For the final part of my holiday, I took a short flight from Iguacu over to Rio de Janeiro for a few days relaxing in the sun. After all my traveling I was quite tired and so I decided to take it fairly easy here and not try to do too much. The first day I arrived, I settled into my hotel in Copacabana and in the late afternoon I headed out for a stroll along the beach. I walked along the famous Copacabana beach all the way to Ipanema, where many of the wealthier Cariocas (locals) now live. I arrived here just in time to watch the sun set over the beach, which was very beautiful. My initial concerns about safety in Rio were quickly overcome by how beautiful the beaches were and how lovely the sunset was. That evening I went out for dinner in Ipanema and then headed back to my hotel for an early night.
Although I mostly wanted to try and relax here, I had two main things on my agenda which I felt I absolutely couldn’t miss – Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) the famous statue of Jesus which overlooks the city, and Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf Mountain). However, my guide book recommended visiting both of these attractions on clear days, as the views from these mountains are very beautiful. Unluckily for me, the forecast was fairly bad for both days – hazy with a good chance of rain. When I woke up on Thursday morning, this forecast was confirmed and it was quite foggy. But I decided to bite the bullet and try to visit Cristo Redentor anyway, at least there was something to see there other than the view! I took the bus up to the base of the mountain where you can catch a cog train up to the top. However, when I arrived I quickly found out that there were more extensive tours by car, which stopped at several locations on the way and included an English speaking guide, for only R$1 more (about 35p).
So I joined a group of Dutch girls and together we headed up the mountain. We stopped about half way up to admire the (slightly misty) views, and bumped into some quite friendly monkeys, which were very cute! When we arrived at the top of Corcovado mountain, the statue was really very impressive. It can be seen from most of the city, and the mind boggles at how it was possible to get this 600 tonne statue to the top of the mountain! The views of the city from here where quite good, but I could only imagine how much better they might have been on a clear day.
After visiting Christ, we headed back down the mountain to visit a lake nearby, where we sat and enjoyed the sunshine and the views for a few hours with some delicious fresh fruit juice, before heading home.
If this post seems a little less superlative than some of my previous ones, I have to admit it’s because Rio didn’t grab me in the same way that some of the other places I have been did, or in the way people had told me it would. Perhaps it is because I have been so spoiled by beautiful scenery and surroundings everywhere else, but Rio was just not as magical as I had expected. Perhaps it was also partly due to how tired I was at this point – I had pretty much run out of energy to be thrilled by a place anymore.
The following day the weather was slightly better although still quite foggy, but I decided, as it was my last day and so my last chance to visit Sugar Loaf mountain, to go anyway. After a short (but crowded) bus journey, I arrived at the base of the mountain. Here I had to take two cable cars up to the top of Sugar Loaf mountain, with a pause in the middle to take in the views. The cable cars were pretty packed with people but it was still lovely to see the views on the way up. At the top, I spent an hour or so enjoying the scenery and watching the vultures circling in the thermals next to the mountain. It was lovely, and in most directions the views were actually quite clear.
After lunch (a home made proscuitto and cheese sandwich because money is getting seriously tight!) I took the subway over to Lapa where I went to see, what can only be described as the single most hideous cathedral I have ever seen, and then took the Bondes, an old tram, up to Santa Teresa, one of the oldest parts of Rio. I had been warned it was quite dangerous in this area, because the hillside surrounding Santa Teresa is home to one of Rios several favelas (slums). However, I wanted to go anyway to see the old Portuguese architecture, and try out the ancient tram. For just R$0.60, I took the 15 minute ride up the hill past beautiful old Portuguese buildings. I spent about half an hour wandering the main (safer) streets of Santa Teresa, and doing a little gift shopping, before heading down. The ride back down was not as pleasant as the one up because the Bonde was so full of people. Some people simply clung on at the side without getting a seat, and had to press themselves against the tram at certain points to avoid hitting the walls and barbed wire fences we passed. Health and safety would have a field day with something like this in the UK!
That night I made it back to my hotel early to pack (for the final time) before my flight up to Aracaju the following morning.