Jim Verdonik, Founder of NOT DEAD YET TRAVEL:
“If you’re still learning about the world, then you’re NOT DEAD YET.”
Jim is also a novelist, lawyer, journalist and teacher.
This is Part 2 of a three-episode series.
In Part 1, JJ, Chris and I had adventures in Ecuador’s Amazing Amazon.
After waking up at 5:00 am every morning, communing with nature., we headed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – an urban jungle of over 5 million people. Over 2 million celebrate Carnival – six days/nights of partying till dawn.
PART 2 – CARNIVAL IN RIO
We couldn’t find any direct flights between Quito and Rio. We flew overnight from Quito to Panama City and then to Rio de Janeiro on Copa Air. For about 25% extra, we upgraded to business class. A good investment.
Rio at Morning Rush Hour
Arriving in Rio around 7 am, we hit rush hour traffic – a huge difference from canoeing the Amazon, where we rarely saw another canoe or boat.
Our Uber ride through industrial Rio was a bit deflating. Grey older buildings lined the highway as we crept through rush hour traffic at five miles per hour.
Lines of motorcycles sped past us between the cars. Vendors stood on the highway selling breakfast to drivers stuck in the traffic jam. Our Uber driver rolled down his window and bought a water bottle halfway to our destination. Traffic was so slow, I wondered whether he might stop for a haircut.
Dazed from our overnight flight, we sporadically napped. Each time I woke up, my first thought was: “Why did we leave the Amazing Amazon?”
After about an hour, we entered the Tunnel Rebucas – one of the many tunnels through the small mountains that are spread in and about Rio.
Landing in OZ
Emerging from the tunnel on the other side of the mountain, you feel like Dorothy leaving Kansas and landing in OZ.
Dark and grey disappeared. Color returned to the world as we drove around a lagoon (Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas) that dominates Rio’s “Zona Sul” area.
Maybe leaving the Amazing Amazon wasn’t as bad as we first thought.
From the lagoon, it was a short hop to our AIRbb condo overlooking Ipanema beach.
WOW!!!!!
We really were on OZ.
Our host Stephen explained the condo and Ipanema to us like the Good Witch of the North explained OZ to Dorothy. Then we parted ways.
Our First Mission
Our first mission was to pick up Sambadrome tickets in Copacabana. We walked, following the black and white tiled road that ran along the beach. Follow, follow, follow, follow the black and white tiled road.
Along that road, we found signs that would determine our Rio adventure.
“WHO THE FUCK IS HENRY?” the signs said.
We had a mystery to solve.
Of course, nothing stops drinking during Carnival and we did pause to imbibe some liquid refreshments during our quest to solve the mystery.
Exploring Rio’s Carnival Version of OZ
We asked several of the local citizens of OZ: “WHO THE F IS HENRY?”
Alas, they just laughed at us because we weren’t properly dressed in proper OZ attire. Pardon our mistake.
New Plan to Fit In
Embarrassed that we had so fragrantly violated local dress codes, we hurried to the nearest local high end clothing store.
Our Rio fashion consultant assured us that our new clothes would help us fit in with the locals.
Having great legs, I went with a skirt and floral outfit.
By the way guys, my pink skirt was a great way to hide the pockets in my shorts. Carnival Crowds pack close together. You’re often bumping with someone. Or someone is bumping into you.
Perfect territory for pickpockets. But the skirt over my shorts hid my pockets. Pickpockets were flying blind.
Testing our new clothes out at a beach party that night, the results were amazing.
Locals took us into their hearts and shared their deepest secrets.
Maybe a bit more than we wanted to know.
Their advice was that only the local bartenders knew WHO THE F HENRY IS.
After carefully evaluating this advice over drinks, we devised our plan.
We resolved to make the sacrifice and go to every bar until we found Henry.
But the bars were so crowded.
How would we ever get a chance to talk to the bar tenders about HENRY?
And we didn’t speak Portuguese.
What to do?
We hired a bar guide to interpret for us. Then we hopped the subway to meet our guide Murillo for a pub tour.
https://www.getyourguide.com/rio-de-janeiro-brazil-l9/rio-de-janeiro-pub-crawl-in-lapa-t189756/
We hit four places that night. Had an appetizer and a drink at each. Great way to learn local food, drinks and customs. Five young ladies from the DC area were also on Murillo’s tour. The places were all mobbed because it was the first night of Carnival. Murillo was able to get us food and drink.
Alas, none of the bar tenders would share any secrets about HENRY.
We concluded they were all afraid of HENRY’s wrath.
On the beach the next morning, sipping coca locos, JJ, Chris and I made a sacred vow.
We would not stop partying at bars until we found HENRY. It was a sacrifice we had to make to fulfill our mission.
After a few bars, we got a lead on where HENRY might be.
Go to the Sambadrome, bartenders said.
The samba school parades there honor the Wizard HENRY. Sometimes HENRY shows up to accept their worship.
Sambadrome
We bought high end tickets that included buffet snacks and an open bar. Alas, HENRY never showed up. But it was an amazing spectacle. Each Samba school with a thousand dancers danced past us for over half an hour while 50,000 people drank and drank in hopes to inspire HENRY to appear.
Our pics can’t capture the full spectacle. CHECK OUT this video.
Our pics can’t capture the full spectacle. CHECK OUT this video.
HENRY was a no show at the Sambadrome that night.
We got home after 2 am (fairly drunk) but content that we had given our all to try to find HENRY.
Despair Turns to Faith
The next morning, sipping a bottle of rum, we were about to give up our quest and just enjoy the beach and the parties when we saw a sign – a sign that our quest to find HENRY was a Mission from God. (I love the Blues Brothers)
There it was – Christ the Redeemer (the symbol of Rio) bathed in a Rainbow.
Was this the same Rainbow we saw in the Amazon?
Did that Rainbow lead us here?
Did HENRY possess the power to create a Rainbow big enough to span all of South America?
Crazy thoughts spin though our heads when you’ve been drinking – especially drinking in the morning.
Our search for Henry was back on. But where?
We heard a soft voice – faint at first but becoming louder each time it repeated the same phrase in Portuguese.
It sounded like “Simpatia e Quase Amor.” But what did that mean?
We pulled up “Google Translate” on our phone and found it translated to “Sympathy is Almost Love.”
We were still perplexed.
Then, we googled that phrase and found out that “Sympathy is Almost Love” is the name of one of Rio’s largest blocos that was starting an hour later in Ipanema – just a half mile from our condo.
That must be it. The mysterious HENRY must be the guest of honor at the bloco. We hurried over wearing our best Carnival attire and carrying a six pack.
Sympathy is Almost Love Bloco
This was our first bloco – a moving street party that usually follows a vehicle with musicians playing.
When we arrived at the bloco starting point, we found tens of thousands of people milling about in a park and side streets, drinking and people watching.
Anticipation filled the air until the bloco began.
Were they all waiting for HENRY like we were?
Finally we spotted a double decker bus. Musicians were on top.
Was HENRY one of them?
The crowd was so tightly packed round the bus that it took almost an hour to get close.
We spotted a likely candidate for HENRY – an old guy with a guitar who looked like the American singer, Paul Simon, except he had a beard.
When we finally got close to the bus, the musicians started playing something that sounded like a samba folk song, the bus slowly moved forward, the crowd began singing the Portuguese lyrics as one voice, swaying back and forth.
People had waited hours for this moment – drinking and sweating and crowding one another.
No one held back once the bloco started.
Despite not knowing the meaning of the words, we were overcome with the joy that comes from people spontaneously singing together – like in a rock concert were the crowd suddenly joins in the song.
Our hopes of catching up with the bus vanished as tens of thousands more people ahead of the bus converged on it as it slowly passed.
The sea of singing, swaying humanity between us ad the bus grew larger and larger.
If HENRY was one of the musicians, he was getting away.
We hadn’t counted on the bloco being such an uncontrollable tidal wave of humanity.
Alas, we could not spot Henry in the crowd, but we noticed that the Bloco parade turning onto the beach street our condo overlooked.
We hurried home to spy on the magic bus that led the bloco from our balcony, stopping only to buy another bottle of rum. We arrived on our balcony in time to spy on the crowd of HENRY worshippers from above as they danced below us in the tens of thousands.
We confess that our attention was not focused solely on finding HENRY.
Some bloco dancers diverted our attention – our spirit was willing, but our flesh was weak.
Was this HENRY in disguise?
After close examination of the crowd, we concluded that HENRY was not in their midst, but we were convinced that the bloco was a vital clue in solving the HENRY mystery
The Two Brothers and HENRY
Our renewed faith in our mission was soon rewarded with another sign. There in the crowd stood someone who must know HENRY.
We called down from our balcony. “Where’s HENRY? Where’s HENRY?” we yelled excitedly.
Unfortunately, he only spoke Portuguese.
We pointed to his shirt.
“Ah! HENRY!” he responded.
The man pointed to the Two Brothers Mountain at the end of the beach. Then, he suddenly ran, perhaps afraid he had said too much.
As we stared at “Moro Dois Imaos” (Two Brothers Mountain) from our balcony, we realized about a hundred thousand people in the bloco had danced the whole length of the beach toward this mountain to honor HENRY, the powerful and great Wizard of the mountain.
“Had HENRY always been so close?”
“So under our very noses?”
“Had HENRY used his magic to cloud our minds like the anacondas of Ecuador?”
We were overcome by the realization that we would soon find the elusive HENRY on the Two Brothers Mountain.
But where on the mountain?
That night we stared at the twinkling lights at the bottom of the Two Brothers.
That was it.
That must be where HENRY, the all powerful and great wizard, lived – a magic city called Favela Vidigal.
It looked like the Wizard was pleased by the homage the tens of thousands paid him in the bloco that day.
His city shined like a thousand diamonds.
Finally Meeting HENRY
The next morning, after another bottle of rum, we set off to find HENRY, The Wizard of Vidigal.
Riding our magic Uber, we soon arrived at the bottom of the Wizard’s city.
In the light of day, Vidigal looked somewhat less impressive than what we had imagined the night before.
We concluded this was a clever disguise the all-powerful Wizard used to hide the treasures of Vidigal from strangers.
Favela Artwork
Our suspicions were confirmed soon after we entered lower Vidigal. The walls were covered in priceless murals far greater in beauty than we had seen in Rome, Athens and Egypt.
We beheld in awe the fortune in artwork that covered every wall.
Stunned by what we saw, we hesitated to venture any further into Vidigal until a group of motorcycles appeared.
The drivers motioned us to get on the back, pointing up the steep hill repeating “HENRY” over and over.
Of course, The Wizard of Vidigal wouldn’t want strangers to just drop by. A special entrance was required.
Chris got on the back of one motorcycle. JJ quickly followed on the back of another. I followed on a third.
I admit the ride was a bit scary, but we were overwhelmed by the wonders of Vidigal that flashed by as we sped up the mountain.
And , of course, we weren’t worried because the Great and Powerful Wizard of Vidigal would protect us.
CLICK HERE to watch the journey up the mountain through the wonders of Vidigal.
Hang on tight. Lots of bumps and curves.
At the end of our ride up the mountain, we were stunned by a vision. There he stood. The Powerful and Great Wizard of Vidigal – HENRY.
We realized we would soon know what the whole world wants to know – WHO THE FUCK IS HENRY?
HENRY soon shared with us the secrets of the universe that only a Wizard knows.
We were CHOSEN.
We had succeeded on our Mission from God.
We were overwhelmed.
Where’s Chris?
But wait.
Something was wrong.
Chris had ridden the first motorcycle, but he was nowhere to be found now that we were with HENRY.
Where’s Chris?”
Was he abducted by the Wicked Witch of the West?
Or maybe by the drug gang that controls Favela Vidigal?
Would they demand a ransom? I had only about $30 cash on me.
Chris was out of luck if the gang wanted more.
Sorry Chris.
HENRY remained calm. It’s a bad sign when a wizard panics.
His sidekick, Digao (who everyone called “Jao”), commandeered a motorcycle and rode off.
He returned about 15 minutes later with Chris.
We counted Chris’ limbs, fingers and ears.
Nothing was missing.
Truly, a miracle!
Somehow, Jao had arranged Chris’s return.
“What magic had Jao used?” we wondered.
The Not All-Powerful Wizard
Just as in the original movie, we were disappointed to find that the Wizard of Vidigal was not as great and powerful as we had imagined.
The real Henry Montalto is a nice Italian-Irish-American guy who grew up in the Bronx, moved to Brazil in 2016 to watch the World Cup football games, married a nice Brazilian lady, lives in Vidigal Favela and has devoted his life to making Vidigal a better place for its citizens by sharing the proceeds of the tours he gives with many locals. His wife is about to give birth to their first baby.
Like the Wizard of OZ, HENRY faces a tough foe. Instead of the wicked Witch of the West, HENRY is in a uneasy truce with the gang that totally controls Vidigal. The picture on the left below is in Vidigal.
Nothing happens in Vidigal unless the gang permits it. They administer their own brand of justice to people who don’t stay in line. So, HENRY must have some kind of arrangement with the gang to survive. The police seem to generally ignore the gun toting gang members, except an occasional clean-up raid that catches Vidigals citizens in deadly crossfires. HENRY and the other Vidigal residents are at the gang’s mercy.
Unlike in the movie, a bucket of water won’t dissolve the negative energy that controls Vidigal. All Henry can do is add positive energy to the mix. I hope he lives to laugh about it in his old age.
CLICK HERE to learn about Rio’s FAVELAS. Henry gives a tour on this video. At the beginning of our time with HENRY, he promised to show is the Good the Bad and the Ugly about Favela Vidigal. He delivered on his promise.
Vidigal is one of over 700 favelas in Rio. It is estimated that about 1.3 million people live in Rio’s favelas.
We found Henry’s tour of Vidigal Favela through AIRbb when we rented our condo. Trip Advisor also promotes his tour. Look for Experience Rio. For inquiries and bookings, contact Henry here: https://www.instagram.com/experience.rio
Henry may not have a magic wand, but he uses his wit and positive energy to make his small part of the world a better place, which you can experience yourself by taking one of his tours.
If you can’t visit, consider making a donation. Henry will put your money to good use. Nothing is wasted in HENRY’s world.
Unlike Dorothy, we didn’t have ruby slippers to take us home. After our adventure in OZ, we Ubered back to the airport and flew home.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
As they say in Hollywood, our story is based in a true story. We hope you found our embellishments amusing, but real.
- There are HENRY signs in Ipanema. It’s an advertising campaign by a clothing maker.
- Henry arranged the ride on the back of motorcycles up the Vidigal Favela.
- Chris really did disappear on his ride for a while. MIA for about 20 minutes. Henry explained that the motorcycle driver simply went to another destination Henry sometimes uses. He said it wasn’t a gang incident.
- On our walk with Henry through Vidigal, we saw many people carrying guns and three guys beating up another guy. We don’t know if that was gang related or just a neighborly dispute. Except for that one incident, our Vidigal visit was peaceful. Henry indicated people don’t bother the people that Henry escorts.
Henry tells you where its safe to take pics in Vidigal and where gang members don’t want pics. Follow his direction as if your life depends on it. It might. And it would be a shame if the gang shuts down Henry’s tours because someone films them.
Stephen’s condo we rented was an amazing location. Three blocks from the subway. Dozens of reasonably priced restaurants and bars within a ten-minute walk. And tens of thousands of people really did dance under our balcony in the bloco.
Also recognize that Rio at Carnival really is a lot like landing in OZ. A place over the rainbow, where normal rules are temporarily suspended and everyone Pursues their Happiness their own way. I like that.
I hope you all have an opportunity to fly above your own personal rainbows.
Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Thanks for sharing this adventure with me, JJ and Chris.
One last thing – you should listen to The Girl from Ipanema.
Now, go ahead and join me in one communal “Ahhhh . . . .”
Trust me.
You can’t understand Ipanema, unless you have Ahhhhed at the Girl.
And that, my friends, is what we did for TWELVE DAYS THAT ROCKED OUR WORLD!
The END?
No.
Stay tuned for PART 3 – the blog in which the characters in my books give you their opinions about our adventure. https://firepitcell.com/blog/
I always travel with my characters.
They give me different insights into the world.
But don’t tell the airlines they’re all with me.
I only buy one ticket.
Here’s my website that describes me and my writing projects. https://firepitcell.com/
RIO TRAVEL TIPS
Rio is two time zones ahead of the Eastern U. S. Its about a ten hour flight from Atlanta.
Rio was a modern metropolis of over 5 million people.
People were friendly, but fewer people we met spoke English compared to a similar size European city.
Credit cards are preferred over cash. Many stores were not able to make change when handed a 100 REAL bill (about $20 U. S.)
Two people can eat and drink at decent restaurants/bars in Rio for $100 (USD) a day.
Don’t drink water from the faucets. We had no problems from ice in drinks at he types of restaurants/bars we frequented. Many use water purifiers. Steet vendors may not purify their water.
Ipanema beach was very clean. We watched them clean the beach every night from our balcony. The beach was crowded in the middle of the day, but good people watching.
Many places on Ipanema beach rent chairs and umbrellas at reasonable rates. One beach bar threw in free chairs and umbrellas if you buy 150 REAL ($30 USD) of drinks and food.
The ocean water may not be as clean. We saw brown water running into the ocean when we visited a favela that was less than a half mile from the end of our beach. Lots of waves and undertow on Ipanema beach. We saw one lifeguard rescue. We only waded up to our knees. Relatively few people went any deeper.
We had just come to Rio from the Amazon. Most Brazilians we met had never been to the Amazon and had little interest in ever going.
Americans will need a plug adapter for charging batteries. Round holes are the norm. Older buildings may have two holes. Newer ones may have three holes.
We had no crime problems, but Brazilians warned us not to walk at night. We didn’t bring anything to the beach worth stealing.
You don’t have to know the Samba to have a good time at Carnival. Just sway back and forth with the crowd and pretend you know why you’re doing.