Rio De Janeiro

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Rio De janeiro, what can I say, was fantastic! I would advise anyone to check out this city. First off was Sugarloaf Mountain. Instead of booking a trip we decided to check this out on foot... we could see it from Copacabana Beach so decided this was a good idea. We quickly realised this was not as easy to get to or as close but still a walk along the beach on your first morning in Brazil isn´t too bad at all! (Probably the cleanest and best beach I have been on in my life so far)

On arrival at Sugarloaf I quickly realised that this would entail two cable car rides. As I am afraid of heights it wasn´t really my idea of fun but the pro´s outweighed the con´s and I got on with it! 53 Brazilian Real wasn´t so cheap but hey, not to worry once you get up there you soon realise it´s money well spent! The views are fantastic and it gives you a sort of birds eye view as to your next target of interest, Christ the Redeemer! which is on the other side of the bay! From the summit of Sugarloaf you can see a panoramic view of Rio which is awesome! Copacabana to Downtown to the main beaches and road networks in between. You soon realise Rio is a massive city!

By the end of the first day we realised we had been walking for around 6 or 7 hours and had covered so much ground! We were shattered and an early night was on the cards, day 1 over, great start!

The following day was Christ the Redeemer, we decided to head here on foot as we had by now realised that Rio was not gonna be a cheap city to cover! We walked from Copacabana to Botafogo. We had been warned that this area wasn´t too safe but we found it to be the total opposite. It was busy but we had no problems whatsoever and felt quite safe!

Getting to the Redeemer turned out to be quite a chore as we thought it was just going to be a case of walking through Botafogo and bam, there we were... not the case!!! Unless you get a bus or a taxi there is no way through as the only route is actually through a tunnel that pedestrians cannot enter! After an hour or so trying to work this out a decent chap stopped and helped us out, put us in a taxi and within 5 minutes we were there! Another good example of how kind the Brazilian people are! We were lucky that this happened to us throughout our stay in Brazil!

Once at the foot of the mountain we got our train tickets (40 Brazilian Real) and headed for the little train that takes you up! Pretty cool way of getting there! After about 10 mins you arrive at the foot of the Statue, you can take the lift or the stairs (I´m not that old yet so took the stairs!!!) Our first thought when we saw it close up was "Oh crap!" the cloud had covered it and the only thing we could see were his feet! All that time and effort and we couldn´t see a thing!

Not to be beaten we stayed there praying (mind the pun) that it would clear enough for us to get a good look and the odd cheeky photo and after about an hour our luck was in... in fact not long after the cloud totally shifted and it was perfect! We were unable to get shots of the bay but as we had done Sugarloaf the day before we didn´t really care!!! The monument itself is fantastic and is a credit to Rio! Success all round!

Getting back to our hostel was a doddle! We jumped the bus from the foot of the Redeemer itself to Copacabana! Why didn´t we do it this way in the first place?!? It only took us about 15 mins! (The buses in Rio are very good and not expensive)

Later that evening we decided to take in Copacabana Beach at night! Again we had been told to watch what we were doing but again we had no problems whatsoever! It is apparent that the beach is a Mecca for a lot of Brazilians in the sense that it is used from early on in the morning and right through to late evening! It´s what you would expect mind but still! Watching Brazilians play beach football was pretty special but volleyball matches and runners are also common place! Top place and it´s also a nice spot to take in thr Redeemer all lit up!!!

Day 3 consisted as what we had planned as a day of rest (Botting around on the beach) after all the walking we had done in the first few days! This turned out to be completely ridiculous as we ended up walking just as far, if not further than we had the previous two! We decided to take in Ipanema and its beach! Ipanema is just along the way from Copacabana and is a really nice place! The beach is smaller than Copa but just as beautiful! The suburb of Ipanema is also very nice and walking around you get the feel that it is an expensive place to stay! The lake is worth checking out too!

Once we got back to Copa we decided to relax, the sea is nice and the waves did become pretty massive! It was ridiculously hot so I was burned pretty badly across my back and neck! We were nearly robbed but again that was our fault for leaving our stuff unattended! Some French guys ushered them away though so all was good!

Our hotel was not too bad either, it was a bit grubby but all in all was comfortable! (Bamboo Rio Hostel) the staff were pleasant enough and were pretty helpful! With this being the first time I had really stayed in such an environemt I didn´t really know what to expect and I was quite surprised as to how easy I took to it! My only issue is that I really need to not talk full blooded Geordie to a guy chatting to me in any sort of foreign language... He hasnt got a hope in hell of understanding what I´m saying... haha!

All in all we felt Rio and Copacabana were awesome! We would recommend it to anyone! Do you have to be careful, probably but for three days we really felt safe, welcomed and we had so much fun! One issue was the language barrier but that´s our fault for not learning basic Portuguese before we went! Rio is as expensive as home but is worth every penny! We were planning on our stay being a little longer but with it being Easter we were informed that all hostels in the area were shooting up the price of a nights stay, so, with us being on a travallers budget, decided this was the best time to move on! Short but most definitely sweet!

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