Destination: Rio de Janeiro

Copacabana: ‘Unknowingly Retro ... Deliciously Original’

It’s also Ground Zero for dog hairdressers, according to Jon Lee Anderson. His compelling take on Copacabana and Rio de Janeiro is in the Financial Times:

That’s the Copacabana I see, anyway, a place full of ordinary people and chancers, too; a bit tawdry and unknowingly retro, and, therefore, deliciously original. To a large extent, this description also applies to Rio at large. At a time when so many other cities in the world have seen radical makeovers to adopt the cloned look of homogeneous urban modernity, Rio is still refreshingly eclectic and chaotic, so enveloped in its own self-indulgent, sometimes desperate but radiant reality, too, that it seems to inhabit its own time capsule.


World Travel Watch: Crime in Bali, Burj Dubai and Machu Picchu Re-Open, and More

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

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Rock the Favela

Rock the Favela iStockPhoto

In an excerpt from the book "Culture is Our Weapon," Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso explores the power of AfroReggae in Rio

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Photo You Must See: The Colors of Carnival in Rio

Photo You Must See: The Colors of Carnival in Rio REUTERS/Bruno Domingos

A brightly-dressed reveller joins in a carnival parade in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, this weekend.

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World Travel Watch: Robberies in the Bahamas, Kidnapping in Ecuador and More

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

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Did Airport Security Ruin Chicago’s Olympic Bid?

Did Airport Security Ruin Chicago’s Olympic Bid? Photo by David Paul Ohmer via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Photo by David Paul Ohmer via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Michelle Higgins ponders the impact of U.S. border control policies on Chicago’s failed bid for the 2016 Summer Games. For my part, I suppose that could have been a factor—remember the visitor shortfall in Beijing after China tightened its visa restrictions—but beyond any specific considerations, I’m just not sure about the assumption that 2016 was Chicago’s to lose. After all, the United States has already hosted the Olympics eight times, while Rio’s winning bid will mean the first Games ever on South American soil. It’s about time, isn’t it?


Travel Song of the Day: ‘Changes’ by Seu Jorge


Gangs and the New Yorker in Rio’s Favelas

Jon Lee Anderson’s story Gangland from the latest issue of the New Yorker isn’t online, but the magazine did post a stunning audio slideshow with photos by Joao Pina.

We posted Rob Verger’s slideshow about tourism in Rio’s favelas last June.


Slumming It: Can Slum Tourism Be Done Right?

Dharavi, Mumbai REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe

Global Positioning: On the intersection of place, politics and culture

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A Traveler’s 10 Best Musical Discoveries

Contemplating and celebrating the world of travel

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Morning Links: A Hard-to-Find French Town, Photos of Carnival and More

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Carnival Queen Jessica Maia REUTERS/Bruno Domingos

Carnival queen Jessica Maia waves to the crowd during the first night of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

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World Hum’s Most Read: Feb. 14-20

World Hum’s Most Read: Feb. 14-20 Photo by Sophia Dembling
Photo by Sophia Dembling

Our five most popular slideshows from the past week:

1) Dipping Into the Ex-Boyfriend Archives
2) My Travels, My Feet (pictured)
3) Inside Slum Tourism
4) Hawaii: Holoholo Wale
5) Return to Nepal


One Traveling Man’s Weak-Dollar Dating Survival Kit

With superior dentistry and monolingual charm, you too can pick up women overseas. Rolf Potts gets all Maxim magazine.

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Morning Links: Sex and Romance in Rio, Chaos in Bangkok and More

sydney opera house Photo of Sydney Opera House by Corey Leopold, via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Photo of Sydney Opera House by Corey Leopold, via Flickr (Creative Commons)

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