Even though we said we were not going, even though we had a great Carnival in Paraty… Once again, we made it to the Sambodromo in Rio de Janeiro for the last day of the Carnival.
We attended the Parade of the Champions, featuring the best samba schools in Rio, who had the whole night to show off. We took the subway to the stadium, with — it seemed — half of Rio. A lot of performers were already wearing their customs in the subway, and I got a hug from two ¨golden guys¨ who put glitters all over me.
We did not have any tickets for the show, but we knew that chances are, we could find something in the 90,000 seats stadium. It only took us about 30 minutes to buy some cheap tickets from scalpers ($5 each!) for sector 13, the popular stand at the end of the parade. Good enough for us!
The place was packed. We sat on concrete benches and we were glad to see we actually had a good view on the parade down there. It took each school about 1:20 minutes to walk the whole sambodromo, and we left exhausted at 3:00 am. But what a show!
Oh my, that’s a whole lotta shakin’ going on!!! your pictures remind me of the movie “black orpheus” (orfeu negro).
i’m glad you got to go, zhu. it’s the world cup of carnivals, it would have been a shame to miss it. i love your attitude too, to just go without tickets and trust whatever happens. you have so much life and positive energy, good things happen for you.
Oh you devil, you have managed to do it all. Even a brief but torrid affair with not one but TWO Golden Boys. So many wonderful pictures of costumes and parades. You two have truly taken the trip of a life time. You will look back on this and know that you didn’t miss a thing. Good for you.
I forgive you for not showing me plates of local dishes. You had your cameras pointed on the right thing all the time. A thousand thank yous for every day, every picture, every word. You brought me with you on a sensational adventure. I can’t imagine what will come next. Maybe my little prayers have helped you after all. I hope so.
What a blast Zhu, you lucky gal 🙂 I know I’ll party just as hard as you….absolutely fantastic and awesome!!!! luv it!!
Hi Zhu & Feng,
INOUBLIABLE !!! You guys will remember that last day of Carnival for the rest of your lives !
How adorable for the “golden boys” who shared their happiness and glitter with you 🙂
Love those pics !!
Bises
Check out those crowds! Will things get uncontrolled when the atmosphere gets too high?
Why would you not go, to the most glamorous glitzy and largest party in the whole world??? I would definitely go, even if I am not always into the craziness, and my wildest party days are behind me I wouldn’t miss it if I were in Brazil!
The Golden Boys picture looks funny. 🙂
Just wondering, what do you do for work now?
Hi Zhu!
Oh My God!!! Mangueira and Portela are two of my favourite schools!! The photos look great!! 😀 Thanks for this gift!
Now, the golden boys…they hugged you? Fantastic :D!! That is what I like about the Brazilian people: they are so warm and nice! I just love them!
You did super well to go to Rio…:D! I am curious about your next stop, girl!
Cheers
@Agnes – I have to see the movie then!
@Seraphine – We really were not sure until the last minute, and then we thought, fuck it, may as well. I don`t regret, we had the best time ever!
@Tulsa Gentleman – The food series will come, I promise! I even took pictures at lunch, thinking of you!
We are coming back home very soon, so I will post it… soon 🙂
@shionge – I`m sure you would have loved it!
@barbara – The Golden Boys were cute, although glitters ARE hard to get rid of 😆
@kyh – People are surprisingly well-behaved actually, despite the drinking and the partying.
We were in the “poor” section to be honest, and most people were coming from the nearby favelas (shantytowns). Basically, I was the only white person, and Feng the only Asian! But we never felt out of place or unconfortable.
And people were really really nice, to each other and to us. Forget about all these tales of robberies etc. — people value the Carnival and everything was great.
@DianeCA – Behind you? I don`t think so! I bet you would have partied harder than us 😆
@Baoru – Nothing, I`m happily unemployed! I quit my job at the school before I left, and although I may work there again in the future (I am in good terms with my boss), I`m not sure what I will do when I will be back. We saved up the money for traveling, that`s it.
@Max Coutinho – All the people in our sections were for Portenal, they had the tee-shirt from the school and went nuts when it was its turn 😆
Mangueira is one of the oldest school I think. They won so many times… I have videos, I will share then with you when I get back!
sometimes you have to say that.
and it usually ends up being the best time ever.
yay for you.
I thought the Carnival parade is held on the street…
Oh my God! This is amazing! Wish I was there.
@Seraphine – I feel lucky 🙂
@Khengsiong – In Bahía, yes. In Rio, there are some blocos in the street, but most of the Carnival is held at the Sambodromo.
@Bluefish – Bet you do 😉