I always watch the Rio carnival on the TV. This year I’m here
I can’t believe that I managed to be at the Rio carnival, but there’s a problem and I need a quick Payday Loan. By the way, if you are looking for hours and hours of stunning under-dressed girls, make plans to be here next year. I guarantee that this spectacle will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The facts
This year the carnival takes place in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, February 21-24. That means 4 days of non-stop samba. But if you haven’t booked yet, be careful – more than 80 percent of available hotel rooms have been sold. Make sure you’ve got a bed.
The crowd
The crowd of spectators generally comprises 70 percent foreign tourists and 30 percent Brazilians. This year, because of the crisis, it is expected to be about half and half. So far, an estimated 46,500 tourists are set to disembark in Rio in the coming days from cruise ships that arrive in the city in time for the carnival.
The money
Estimates say that Rio will earn about $13.6 million from carnival-related tourism in 2009.
Join in
Anyone can join in the fun. There is a charge for a costume but it’s reasonable. Why do I need Payday Loan? I have been practicing in a samba class, wiggling my hips and swinging my, er, chest for a few days and boy, am I stiff! I can hardly move. More than that, I think I threw something out. I need that Payday Loan for a doctor visit, or at the very least, a few sessions of massage and a case of liniment.
The parade
I will be participating in the Rio Samba Parade and marching with a samba school in the Sambodromo in a 2009 Rio carnival costume on Sunday February 22nd with the Special League, if I can get my hip or back or whatever I threw out, fixed. This is touted as a real thrill and an unparalleled experience – to parade in a beautiful costume, to the exciting beats of the samba on the biggest stage in the world. People who watch the parade say it is a definite once in a lifetime must. People come back to participate year after year.
Samba School
Imagine yourself parading with one of Rio’s fabled “Samba Schools”, singing the samba and dancing the rhythms of Carnival like a true native with thousands of people watching and millions of others following your every move on TV. You will remember this high-energy event forever. Even the warming up time (concentracao) in which you prepare to enter, is a great experience.
Want to go? This is how it works:
The Carnival will fit you with your own costume. On parade night you will be transported to the Sambodrome warming up area (concentracao) and, in the company of a guide and fellow members of “Escola de Samba”, you will participate in the unforgettable parade that is Carnival in Rio.
The parade itself lasts approximately 50 minutes. Each school has 90 minutes to cross the runaway. After the parade, you can either leave or join the crowd and watch the other schools.
On the day of the parade, staff from the samba school will be with you all the time, from the pick up at the hotel until the end of the parade, including the concentration area. They will also assist you to find your sector of choice if you decide to watch the show.
Wow, I’m going!
Enough of the talk already. Let me fill in this Payday Loan application and I’m off to the find a doctor, then it’s off to the parade area. Look for me on the TV. I’ll be the one with the agonized grimace and the great smile.
Carnival would be an awesome vacation, but it’s expensive. The trip down there is going to run you a few grand, never mind what actually finding a room must be like.