Several people have asked us for info about the guide we used in Rio, so here is some dope (I will also post the info on the Guides forum for later reference):
We used a marvelous private guide for all four of our days in Rio in early December, sharing him with Wendy & David for two of those days. He is Cedric Diniz. Here is his contact info and blog:
Cedric Diniz
cedricdz@uol.com.br
http://cedricdz.blog.uol.com.br/ If Cedric is not available when you are in Rio, he has a couple of colleagues who are his very close friends. They all recommend one another when one is already booked:
Rafael (Rafa) Torres
donrafainrio@yahoo.es
http://donrafaguestsinrio.blogspot.com/ Emmanuel (Manu) Peclat
manu.peclat@gmail.com
All three of these guys have been repeatedly recommended by people on the CC boards (that's how we found them). Further, a number of LCTers have used one or more of them. I haven't met Manu; but I think Olivia used him last year. We have met Rafael (known as Rafa). He and Cedric (along with another guide, Marcone) joined Pat & me and Wendy & David for dinner on Voyager the night we boarded the ship, Dec. 4. It was great fun, indeed.
Any of these guys would be great choices to make the most of that day in Rio between disembarkation and the airport. Much better than hanging around the dreary dayroom at the Sofitel and trying to decide where to walk from there. Time in the "cidade maravilhosa" (the "marvelous city", as the Cariocas say) is precious, and should be used to the fullest.
Cheers (or as they say in Rio, "Tchau"), Fred