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The beaches of the Marvelous City are its main letter of presentation, a true display of nature: fine sand, icy water and green hills covered with tropical vegetation. But the beaches in Rio de Janeiro ( 59 in total, on 170 kilometers of coastline ) are much more than a beautiful landscape within the city: they are also a gigantic agora, a huge main square where businesses, loves and friendships are made and undone , a democratic space in a city divided by inequality and violence, a respite out of chaos, but chaos in itself. Going to the beach like a carioca requires some science and patience. Here are some tips:
1. What beach to go to
Copacabana, the Princesinha do Mar is perhaps the most famous beach in the world and its five kilometers of crescent are the ones that attract more tourists. Although it is still a show, its golden age passed and gave the throne to Ipanema , more youthful and bright than his companion, which has the best sunsets. The beach of Leblon, right next door, has an extra point of sophistication, because the neighborhood that gives it its name has the most expensive square meter in Latin America. Praia Vermelha , at the foot of the Sugar Loaf, is a flirtatious cove of green water and golden sand, but it may be a bit dirty after rainy days, because it is in the mouth of Guanabara Bay , sadly contaminated.
The beaches of the bay, such as Botafogo, Urca and Flamengo Park , are not suitable for swimming, but the landscape is well worth a walk. The beaches of Barra da Tijuca , further away but where most new hotels are concentrated, are quieter and those preferred by surfers. Beyond, but always within the limits of Rio, there are wild treasures such as Prainha, Abricó (the only nudist beach in the city) and Grumari. A little further away, the practically deserted beaches of Barra de Guaratiba (Tartaruga, do Meio and Perigoso) appear, which are reached by a beautiful path by the sea.
2. Choose the strip of sand
It seems a trivial matter, but it is not. The beaches of Rio are organized by postos , some guard posts with some services, such as toilets, showers and lockers, distributed every 800 meters on the seafront. They are the main reference used by Cariocas to refer to the piece of beach they usually frequent.
In posto 1 , in the neighborhood of Leme (beginning of Copacabana) the bubble of the festive skeleton , many musicians, artists and a majority of left-wing youth are concentrated. It is the fashion zone, he took over from posto 9, which for years had a reputation for concentrating beautiful people. The posto 9 and 10, in Ipanema, are still a very popular area, a meeting point for playboys , as Brazilians are often called.
The gay-friendly part spreads near post 8 , at the height of Farme de Amoedo Street. Rainbow flags are like a magnet for muscular bodies and tiny swimsuits. At dusk, the Grindr smokes and the caipirinhas (and other substances) go flying to the rhythm of electronic music.
Not far away is Arpoador, a very photogenic rock that is the obligatory point to watch the sunset . In Barra de Tijuca, at the height of posto 4 has its mansion Jair Bolsonaro . For a few months, the area has become a point of pilgrimage for supporters of the extreme right, and some street vendors take the opportunity to sell merchandising of the president.
3. Eat and drink in the sand
Within the area of influence of each post , the Cariocas usually have their trusted barracks, the mini-bars that are assembled and disassembled every day and that irrigate the beach with liters of ice cold beer. And here we come to another important point: eat and drink. Cariocas really do it all sitting comfortably in their folding chair. The beachfront bars are usually more frequented by national tourists, and although they are not expensive, the food is mediocre. Better avoid them.
In Rio, the beach bar comes to you. Hordes of street vendors, each with a more bizarre war cry, offer everything to spend the day. Among the classics, the queijo coalho (a grilled cheese prepared at the moment in stoves), the Arab salgados and the biscoito Globo , some donuts that taste like air but are absolutely revered, as well as matte leão, a refreshing tea with lemon.
Matte vendors , dressed in orange and with two drums on their backs, are an institution. In 2009, the city council banned the sale of matte alleging "health problems", but the veto generated a wave of outrage and even signatures were collected to return. In response to the popular clamor, in 2012 the vendors were named Intangible Cultural Heritage of the city. One of them, Robson (who usually works at Leme beach) had the honor of carrying the torch at the 2016 Olympic Games.
4. The beer after
To kill hunger when leaving the beach there are some classic points where you can eat and drink in flip flops and with your feet still full of sand. In Copacabana , in the same corner are the Cervantes bar (with its famous pineapple sandwich with ham) and the Galeto Sat's, and not far away is the Pavão Azul , with its mythical cod bolinhos . Also a reference in the city are the reeds of the Jobi, in Leblon, and the BB Lanches , which has been saving the early morning hours of the Cariocas with their famous pastís (fried empanadas). In recent years, a new batch of bars have managed to find a balance between the informality demanded by the local public and a point of sophistication, such as Salome, in Leme, or Canastra, in Ipanema. The latter is all the rage on Tuesday nights, when oysters are served at a more than fair price.
5. What clothes to wear (or not)
Being a carioca is a state of spirit, "said Vinicius de Moraes. Imitating the twelve balances of the Carioca on the way to the sea is not easy, but it does not hurt to avoid some bulk errors, such as going down to the sand with towels (better use the local pareo, the robe) or with street clothes.The less cloth, the better.The boys can dare with the sunga , a local variant of the classic speedo swimsuit, a little wider, and they, with the dental fio, the thong that it leaves nothing to the imagination. It is worth remembering that the topless , although it is not prohibited as some urban legend says, is not part of the local culture, so it can cause a fuss. Security is usually a headache for tourists, but nothing that can not be solved by asking the neighbor to watch the backpack while you take a dip, companionship is the rule, everything is for a boa praia.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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