Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The people of Rio say that God created the world in 6 days - the 7th day he dedicated to Rio! I am starting to believe that there is some truth to this statement. What a beautiful city! Please bear this in mind while I first rant a bit about our initial difficulties.
Let me start at the beginning. When I last wrote we were heading off the next morning on a 6am bus from Illheus to Itacare, and from there on a 20 hour bus ride to Rio. Well, the one thing I have learned about Brazil is that these bus times are just rough indications. The bus to Rio took over 26 hours on what was a very unpleasant journey. The bus wasn´t as nice as the one we´d taken to get there, it was hot (the aircon wasn´t too effective), it was overcrowded (almost all rows had 2 adults and a child on 2 seats), the toilet was completely revolting (somehow the vomiters in Brazil seem to follow us on our travels), the movies had no subtitles this time and the same 3 movies were repeated, and the road was shocking. I was completely shocked to discover that the small winding mountainous road was in fact the coastal highway to Rio. In parts it felt like the road was not paved at all, and you had to wear your seat belt just to stop yourself from being thrown from your seat (no exaggeration I promise). At one point I got up to get some water, and ended up lying horizontally across 2 sleeping people. At least I provided some entertainment for the bus!
Our arrival in Rio was also a little troublesome at first as our hostel had lost our booking, and as it is so close to Carnaval they were completely full. Luckily we had paid a deposit so after a few hours they managed to clear space for us. In hindsight, it´s a pity they did as the hostel was really not very nice and was really dirty. However, this was made up for by the great location - a 5 minute walk from Copacabana beach.
Despite the difficult start, we have had a great time in Rio so far. On our first full day we walked the length of Copacabana and Ipanema beach fronts, and then spent the rest of the day lying on the beach and swimming. The water here is much colder than up north so it was a nice change to have a very refreshing swim. Rio is remarkably like Cape Town. Copacabana beachfront is quite similar to Sea Point. The main difference is that on the other side of the promenade is a long stretch of beach. On the weekends they close off the road to traffic and what seems like the entire city is out walking. The beachfront is also lined with similar looking blocks of flats. Copacabana as an area is however more downtrodden. Anyway, we went to a juice bar in Ipanema for lunch and met up with Anna, a South African friend of Herrie´s who is living in Rio this year.
Let me start at the beginning. When I last wrote we were heading off the next morning on a 6am bus from Illheus to Itacare, and from there on a 20 hour bus ride to Rio. Well, the one thing I have learned about Brazil is that these bus times are just rough indications. The bus to Rio took over 26 hours on what was a very unpleasant journey. The bus wasn´t as nice as the one we´d taken to get there, it was hot (the aircon wasn´t too effective), it was overcrowded (almost all rows had 2 adults and a child on 2 seats), the toilet was completely revolting (somehow the vomiters in Brazil seem to follow us on our travels), the movies had no subtitles this time and the same 3 movies were repeated, and the road was shocking. I was completely shocked to discover that the small winding mountainous road was in fact the coastal highway to Rio. In parts it felt like the road was not paved at all, and you had to wear your seat belt just to stop yourself from being thrown from your seat (no exaggeration I promise). At one point I got up to get some water, and ended up lying horizontally across 2 sleeping people. At least I provided some entertainment for the bus!
Our arrival in Rio was also a little troublesome at first as our hostel had lost our booking, and as it is so close to Carnaval they were completely full. Luckily we had paid a deposit so after a few hours they managed to clear space for us. In hindsight, it´s a pity they did as the hostel was really not very nice and was really dirty. However, this was made up for by the great location - a 5 minute walk from Copacabana beach.
Despite the difficult start, we have had a great time in Rio so far. On our first full day we walked the length of Copacabana and Ipanema beach fronts, and then spent the rest of the day lying on the beach and swimming. The water here is much colder than up north so it was a nice change to have a very refreshing swim. Rio is remarkably like Cape Town. Copacabana beachfront is quite similar to Sea Point. The main difference is that on the other side of the promenade is a long stretch of beach. On the weekends they close off the road to traffic and what seems like the entire city is out walking. The beachfront is also lined with similar looking blocks of flats. Copacabana as an area is however more downtrodden. Anyway, we went to a juice bar in Ipanema for lunch and met up with Anna, a South African friend of Herrie´s who is living in Rio this year.
That night we went with Anna to the Sambodromo (samba drome) to see a Carnaval rehearsal. You have never seen anything like it in your life. The school/group doing their rehearsal were called Beija Flor (means Hummingbird) and there were literally thousands of people in their parade alone (they are one of the biggest Carnaval schools in Rio). The crowd was enormous, and the mood was electric with people singing and dancing and generally having a great time. If this was just one rehearsal, I cannot begin to imagine what the real Carnaval must be like!
For something a bit different, we did a Favella (slum) tour. The Favellas in Rio are everywhere, mostly built up against the mountainside. Approximately 18% of Rio´s population lives in a Favella (1.8 million out of about 10 million people). The Favella we visited was called Rochinha which is the largest and oldest Favella in Latin America (started in the 1930´s and houses about 200 000 people). Our tour guide parked just outside the Favella, and we each took a motorbike taxi up to the top of the Favella and met there (it´s not safe to leave your car inside). The motorbike ride in itself was an experience. (Mom and Dad please don´t read the next sentence.) It was about a 10 minute ride up a steep winding hill, on the back of a motorbike overtaking trucks and buses, and of course there is no such thing as a helmet. A very exhilarating journey! We then did a 2 hour walking tour of the Favella. The main road is very interesting as the government has paved it (somewhat badly) and they have put up electricity poles. The premise is that electricity is free is you can arrange to plug into one of these poles yourself. The mesh of electric cables and wires everywhere can therefore be understood. There are also no rates or taxes, and also no sewage system of any kind. Other than the one main road that winds up the length of the Favella, the other roads can only be accessed by foot as they are really just random winding paths in between the houses. The houses are also almost all made with brick, which I found quite interesting. We visited the community centre and nursery school, a cake shop, and art studio, and we saw locals selling bracelets outside their homes, and of course some very suspect characters. We were told by our guide that if he says to us `no cameras´we must immediately put our cameras away and just carry on walking. This is translated as ´man with a gun´. The Favellas are policed and patrolled by the ´Amigos dos Amigos (ADA)´ gang that also controls the drug trade in the Favella. At all entrances to the Favella and sporadically around these men are patrolling the streets with their big machine guns. Mostly they are looking out for the police, or rival gangs. There were also men with walky talkies at various posts, these were the drug dealers. The drug trade in the Favella apparently brings in about US$3-5 million a month. If one of these men see the police, the will let off firecrackers to alert the rest of the gang so that the drugs can be hidden. Apparently there is also quite a lot of police on gang and gang on gang shootings, and then those caught in the crossfire. We heard some gunfire in the distance while we were there, which wasn´t too pleasant. The amazing thing is that the people we met in the Favella were very friendly and seemed just like everybody else, trying to make ends meet. It was a truly eye opening morning.
We have also done some shopping (well window shopping for me) as the weather yesterday took a turn for the worse. I suppose we can only be grateful that we´ve had as much sunshine as we have as it is the rainy season in Rio at the moment. It´s still very hot, it´s just been very overcast and there has been a bit of rain. Two evenings ago we went up Pao de Asucar (Sugar Loaf mountain) which was magnificent. We stayed to watch the sunset and we got the most unbelievable photos. It really is a beautiful place.
Yesterday, Juliet and I checked into a hotel in Copacabana as we are due to start the organised portion of the trip tomorrow. I never thought I´d be so grateful to stay in a tacky cheap hotel - but wow is it great - it´s clean, it has aircon and we have our own room and bathroom. Bliss!
We then went across the bay to the city of Niteroi which is beautiful views across to Rio. As we are doing the architectural tour of Brazil we couldn't miss the Museu de Arte Contemoranea designed by our now good friend Oscar Niemeyer. It was a classic building of his - very grand in both setting and design. It´s situated on a small hill top with panoramic views of Rio. The exhibition was a display of Greek Mythology sculptures and other pottery work and sculptures all dating back approximately 2000 years.
For something a bit different, we did a Favella (slum) tour. The Favellas in Rio are everywhere, mostly built up against the mountainside. Approximately 18% of Rio´s population lives in a Favella (1.8 million out of about 10 million people). The Favella we visited was called Rochinha which is the largest and oldest Favella in Latin America (started in the 1930´s and houses about 200 000 people). Our tour guide parked just outside the Favella, and we each took a motorbike taxi up to the top of the Favella and met there (it´s not safe to leave your car inside). The motorbike ride in itself was an experience. (Mom and Dad please don´t read the next sentence.) It was about a 10 minute ride up a steep winding hill, on the back of a motorbike overtaking trucks and buses, and of course there is no such thing as a helmet. A very exhilarating journey! We then did a 2 hour walking tour of the Favella. The main road is very interesting as the government has paved it (somewhat badly) and they have put up electricity poles. The premise is that electricity is free is you can arrange to plug into one of these poles yourself. The mesh of electric cables and wires everywhere can therefore be understood. There are also no rates or taxes, and also no sewage system of any kind. Other than the one main road that winds up the length of the Favella, the other roads can only be accessed by foot as they are really just random winding paths in between the houses. The houses are also almost all made with brick, which I found quite interesting. We visited the community centre and nursery school, a cake shop, and art studio, and we saw locals selling bracelets outside their homes, and of course some very suspect characters. We were told by our guide that if he says to us `no cameras´we must immediately put our cameras away and just carry on walking. This is translated as ´man with a gun´. The Favellas are policed and patrolled by the ´Amigos dos Amigos (ADA)´ gang that also controls the drug trade in the Favella. At all entrances to the Favella and sporadically around these men are patrolling the streets with their big machine guns. Mostly they are looking out for the police, or rival gangs. There were also men with walky talkies at various posts, these were the drug dealers. The drug trade in the Favella apparently brings in about US$3-5 million a month. If one of these men see the police, the will let off firecrackers to alert the rest of the gang so that the drugs can be hidden. Apparently there is also quite a lot of police on gang and gang on gang shootings, and then those caught in the crossfire. We heard some gunfire in the distance while we were there, which wasn´t too pleasant. The amazing thing is that the people we met in the Favella were very friendly and seemed just like everybody else, trying to make ends meet. It was a truly eye opening morning.
We have also done some shopping (well window shopping for me) as the weather yesterday took a turn for the worse. I suppose we can only be grateful that we´ve had as much sunshine as we have as it is the rainy season in Rio at the moment. It´s still very hot, it´s just been very overcast and there has been a bit of rain. Two evenings ago we went up Pao de Asucar (Sugar Loaf mountain) which was magnificent. We stayed to watch the sunset and we got the most unbelievable photos. It really is a beautiful place.
Yesterday, Juliet and I checked into a hotel in Copacabana as we are due to start the organised portion of the trip tomorrow. I never thought I´d be so grateful to stay in a tacky cheap hotel - but wow is it great - it´s clean, it has aircon and we have our own room and bathroom. Bliss!
We then went across the bay to the city of Niteroi which is beautiful views across to Rio. As we are doing the architectural tour of Brazil we couldn't miss the Museu de Arte Contemoranea designed by our now good friend Oscar Niemeyer. It was a classic building of his - very grand in both setting and design. It´s situated on a small hill top with panoramic views of Rio. The exhibition was a display of Greek Mythology sculptures and other pottery work and sculptures all dating back approximately 2000 years.
Today as the sky looked blue over Copacabana we decided to go up Corcovado (the mountain with the big Jesus statue). However, as like Cape Town, the weather on the one side of the mountain often doesn´t resemble the weather on the other side, and it was raining when we got there! We asked some tourists who had just come down and they said there was absolutely no visibility at all, so we decided to head back to Copabana. As we leave Rio tomorrow we won´t get a chance to go up Corcovado which is a bit disappointing, but at least we got good views of Rio from Sugar Loaf and Niteroi.
My closing thought for today is that once I am no longer on the brink of bankruptcy, I plan to personally fund an advertising campaign in Brazil explaining the merits of anti persperant deodorant.
