Rio DJ- a city of two halves!!

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Total distance from Santos: 198 nautical miles


Our first port – Rio de Janeiro. On researching this city synonymous with Copacabana, carnival, beach volleyball and that Jesus thing on top of the hill it is also infamous for the 'favela', the name given to one of the overcrowded slum areas that Ross Kemp is empty headed enough to go skipping though looking for the biggest machete wielding motherf**er all in the name of entertainment. The name Rio de Janeiro was based on a misunderstanding. The Portuguese navigator Gonçalo Coelho who first reached the bay thought it was the mouth of a great river. He checked his calendar to see what day it was and proclaimed it the' River of January' (Rio de Janeiro!!) Despite the capital city being Brasilia, Rio is considered to be the countries second city next to Sao Paulo. The population of Rio is about 7 million with approximately 1 million inhabitants residing (or I should say ‘existing) in a favela of which there are many dotted on the hillsides surrounding Rio. One wrong turn and you could be greeted by a bullet in the kneecap. And it is a greeting. Put into perspective, a shattered patella is not known to be fatal. If you were unwelcome you ‘host' would normally aim for the head!! The lower down the shot, the friendlier the greeting. A .22 to the foot and you're practically engaged!! Being told that the favelas used to be run by drug gangs but for the past few years, a special army/police force has cleaned up the streets was not reassuring enough to venture out and do our own thing. For this reason we decided to take an organised excursion to Corcovado.

Corcovado means Hunchback and is the name of the hill on which the Jesus thing, known as Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) stands. Rio is unique in that it is divided in to North and South separated by a rain forest known as Parque Nacional da Tijuca, a precious jungle wilderness within Rio's city limits and the largest urban forest national park in the world. Today is going to be a hot one with temperatures rising to 35 degrees C. I just hope the rain stays in the forest where it belongs and doesn't venture out in to the city!!!

The top of the Corcovado is reached by train. The trains run every 20 minutes and the journey takes about 25 minutes. Each excursion has a specific time slot. Our excursion's itinerary started with a tour of Rio's most famous beaches: Ipanema and Copacabana.

The ship docked in the North of the city. The beaches are in the South. En route, the bus took us past a famous avenue known as the Sambadrome. This is an Avenue lined with enough seating for over 100,000 people. In fact, more spectators are able to line this Avenue than the total capacity of the nearby Maracana stadium which has now been reduced from 120,000 to just over 82,000. The Sambadrome, sees plenty of action during carnival season when professionals arrive from all over the country and beyond in a mega dance off unrivalled by anywhere else in the world. Even the Mardi Gras in New Orleans cannot be considered to be in the same league.

In order to cross the North-South divide a series of tunnels have been carved out of the rock. Within minutes of entering the first of 2 tunnels we had travelled the few kilometres on to the South side and were running parallel with a large lake known as Lagoa Rodrego de Freitas. We were told that in contrast to the favelas, some of the most exclusive properties were to be found on the shores to this lake. The oddity is that all the buildings surrounding the lake are privately owned. There are no commercial properties, hotels or shops within this district.

Cutting down one of the adjoining roads, the space opened out and we had reached Ipanema. Both Ipanema and Copacabana cover over 6km of golden sand. A wide walkway follows the beaches along this world famous landscape and is paved with the characteristic white and black stone set in a swirling or waved pattern that can be seen on many of Brazil's beachside promenades. Whilst we didn't have the opportunity to stop at either beach, our guide explained that each group stakes out its stretch of sand. The beaches are marked by postos (posts), which demarcate subcultures as diverse as the city itself. At posto 9, is where Rio's beautiful people tend to migrate. Looking at some of these over baked, leather tanned examples, some wearing less that I'd wear in bed, beauty is most definitely in the eye of the beholder!! The next section is occupied by hippies and artists who sometimes hang out there. Further along still, the beach is known as Bolsa de Valores (apologies for spelling!!) or Crystal Palace (the GLBT section) while further up is mostly the domain of favela kids. Despite belonging to some of the poorer families in Rio, they seem to be enjoying life. There is also a section for sports fans but as I didn't seen one armchair or plasma screen TV on the beach this section would not be suitable for most Brits!!!

Time to catch our narrow gauge railway up to see Cristo Redentor. The statue can be seen from anywhere in the city. With arms stretched out in a ‘the one that got away' pose, he looks as if he is about to bungee jump off the top of Corcovado!! The mountain rises straight up from the city to 710m. The statue is a further 38m-high and weighs in at 1145 tons. The train is 2 carriages and although both the base station and top station were heaving with bodies, everyone seemed to find a seat without too much jostling.

Once out of the train, there is a choice. Either climb a further 240 steps to the base of the statue or take the elevator, cutting out 219 of those steps. When I say choice, one only had to look up the 240 steps and the decision was made!! The queue for the elevator reduced quickly and the time to the top was only 10 seconds!

The viewing platform was very busy. I'm glad we hadn't arrived in the middle of summer. I would hate to think what the crowds must be like. A lot of people were standing in front to the Christ with arms open, mimicking the statue but unaware of the pain in the arses they were to the rest of us trying to get to the edge of the viewing platform to look out across the city. Some tourists were lying on their back vying for that ultimate photo but with no consideration for other tourists. I quite happily ‘photo bombed' several pictures. I even remember sticking my finger up my nose at one point to the amusement of a young child who was watching intently whilst the photographer remained blissfully unaware of my shenanigans!!

Unfortunately it was another one of those day where it was hot despite the lack of sun. The view from the top was marred by the whole vista of Rio shrouded in a layer of haze.

Back at the bottom of Corcovado in Rua Cosme Velho is a large church. I found it quite ironic that the church at the bottom of the mountain with the Jesus statue atop is dedicated to Judas!! (see photo)

Back on board, we signed up for the World Quiz. This will take place during the four days Atlantic crossing and is held each day with the scores accumulating with each round. Our dinner partners, we have learned, are also keen quizzers so it looks like we have already got our team in place!

We left Rio shortly before 6pm watching a spectacular lightning show but thankfully we were heading north whilst the storm seemed to be heading south!!

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Comments

[Rags]

Looks great!!

[Helen]

I would love to go to Rio!The black and white mosaics on the pavement are a reflection of the Portuguese history in Brazil. If you visit Lisbon, you will find the same decorative mosaics. A copy of the statue of Christ The Redeemer also ove
rlooks Lisbon harbor.But I bet you already knew that...Loving the Blog and photos! You do the travelling sowe don't have to.... :)