This post is part 13 of a series of stories recounting all the ups and downs of my ~6 year journey around the world to all seven continents and seven seas.
February 2016
Rio was…a lot.
After nine consecutive days at sea crossing the Atlantic from Namibia to Brazil, we were ready for our four-night stay alongside the biggest Carnival festival in the world.
Four days in Rio is a lot to sum up in one story, but nearly every day/night went something like: wake up late, find somewhere to get an açai smoothie, wander from party to party until 5-6 AM, then rinse and repeat.
If you don’t know what Carnival in Rio is like, it’s a lot of dancing, drinking, colorful costumes, street parties known as “blocos,” orgy-like debauchery, and really beautiful people.
For four never-ending nights, we partied from one blocos to the next, dancing with revelers from all around the world.
Kissing strangers is part of the Carnival culture, and our social circle did not shy away from the tradition, seeing who could kiss the most people, you know… for the cultural experience.
Brazil has a less than ideal reputation when it comes to safety, and while I was definitely more alert there than in some places, there was only one incident throughout the entirety of our time there where I felt uneasy.
We were in a narrow street dancing along to a group of musicians performing when suddenly there was a loud bang followed by smoke and screaming everywhere.
Whatever it was, I could barely see and immediately began gagging, unable to breathe.
I saw two friends running off and followed after them, running as fast as I could away from the burning smoke while gasping for air.
Luckily, no one was hurt and we were able to reunite with all of our friends.
The police cleared the area and we carried on with our street party crawl until daylight.
By the time it came time to leave Rio, I had fallen in love with the city and the friendly party-goers we’d met.
From dancing with random strangers to tagging along with some guy dressed in a Flinstones outfit on his way to a Tinder party, this Carnival experience did not disappoint one bit.
As we sailed away on the last evening, my friend and I waved goodbye to the Christ the Redeemer statue, lit up and shining brightly over a city overflowing with vibrancy, music, and life.
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