funtotravel.info PLACES: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Quite simply one of the most naturally beautiful and fun cities on the planet. Yes it has its problems with violent crime and drugs, but the world can prepare itself for one hell of a party when the Olympics and World Cup come to town during the next decade.

With so much to see and do and so many amazing things on offer, it's not called the cidade maravilhosa (marvellous city) for nothing. The best way to guide you through this simply fantastic city destination is to let you know what we'd do if we had a weekend to kill here. Note that we have recommended throughout that you take taxis - they are a safe and inexpensive way of getting around. We would normally recommend taking public transport, but for many of the sights in Rio it is just not very convenient.

Remember that if you are a sensible traveller and keep your wits about you, the worst thing that will happen to you in Rio is that you'll have a pretty bad hangover. Be aware that English is not very widely spoken (this may change with the Olympics and World Cup coming), so take a good phrasebook, smile, be polite and patient and you'll be fine!

The funtotravel.info guide to Brazil can be found here. Click here for the funtotravel.info members' guide to Rio de Janeiro.

Day 1
After a quick breakfast in your hotel/hostel (Brazilians don't seem to be big on breakfasts really, much like the rest of South America), take a taxi (plentiful and inexpensive in Rio) to Rua Cosme Vehlo 513: you are about to visit a wonder of the world. We know that we've put it first up on our itinerary, but we really don't think that a visit to see Christ the Redeemer on his lofty perch should be delayed by even a second. It's just a jaw-droppingly brilliant experience, though not cheap at around US$12 for the return cable car ride. Take your time at the top, as crowds are likely to be pretty big. The view needs to be seen to be believed:

View from Christ the Redeemer

Take in the sweeping view over Sugarloaf mountain, Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Botafogo, Ipanema and Copacabana beaches and and if you have the time, pause for a coffee at the unsurprisingly expensive cafe at the top - it's well worth taking your time! Steel yourself for the bill and one last look up at Christ (literally), before taking the tram back down to earth. Don't be surprised if you're serenaded by a samba band on the way down - you should give them some of your change.

Jesus: big in Brazil.

Find yourself a cab and head down to Ipanema beach for a spot of lunch and some sun-bathing. Rio is chock full of excellent eating options, but being the gluttons we are suggest you head for one of the excellent 'por kilo' restaurants in Ipanema. These are buffet restaurants where you pay depending on the weight of food on your plate. Dismiss any sniffy thoughts you might have about buffet food: the fodder on offer is fresh, tasty and varied with great meats, pastas, fried foods, sushi, salad etc on offer. We would recommend the Frontera, which is slightly more upmarket than most, but with a great range of food. Prices are reasonable in what can be a very expensive city (about US$12-15 per kilo - a hell of a lot of sushi!).

Having stuffed yourself silly take the short walk to Ipanema beach and pick yourself a spot. We were reliably told by a number of cariocas (Rio locals) that Copacabana is for tourists and Ipanema is for locals. We think it's prettier and a bit less seedy. You are free to just find yourself a free stretch of sand and throw down your beach towel (harder than you think with huge crowds at weekends!), but you'd be well advised to keep an eye on your things as petty theft is rife. We'd recommend taking up one of the Godfather-like beach vendors on their offer of  a couple of deckchairs on their 'patch': spend the afternoon being waited on hand and foot (as well as feeling like your things were being watched for you) - well worth the slightly-inflated price for drinks and snacks as well as the charge for the chairs (around US$5). 

Ipanema beach: stunning. Speedos everywhere: not so stunning.

Having spent a few hours sunning yourself, indulging in some of the most fascinating people watching on the planet (speedos are just plain wrong wherever you are though!) and marvelling at the sheer range of goods being hawked by the beach sellers, it's time to head back to your hotel/hostel to get ready for a night on the tiles.

Before sunset, take a taxi to the bondinho (street car) station on Rua Profesor Lelio Gama and take the tram up to the beautiful district of Santa Teresa, a hillside area full of charm and colonial architecture, with a slightly rough and ready feel. The tram costs around US$0.40 and takes about 15-20 minutes, though expect a wait around at the station for departure as they only leave every half hour - find a guide here. Don't be alarmed if locals run alongside and get a free ride by hanging off the side - it's normal! Get off at Largo de Guimaraes, a square with some great cafes and restaurants.

The Bondinho tram in Santa Teresa

Find a restaurant that takes your fancy (we like Bar do Mineiro at Rua Pachoal Carlos Magno 99) and stay for some delicious and filling food as well as a few cachaça (cane sugar liquor) cocktails before taking a cab on to Lapa for dancing (don't walk - the neighbourhood isn't the safest after dark). Lapa is THE area of the city to head to if you fancy dancing the night away - getting your groove on to some samba beats is a must-do experience in Rio. We recommend checking out Carioca de Gama - our favourite of the samba venues in Lapa and a great place for first timers. If you don't fancy dancing then stay in Santa Teresa and check out the bars around Largo de Guimaraes and Largo das Neve for a good drink. Definitely take a cab home - there are hundreds around Lapa around kicking out time so you won't have a problem getting home safely!


Day 2 
Bit of a hangover? Start your day with brunch at the brilliant Caroline Cafe near the Botanical Gardens to help lift the fog around your head. If you can't face moving that far then we suggest trying one of the many amazing fresh juice bars around the city - try an acai juice if you want to be like a local. It's purple, blended with honey, sugar, banana or even nuts and it's quite delicious.


Having sated your appetite, do something that will get you under the skin of the 'real' Rio a little more. Rocinha is the first and biggest of Rio's favelas (shanty towns), and you can take a fascinating half-day tour around the neighbourhood with a local guide (do NOT go into any of the favelas on your own). You'll be safe, well-informed and looked after on your trip around this fascinating city within a city. We'd recommend Exotic Tours for their excellent attitude to sustainable tourism. An incredible way to spend half a day, and it will teach you something about how the city really works away from the glitz and glamour of Ipanema and Copacabana.


If day 2 happens to be a Sunday as we've planned, ask your guide to drop you near Copacabana beach, which is brilliant to explore on this particular day because the Avenida Atlantica (the beach road) is closed to traffic since it's Shopping Day! 

Sundays: No traffic on Copacabana beach

Drink some fresh coconut juice or a caipirinha if that takes your fancy, grab a snack from one of the roving food venders or cafe cabins on the beach then take a taxi to the cable car station for Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain in English). A return ticket to the top costs about US$12, and not only are the views back over the city stunning, but it's an incredible place for sunset.

View from Sugarloaf Mountain

Come back down to street level on the cable car and make your way back to Ipanema, where for your last supper you will sample a Brazilian eating tradition: the churrascaria. If you're a vegetarian, this isn't for you (though there is a seafood version if that's your bag) - these are all you can eat barbecue restaurants. You pay a set price (not including drinks and sometimes desserts) and are seated at a table with a reversible red/green card. As long as you have the green side showing, the waiters will continue to bring you whatever delicious type of meat the kitchen grills up that second, which will then be carved at your table: gorge yourself on every cut of steak you can think of, sausage, chicken, pork etc until you take mercy on your stomach and show the red side of your card. At this point they will stop serving you meat. Help yourself to the delicious buffet of salads/potatoes/sushi etc, which is included in the price. If you get hungry again, just flip your card to green and let the orgy of eating continue! You'll find many of these restaurants all over Rio but our favourite was Carretao. We saw one woman there cry because she loved the meat so much but couldn't fit any more in. Honestly.


If you still have room in your stomach, head to the obligatory Irish Pub, Shenanigan's, which is popular with tourists and locals, and is a great place to watch sport. After this collapse exhausted following a fun-filled two days.


We hope you've enjoyed your brief virtual tour around this incredible city. We've barely scratched the surface and there is so much more on offer - go for yourselves, explore and report back to us! We haven't even mentioned carneval! We'll save that for another time....


To read the funtotravel.info guide to Brazil, click this link

funtotravel.info PLACES: Luang Prabang, Laos

Without a doubt one of our favourite places in the world is peaceful, laid back Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage city on the banks of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. We think it's the most beautiful city destination in South East Asia, although it feels more like a small town, and is a world away from bustling metropolises like Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Ho Chi Ming City.

Situated in North Central Laos, about 425km north of Vientiane, Luang Prabang offers a stunning mix of beautiful temples, gorgeous French colonial architecture, fantastic fusion food and some fascinating markets. There are also some great bars and an increasingly upmarket restaurant scene. Make sure you have plenty of room left on your camera's memory stick when you visit - it's an incredibly photogenic place.

We think the best way of giving you an idea of what you can do in this fabulous city is to give you a run down of what we'd do if we had 24 hours to play with in Laos's jewel in the crown - Luang Prabang.

Morning

Head to L'Etranger for a fantastic breakfast and some great local teas and coffees. Pick up something to read from the wonderful downstairs book shop, or flick through one of the myriad National Geographic magazines that line the walls upstairs where you'll eat. This top cafe/bookshop also shows art movies at night.

Having sated your hunger temporarily, head out to explore some of the city's many cultural jewels. We recommend a visit to golden, ornate Wat Xieng Thong (a wat is a temple, and Luang Prabang has over one hundred of them) and then to the fascinating Royal Palace Museum. We also love pretty Wat Xieng Maen.

One of the great things about the city is that you are constantly surrounded by delicious and tempting snacks, so when you're all templed out, why not stop at one of the outdoor riverside cafe/restaurants that line Th Khem Khong and enjoy a drink and a snack while you watch life on the Mekong slide gently past. This is the perfect opportunity for you to hail one of the many boatmen who ply their trade on the river(s) - they hire out their boats for trips up and down the Mekong, so take an hour-long cruise and enjoy the tranquility (boat ride costs around US$3-5). 

View Larger Map

Afternoon

Return to Th Sisvangvong (the city's main tourist thoroughfare) and eat lunch at one of the many great restaurants there. We'd recommend Yongkhoune Restaurant for excellent people-watching and decent food. With all that fodder in your belly it's time to work some calories off. There are a number of local travel agents to be found on Sisvangthong who can arrange activities for you , but we'd recommend White Elephant. They arranged a brilliant trip for us mountain biking, swimming in the stunning Tad Sae waterfalls, riding elephants and kayaking back into town. A range of other trips are on offer, from forest trekking to overnight village stays and trips out to the Kuang Si waterfalls (equally beautiful). Return to your accommodation for a well earned shower and eat out for your evening's entertainment.

Evening

The perfect start for an evening in Luang Prabang is watching sunset on Phu Si hill. It takes a rather sweaty 15-20 minutes to hike up to the top (expect crowds!) but the view is well worth it - see the picture below if you don't believe us!

Once you've witnessed one of the greatest sunsets in South East Asia and made your way down from Phu Si, you will have definitely earned a drink. We recommend a bit of a splurge, so head to Pack Luck wine bar on Th Sisavangvong for a delicious glass of wine while you watch the world go by. Although Luang Prabang has a tremendous range of restaurants offering dishes from around the world, we recommend a trip to the night market to indulge in some delicious street food. As well as selling some great crafts and clothes from throughout the region, we think that the best thing about the market is the sheer range of delicious (and plain weird!) dishes on offer, from grilled meats to noodle dishes, fried insects on sticks, curries, soups, fried rices and filled baguettes. All for ludicrously cheap prices and perfect to wash down with a few wonderful Beer Lao. 

After filling your stomach, no doubt you'll be ready for a few drinks, so we recommend heading to Lao Lao Garden on Th Kingkitsarat (see this blog entry for a run down on the bar's delights) to get your groove on in their fantastic bonfire filled garden. Be aware that all bars in Luang Prabang close at midnight, so if you're not ready to call it a night then take a trip to the bowling alley (yes, really) for late night carousing! It's the best (and only) late night venue in town.

So there you have it, a great and fun-packed day in this jewel of a town. Pay it a visit and prepare to leave your worries and stresses behind.

Practical Stuff

Country: Laos

Currency: Kip (though US Dollars and Thai Baht are also widely accepted)

Accommodation: The best area for budget digs is on the streets off Th Phommatha near Phu Si - ask for the Merry Guesthouse and there are lots of options around.

Budget: $10-20 on a shoestring, $24-50 on a mid range budget with a few drinks and excursions thrown in.

Next destination: from Luang Prabang you can head south to Vang Vieng (a drunken Disneyland for backpackers) and then on to Vientiane (the country's sleepy capital) or head West over the border to Chiang Mai in Thailand (by boat or plane).

To read the funtotravel.info guide to Laos, click here.

funtotravel.info PLACES: Ko Lipe, Thailand

Is Thailand’s latest paradise already lost?

funtotravel.info
Anyone who has island-hopped around Thailand has heard the myth before – islands made up of empty beaches, hammocks in palm trees, fresh fish cooked on open fires on the beach, basic beach huts etc. Years ago, Ko Phangan, Ko Phi Phi and Ko Samui were certainly being sold this way, and to the gullible still very much are. There’s no doubting their beauty, but they have been rampantly developed, and you’re more likely to find a Pizza Hut than a basic beach hut these days. That’s not to say that they’re not a lot of fun – if you’re after sun, sea, sex and Singha then you’re in for a great time (as tens of thousands who pour into Phangan for the overwhelming and over hyped Full Moon Party will tell you).


As someone who wanted to find a small island that was far quieter and less developed than those mentioned above, but still with places to eat, maybe some beach shacks for a drink and plenty of crystal clear waters to snorkel in, I was left scratching my head somewhat. Even trawling through the normally ultra reliable Lonely Planet came up short, until someone told me about Ko Lipe. It’s a small island nestled in the middle of the Tarutao National Marine Park at the far South of Thailand’s Andaman coast. In fact it’s so far South that you’re closer to Langkawi in Malaysia than any of the other touristed Thai islands. Perhaps this distance from Bangkok and the bigger Thai island playgrounds is one reason that Lipe remains fairly unknown, the other probably being that the Lonely Planet actively discourages travellers from visiting to stop it becoming spoilt. More on that pertinent point later.


Unless you’re in Langkawi or already on an Andaman island, Lipe is quite a journey. If you’re in Bangkok, then you’re looking at an overnight bus/train journey to one of the southern transport hubs, followed by a couple of hours on a small ferry. Even if you fly south you still have the bus and boat to contend with – Lipe is far too small to have an airport (see this page for a guide to getting there). Perhaps it’s this relative isolation that adds to its charm and has prevented the high rises and bar girls from reaching its shores.

We first visited in late 2008 and fell in love straight away. To my eyes, Lipe was jaw droppingly beautiful. Since there is no pier (let alone an airport), you embark from the small ferry and are taken to your chosen side of the island on a long-tail boat. And whichever side you choose, you will be blown away – it’s all the Thai island paradise clichés you could ever want: White sands? Check. Crystal clear water? Check. Laid back beach shacks? Check. No cars? Check. And it’s still possible to find a bungalow on the beach for around 500B, which can be a rarity in the islands these days. You can walk clear across the island from Pattaya beach (the more sheltered and touristy one) to Sunrise beach in about 10 minutes, and the smal road("Walking Street") between contains a number of little shops, massage places, eateries and dive schools, with local houses set back from the paths. Very laid back, low key, and nothing over a storey high. The sea is shallow, clear and warm – perfect for a swim and with some pretty good snorkelling should you get far enough out (though you’ll still struggle to get past shoulder high without a concerted effort!). There are also some lovely paths across the island linking the various beaches, and these are great for running if you have the energy.


There’s not a great deal to do other than laze on the perfect beaches, eat at some of the islands restaurants (which are good but not great generally) or head out on scuba diving trips. Nightlife is fairly quiet, though you will always find a beach bar to serve you well into the night – no thumping baselines or flouro-clad revellers here. Life is laid back, much like the sea-gypsy chao-lay families that inhabit the island and run a lot of the businesses. Unlike some of the more touristed Thai islands, it seems that resentment of tourists is low and certainly back in 2008 there was little intrusion into every day island life – an example of this came when we were walking along Walking Street and were dragged off by a group of locals to join in some wedding celebrations – the Singha flowed like erm, wine, the karaoke pumped out and Thais and tourists alike seemed to be having a great (if slightly bemusing) time. It’s fair to say that after a good week we had fallen hard for this gem of an island.


Which is why, when we travelled again in the region this year, we had to think long and hard about whether to return to ‘our’ little paradise. In the end we couldn’t resist. But though it is still as stunning as ever, increased awareness of the island has without doubt changed little Lipe, and faster than we might have thought possible. Whether that change is for the better or worse depends on your personal opinion. Thanks to the global recession, visitor numbers seemed to be slightly down on our previous visit, but the most striking thing is that this doesn’t seem to have stopped the developers from coming in and building more hotels, increasingly upmarket and increasingly pervasive on the ‘skyline’ of the island. There were visibly fewer bungalows and a greater number of resorts, though this should be taken in context – we had just come from rampantly developed Phi Phi, and Lipe’s building work was small-fish compared to what the money-men have done to that place! The most striking change though was the amount of rubbish strewn about the place – bricks and mortar from abandoned building projects, piles of plastics and other non-biodegradables lying around on the paths, drains struggling to deal with the increased amount of waste water. The locals not directly involved with the tourist community seem to have shrunken away behind the scenes, replaced by their flashier, more tourist-savvy colleagues from Phi Phi and Phangan. Part of the problem is the chao lay themselves sadly – they are simply not used to dealing with tourists in ever-increasing numbers, and the majority seem to have no concept of dealing with their rubbish in an environmentally friendly way – leaving it in piles beside the paths and invoking the 'out of sight, out of mind' mentality. It seems that the Lonely Planet had an excellent point when they kept coverage of this stunning island to a minimum in their guides and actually implored travellers not to go. We laughed at their attitude on our first visit; not so much on our second.

All of the above seems to be corroborated by a report by the Sustainable Tourism Network, stating that the island is is faced with numerous environmental problems, including destruction of wetlands, waste disposal, and water shortages. But all is not lost it seems: A growing number of the locals (lead it seems by the personable Mr Pooh of Pooh’s Bungalows) are aware of the problems they have caused (greed and desire for Baht outweighed sensible development for a while and the consequences are there for all to see), and are finally trying to raise awareness of the issues and do something about them. There are plenty of ‘Save Ko Lipe’ banners about the island, particularly on ‘Walking Street’, and things actually seem to be happening to improve the situation – there is now a regular garbage service that comes to the island to take away the ever increasing amount of rubbish, as well as proper recycling bins throughout the island. Water management issues are finally being addressed, and the realisation seems to have sunk in that something must be done, and fast.


The easy answer is a dramatic one – to force the Thai government to add Lipe to the Turutao National Park and therefore limit the number of visitors, as with the other island protected by National Park status. But who are we to decide this? It is arrogant and remiss of us to decide what the Thai Government should do. We should also remember that by removing tourism altogether we are denying the islanders an income far higher than they could expect from their traditional fishing enterprises.


We think that you should decide for yourself whether to visit. The reality is that unless some serious rethinking is done by the Thai business owners, that no matter how well intentioned the rather amateurish clean attempts have been, the tiny island will be totally destroyed within a few years as it struggles and fails to deal with the havoc that mass tourism is causing on its ecosystem.


Those that do still visit need to choose businesses that actually care about their environmental footprint, forcing those that don’t to either change their ways or go out of business. Ask questions of business owners about their sustainabilty policies and what they do with waste, and do your bit as a visitor to do the following:


· Reuse your water bottles - support local business that offer refills and recycling (if you have to get rid of them then please use the recycling bins)
· Avoid taking long showers and leaving the taps running
· Do not throw paper or other sanitary objects into the toilets
· Avoid using the toilets near the beaches. Sewage will eventually filter through the sand and into the ocean where it is attacked by parasites and becomes living, leading to toxins ingested by fish as well as an unsafe and ugly ocean and beach
· Support business that are aware and take care
· Unwrap items on the Thai mainland, leave plastic wrappings and unneccessary bags behind
· Leave anything that will eventually be discarded on the mainland. I.e. sacks, and other plastics
· Keep your used batteries and return them to the mainland
· We would also like to remind you, out of respect to the chao lay community and Thai culture, please dress appropriately when walking around the island

Conclusion

In short, don't therefore arrive expecting an untouched paradise - you're years too late. The island is still a stunningly beautiful place, and it’s still a wonderfully different experience to visiting Samui or Phi Phi. But bear in mind that your mere presence could be helping to destroy its ecosystem: unless we force the businesses into adopting more sustainable tourism, Ko Lipe could well be destroyed within a decade. What a tragedy that would be for one of the most beautiful islands in South East Asia, if not the world.

For more information on visting Thailand please click here to read the funtotravel.info country guide!