LEBLON - WHERE THE LOCAL CULTURE MEETS

In my rare free time I usually go to Leblon to visit my favorite book shop, actually it is a meeting point for people seeking for knowledge and culture. There you can find an endless selection of new stuff like books, magazines and you always come across with something interesting happening in this neighborhood where most of the artist and brazilian midia live. Marcone and I decided to bring Vanessa to the place we always go. The book shop's name is LETRAS & EXPRESSOES, which is located right in the beggining of Ataufo de Paiva Avenue, 1292.

This is the square that all the middle class in Rio usually meet!!! It is a casual ambience where we all love to go out in our hot summer nights, but every night is a great chance to be at Leblon. Beautiful people, fine food, drinks and for sure lots of fun!!!

Which book shop in the World where you can come across with a nice and very educated dog???? : ))))))

We had loads of fun and I am happy to share with you one more place where locals have fun! and this is of course I I love buying my books!

Rafael Torres Lopes
Tour Guide and Travel Planner

donrafainrio@yahoo.es

PISCINÃO DE RAMOS - WHY GOING THERE????

Literally, "piscinão" means HUGE POOL...and it is really huge....the idea is to create a big recreation area for people who cannot reach long distances to go the the Beach, the idea was also finding a way to provide real fun for our people...

RAMOS is a real beach, but it is in the back of our Bay, the pollution there is absolutely high and it is impossible for anyone to use it....

So sand for many beaches of Rio was brought and a very sophisticated cleaning system was create to use the Bay Water and fill that big piece of land with water in good conditions for people to swim.

In many places in the suburbs of Rio you can find these PISCINÃO....All of them in located in very poor communities like places I am sure you never heard such as Guadalupe, Santa Cruz and even in another city, there is another famous piscinão in São Gonçalo.

But Piscinão de Ramos is more popular among people and every now and then big musical concerts are organized there.

So many different people and different things to do there, it is also a great opportunity for you to experience STREET FOOD which in Rio is absolutely delicious!!!

If you really want to go deep in our culture, a visit to PISCINÃO de Ramos will help for you to find out that Rio de Janeiro is a wonderful place.

I took some pictures showing fascinating scenes that I could catch during our day in Ramos.

Rafael Torres Lopes

donrafainrio@yahoo.es

A VERY DIFFERENT SUNDAY IN RIO - A RIO FOR REAL TOUR

Favelas...quite interesting to discuss about this topic...In many places in the World people when they think about FAVELA IN BRAZIL they quickly connect VIOLENCE, DEEP POVERTY, CRIME and all sort of problems that we always hear when we think about the Third World....

Wait a minute....THIRD WORLD???? No way...a long time ago Brazil left the line of total misery and desorganization and we are such a fast growing country that thanks God makes the country absolutely famous in the World.

Nowadays we know that there is poverty everywhere...big cities in the World suffer the same problem, and we are all looking for smart solutions. In poor communities here there are a lot of social programs going on.

Favelas in Rio are changing its sad stigma...THERE IS LIFE AND LOTS OF JOY IN THE FAVELAS, and yes...we can stroll around in very unique and interesting areas of Rio where people in the low classes always go to have fun and believe me, they really know how to have fun!!!

THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE TO BEAR IN MIND...forget about protocols and social rules, all you have to carry with you is a lot of respect and for sure you will be respected!

I AM NOT SO HAPPY WITH THE CONCEPT OF FAVELA TOUR IN RIO...but I do admire people who provide social work to help people.

SO I WAS PLANING A VERY DIFFERENT TOUR THAT JUST HAPPENS ON SUNDAY, IT IS ONLY POSSIBLE TO HAVE THIS TOUR EVERY SYNDAY.

MORNING - A VISIT TO THE VEGGIE MARKET OF ROCINHA...amazing big space where all people go to buy fresh vegetables, typical northen food and you will be walking in one of the biggest favelas in RIO...ROCINHA.

Sandi, my friend from Missouri experienced one very funny morning in Rocinha and we could eat PASTEL DE CARNE (pastries) with CALDO DE CANA (Sugar Cane Juice).

AFTERNOON - GOING NORTH - Very recently, Marcone and I decided to take our friend from Canada, Vanessa and my cousin Carminha to go to a public swimming pool (which they also call it as PRAIA) in the middle of a Favela in the north part of Rio, this place is called Ramos.

THAT IS THE FAMOUS PISCINÃO DE RAMOS!!!

It is specially great to go there on sundays because there is always somethign going on like music events, people get together with their families to swim and have lunch in the so many restaurants in front of the sand line. Thje space is very democratic, people are friendly and the environment is quite family oriented.

You will see many different things and you will be in touch with another side of Rio's society!!!

This is something that a single tourist would never do in Rio, this is something that a traveller like you would certainly do.

Talk to me and I will give you all the details, we can easily go there by car. But this is a special tour, we must think about going there with a lot of adventure, but I am telling you....IT IS A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

donrafainrio@yahoo.es

Tour Guide and Travel Planner

FLORESTA DA TIJUCA - THE TIJUCA FOREST

I am sure that before you come to Rio you should start planning the places you want to see and in your research you will read TIJUCA FOREST.

Okay, in my tours...TIJUCA FOREST IS LIKE PEANUT BUTTER FOR AMERICANS...MORE THAN ESSENTIAL!!! HAHAHAHAHA : ))))

And you can see more in my tours during the day...the Christ at Morro do Corcovado is part of the Forest, we will drive through the woods in Paineiras where you will see the showers (where some RAFA'S BAPTISM HAPPENS - well, you can ask some guests what it means...) and you will see the HEART of the Forest visiting the place where the park was created in 1816, and you will come across with a gorgeous waterfall, THE CASCATINHA, and we will end up in a little lake with some beautiful fish and lush green all around. Not only the forest,, then we will head to the West of Rio looking for some incredible surprises, places where just locals go, beaches and wetlands. So many hidden gems will be waiting for you.

Myself and our guides are much more concerned to provide you the best experience in Rio, to take you to places away from the touristy traps.

Join us and be part of our group of friends who really love BRAZIL!!!

Vanessa, my best friend in Canada and one of my best cultural embassador in Montreal, we are dreaming about making an informal Brazilian consulate there, hahaha : )))))

Anyway...here it is registered all my love for Canada and my gratitude to have so many wonderful friends like Vanessa, (she has a website: http://www.vanessarodrigues.com/), Pierre and David.

SO....WHEN YOU REQUEST A TOUR IN RIO TO ME, BE SURE THAT THE FOREST, THE CHRIST AND SO MANY SURPRISES WILL BE PART OF YOUR ADVENTURE IN RIO DE JANEIRO.

Happy travels!!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

donrafainrio@yahoo.es

Tour Guide and Travel Planner

AGUA AGUA AGUA AGUA!!!

It is high summer in Rio and everywhere we go it is better to find EVERY way to refresh yourself and this afternoon we decide to take our wonderful, super, incredible, gorgeous, fabulous, hilarious, brilliant friend Vanessa to see our Forest.

After seeing all the forest and learning all about the Nature in this forest located right in the middle of the city, it is our green shelter, a place that I will always keep in my tours. it is a place to see Nature, to see the birds, to see people walking to relax or just to have a good time with their dear ones.

In one part of the Forest we reach a place called Paineiras where we find some natural showers which is way better than my shower at home, so sometimes we just decide let's go out!!! AND WE HAVE MANY DIFFERENT OPTIONS RIGHT NEXT DOOR!!! :)

Marcone and I love to welcome our friends and guests, we work together and we are always thinking about taking our people to new places and let them experience the real flavor of our city!

Vanessa is our great friend from Montreal and she always come to Rio to learn more and more about our culture, this is the best resource for the music. She has some incredible contacts with the best musicians of our Samba. She had a concert at SANTO SCENARIUM, one of the most traditional MUSIC HOUSES in Lapa, nest of our bohemian life!!!

She is not Canadian anymore!!! Vanessa is our great CARIOCA SISTER.

What we are doing, you can do it as well! Come and see our natural showers and have the best summer ever!!!

REMEMBER WE NEED AGUA (water) TO SURVIVE IN THIS SUMMER! :)

Contact us!!! And find more about our tours on YOUTUBE if you type DONRAFATOURS and you can reach me at donrafainrio@yahoo.es

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Guide and Travel Planner

A TYPICAL SUMMER DAY IN COPACABANA

The beach is the most democratic space in my opinion....At least in Rio you can find everytime, no matter if you are rich or poor. There are people who adore privacy and they will think...too crowded!!! But there are people who would really have fun to spend the whole day in a beach like this!!!

Well, Copacabana is like that...Or you love or you hate it. In this case...I LOVE COPACABANA!!! And I am proud to live here! : )))))

It is one of the most beautiful symbols of my dear city Rio de Janeiro, it is very populated and one of the most popular beach among many other beaches that we can found in our coastline! Copacabana is now a very urban district but it gives you such an incredible notion of the city's landscape, from there you see the Sugar Loaf, Niteroi, the rocks of Copacabana Fort and the beautiful skyline of our famous beach.

BUT THE CARIOCAS ALWAYS GO TO THE BEACH....Just like football and Carnaval, BEACH is religion to our people!!!

And this is how a beach can be absolutely packed in a high sunny (and hot) SUNDAY!!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Guide and Travel Planner

donrafainrio@yahoo.es

FERNANDO BOTERO IS HERE

I am pretty sure that Fernando Botero has visited Rio to feed his inspirations in so many sculptures and paintings that we see in the most important museums in this planet and in so many squares in many different countries!!!

And he was walking here in the Summer when Copacabana is OVER CROWDED!!!!

One sunday I was walking in the beach side and Copacabana has so many funny characters that I could not help registering our people and our local custons and present it to you in form of curious facts, people's behavior and real information of my own land.

But I had to make a comparison and I think I am right....

BOTERO HAS SPENT SOME TIME IN RIO!!!!

By the way, Fernando Botero Angulo (born April 19,1932) is a Colombian figurative artist, self-titled "the most Colombian of Colombian artists". Botero's work includes still-lifes and landscapes, but Botero tends to primarily focus on situational portraiture. His paintings and sculptures are united by their proportionally exaggerated, or "fat" figures, as he once referred to them.

My intention here is not to offend people, I just want to show you some different aspects of this fantastic and so diverse Rio that I want to make it your home!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Guide and Travel Planner