So I traveled to Rio de Janeiro last Fall and I guess I need to revisit and revise my travel tips. Previously, I stated that you’d have an easier time as a foreigner navigating in countries where the Olympics have been held – Brazil has decided to prove me wrong.
One night, my bestie and I attempted dinner at a worldwide chain restaurant – Outback Steakhouse. In a post pandemic restaurant world, menus are typically digitally accessible via QR code and an internet connection. A little about my travel life this adventure – I didn’t purchase an international phone plan so no internet access unless connected to Wifi. The restaurant purported to have accessible wifi by clicking on the appropriate network and creating a user ID and password. Unfortunately, to create said user id and password you needed a CPF which upon further Google research is the equivalent of a U.S. SSN for Brazilian citizens. However, since the waiter didn’t speak any English and the offline Google translate I downloaded before we left the hotel could not tell me what a CPF was, we were unable to access the wifi at the restaurant and said digital menu. Luckily the waiter was able to find some paper menus which we then could use Google Translate to read.
Let’s be clear – I know I was in Brazil and the primary language there is Portuguese. I generally did not expect to find things in English and also attempted to learn a basic level of Portuguese to assist me during my travels. However, at a worldwide chain restaurant I did expect the experience to be easier to navigate than if I was at a locally owned establishment. Again in my previous travels especially to locales that have hosted the Olympics, I’ve been given menus that are printed in at least four languages (one of them being English) in addition to the local standard – hence my thought process.
I guess if you’re traveling outside of your locale especially to somewhere you don’t speak the language, you’ll need to have more tools at your disposal to help you navigate. For me, that means either purchasing the international data plan from my phone carrier, an e-sim, or ensuring I have a hotspot available for use. Perhaps it also means perusing the menu and selecting my choices before I leave available wifi, and at the bare minimum updating my offline Google translate or language dictionary files before I embark on any excursion even if just grabbing a bite to eat at a chain restaurant. Also, learning how to ask for hot sauce in every language, but that’s a conversation for another post.
Technical issues aside let’s discuss the new memories made.
So my bestie was there for a work conference and I went along for the travel ride. Recommendation’s – check out Airbnb travel experiences for activities during your trip. Our first day involved watercolor painting of Sugarloaf mountain. We met up with a local artist at a beach near the mountain and she guided us through creating our own watercolor paintings of the mountain. This was a very relaxing and chill opener to the trip and even left us with a documented memento.
Our next adventure included mountain climbing. Specifically we went to see the Christ the Redeemer statue (my sole purpose for touring Rio) even though Sugarloaf seemed to follow us wherever we went.
Note: The area around the statue is crowded. We went on a Sunday and there were tons of people crowding around the base. Additionally, it did not appear that you could actually enter the statue. – most of the base was roped off, but you could get close enough to take photos.
The tour to the statue was also booked through Airbnb experiences and included transportation to and from your hotel to the statute as well as the cost of entry for the visit. Other parts of this tour excursion included chasing waterfalls at Parque Nacional de Tijuca, visiting a Church as it was Sunday and keeping in theme with my travel experiences, a dining experience near Copa Cabana, a quick trip through a favela and the Rainbow Stairs known as Escadaria Selarón.
As for the title of this post… French Fries and Meat Skewers (not pictured)
A Memory and a Conversation 
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