Carnival week is upon us. That means street parties, samba and a drink called caipirinha.
It's that time of year again. Carnival madness is here. The best place to be, if you like Carnival and you like madness and are mad about Carnival, is Rio.
The kosher thing to do during Carnival week is to attend blocos, or street parties. Here people dance samba till hours of the night that Grandma would have found indecent and drink caipirinhas, a popular drink made with lime, a dash of sugar, some ice cubes and cachaça, a Brazilian liquor made from sugar cane.
Another "in" place to be during Carnival is Sambodrome, a large stadium to which various samba schools send their elite dancers, dressed in colorful costumes, to compete.
It's estimated that up to 700,000 people will be converging on Rio for Carnival, 200,000 of which are from other countries.
Of course, where there are great concentrations of people, there will be devoted pickpockets salivating on the heels of the partygoers. But not to worry, Charlie: Rio has a special branch of police known as the "tourist police," who will be out in force with an extra 2,000 coppers to look out for you and your loved one -- that is, your pocketbook.
