A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by TravelPod blogger Janicoo titled "Samba time!" Janicoo’s travel blog entry: "Welcome to what is I suppose the spiritual home of samba and the cariocas - Rio. And how glad I was after another marathon journey from Florianopolis, that I had now aclimatised to life in Brazil somewhat, otherwise the vibrancy of Lapa might have bowled me over. Oh yes, Florianopolis (or Floripá) was a bit of a staging post along the way for me as I only stayed one night there in the end. Famed for its beaches, there isn´t much else to keep you amused and as I wasn´t quite in the mood for bikini´s and sarongs I decided to hop back on the bus and head to Rio. And it was a wise decision, as even after 1wk there was the temptation to stay longer! The guesthouse was right in the heart of the Lapa district, which is where the best parties and streetlife are to be had. I must say there were times it seemed a lot like Hackney! Which was sort of comforting :o) My first evening was the night of a public holiday, so there was a free concert in the square in front of the Lapa arches: lots of samba music from a variety of performers. And it went on pretty late! The next few days were spent exploring the city, including a lovely day wandering the streets in Santa Teresa, a neighbouring bairro to Lapa, and home to lots of local artisans and some quite good restaurants. Had a great meal there of traditional comida Minas Gerais, a ...