by Katy Murphy RN

Created on: January 07, 2011   Last Updated: January 08, 2011

The most immediate thing that struck me about Rio is the very evident divide between the rich and the poor. I kind of experienced the same thing in South Africa, but somehow in Rio the contrast is even more marked because the rich are so incredibly rich - and the poor so incredibly poor. There really doesn't seem to be many people that sit in the middle in the "working class" category and that really was quite a culture shock to me. The other thing is that the rich live right next to the poor. There doesn't seem to be rich areas or poor areas, they all seem to be clustered together in the same neighbourhoods so, for example, you have the exclusive Sheraton hotel (one of the most expensive hotels in Rio) situated within 50 feet of a prominent favela (slum). 

Although Rio remains a vibrant and electric city, many areas are looking a little tired and I imagine that the opulence and elegance isn't what it once was. For example, around the Copacabana beach front area, many of the buildings are looking a little shabby and the area looks a little touristy. However, as you wander the streets this becomes somewhat irrelevant because as you'll quickly discover, what makes Rio "Rio" is its people and the wonderful eclectic mix of people that means you can make "people watching" an art. Rio is a sociable city...a party city...a show-off city...and Copacabana really was the best place to sit and watch the locals do what they do! Honestly, I sat and people watched for hours and was not only entertained, but also captivated, intrigued and in awe of these beautiful people. 

Ipanema seems to have become the old Copacabana and is now the more elite area. If you wander away from the beach front (drag yourself away!) the streets are more elegant and somehow feel more "Brazilian". During the day these streets are somewhat sleepy (everyone's on the beach!) but come nightfall and this becomes a vibrant area where locals and tourists seem to mingle and co-exist quite happily. 

Barra da Tijuca is an exclusive area that is very green and covered by forest. The areas around the forest are largely residential and its worth coming here to visit the forest but also so gawp at some of the houses that dot the wide boulevards. 

Barras is a little bit of a soulless place to me and seems to be overwhelmingly for shopping en-masse. Unless you particularly want to pick up some items I really wouldn't bother with this area as it could be a shopping district in any city in the world. 

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