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Published: July 11th 2016
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Saudade
Those 12 hrs went literally flying ( as we also were on the air), we slept probably 30 mins and watched movies the rest of the time.
( Worth saying, a huge compliment to KLM for being up to date with its film offer, one of the films we watched was "London has fallen" - how up to date is that ).
The flight started a bit challenging lets say, as we turned around and saw on the row next to us not one but two small babies, twins actually, not that we mind babies, simply the sound levels can get pretty high at 10,000 feet when their little ears get blocked and they start screaming, these two little fellows did marvelously we must confess.
The -oh please not this too- moment came together with the 2 meter tall and 130 kg ( give a kilo or two) Dutch guy who was looking for his seat and you guess it, yes, it was 31C, being, next to me.
Thank goodness ( also for him ) we had the emergency exit seats which give you more space, unfortunately for me, only lengthwise and not sideways.
I had to use Jedi-like-
meditation techniques not to feel shivers due to his hairy arms ( which were the size of my legs ), rubbing against mine as we fought mm to mm for that elbow space - good thing giants sleep as well, this helped me conquer the arm rest.
Nadine and I arrived in Rio right when the evening was falling.
Just when you think you know every trick on the book, you discover that government regulated taxi stands at the airport are as bad as the cab drivers that con people all over the planet - this one just being only 2 1/5 times the price.
We learnt something else too!
Ayrton Senna is alive as he has reincarnated in Joao (our taxi driver from the airport), who thought our route to Ipanema was through the grand prix of Brasil...we now know why the Cristo is looking down upon Rio... Jeeeezzus.
Ipanema!
How many people must have sung about that girl, Sinatra, Elvis, Astrud Gilberto, Bebel Gilberto and so many more Gilberto's...we decided not to go and look for her, instead simply went chill at the beach, 23 degrees with a lovely breeze, right away you land into a laid
back sensation, watching fishes jump on the sea waters as if doing capoeira, surfers catching waves and an army of sunglasses-caipirinha-skirts-towels-camarão-vendors that pass you by like cars on a highway ( btw, some of them also like collecting handbags), nevertheless, very relaxing.
While Rio keeps preparing for the Olympics we decided to grab a bite and try some Caipirinhas,
Suco de manga and abacaxi,
Empada de Frango
Feijoada and leitão assado with a nice cold beer and to add some calories
Bomba chocolate, Sohnos com duce de leite and Brigadeiro at the typical restaurant and at confeitaria Colombo ( both, one at the center, which is astonishing and the one at the fortress of Copacabana).
We kind of wondered how they fit into those mini bikini's in here after those meals.
To challenge Einsteins relativity theory we went to the other side of the mountain were delta flyers and paragliders hangout.
Heroically Nadine joined in and yes, she also jumped.
What an incredible sensation ( after the first 2 seconds of flying, taking off doesn't fit " incredible" )
is to hang there and fly, listening to the wind, feeling it caressing your face, looking over the horizon, admiring the
landscape, the sea, the mountains, wow, pity that it lasted only about 8 -10 minutes.
Once you have landed you have the wish of flying again...and so did Bruno, when he took off with my credit card details and reached for the skies ( and an ATM ) a couple of days later - resulting in my visa having to be blocked and cut in the middle...nevertheless an incredible-incredible experience.
The Cristo waited for us on a cloudy day, guess we can't be that lucky everyday (after the beautiful weather and our flying experience), when we got there -after climbing the mountain- no, not really in that sense of climbing, we took the train to the summit, come on, you really didn't think we would climb it ourselves, did you??
It was an amazing view, although the fog wouldn't allow us to see Rio ( or anything else for that matter) the Cristo majestically rose above everything and rested on a clear blue sky. It was like a revelation, until that bug stung me on my leg! Just as the Cristo there are a some fly-bee-mosquito looking bugs that live ONLY at the base of the Cristo, where ALL
the tourist are shooting pictures...nasty nasty bugs.
Aftet the Cristo we needed to try the sugar loaf mountain ( everything with sugar needs to be tried if you ask me) but as the Carioca's were getting ready for the Olympics the second station which takes you the furthest and highest was closed, apparently for months already, so we skipped it
😞
After all the excitement, the sun, the food, the mini-kini's, sea and nature we are off to Iguazu and we already feel that famous Saudade...
Obrigado Rio.
Ps:
We didn't see one mosquito... I guess it was too cold for them with 23 degrees.
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