Brazil - The first leg. Rio de Janeiro (Sugarloaf, Christ the Redeemer, Botanical Gardens and Laranjeiras)

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We ended up doing a lot of the major sights towards the end of Carnaval, because the weather was so rainy when we first got to Rio (we shipped off to sunny Salvador quicksmart, we were too pasty to hang around in clouds.) The sights were busy, as nearly a million people visit Rio during Carnaval, so avoid doing this if you can, though we only really got annoyed at Christ the Redeemer.The botanical gardens are not always top of our sightseeing list, but Rio's is really worth a visit. They are big, lovely and varied, with the usual cactus and Japanese zones, but also an orchid house, medicine house (no sign of any wacky backy), a mini-lake, amazon area, herb garden and MONKEYS! These were actually tufted-eared marmosets, small and suitably cheeky looking, jumping around in the trees near the mini-lake.The wall opposite the gardens entrance has amazing street art down it, plus there is a great view of Christ the Redeemer (Corcovado) from this area.<br style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;" />Sugarloaf mountain (or Pão de Açúcar) was also a real treat. You take 2 cable cars up from next to Praia Vermelha in Urca, to the top of one mountain and then the other which is 395m above the sea below. It's not cheap (53 BR$) so best to save for a clear day. There are viewing platforms at both levels (with rip-off cafes so take your own water). You get incredible views of all parts of Rio and over to Niteroi, and are pretty much opposite Big Jesus. Also, on the second/top level you can walk down to what is labeled the forest, basically simple walkways among the mountain greenery. This is another good spot for seeing marmosets and lizards.
We stayed in an area called Laranjeiras on our second visit to Rio during the Carnaval. Again it was through Airbnb.com with a lovely older couple called Moara and Macau. They were super nice and helpful, and Macau was a composer whose music was being used for the Olympics! Laranjeiras is a more upmarket area in Zona Norte. It had nice cafes and farmers markets, and lovely leafy streets with grand apartment buildings and also some larger colonial mansions, now used for various institutes. It´s also close to Christ the Redeemer...

...which was rammed when we visited during Carnaval. We couldn't get a train for hours so went up by collective taxi (i.e. a minibus). If you go by taxi you then have to buy the entrance ticket halfway up, then queue again to get another minibus to the top. We thought about walking it, but it would be a mammoth uphill walk in the heat and it's supposed to be dangerous for robberies. The great Christ is an interesting feat of engineering and sculpture, but it was so busy with tourists all copying the statue's pose for their photos, that it wasn't exactly pleasant. For us it was actually nicer to see it from a distance in different parts of the city, looking down and surprising you. Again it's a pricey sight to see, so if you had to choose we would recommend Sugarloaf!

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