Rio de Janeiro: Carnaval!
[Recapping our trip, 294 days in]
Early on Friday, February 24, 2017, we flew from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We flew into Rio just in time for their annual Carnaval celebration, and we were really excited to experience it. (Side note: Flights were insanely expensive, and much more than we had expected, but luckily, Brazilian airline Gol is a member of the Skyteam airline alliance, and only 12,500 Delta Skymiles and $60 per person was plenty to have us on our way to Carnaval!)
There doesn’t seem to be any agreement whether it should be spelled Carnaval or Carnival, but either way, the event is a giant party where nearly the entire city closes down, and the entire population spends their days and nights partying on the streets in blocos (block parties). Everyone dresses up and seems to be incredibly happy at all times, with tons of alcohol (and drugs) flowing in public. It was incredible to witness, but it lasts for over a week, and Charley and I kept thinking to ourselves that if we had to do it over again, we would only want to experience it for a day or two!

Charley goes up the famous Selaron Steps. Our rental apartment was at the top, so several times a day we got a lot of exercise!

Everyone LOVES to dress up for Carnaval. Superheroes are a common theme, as well as some more risque outfits as well.

In the bottom-left quarter of the picture, you can see the block party getting started and the mass of people there.

I couldn’t catch it on film, but this green tent housed a drone decorated like a flying carpet, so Aladdin would come out flying through the air every so often.
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