Advertisement
Published: August 16th 2010
After 23 hours on a bus you would think we would be exceptionally stiff and uncomfortable but, thanks to the 'cama' seating with almost fully reclining seats the journey to Rio was the most comfortable we had experienced so far. The only drawback was that, despite the cost, no food was included so we had to take some snacks with us to tide our hunger over. At least there as free coffee :-) It was a nice feeling sipping a hot beverage and seeing the statue of 'Christ the Redeemer' for the first time high above the city. In reality he looks quite small from the ground!
We arrived at sunny Rio around 1:30pm (feeling a little hungry as our supplies had run out earlier at breakfast) and entered the main bus station which - to be honest - was rather drab and small for the size of the city, certainly considering Rio was once the capital city. Nevertheless, we collected our belongings and decided that our best option for getting to our hostel would be too splash out on a taxi. Now usually we take local buses or walk in this situation but as Rio has a slight reputation
(in addition to how we would look like prime targets actually carrying our possessions) a taxi seemed the after option. Besides - it would be the last trip to 'find' our hostel in a new city - we deserved a little ease! With this being the case, we located the main desk, received a voucher for the ride ($R28/£10) and jumped in a car (who once leaving the station, locked all the doors.....feeling secure!).
Roughly 10mins later we drew up outside the hostel in a nice looking area, relieved to have made the journey so easily. After checking in and sorting our stuff out (male and female dorms - nightmare when you share supplies) we had a brief walk around the local vicinity, spying out the metro station and a promising looking park, then visited the supermarket for supplies. There seem to be a huge collection of pharmacies, coffee shops and small supermarkets - certainly enough to give the consumer choice! The streets are lined with trees in the 'Gloria' neighbourhood which is pleasant and takes the edge off of the rather busy roads and traffic noise, as well as making it appear more friendly - a feeling that
has grown on me since the first stroll; a little nervy!
The next morning we were up bright and early (a mixture of having had an early night and my upper bunk buddy being the most restless sleeper IN THE WORLD causing continuous sleep - at any point during the night/morning - to be an impossibility) and felt a walk to the nearby park and beach was in order. 'Flamengo park', named for the sound of the bird whose cries could be once heard, is a stretch of green belt (palm trees included) intersected on the town side by roads but nearer the beach consists of cycle paths and walkways with the occasional area for a game of football.
On the northern end it has a marina which is separated from the beach by a spit of land. The beach, like all the others in Rio, is a strip of golden sand that reaches down to the edges of the water - here, the rim of Guanabara bay - that is utilised by many for football and other beach sports. The first explorers entered the area in their ships thinking that it was the opening of a river
mouth and, since they arrived on the 1st of January, gave it the name 'Rio de Janiero' (River of January). Bless them for their mistake, although it is easy to see how they could mistake a bay for a mouth - it is a HUGE expanse of water dotted with monolithic hills. Very picturesque and especially so with Sugar Loaf overlooking the whole thing.
The only negative aspect of our exploration was the weather. Gone was the heat and glorious sun from the previous day: instead we had dark, low-lying cloud and a cool breeze - not the Rio of legend! It was with dismay that, on checking the forecast for the length of our stay, we discovered that such weather (plus rain) was due for the whole time. Crap. All the guide books say to visit the 'Cristo' when there is no cloud as the views can be obstructed - now it seemed we had no choice but to take the chance.
The hostel offered a day trip around the city that would take in all the major sights (including the statue and Sugar Loaf) so we decided to take the easy option (as well as save
some time) and book up for that afternoon. Therefore, at 12:30pm, we were collected by a cheery lady named Emily and loaded into an AC minivan (a little unnecessary considering it was now 20 degrees outside and raining) I which we had an unofficial 'micro-tour' of the city while we picked up other punters. The road system is madness - a trait adopted by the drivers also!
Our first attraction was the statue of 'Christ the Redeemer' which stands at the highest point in the city: atop the 700 metre mountain of Corcavado, in the Tijuca Forest National Park. To get to it we wound our way through and up the cobbled streets of 'Santa Teresa', a pretty district that is home to arty types and where once resided some of Rio's best loved writers. Once at the entrance we had to disembark and be re-loaded onto a government bus to travel the remaining distance to the peak - a method to restrict the flow of traffic on the ever narrowing, steep road.
A we got higher the view shrank in a shroud of cloud and mist - extremely disappointing as the place is renowned for its fantastic
views of the city and bay: typical. (This luck seems to have followed us from New Zealand, where poor weather accompanied any special place of interest or panorama). The vista had disappeared completely by the time we had climbed to the lift which would take us to the escalators and then the statue, leaving us instead with a limbo-like atmosphere and not much of a Christ to look at!
We dutifully circumnavigated the base of the statue, pausing at the 'viewpoints' to look at the placards with photos/labels of what we should be able to see, and frequently squinting up at the 40metre (plus base) statue trying to see if it did indeed have arms and a head (we certainly did not see evidence of scorch-marks on the hands or eyebrows from the 2008 lightning strike!). Warren and I hung around in the now very breezy, cold drizzle for more photo opportunities but with little success - needless to say we were quite disappointed as this is such a huge icon and one of the new '7 Wonders of the World' (and a UNESCO site - another to add to the collection!). We had to visit when Rio experiences
an unusual weather front.
The next stop was a rather non-eventful look at the Maracana football stadium, once the largest in the world (now only in South America) and had hosted the 1950 Fifa World Cup. As luck would have it (from a non-football fan point of view) it was a match day and a a result the tour inside the stadium could not take place for security reasons. Instead, we made do with a quick stop outside the entrance where a metal statue of a man with a giant football greets supporters. Yey.
Onwards we went to the home of 'Carnival' - the concrete 'arena' where the samba schools and others perform in a four day parade. The area was created by the architect if the Brazilian capital 'Brazilia' but, to be honest, without the decorations and glamour of the event, the viewing platforms (concrete steps) and VIP boxes (also grey but with shutters) looked rather austere and much like something you would find in the outskirts of communist Russia. However, our guide dutifully told us how the groups of dancers would assemble at one end and parade themselves along the central 'isle' towards the concluding archway
shaped. The latter is supposedly, like the female rear when lying down on the beach wearing a bikini (apparently the Brazilians are obsessed with the female form, having nicknames for women with big bottoms etc.).
The place was livened up a bit by people from other groups taking advantage of the opportunity to try on a costume or two from the last parade - many extravagant and colourful outfits that make it hard to see how anyone could dance in them! It was also nice to see a samba school in action in the neighbouring complex - cute girls twirling with flags wearing heels!
The city's cathedral, the fourth stop on our tour, was something else. Having travelled around a fair bit of South America we have become accustomed to seeing typically Spanish churches in traditional styles, many rather antiquated, but with a sense of grandeur. The modern building, the last in a line of 'churches' dedicated to Saint Sabastian (the patron saint of the city), looks like a ribbed cone with four barely visible stained glass windows adorning each of the four points of the compass. It really is quite hideous. The inside is not much better
as the circular flooring can have staggering 20,000 people standing - not conducive to a welcoming feeling - with statues that look more alien than religious (elongated arms and skinny body.....). At least you could see the windows better from the interior. Since many of the city's older buildings have been torn down in the name of progress, I don't know why we were so surprised with what the cathedral had to offer. It may seem like quite a negative view of the place so far but believe me, we were enjoying seeing the city - its differences to any other place we had been made it interesting.
However, we were very much looking forward to the final point on our tour: Sugar Loaf mountain. The rain had stopped and the views - from what we could see from the ground - would be good (if not a little lacking sunshine) so it was with great anticipation that we entered the cable car building. The ride to the summit is taken in two stage: firstly, you climb 220 metres to the peak of 'Morro de Açúcar' where there is a collection of viewpoints and a sample of previous cable
cars that were used to make the journey (the initial German one looks like a wooden box!), then the secondly you take another car the remaining distance to the 396 metre 'Pão de Açúcar' which stands at the mouth of the bay.
After an initial moment of fear on my part I began to enjoy the view from the cable car and once at the 'mid-point' very much enjoyed the views the platform afforded, including our first sighting of favelas (poor dwellings that occupy hill tops and cluster to the sides of hills - notorious as they are run by drug lords!). The top of 'Sugar Loaf ' gave 360 degree views of the whole of the city and out to sea. We gazed at the beach of Copacabana and stared bewilderedly at the statue of Christ which was now slightly visible through the clouds (he was just waiting for us to leave!), then took the wooded trail around to the rear for ocean views: it was all excellent. The ride down was amusing, with the cable car being packed to capacity - not for the feint hearted! (As an aside, this was the setting for the fight between
Jaws ans James Bond in 'Moonraker' :-) ).
It took a while for us to get back to our hostel as everyone else got dropped off first, but we got an extended night tour of the city which, like most cities in the evening, take on another life and look very appealing all lit up. Once back, we made dinner and drank some cold beer before retiring to bed, feeling tired but knowing we had accomplished a lot.
Sunday morning was filled by taking a trip to the world famous beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana on the metro. Taking the bare minimum with us we descended into the metro station and successfully purchased tickets (who needs Portuguese?) before boarding the tube. Ipanema was the last stop on the line (recently extended - thankfully) and we emerged into a cool Sunday market selling lots of arty goods. A brief wander around was all we needed though as the thought of carrying anything else made our backs hurt, then it was off to the beach.
Now, we knew that as the weather was poor that we would only be having an explore and not be able to take part
in the sun-worshipping usually indulged in by visitors, but we were very impressed with what we found nonetheless. The stretch of sand was unblemished and the promenade was utilised by hundreds of people walking, jogging, running, cycling, skating, dog-walking and various other energetic pursuits. The beach ended with a rocky outcrop onto which we (and several other people) climbed for good panoramic views of the beach - narrowly avoiding getting blown off by the increasing wind and soaked by spray from the foaming sea.
We ventured through a section of town to the neighbouring beach of Copacabana - of Manilow fame. This area was even more populated with many more high-rise hotels lining its grand expanse and the obligatory locals touting their wares. One humorous man aimed a glass of beer in my direction and when I jumped out of the way thought it hilarious - I discovered it was a 'comedy' glass....sigh. Regardless, it was a very pleasant walk along the prom admiring the surf crashing onto shore, smirking at middle-aged men on 'Muscle beach' toning themselves and watching tourists drinking at many of the beach-side bars.
We caught the metro back to our hotel and, after
lunch, took another walk to Flamengo beach - with the camera this time - to have a last look at Sugar Loaf and Corcavada (now in full view). Pausing to look at several groups of youngsters playing football on the sand and at a cycle race that had closed off one of the main roadways we realised just how active the people of the city were - amazing considering how hot it usually is here.
The last evening was spent drinking beer and reliving many of the memories we had of our long and exciting travels which had the effect of making us both sad but proud of our achievements. The following day our flight was not until 10pm so we hung around the hostel, reminiscing some more over our trip and packing our bags for the last time - a strange feeling!
We fly back home a fair bit poorer but much richer for having done this amazing trip. It is something that although takes a lot of time to plan (and a lot of effort to do) is worth it all and we would recommend it to anyone without hesitation. You only live once and the
world is such a fantastic place!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.095s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 11; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0252s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Lesley Dennis
non-member comment
Christ the Redeemer
Any sight of Christ must be amazing! but then again I am biased - Absolutely amazing place!