Blogs from Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America - page 2

Little Red Riding Hood goes girl power - and a lot more All photos in this blog entry is of street art. First of all we want to point out that we make a difference between street art and graffiti. Street art is often, not always but often, permitted and sometimes even commissioned. Street art is created with the main purpose of transforming a dull wall into something more interesting. Graffiti, on the other hand, is mostly rubbish and vandalism and not something we condone. Some of the best street art totally rivals high quality art in major art galleries. What we also like about street art is that it is free of charge to enjoy and that we can look at it while we are doing other sightseeing. Also looking for street art might involve ... read more

After a long day of travel from Foz De Iguazu, I had finally reached the city of Rio De Janeiro. I had started my trip in Peru, all the way on the Pacific side of the continent, and several weeks and thousands of kilometers later I was now on the Atlantic. The sun had dipped and I ordered an Uber to take me into town. Shawn had already arrived several hours earlier, and had rented us an Air BnB condo for the next few days in the fancy district of Ipanema; known for its shops, cafes, and beach. I had heard loads of things about Rio, but having enough travel experience I've learned to come to my own realizations. Still, like many other cities, it's important to keep your head up and eyes open. Also probably ... read more

For a first time visit we decided a guide and driver were essential and we chose BeFree Tours run by Marcelo who was himself the guide and driver for the day. We set off early about 8.15am to get to Christ the Redeemer statue before the crowds. It was already hot and humid. A tram takes you up to the base of the statue. Good to pre buy the tickets to make sure of a place when you want. We had 9am tickets but got onto the 8.40am tram. There is a lift at the top but unless you are disabled you might as well use the steps and avoid a queue as it is only a short distance. It was already very busy but we managed to get the usual photo of the 38 metre ... read more

Today we are going sightseeing in Rio. So, on a sunny summer Saturday, we set of by Metro from Copacabana to the city centre. Not surprisingly, we are travelling in the opposite direction to almost everyone else. We buy Metro tickets, which are quite decorative and thus a good item for my scrapbook. However, at the turnstile, we insert the ticket and it isn’t returned. I look so disappointed that on the following journey, the old man buys 3 tickets so I have one to keep. First stop is the Bonde, the old streetcar which clambers across the Arcos de Lapa viaduct and up the hillside along cobbled lanes decorated with murals. We’re taking the Bonde just for the sake of it, so buy a return ticket, worrying that we’ll look a bit sad when we ... read more

We get up and go for breakfast. We deal with yesterday’s dietary deficiencies by consuming a mountain of fruit – mainly mango – the sweetest, juiciest mango I have ever tasted. I also have some sausage and eggs, although there’s a slight delay in proceedings while a women attempts to light her cigarette on the heat source under the breakfast buffet. Then we set forth along Copacabana Beach. It’s 8.30 and the prom is already heaving with walkers, runners and cyclists out for their morning constitutional. It’s like an exotic Bournemouth; we have the Overcliff, they have Sugarloaf mountain. We walk the full 4 km length of the beach, and back again. By the end it is 36 degrees and we’re rather warm and sweaty. After a pit stop at a beach bar, we round off ... read more