Rio de Janeiro
BRAZIL | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 | Views [212]
Rio is ranked as the world's most beautiful city (at least that's what our "Rio" guide told us) and we have no problem believing him. Although, I would make a very strong argument for Cape Town. In fact, both cities are strikingly similar when it comes to their natural scenery, both combining the beauty of the sea with lush green peaks. If I had to vote, I would give the nod to CT, but this is probably due to the fact that I spent more time there.
We decided to settle in the city's trendiest area, Ipanema Beach. Some of my high school buddies (Brad, Ki, and Dave) were going to be in Rio before heading south for the wedding, and this is where they were staying. Ipanema is unique becuase it is located on a small strip of land just west of Copacabana, between the ocean and a large lake. The beach is its main attraction, and even in the middle of winter, it was packed with vactioning school kids and tourists. Let me note, it is around 75 and sunny in the winter in Rio, perfect beach weather.
The big highlight of this section of the trip was hanging out with my friends from home. It was nice to be able to speak with other Americans for long periods of time, cause god knows, speaking Portugese was not going very well. During our first night out, within five minutes Brad was passed a napkin with a hand written note that said, "Are you gay, because if you are not I want to kiss you. If you are, then my friend does." This comment captures Rio in a nutshell. The people are very outgoing sexually and not afraid to "seriously" makeout in public. Plus it is the home of the Brazilian bikini.
During our 4 days, we hung out at the beach and ate and drank our fill, but the top two experiences were visiting Christ the Redeemer and going to a soccer game at the temple of soccer, Maracana football stadium (where Pele scored his 1000th goal).
Both events occurred on our last full day in Rio. We spent the morning on the beach and then grabbed a taxi to the train that takes you up the hill on which Christ sits. Once on top, the statue of Christ looms above you. It's an awe-inspiring site to look up and see JC, now voted as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World (we've seen two new wonders on our trip now). However, what Christ is gazing out upon that is even better, Rio in her entirety. The view from the top is incredible. You can see all around and you get a really good feel for how Rio sits between mountains and waterways. You'll have to check out the pictures to understand, or better yet, just go there! We started heading down once the sun started to set and as the wind picked up, there was a man changing out of his shorts and into pants right while everyone was waiting in line for the train back down. Also, we saw two pigeons having sex. That's Rio for you.
When we got back to Ipanema, we immediately hopped a guided tour to Maracana. I wanted to scalp tickets, but since everyone was going, it was easier to have someone else arrange everything. The tour turned out to be very good because our guide, Horacio, was excellent. You could tell he was a true soccer fan and he explained all the inner workings of Brazilian soccer. We went to see a game between two Rio-based teams, Vasco and Fluminense. Both were close to the bottom in the standings, but sometimes that can make for a very interesting game. And interesting it was. It ended in a 3-3 tie, but the teams attacked each other the whole time. This, combined with the fans, who lit flares and waved huge flags the entire time, made for an incredible night out. And since all of us on the tour has placed 10 real bets on the final score, we all were pretty into the game as well, with Ki yelling "Yes" and "Nao" after every pass and kick. Trish and I also edited a song that our guide had written in English. He was quite the Reniannsance man, spoke 5 languages, and was also working on his second book (about Cape Town and South Africa of all places, go figure).
In Rio, we also visited the bohemian, artsy district of Santa Teresa. This district is just southwest of the city center and the best way to reach it is to take a old school trolley from the centro, up the hill, and through a favela. It was quite an experience, with people of all types hanging off the side trying to catch a ride. I think Brad started to become a little nervous when 3 or 4 favela boys hopped on the outside of the car right next to us. The only thing that was keeping us safe were the 10 loud, overweight American tourists from Boston. Our wallets were safe, however, I think the favela boys had their eyse on the Boston women's Coach handbag. FYI, don't take your designer handbags to Brazil, it's not worth it.
On a final note, Brad did very well dealing with the pressures and anxieties of international travel. I am very proud of him.
Tags: sightseeing
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