Advertisement
Published: March 3rd 2007
Edit Blog Post
Christo Redentor
"I'm the king of the world!" According to the Cariocas (as Rio's residents are known), God didnt rest on the seventh day, he made Rio! And you can see where they're coming from - Rio is, without doubt, the most beautiful city I've ever visited. It's home to some of the most iconic sights in the world, from the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, to the towering Cristo Redentor statue, Sugar Loaf mountain, and the infamous favelas.
Catherine, Patrick and I arrived from Buenos Aires, after a marathon journey, a few days before Carnaval kicked off. No sooner had we landed in the hotel, than we were offered tickets to the Sambódromo - the world's greatest parade - and at cost price!! We couldnt believe our luck! (Thanks Ishmael!). Tickets sorted, next on the agenda was a bit of sightseeing.
So, off to
Christo Redentor with us. The statue of Jesus Christ stands 38 m tall at the peak of the Corcovado mountain overlooking the city. Built in 1931, thanks almost entirely to donations from the local Catholic community, the outstretched arms of Jesus can be seen from nearly everywhere in the city. An amazing architectural achievement, each small piece of the 1200-tonne icon had
Samba!
That costume would be a bit cold for the Dublin St. Patricks Day parade! Samba dancer from the Portela entry to be carried over 700m up the mountain by train to complete one of the worlds largest statues. Unfortunately a heavy mist descended as we neared the top of the mountain, but we still got to see some spectacular views, well worth the trip!
We also made the trip to the top of
Pão de Açúcar (SugarLoaf mountain). Though much more impressive than its Irish name-sake, the Pão de Açúcar was unfortunately overrun by tour groups. The views from the top are beautiful, but for US$18, we thought it was definitely overpriced!
After a days sightseeing in the tremendous heat (up to 38°, without factoring in the humidity), it was nice to spend the evenings sipping cold beer or caipirinhas - Brazils traditional coctail made from cachaça (a spirit distilled from sugar cane) and lime. Lethal, but tasty! The local food was also a nice change from the monotony of steak in Argentina. Dishes, such as
feijoada, generally contained stewed cuts of meat, black beans and fried manioc flour. Yum!
Once Carnaval got into full swing, the city went crazy! Each neighbourhood hosts its own 'banda' or 'bloco', a free street procession with music and dancing. We
Santa Teresa Tram
If there's no room, just hang on the sides. Scary, but fun, on the narrow windy roads of Santa Teresa! had a list of the main events from the tourist office, but no matter where we wandered, we bumped into several smaller blocos, which would appear out of nowhere and disappear down the road just as quick, leaving everyone in their wake with a smile on their face! Even the road sweepers got into the spirit, with one man doing a jig around his sweeping brush, to rapturous applause!
The first bloco we went to was in Santa Teresa - a scenic hilly Rio neighbourhood, set in narrow, winding, tree-lined streets with beautiful colonial buildings everwhere. Santa Teresa is reached by jolting tram ride, with fabulous views over the city and favelas. Being our first bloco, we didnt really know what to expect and were blown away by the music and the atmosphere. It was total mayhem with thousands of people dancing around a square for a few hours. Being Rio, the roads weren't even closed off, and so buses and cars inched their way through the throng the whole evening!
Another regular haunt of ours was the district of Lapa, a short stroll from our central hotel. Here there was a bandstand set up and hundreds of
Borats
Now thats scary - two Carnival attired Borats! stalls selling tempting looking food and cheap beer. Unlike Ireland, the beer would only be sold if it was ice cold. One lady I attempted to buy a few beers off stopped me, explaining to me that her beer wasn't cold enough and insisting I buy off her neighbours stall instead!
The people, as a whole, in Rio were exceptionally friendly! On one occasion a whole bus got involved in a discussion as to where was the best place to get off the bus to do some sightseeing! There were all so friendly and helpful - even the muggers were so polite!
So yeah ... we got mugged. Not wholly unexpected in Rio to be honest. But we were surprised that it happened in broad daylight at the door of our hotel! 4 young guys, armed with a knife (though only a butter knife, I think he was on his way to make sandwiches!) surprised the three of us as we stood yapping outside the hotel about what to do that day. Luckily, we only had cash on us, no watches, cameras, jewellery or anything important, so we just handed it over and they were gone as fast
Santa Teresa
Cac and I take a break in the shade as they'd appeared. The day was wasted though, with Cac and Pat spending the afternoon at the Tourist Police getting a report for insurance purposes. The Tourist Police were kept so busy, they had run out of English forms! Apparently they receive complaints of about 30 incidents a day at the height of Carnaval, and that's only the ones that are reported. Cac returned from the police quite excited though, as they'd been interviewed by a local reporter - she thought her big break had come at last! Unfortunately we never saw the article, so the land of celebrity will have to wait for the moment ...
Luckily that evening, to take our mind of the mugging, we were going to the Sambódromo for the biggest night of the Carnaval parades. The Sambódromo is a purpose built 700m long street, with seating for almost 65,000 people. The parades last for about 12 hours and each night consists of 7
samba schools. Each samba school has 80 minutes to parade from one end of the Sambódromo to the other with all its thousands of dancers in elaborate costume, its drum section (bateria), and a number of magnificent floats. Schools are
graded by a jury, and the competition is ferocious. This years winner was Beija-Flor, who have now won 4 out of the last 5 years. We decided to support Portela for the night, as it was the school of Ishmael, our helpful hotel receptionist. Portela put on a stunning Olympics-themed procession, but unfortunately only finished joint 9th.
On our last day in Rio, we visited Ipanema. Both Ipanema and Copacabana are beautiful beaches, with panoramic view of the mountains around Rio. Unfortunately the waves were too big and we couldnt do any more than paddle each day. Surprise waves even took several peoples flip-flops and suncream to watery graves, but luckily we managed to rescue ours from the mini tsunami! While at Ipanema we caught our final bloco and Pat had a pint of Guinness in an Irish pub for old times sake. We weren't falling for that again - US$8 for a pint!!
Next for Catherine and Patrick, another 6 weeks around Brazil. And don't feel sorry for them if they moan about long bus journeys! I've experienced the buses in Brazil and they're more like 5* hotels, with blankets, pillows, movies, reclining chairs, and snack packs
Mugger Corner
The now infamous corner - those people watching a bloco pass should be careful! - pure luxury!
Next stop for me - Africa! You can follow my adventures at
my blog if you have withdrawal symptoms when Cac and Pat finish!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.205s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 13; qc: 65; dbt: 0.0596s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
bruce
non-member comment
two sides ...
Dear Sir, On February 17-21, I and four friends stayed at the Marina Place Hotel in the Leblon area in Rio De Janiero. On my last day there I had US$500 (1000 Real) stolen from my "safe" deposit box in my hotel room. On my last morning in the hotel (February 21), I went to the beach and informed the receptionist that i would be no longer than one hour and could she keep my key and glasses at the front desk. When I returned, half of the money in my safe was gone although they spared me my camera, credit cards and passport. When I told the manager about this situation, he informed me that the only people that know the security code are managers. We exchanged glances and I suggested that perhaps that says it all. I am told they have video cameras on each floor and that these pictures are being "reviewed". I feel that it is important for travellers to know that these so called "safe" deposit boxes in the rooms are not so safe and I would caution any one from placing too much trust in the integrity of the Marina Place Hotel management.