilst on the tour was absolutely fantastic. The whole time we were in Rio would not have been as wonderful without you being a part of it and for that I trulywill remember it.

Marilia and Ryan

Thank you so very much, folks!!! I WISH YOU LOADS OF HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS FOR EVERYTHING IN LIFE!!! Rafael Torres Lopes

A COUPLE NAMED HAPPINESS

They live in Sydney and I have always thought that Australia and Brazil has heaps in common!!! And Ryan and Marilia really showed me that I was right!!!!

They love each other and they are together!

And before they get here I had a challenge, to take them to a surfing beach and I just decided to take them to the best one...ITACOATIARA, in Niteroi.

Challenges and tasks, challenge for me to give in just one day the best of Rio and surroundings, and we went to Niteroi. Tasks because my hero Ryan had to buy a bucket in a construction store and he made it!!!!

Marilia was sooooo proud!!!!

Ryan, very used to aussie beaches did great in our territory!!!! But we did way more...we covered all the ocean beaches of Niteroi and we also conquered the AIR in Niteroi...

They jumped from a cliff in Parque da Cidade and they could see the beauties of our paradise from the top!!! :)

Thanks to Luciano, my instructor, yes, when I can I take PARAGLYDING LESSONS, to give such a fantastic opportunity for my friends and they know that from Niteroi they can have lots of adventures!!!

We can notice from their eyes that they belong to each other and I was here to welcome such a spectacular couple!!!

IF THEY ARE HAPPY I AM HAPPY!!!:)

HAPPYNESS FOREVER AND LONG LIFE TO AUSTRALIA!!!

A GUEST WHO REALLY WORKS HARD LIKE THE GUIDE RAFAEL

Every time I take my guests to see the Christ, I do the same...I placed my people in a very strategic position and CLIC...They have a fantastic picture with the Statue in the back!!!

Roger, my guest and now new friend from California had that picture and also learnt to do what I do, and we became the OFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS at the Corcovado!!! :)))) hahahahaha

We did a lot in Rio...very soon you will read funny stories about us!!!

We are people who love people and we went deep into the Brazilians Daily life!!!

Very soon you will read more about Ponta da Areia, Roger and I had lots of fun there!

LIVING IN COPACABANA

When you think about Rio which words or places come to your mind right now????

Copacabana is for sure one of the words you just thought, right???

Well, I live here and I am very happy to be part of the most cosmopolitan district of Rio!!!

Also, this is where you can stay when you think about travelling to Rio because no doubt this is where you can feel the vibe of the city and really experience the local spirit of Rio.

COPACABANA IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT PLANET!!!!

People from all kind...from the homeless to the TOP ONE CELEBRITY in the World...Many people had walked in the famous waterfront....from this simple guide who writes to you, Rafael, to Bill Clinton...

In the sands of our beach many amazing international concerts...ROLLING STONES made history here bringing the biggest audience ever, ONE MILLION PEOPLE.

For years and years, Copacabana is the spot where all the Globe's celebraties add in their travel list...Hollywood had here a place where all people used to come to the Brazilian Playground. Our hotel Copacabana Palace is for sure one of the most important places in the World.

Every December 31th...everyone go to the beach to celebrate the coming year...every year...one million, two million, three million and even 4 million people all together, all dressed in white go to the water to lay flowers to the Goddess of the Sea Yemanjá, and many, including myself, go to the water and jump SEVEN WAVES asking luck, happiness and all good wishes for our lives!!!

COPACABANA IS NOT A SIMPLE NEIGHBORHOOD, COPACABANA IS OUR NATIONAL INSTITUTION.

EVERYTHING HAPPENS HERE and nothing better than being where the action starts!!!

Here I have my friends, I have my family and I have my own life. Personal and Professional life live together in my Copacabana.

All the facilities you can find there...great restaurants, good grocery stores, some long and good business streets. movies, discos, theatres...in the ocean front many very nice QUIOSKS where you can have lovely meals and snacks, and of course, COCONUT WATER, COOL BEER (mostly SKOL beer, but the best here is BOHEMIA) and Caipirinhas), many meeting points where you can find clean toilets and you can also have a shower after a whole day enjoying the beach; Copacabana has many hotels, hostels and guests houses. At the same time the place is absolutely residential.

Talking about accomodation, I recommend you with passion a stay at my very very great friend Marta's place, she owns a guesthouse in a penthouse in the end of the Beach, you can learn more if you go to her page (www.rioguesthouse.com), actually some of the pictures were taken there; or you can rent many residential flats which is also a cool way of staying in Rio!!!

Here in Copacabana you can live with style and enjoy the best of life!!!

Some of the best guides in Brazil live in Copacabana such as Marcone and I, hahahaha :)))) Seriously, at least you can think that in this district you can really count on us!

I was born in Rio and I am very proud to live in a place that explains not only the city, but it tells you a lot about the country!!!!

Copacabana is part of my soul and I love my place!!!

COME AND ENJOY COPACABANA!!!! We are all waiting for you!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

ROYAL GERMAN VISIT IN RIO!!! :)

Michael und Leander, es ist schwer zu sagen, wie fantastisch Sie sind! In einem solchen einige Zeit konnte ich feststellen, wie positiv und wie groß sind Menschen, die Sie zu mir! Ich war sehr glücklich, Ihnen zu zeigen, die beste von Rio de Janeiro und auch die gut versteckten Geheimnisse der Stadt. Sie leben in meinem Herzen, es ist immer eine große Ehre, ein solches Reisenden wie meine besten Freunde! Vielen Dank!

THANK YOU GOOGLE!!!!

Well, I really have to start learning german because it seems that I wll have na excellent PUBLIC RELATIONS in this so dear country!!! :) Germany also gave me wonderful friends, I have friends in Fulda, close to Frankfurt, but now as you all can see, more friends from Germany I have…

Michael and Leander…

They came in the mood to see the depth of our culture…People’s way of life, life styles and gorgeous and scenic places!!!

Marta, the great HOSTER…welcomed then in her house that turns to be one of the most comfortable and classic penthouse in Copacabana, and she introduced me to Michael…

GREAT MOMENT BECAUSE I JUST KNEW SOMEONE WHO OWNS ON OF THE MOST BRIGHT BRAIN OF ALL OVER GERMANY, AND HE BELONGS TO THE MOST CHEERFUL AND HAPPIEST SIDE OF GERMANY, THE SO MAGIC SOUTH OF THE COUNTRY, FROM THE BEERSTADT MUNICH, OR AS THEY SAY, MÜNCHEN!!!

And his best friend and fantastic loyal traveler partner…Leander just joined the group. AS YOU ALL KNOW, I HAV E THAT JACQUES COUSTEAU spirit, and my both german friends are real travelers and very into adventurous destinations.

And I could show them the secrets of two magical cities together: RIO DE JANEIRO AND NITEROI

We spent most of our time in Rio, they wanted to see the SYMBOL OF THE SYMBOLS, the Christ on the top of Corcovado Hill, and we had a great time there; then we explored with details the magnificent forest of Tijuca; and we continued to the fabulous ocean corner of Joa, in the Itanhanga Mountains. Some people call it JOATINGA as well. But it was not enough for our curious appetite, then we decided to explore the wetlands of Marapendi with the expertise of Laerte, the boat man and my humble knowledge of brazilian fauna, and we saw a lot of animals, and the glorious moment…through the long mangrove roots in the water we say a BABY CROCODILE!!!!

We were so pleased to see so many beautiful places, but I wanted to show more of my land…We had very feel time to get to Niteroi before the sunset, but we had a task, a task to make everything possible to be in Niteroi before that, the traffic of 9 million people’s city was a real problem…but we finally reached the top point of Niteroi at the PARQUE DA CIDADE on time to see some last yellow colors of the sky that granted us such a BREATHTAKING VIEW OF RIO AND THE FANTASTIC CONITNUATION OF NITEROI’S COAST…

And as a grand finale, we had such a marvelous meal with the best of Brazilian Food in A Mineira where I go eating for more than 10 years!!!

I have that great will to make simple places unique places…and that is how I want Rio to be in your mind and in your heart…A SIMPLE RIO AND A SPECTACULAR RIO!!!!

Much more than keeping Rio in your mind, my task here is to make Rio be part of your soul!!!

AND TO MY GERMAN FRIENDS…I WISH YOU TONS AND TONS OF MASSIVE HAPPINESS AND I WISH YOU ALL THE SUCCESS IN LIFE, BECAUSE YOU ARE TWO GREAT HUMAN SOULS, AND YOU ARE THE ONES WHO REALLY MAKES BRAZIL A GORGEOUS PLACE TO VISIT AND LIVE!!!

Thank you very much for being ultra mega special to me!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

SURPRISES FROM MARAPENDI

I always have fun when I go to the wetlands of Marapendi...we always spot new animals and we always find some funny dogs in some of our boat rides...This one did the honors and gave me a great welcome!

The tide decides what to show...when the tide comes from the Lagoons we have the great variety of birds eating on the shallow waters, when the ocean tide comes we see the fish and we can even swim and we see the joy of the fishermen with their nets in the bridge!

Rafael Torres Lopes

Your Tour Guide in Rio

CANADA IN MY HEART!!!! MORE FRIENDS FROM NEW BRUNSWICK

They left New Brunswick in Canada to spend some sunny days in Rio de Janeiro, first they proved to have very nice taste, they stayed at RIO GUEST HOUSE, a very famous penthouse in Rio de Janeiro, right in front of Copacabana Beach, and of course, you can learn more about the Guest House in this page: www.rioguesthouse.com

YES THEY LEFT NEW BRUNSWICK, a place where you can see the world’s highest tides rise and fall the height of a four-storey building, twice a day, every day. A place full of coastal dunes and beautiful rivers; a place where you can get crazy when you see the Appalachian Mountains, the Bay of Fundy, the Chaleur Bay where you can drive through the Acadian Road and you will find our spectacular secrets of this unknown side of Canada. One of the countries that I mostly love in my life!!! AND CANADA MADE THIS TWO BRAVE GIRLS DECIDING TO COME TO RIO AND FIND OUT MORE OF THE WORLD'S WONDERS OF NATURE AND AS USUAL GAVE ME TWO WONDERFUL FRIENDS, JAKIE AND JANELLE. And I was also in charge to make it possible, they saw many hidden places of Rio in such a extraordinary day!!!

Marta, the owner of the Guest House reccomended my services to the girls, Jackie and Janelle and we had a lovely tour, taking pictures of unique places in Rio and Niteroi...Great adventures and lots of laughs!!!

We went to the Forts of Niteroi to see the Adan and Eve beaches, we had a lot of fun at the PARQUE DA CIDADE view point. We found the squarrel monkeys and we relexed in the cliffs of Joa Beach, a private beach in the West Side of Rio!!!!

AND TO MY SURPRISE, THEY WROTE A NOTE FOR ME TO PUBLISH HERE AND YOU ALL CAN READ IT, SO YOU WILL SEE THAT YOU WILL ALSO BE IN GOOD HANDS IN YOUR NEXT TRIP TO BRAZIL!!!!

JAKIE AND JANELLE WROTE: Janelle and I had the most amazing time during our day with Rafael. He brought us to a whole bunch of gorgeous, local places that, as tourists, we would have otherwise never been able to see. Rafael was a spontaneous, talkative and very nice guy to tour around the city with!

Our trip to Rio was unforgettable with the help of Rafael and his wonderful day tour!

Jackie and Janelle!

MORE TWO FRIENDS TO EXPERIENCE THE REAL TASTE OF RIO DE JANEIRO

I have a very good secretary in the States, her name is Sherry, she arranged a trip for her brother Jon and her cousin Will, and she contacted me to organize a cool tour around Rio. I had no enough time to show them the best of Rio properly, so I decided to give them a short introduction of the city and at the same time providing an unique experience!!! :)

Jon and Will are great people, they stayed in Copacabana Beach and they did well walking in the surroundings of the neighborhood, trying to meet cool people and just have fun. And my task was to make them fall in love with Rio, so I took them to the most symbolic attraction of Rio...we went to the Christ driving through the Forest, the so incredible Tijuca Forest where we stopped in the showers of Paineiras and we visited the main waterfall in the forest Cascatinha and we fed some friends in the Lake of Solitude which in portuguese it is AÇUDE DA SOLIDÃO!!!!!

Then we finally went to the gated community, that famous Rafa's place where they saw a very hidden surfer's corner, the Joá Beach. We spent some minutes contemplating the ocean and the huge waves beating the rocks, after some minutes watching that paradise where whales can be seen in our winter we went to the Wetlands of Marapendi; we could see many wild birds and we were lucky because for THE SECOND TIME I COULD TAKE PICTURES OF OUR ALLIGATORS, the famous Jacaré do Papo Amarelo, very rare species of Alligators in Rio. We also had some incredible encounters with a happy blue butterfly and the unusual meeting with the SPOONSBILL, another rare bird in our lagoons!!!

WE HAD A WONDERFUL DAY AND WE ENDED OUR TOUR IN ONE OF THE BEST BUFFETS OF RIO WHERE WE CAN EXPERIENCE REAL BRAZILIAN FOOD!!!

THE RESTAURANT, A MINEIRA!

We had a great time, and my guests were wonderful, they will leave the country with a taste of "asking for more".

Again, they left a tour guide and they have a friend for life time!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Planner and Tour Guide

AN EXPLOSION OF WILDLIFE IN RIO

According to my friends who are the boatmen that take us for a ride in this unique paradise of Rio, I am the only tour guide which take foreign people to the wetlands of Marapendi, now I am sure that after so many things that I write about my favorite place in Rio, I will not be the only one!!! hahahahah :)

It is okay, I just want my guests to know that I am very keen on very unique places where you can experience many different interesting sides of Rio de Janeiro!

There is a place where you can spot many birds because Marapendi despite of the local population, still holds a great fish sactuary in such an impressive chain of canals and mangrove vegetation in this incredible area in the west side of the city!

The region has seven islands where we can explore using a local boat that people use to commute with the main land.

Thanks to my friends Laerte and Carlos, I have been promoting such a fantastic surprise in any trip to Rio de Janeiro.

Today I went there with my friends and guests Jon and Will and for the second time I registered the Alligator, and for the first time I could photograph, the SPOONSBILL!!!

Interesting bird that migrate from Florida every year...They get this pink color because they eat a sort of crab.

THIS PLACE SHOULD BE A MUST IN EVERY TRIP TO RIO!!!!

YES!!!! WE DO HAVE ALLIGATORS!!! :)

The wetlands of Marapendi is for sure such a pleasant surprise for every guest that I welcome in Rio, for about almost two years I have taken people to see what very few people can visit when they come to our city. I know the region quite well and without the great help of my friend and boatman Laerte I would never be able to show to the World such a wonderful place where you experience a completely different life style in Rio and also one of the very rare place where you can really spot wild life in Rio!!!

And TODAY, May 18, 2009...We finally found the aligator, it was a baby alligator, we were expecting to meet the MOTHER, but I think she was very shy hidden within the mangrove roots!!!

Many birds...like so many different species of heruns, and now the ROYAL GREY HERUN...we can see alligators.

Marapendi is still a very local place, no tourists go there and that makes the place a real fantastic spot to be visited!!!

Surely I can take you there!!! :) My friends from Munich, Germany Michel and Leo were with me in this important discovery!

ALL THE BEST AND HAPPY TRAVELS,

Rafael Torres Lopes

RIO THAT PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW - MARAPENDI WETLANDS

Rio becomes even more special when you really know how to explore it, when you find out places where just locals know about, Rio is even more exciting when you see places where no tourists go. When you really come across with real life in the place you are visiting, then you can really understand and feel the real vibe of the place!

Feed your curiosity and just participate in a trip where Rio is closer to people who live there!

I always focus on places where you can feel unique! My tours are oriented for people hungry for adventures and for people who really want to know deeply what Rio really likes!!!

One o my favorite places is MARAPENDI, it is a wetland region full of bird life and lush green forests. It is a complex of lagoons where you can understand some mangrove regions of Rio.

We go through green corridors where we find about 5 islands, it is a privileged community all surrounded by stunning nature and lots of bird life! It will be the opportunity to see the ROYAL GREEN HERUN, THE PINK BILLSPOON BIRD THAT MIGRATE EVERY SUMMER FROM FLORIDA DO RIO DE JANEIRO.

You will be in touch with the locals, starting the boatman Laerte that knows all the way in the ways in the lagoon alleys where every curve gives you a magnificent view of the mountains and jungle in Marapendi. And if you need to go to a toilet, just let him know and Laerte will take you to his own house and then you can use his family rest room. It is not only a helping hand he gives, it is also a very rare opportunity for you to see a house of a local who is really worried to preserve the environment, his house is a small BOTANIC GARDEN!!!

TO GET THERE, you must head the west part of Rio, it is for sure part of my full days when I take my guests to see the Christ, the Forest and the beaches of Barra da Tijuca, Recreio and Prainha. Once you reach the canal, you will have to pay 40 reais for two people, 60 reais for 4 people, 80 reais for six people. So his price depends on how much people I take in my tour.

When you write to me, for sure I include MARAPENDI WETLAND IN MY TOURS!

Actually it is one of my favorite escapes when I am free, I usually go there to get to know even more about my local fauna, I go there with my friends and family just to hve a great time!

And of course it is the chance I have to show you part of my photography, I do love taking pictures of magical places in Rio and these pictures is part of my personal collection.

Rafael Torres Lopes
Tour Guide and Tour Planner

donrafainrio@yahoo.es