Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Rio De Janeiro has been a definite highlight for us! It is such an energetic place and we felt that the Brazilian beach culture really lived up to its name.

We were fortunate to have warm, clear weather the first two days, so we made the most of it and did as much sight seeing as possible! We took the cable car up to the Sugarloaf mountain on Day 1 to enjoy the spectacular city views.  With the sun still high in the sky and the convenient location of our hostel - just a stones throw from Ipanema Beach - our decision on where to spend the rest of the afternoon was an easy one. Stepping off the boardwalk on to these hallowed sands was overwhelming as we were instantly absorbed in to the mass of beach goers filling nearly every available space along the 2.7km stretch. A heaving shore break took its toll on a few locals who failed to obey the 'no swimming' signs, and had to be airlifted by a helicopter, which caused a bit of excitement. The evening ended with a beautiful sunset from a view point between Cococabana and Ipanema. What a treat!

Rio from the sky!

On our way up to the Sugarloaf

Views from the top of th Sugarloaf - we were so fortunate with the clear weather!

Helicopter sea rescue on Ipanema Beach

Ipanema beach and its huge shorebreak

Sunset over Ipanema and Leblon

 

On Day 2 we decided to do an organized site seeing tour. We usually avoid these tours to try attain a more authentic experience, but we felt that to do the city justice, we needed someone to show us around. Victor, our tour guide, took 11 of us to see some of the city's major highlights. The first stop was the top of Corcovado mountain to see the famous Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue. The statue stands at 710m above sea level and truly gives an incredible view of the city and although it is a real bunfight with hundreds of tourists all trying to get the perfect shot, it is somewhat surreal standing next to such a famous landmark and well worth the visit.

The next part of the tour took us through the neighborhood of Santa Teresa, a very arty area and also one of the older parts of the city. There is strong political movement in the area and it was very interesting to see how the people express themselves through murals, graffiti and other art works. One of the main agendas of late is to reinstate the tram that serviced the area for many years. A recent accident resulted in the old tram being declared unsafe and thus has been sadly retired from operation. It is a sore point for the locals and much of the artistic expression in the vicinity is aimed at getting it up and running again. This district looks over one of the cities largest 'favelas' (townships), which were previously very dangerous areas, made safer in recent times by the city's 'pacification program'.

The Escadaria Seleron staircase, our next stop, demonstrated a real labour of love. Jorge Selaron, a Chilean artist, has spent 20 years of his life tiling a staircase in the Lapa district. People have sent him tiles from all over the world, that he has incorporated into his tile art.. and yes, South Africa proudly represented! Our last two stops included a visit to the Tijuca Forest Waterfall (located in dense forest that actually divides the city in two and provides a wonderful escape from the city hustle and bustle) and Sao Conrado beach, the landing site for the hang gliders. It was action packed day, and worth every cent!

The next two days bought bad weather, as well as a change in hostel, as our original hostel was fully booked. So we slowed down our pace, took a break from the beach and explored some local shops and restaurants. Overall, we absolutely loved our time in this diverse and lively city, and would highly reccomend it to anyone heading this way!

Christ The Redeemer

Escadaria Seleron staircase

Tijuca Forest Waterfall