Description: The day I visited the fair was the nicest day I spent in Rio by myself. Woke up, went for a jog, rehydrated, spent an hour reading and snoozing on Copacabana Beach, then grabbed my gear and set off on foot from Copacabana to Ipanema. I headed straight for the Hippie Market, which all my customers had told me was worth a visit. I had some souveniers to buy, and wanted to watch the locals in action.
Right off the bat, I assumed Brazilians must have a different definition of hippie because there were very few items for sale that signified "hippie" to me. But why quibble over semantics, as I had an enjoyable hour or so strolling up and down the aisles peeping into stands arrayed with leather bags and belts, flip flops, canvas bags, Rio tourist tee shirts (some were of surprisingly good quality), jewelery, wind chimes made of slices from brightly-colored petrified rocks, and a few true handcrafts made by artisans. There was also a surprising amount of "product" like socks and no-frills nail polish, and only one snack stand (I didn't dare). And, of course, the requisite pipes and other goth-type paraphanalia.
After twice-around, I settled on a pink petrified rock wind chime and a set of four handmade finger puppets of circus animals. Then, happy with my purchases, I went off to walk the leafy avenues of Ipanema and explore the supermarkets of Rio (there are few ways to get a better inside glimpse into life as a resident. In case you're curious, some go shopping in bathing suits).
Close