Staying cool in hot Brazil

Here we are, summer in Rio de Janeiro. That means two things: punishingly hot days and sporadic (nearly daily) summer downpours. When it is hot, it is HOT. And when it rains, it RAINS!

But it’s pretty much predictable. The mornings will be hot and sunny and the afternoons will be overcast, then rainy (but still hot).

It’s not rocket science. In fact it is predictable meteorologically. While your travel agent will never tell you that Rio in the summer is rainy, it definitely affects how you spend your day.

Take it from a local: get to the beach by 10:00 a.m. It will already be jumpin’ with activity. It will be sunny and HOT. Stake out your place and enjoy the water. Do not forget to re-apply your sunscreen. You may think the early hours of sunshine are less consequential, but no…

Then by 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. – GET OUT OF THE SUN. Even if you are under an umbrella – the sun is scorching you. Trust me. Go back to your apartment or hotel and take a shower. Take a nap. There will be more fun to participate in when you wake up.

Now you can return to the beach after the worst of the heat has past. Go have a beer at a beach-side kiosk. Go join a gathering crowd around a group of musicians celebrating summer in song. Go find your place to munch on appetizers before you move on to your night time activity.

Celebrating summer in Rio is about enjoying the beach without a sunburn, escaping the worst of the heat and then showering, reconnecting with friends in the evening hours, and not shying away from the night time rain while you go out for dinner and then clubbing until dawn.

Yes it will rain, but as Luiz often asks: “What? Are you made of paper?”