Caipirinhas, crazy small bikinis, vistas atop tens of hundreds of mountains, huge waves, juice shops on every corner...Rio de Janeiro has it all and more. If you'd like some musical accompaniement for this blog post, please enjoy the classic The Girl from Ipanema - 1964. It was the first hit for Bossa Nova, a style of Brazilian music.
Rio was first discovered by the Portuguese on January 1,1502. They discovered what is now known as Guanabara Bay and believed it to be a river. Thus, they named the city, Rio de Janeiro, which means 'River of January' in Portuguese.
The most visited city in South America, Rio has so much to see and do. The Tajuica National Park takes up 7% of the entire city and holds rainforest wildlife of all sorts. Their Botanic Garden of 55 acres is one of the most famous in the world. There are loads of beaches to choose from (Copacabana, Leblon, Ipanema) and many hiking trails in luscious parks around the city.
Christ the Redeemor...
On the top of Corcovado Mountain, which is 710 meters high, sits a beacon of universal recognition: Christ the Redeemor (Cristo Redentor). No matter your beliefs, this statue, circa 1922, is a powerful symbol for Rio, South America, and the world. His arms stretch out into the clouds; at times, he holds the sun in the palm of his hand. Plus, there are sweeping views of the city. While I was up there with my new friends from London, Ellie and Sophie, we found ourselves swept up among the clouds.
Sunday Stroll...
If you happen to find yourself in Rio on a Sunday, go out on foot and explore the city; you won't be disappointed. The city is silently alive with locals going about their weekend rituals. One of these is picking up groceries and such at the weekend markets. On an intentionally convaluted path to the beach, I unexpectedly stumbled upon one of these gems. There were loads of fresh produce, fish, meat, goodies, and handmade goods. I zig-zagged my way in and out of the skinny pathways over and over again. There's nothing more exciting then feeling immersed in a culture and here I was in the midst of it! They were all so nice and many spoke with me in Portuguese while I spoke back in Spanish. After I no longer had an excuse to stay longer gawking at the stands, I made my way to the beach where I realized that they shutdown the street along the beach to traffic so that people can bike, run, skateboard, and walk freely without traffic; it was wonderful. Since the weather was a bit cooler than normal, the beach was splendid! I happened upon a game of volleyball where the men were only using their feet, heads, and chests to bounce the ball back and forth across the net. Talk about athleticism! It turns out this is a huge sport in Brazil, and while I was there they were hosting the World Championship for foot volleyball. I ended my stroll by reading on the beach. Stroll success.
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| VERRRRRRRY popular in Brazil! You just cut them open, stick a straw in it, and enjoy! |
Beach Bumming...
Mmmm there isn't anything like a nice few hours laying out on the beach! Copacabana was only a few short blocks from my hostel, which was a nice daily spot to sit and unwind. The views from the beach are incredible; forwards is the sea with its massive waves, behind you is the city and even further rolling hills and mountains, and to your sides long strips of beach with all sorts of people laying out and enjoying the day. Everything you have ever believed about Brazilian beauty is true; their bodies are either perfect or not so much. The men have washboard abs and the women truly have hourglass figures. Men wear tight speedos and women wear tiny string bikinis with close to thong bottoms. Their tans are out of this world!
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Right here I am going to say that I am the luckiest for having met Sophie and Ellie as soon as I got to my hostel. Rio was their first stop on a 3 month South American backpacking tour. Their childhood friend, Harry, is living and working in Rio at Fight for Peace (incredible organization that we visited in an unpacified favela) and so they popped in to explore the city and see his life here. We had a blast exploring Rio all together, especially with Harry's spectacular Portuguese at our disposal.
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| Some cute kittens we found! :D |
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| Wall art in Lapa |
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| Typical walk-up cafe with great juices, fruit, and ham & cheese pastries. |
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| Stairs in my hostel. |
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| Walk up to my hostel. |
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| Typical hostel room; home for 9 days! |
Both nights of the weekend we went to Lapa, the bohemian neighborhood, for a block party on the streets. One night we went to a samba/latest hits club.
A few other nights we ventured over to Harry's house that he shares with other Londoners and Brazilians to cook (Rio's food is quite expensive and not very tasty). His place sits up on a hill and is quite gorgeous! They have a huge patio overlooking the sea so we would always sit outside and eat dinner, drink caipirinhas, and chat the night away.
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| Harry whipping up some caipirinhas while Ellie and I watch. |
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| Ellie, Harry, & me. |
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| Ellie, Sophie, and me. |
Another day we went to a local football match, which is always enjoyable in foreign countries!
One night, the moon was out of this world beautiful...people were standing out along the expanse of the beaches looking across the water to the horizon where the most orange moon was making its nightly ascension to its home upwards in the sky.
Jeep Tour into an Urban Jungle...
One day, Ellie, Sophie, and I took a jeep tour to the Botanic Gardens, Tajuica National Park, and to a beach where paragliders land (and where Madonna has an apartment). The highlight of the tour was getting a side view of the city from a spot called Chinese View; it was so serene to be up so high with silence caving in from all around us.
BOTANIC GARDENS
TAJUICA NATIONAL PARK: CHINESE VIEW
FALLS IN TAJUICA NATIONAL PARK
ON THE HANG-GLIDING BEACH
Artsy Santa Teresa...
One afternoon we explored Santa Teresa, an elevated neighborhood with windy streets, and popped into some adorable galleries and shops and enjoyed the plentiful wall art lining the streets.
We ended up at this really hip cafe that was tucked away off the street.
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| Outdoor cafe in Santa Teresa. |
Art Gallery Openings...
Via some incredible connections on a backpacking social media website, my friends and I went to a local art gallery opening in town and met an oil & gas engineer living in Rio that's from Houston. Small world! The art was superb too.
My time in Rio was quite perfect. South America must be revisited; there is certainly something magical about the southern hemisphere.
