A high roller's playground, it's a city of music and dancing, supermodels and street dogs, sun, sand, cockroaches and cocaine. It's where the beautiful go to live it up and the rich go to buy the beautiful. Its slums,or favelas, overrun by crime and drugs are home to some of the world's poorest. Still, I found a confidence and security in Rio de Janeiro that I never thought possible to find anywhere.

There's more to Rio de Janeiro than thongs and breast implants. Leading the world in designer beachwear, the definition of what looks good for Cariocas - as the locals are called - is broader than ours here in North America, as a stroll along its most famous beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema, will prove.

First of all: your bikini, regardless of the brand, cut or color, has too much fabric attached to it. When you arrive in Rio, head straight for a swimsuit store and buy a fio dental (dental floss; Brazilian bikini). I never thought I¡¦d be parading my exposed bottom around the world¡¦s third largest city. The bunda, or butt, is Brazil's national symbol of sexiness. Although the silicon craze has exploded in Rio, many Brasileros (Brazilian men) still consider a woman's behind her most treasured asset.

Here were my people: an entire nation that praised a protruding backside. In Rio, the fio dental was not merely meant for the thin of waist or the firm of buttock, it was for everyone. I met some North Americans who cringed at the enormous ladies on the beach; are we already brainwashed by the perfection shown on TV and magazines? The reality is: women come in all shapes and sizes. And most importantly, in Brazil, these women are not merely accepted. They are revered.

I spent much time in Santa Teresa and Lapa, two historical districts south of the city center. The other red-light district (the first one is Copacabana), Lapa is the city's urban center, full of young artists, musicians and independent designers. Each weekend, a mini-carnival explodes on the streets of Lapa. Samba and forrò, a salsa-like folk dance from the north, fill the streets and drinks seem to come out everywhere. The main party drag features a tile mosaic staircase that leads up to Santa Teresa, one of the higher points in the city. This quaint hilly hood is perfectly charming to ride through by day on the bondinho (little tram), but by night beware its hoodlums and proximity to one of city¡¦s favelas.

Another must-see is the São Cristovão Fair, a huge market under a labyrinth of freeways and viaducts featuring foods and goods from the northeastern country. The fair runs Sunday all day, but more adventurous types might want to check out the eve's event. Music and dancing - not to mention tremendous eating and drinking - start at 9 or 10pm Saturday night and go on till the early hours of the morning when the families arrive for good, clean shopping.

The city's main attractions, the Corcovado or giant statue of Christ with outstretched arms that overlooks the city and Sugar Loaf, shouldn't be shunned just because everyone goes there. The Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) is magnificent; the view of the city from this peak is incomparable. Sugar Loaf has the best view of the sunset in the city. The trick is to get up there in time for sundown. The first part is an easy climb, but most people take the cable car up the second part. If you¡¦re lucky, you¡¦ll be plagued by tiny tree monkeys.

If you want your Rio experience to be as authentic as possible, take a samba class - they're everywhere. Being a good dancer in Brazil is the cornerstone of sexiness. Try as many sucos (juices) as possible - there are fruits here that you¡¦ve never heard of. Don't be afraid of açai, a gritty forest berry that tastes like a cross between chocolate and plum. Have caipirinhas and lots of them. They're made with cachaça, the national liquor. Ladies, remember to slip into the fio dental. Men, cast away your baggy trunks for the sexy, snug hip-huggers that are all the rage.