Lapa

There is a neighborhood in Rio that Clay and I have been told about many times, and until this past weekend, we hadn't been. The neighborhood is called Lapa. We weren't told much about this part of town other than, we "had to go", "it's a street party and there are also lots of discos", and "Clay needs to be prepared for you to be hit on all night by Brazilian men". Needless to say, we were a little wary of this place and didn't really want to go without some Brazilian guides. 

So this weekend Pedro, one of Clay's coworkers and actual Carioca, took us with his girlfriend Taissa to Lapa. Well, first we went to dinner (at 10pm mind you...we were being true Cariocas this night) at a Thai place, Nam Thai. The food was very good, and we'll probably go back when we crave spicy food. 

NOW on to Lapa! Pedro warned us that we would see all types and also that Lapa could bring out all types of your personality. Clay and I were still feeling a little apprehensive at this point. What did Pedro mean? Were we going to all of a sudden have these crazy people pop out of us?!  And what kinds of people will we actually see? Am I going to be hit on by the same guys that sell shrimp on the beach? Ick! Well, we did see all type, from hippie youth to Funk party goers, from children selling beer with their parents to grandparents dancing the night away. It was an interesting mix of people to say the least. 

I have to admit, my initial reaction was, "oh my, we're in 6th street on crack", but as we explored and eventually chose a live concert to attend over the discos Lapa became more and more a place that didn't seem so crazy after all.  The show we went to was in a little complex with a bar and dance floor inside with a DJ playing samba and popular Brazilian artists, and patio with stage outside. We danced inside until the DJ told us that the band, Songoro Cosongo was starting and we all filed outside. The band consisted of a few singers, guitars, bass, and brass and a huge drumline in front of the stage right in the midst of the crowd. You can get an idea of the type of music here. The music was AMAZING and we danced all night (and by all night, I mean until 3am).

Clay and my thoughts about Lapa are very different after this night! While I'm sure you can go and drink all night at some of the discos or outside with the vendors, it's also a place where you can just go and dance and have fun. I think we had one beer the whole time we were at the concert and that was just fine! I think this is what Pedro meant, by you'll see all types and all personalities are welcome. I can't wait to take Elizabeth, I think she's going to have so much fun seeing all the people, listening to Samba and dancing! 

and by the way...no, I wasn't hit on all night by shrimp salesmen. :)