Rio de Janeiro Off the Beaten Path Tips by NedHopkins

Late Monday morning, 22 February 2004, I went downtown looking for a restaurant.

I took the Metro and got off at the Uruguaiana station. Looking down Avenida Presidente Vargas I saw floats for that night's parade in the Sambadromo assembling, bloco members putting final touches on their creations.

Later, strolling down the parallel Avenida Marechal Floriano I saw other floats -- even less ready for the big night -- moving slowly toward the Av Vargas assembly point.

I also found the restaurant I was looking for. Like so much else during Carnaval -- including even most of the ubiquitous vendors' stands -- it was closed.

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Grande Rio's 2004 Carnaval theme was 'The Garden of Delights.' Life was perfect and joyous, it began, until that nasty serpent messed everything up.

Sex, of course, featured prominently in Grande Rio's parade. One float, noting the spread of AIDS, urged the use of condoms. The local Roman Catholic hierarchy protested against what the Church views as a method of contraception.

Bowing to pressure, parade officials ordered that the float be entirely covered up during the parade. The designer complied, but added a banner reading 'CENSURADO.' The Church was incensed. To mollify the hierarchy, Grande Rio fired its designer.

Here the float, partly disassembled (but with the banner visible on the right), is being driven through city streets back to Grande Rio's home base.

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