Rio welcomed me with clear skies, 34 degrees, and traffic that looks like a permanent rush hour.

Everything was preparing for the carnival. The tickets are expensive and the Cariocas take advantage of the free technical rehearsals (all the moves, but no glitter, elaborate costumes or floats) that start in January and carry on until a few days before the real thing starts. I managed to catch the very last day of the rehearsals, Sunday, as well as the first day of the real carnival on Ash Wednesday. Itala, who I met at the Technical, explained that each samba school enacts a story (with a religious content) and each group of dancers and players within tells a part of the story. The procession takes between 45′ and 1 hour to traverse the Sambodromo (which, for the rest of the year, is a normal street full of traffic). The one advice I was given about joining in the fun was “mas brillo, menos ropa!”(more glitter, less clothes).

It was good to cool down in the Atlantic; the beaches are full all the time and all life is here: food and goods hawkers, caipirinha makers, fun seekers, hairdressing appointments…

When going on a “free” (pay what you think it’s worth, but it is suggested you pay at least 100 reales) walking tour of Rio, learnt I could use public transport for free as I was over 65 – it works for everyone, as long as you show a document proving your age. On the buses, the driver would wave my driving license at a camera and then ask me to get on through the exit door to avoid the turnstile. Uber is inexpensive too, especially the motorbikes, which weave through the traffic at a fair (and very scary) clip…

I wanted to travel down to Iguazu Falls by coach; to buy a ticket online, the Brazilian websites ask for the CPF (cepeefe – the tax number). They show the option for a passport number but then ignore that you may be foreign and not have a Cpf. It was only after I bought the flight (no issues with Cpf there) that I found out the ways around it: try 11 zeros, it sometimes works; go to the post office and buy a tax number (the legal option); ask Google to generate a fake CPF number (it does, and is useable).