Iconic Mardi Gras Destination Now ‘No Go’ for Louisiana Revelers

In Louisiana Mardi Gras is steeped in tradition. In the rural areas of the state on the Cajun Prairie near Mamou, Eunice, and Church Point, they'll don their masks, climb on their horses, and go in search of the ingredients for a gumbo. In Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Baton Rouge the celebration will be in the streets with parades, beads, festival rides, and delicious foods.

Then, there is New Orleans. Mardi Gras in New Orleans should be on your "did that once" list. For some of us "once" is more than plenty for Fat Tuesday in the French Quarter. But for others, the lure of Mardi Gras is strong and despite the sore arms, torn rotator cuffs, and aching heads and feet we will plan to be back for next year's party.

While these places and parties seem to encompass all that Mardi Gras has to offer, there is one other iconic destination where Carnival is even more entrenched in the fabric of society and in the culture of the people who live there. And from what we've been told the celebration here will make Mardi Gras in New Orleans seem like a church social with dinner on the ground.

Since 1723 those who make their homes along the lovely stretch of beach you see pictured above have been celebrating Mardi Gras or Carnaval. That beach is the world-renowned Copacabana Beach of Rio De Janeiro Brazil. I did not visit Rio and Copacabana during Carnaval, I went during an even more insane celebration, the FIFA World Cup.

The picture above is the crowd on Copacabana Beach at 11 in the morning on a Thursday to watch a World Cup Match on the big screens. Brazilians are passionate people and between soccer and Carnaval, it's hard to determine which one they are more invested in.

But there is a dark side to this tropical paradise, Rio like many large cities in South America is besieged by crime. In all of my travels around the world, I have never been more afraid for my personal safety than I was in Rio. The bad guys are bold, I saw a man rip a gold chain off another man's neck in broad daylight. And those are the petty crimes.

Now the United States Department of State has issued a travel advisory for those who might be contemplating traveling to Rio for Carnaval or any other visit. The government of Canada has followed suit as well. The advisory warns of pickpockets in crowded areas and there have been reports of tourists having their beverages spiked before they were robbed.

There have also been reports of infected mosquitoes spreading illness in Brazil as well. Remember it's not winter in Brazil, it's springtime and the bugs are voracious, I know from experience.

The Travel Advisory from the U.S. Department of State is a Level 2 advisory. That means any visitors should exercise increased caution. That means planning ahead for pickpockets and having your valuables secured, being mindful of who touches anything that you're going to eat or drink, and by all means leaving your valuables, especially wedding and engagement rings at home or locked in a hotel safe.

Now that we've got the bad news out of the way, the good news is that Carnaval do Rio de Janeiro is truly a spectacle. The Samba Schools that parade through the Samba Drome put on exquisite performances and the costumes are incredibly ornate and eye-catching.

They even built a stadium that a street runs through and it's only open during Carnival when the Samba Schools work their magic. That's it below. They keep it locked up. And there are a lot of reasons to lock things up in Rio.

Fortunately, they broadcast a lot of the dances on YouTube so you can watch without getting robbed or killed, which is something you have to consider when you're considering travel to Brazil and Rio in particular.

It's a big city, a big third-world city with poverty beyond what most of us can imagine and crime rates that are beyond belief and don't think the police are really going to assist you. During my visit, it certainly looked as if they were only on the streets for "show".