Our Insiders Guide to Gay Rio
Rio, a city of 6 million people has an infectious appeal that makes it easy to fall in love with as it’s endowed with so many impressive qualities. Just the mere mention of Rio’s name evokes images of sun drenched beaches, samba parades, a laissez faire attitude to life and muscled bodies to die for. This is a city that simply pulsates with energy and yet effortlessly maintains a sultry guise. It is a city of true contrasts – amazingly beautiful, dangerously intriguing and sexy as hell!
Rio is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro and also the undoubted cultural and cosmopolitan centre of Brazil. Situated just north of the Tropic of Capricorn the climate is tropical all year round with an average temperature of 24 degrees. This exuberant city is tucked between the mountains and the sea and has a natural beauty which is scarcely matched by any other city in the world; truly there is something here which will appeal to everyone.
The local residents of Rio, known as ‘Cariocas’, are a friendly bunch who will be more than happy to share their knowledge of the city with you and everywhere you’ll find people approachable and welcoming.
The main language is Portuguese but most people you’ll come into contact with will also have at least a rudimentary grasp of English, so communication should not be a problem. Some basic Spanish will also help and you’ll soon find that body language is a universal language that is spoken very effectively here.
Rio de Janeiro’s reputation with gay travelers is based on an intoxicating cocktail of glamour, beauty, and sex appeal. Long before Rio became a high-profile destination on the queer map, it was on the A-list for globetrotting celebrities and the super-rich. Its importance in Brazil’s history goes back centuries before Carmen Miranda ever donned a fruit-laden hat.
Portuguese explorers arrived at Guanabara Bay in January of 1502; they supposedly mistook the bay for a river, and so named the city Rio de Janeiro (January River). The city was officially founded in 1565, at the foot of Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf Mountain). The growing metropolis became a major port for Portuguese settlers, who moved their colonial administration here in 1763. In 1808, with Napoleon’s impending invasion of Portugal, the Portuguese royal family fled their homeland and made Rio the new capital of their kingdom. Prince Pedro I declared Brazil independent in 1822, and kept the new nation’s capital in Rio de Janeiro. The city maintained its role as capital after the monarchy was replaced by a republic in 1889.
World travelers first took serious note of Rio’s allure in the early 20th century, when a tunnel was carved into a mountain to connect the thriving city with the beach neighborhood called Copacabana. Word spread about Copacabana’s wide swath of luxuriant beach and indulgent lifestyle, set against the dramatic backdrop of soaring mountains. In 1923, the Copacabana Palace opened, and the deliciously white confection of a hotel further cemented the region’s reputation. Rio would never be the same.
There was plenty of excitement to be had in Rio. Visitors could board cable cars for a thrilling ride to the peak of Pão de Açúcar, the 1,299-foot granite rock where the city was founded. At that time, one of Rio’s best-known landmarks was still in the works. In 1931, Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), a 98-foot-tall statue of Jesus Christ set atop a mountain, was finished, and cast its unending gaze upon the rapidly growing city. Hollywood began paying increasing attention to the destination too, and movies like the 1933 Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musical Flying Down to Rio only added to the aura of glamour that Rio had created.
In 1960, plans for a new national capital came to fruition, when a futuristic inland metropolis called Brasilia was completed. Rio de Janeiro lost its title as Brazil’s capital, but its glamorous reputation continued to draw upscale vacationers. “The Girl from Ipanema,” a bossa nova song by Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz, won a Grammy in 1965 for record of the year and helped spread the word about what would become Rio’s next hot neighborhood: Ipanema. Gay life in Rio is mainly centred on and around the beach districts of Copacabana and Ipanema, which makes finding your way around a breeze even for first time visitors. One tip: word of mouth works wonders in Rio. If you`re savouring a nice, cool chopp (the local lager), don`t miss the chance of striking up a chat. Rio people love a gringo.
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,google,pinterest,mail” counters=0 native=”no” hide_names=”yes” ]
