rio new years eve

JOURNEY TO RIO DE JANEIRO ON THE EVE OF NEW YEAR

Brazil, the country full of existing wonders and new opportunities is home to a variety of marvelous places,  out of which my personal favorite is certainly Rio de Janeiro. I have never visited Rio de Janeiro before. I wanted to explore the beautiful elements that made up Rio de Janeiro but I couldn’t a suitable time to visit it. Then, I came to know from my friend Steven that he had spent his New Year in Rio once and he gave me some pro-insights on how to make your Rio trip successful during New Year.

I was very much fascinated by Steven’s words and I made up my mind to go to Rio to celebrate the New Year. It was already November so I booked my flight tickets and hotel accommodation in advance. There are millions of tourists visiting Rio every New Year and so I had to prepare early for my trip.

Finally, the day of 30th December came when I had to fly from Los Angeles. I said bye to my family and set out for an exciting trip to Rio. I ordered a cab and reached the Los Angeles International Airport in about 30 minutes. There were hustle and bustle all around Los Angeles for the exciting New Year. But I could witness an even more exciting New Year in Rio. I was wondering about the various ways in which I could make my New Year in Rio very much exciting. Meanwhile, all the formalities at the airport were met and I stepped on the airplane. The journey continued in the airplane for about 18 hours and I landed in the land of Rio.

It was the morning of 31st December. I could see beautiful decorations for the New Year even at the airport. This gave me an intuition that Rio had much more in the box to offer me. I rented a  taxi and made my way to a grand hotel located near the Copacabana beach, which would be the prime location for my parties and celebrations for New Year.  

After the tiring flight journey, I decided to take a short nap and refresh myself.  I also took a revitalizing bath and had my breakfast which consisted of Minas cheese and some fresh fruits. It also had Pao de Queijo, which is a stuffed bread roll made from tapioca flour and stuffed with melted cheese.

I set out for the Tijuca National Park,  which surrounds the modern marvel and one of the seven wonders of the world Christ the Redeemer. The Tijuca National Park is situated on the mountain of Corcovado. There, the people were traveling on a train which made them reach the midpoint of the mountains. I also booked my train tickets and toured up to the midpoint of the mountain. Then I explored the rest of the park using the fine road that was built on the Corcovado mountains.

I saw a variety of animal species such as colorful bright blue butterflies, the Brazilian raccoons, toucans and hawks as I was traveling. I also saw many picturesque waterfalls falling from the forest springs, out of which the most notable was the 30-meter Cascatinha Taunay.

Making my way through the Corcovado mountains, I reached the Botanical Gardens which is called the Jardim Botânico in the local language. This garden is home to over 8,000 species of plants and animals and is listed in the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves. Here, I encountered few species such as the colorful toucans and monkeys. The most unique of these monkeys was the Marmoset monkey. These Marmoset monkeys couldn’t use their tail to grab things even after having long tails.

Then, I made my way to witness the most amazing landmark in Brazil, i.e., Christ the Redeemer. This marvelous statue of height 38 meters located on the 709 m high platform of Corcovado is a wonder of the world for a reason. I was able to grab a special tour opportunity which allowed me to ride a cable car of the sugarloaf mountain to see a more stunning view of Christ the Redeemer. There were many tourists like me who were exploring all those fantasies of Rio. And I felt glad that I had come to Rio to celebrate the New Year in style.

After some sightseeing, I returned back to my hotel on the Copacabana beach. It was already evening and the locals who knew some English told me that the hard parties would start in about an hour, so it was the perfect opportunity to do some shopping.

I then went to an amazing shopping center which was called the Rio Sul. The things here were a little expensive but I do not see price tags on New Year’s Eve. I thought that we live only once, so why not enjoy it to the fullest? I bought some party clothes and jeans along with sunglasses and a stylish hat suited for beach parties.

https://youtu.be/4tQUFKYpl-o

Now, when I came back, the party in Copacabana Beach had already started and I joined them immediately. There were innumerous DJs rocking the crowd. Diogo Nogueira, Ferrugem and DJ Marlboro, were my favorites. Everybody was cheering at the top of their voices. I drank a full champagne bottle as it is encouraged in Brazil during the New Year. It brings good luck. Now, let me tell you that the party clothes which I had bought from the Rio Sul shopping center were actually white in color. I bought white clothes as white is considered very lucky and is expected to bring peace and prosperity according to the Brazilian tradition. Almost around 2 million people wear white clothes and come to Copacabana beach. And so, you can easily see a white wave on the amazing sandy beach of Copacabana.

The party was going hard although it was just the beginning. I felt a little hungry but I was stuck at what to eat. Then, I remembered the advice given by my friend Steven. He told me to eat lentils as according to the Brazilian culture, eating lentils brings good luck and it also pleases Iemanjá, the Goddess of the Ocean.

The party was at its peak with the Samba Music rolling on when I silently went to the shore’s edge and left white-colored flowers on the edge of the sea and floated candles. This is an ancient custom of the Brazilians. It is seen as an offering to Iemanjá, the Goddess of the Ocean, in the expectations that she would grant the people’s wishes. I also saw the locals pushing small boats past against the waves. I was deeply moved by the Brazilian tradition and I prayed to Goddess Iemanjá for peace and prosperity.

The New Year was approaching. We were minutes away from the New Year. Finally, the time came when the countdown was heard miles away from Copacabana Beach. Although the countdown was in Portuguese, I could feel it from within my heart. ” Three, Two, One, and Happy New Year to All. ” All the people were at the peak of their energies during this time.

The fireworks went up high in the sky. These fireworks, when seen from an amazing beach with sea waves all around make them even more fascinating. The patterns made by the fireworks were simply the best. These fireworks lasted for about 15 minutes. And then, it was the time to celebrate another interesting custom of the Brazilians and that was jumping seven waves. In this, the people had to jump seven waves. I was feeling very excited at the time when I was jumping with millions of people. This custom was also to please the Ocean Goddess Iemanjá. After the jumps were over, we had to leave the ocean without turning back. If anybody turned back, then that would make the Goddess lemanjá angry. I too was feeling more energized after being in the company of millions of euphoric and vibrant people.

The party lasted till 4 a.m. in the morning. I danced with more energy at that time. I then returned back to my hotel room and I wrote a journal of what happened that day. It was such a day that I felt obliged to note it down in a diary. While I went to sleep, I could still hear the sounds of the people. Really, the energy of the Brazilians was unbelievable. I recalled all the things that happened to me and gradually I fell asleep.

The next morning, I had to fly from Rio to Los Angeles. I still couldn’t believe that I was leaving Rio. That night full of amazing vibrance, traditional customs, palatable foods, and highly energetic people couldn’t go out of my mind. There were people still partying on the Copacabana beach. I ordered a cab and went to the airport. I checked in at the airport. There was a delay in the flight timings. I had to wait for two hours in the waiting room. During this time, I saw a boy who waved towards me. I was surprised. I didn’t know that boy. That boy handed me my wallet. Maybe I had dropped it on the beach and he saw me. I couldn’t have been more grateful to the boy. He told something in Portuguese which I didn’t understand but I felt his goodness from my heart.

Even after coming back to home, I am always eager to find an opportunity to go to Rio. This is a place that I can’t express in words. Rio is a must-visit place for all those who want to experience life’s every moment.