Residency Three: Rio de Janeiro
Oops - Sorry it’s been so long since the last update; really bad of me!
So I flew direct yesterday from Heathrow to Rio and had a pleasant flight, made all the better by the fact I had no one sitting beside me on the flight.
So it was late to best last night (my flight landed just after 2230 and then i had to go through security (I didn’t get stopped) and then my driver picked me up and whisked me off to the hotel
I am staying at the PortoBay hotel on Copacabana beach and have a room with a view that’s for sure. It is very hot and humid, which I know should be expected but the air is so thick that I feel like I am eating it, not breathing it.
This morning was an early start - I booked an organised tour to take me round the sights of Rio. As we all know, guided tours aren’t really my thing however I was unsure of how safe it would feel wandering by myself. Also the sights are a bit of a distances from each other so its easier to get someone else to drive (and way nicer in an air conditioned mini van).
I went to see;
Christ the Redeemer: when we got there the clouds were so low you couldn’t see across the street. Needless to say, I didn’t see him in all his glory but I saw his shadowy outline
Sugar Loaf Mountain: we went up via cable car (2 separate ones) up to the top. Luckily a bit of the cloud had dispersed, but not all of it. But the views across Rio were pretty amazing and definitely worth it. As you can see Christ the Redeemer from here (when the clouds aren’t hanging around) I think it’s better to just go here and look across at it in the distance. Not sure why everyone wants an ‘up close and personal’ picture with it.
Lunch: we went to a Brazilian BBQ joint. So you go up and service yourself veggies and then guys come around (and keep coming around) with skewers of different meats/ cuts which they slice off onto your plate. It was really tasty and seeing as I hadn’t has breakfast, it was very much welcomed. I had lots of yummy tomatoes and beans etc. and the meats were nice
Afternoon was a bit more of a drive around so see the football stadium, the route the Carnival takes but we did some stops as well;
Old Cathedral and Monastery: the monastery is currently used, but you can go in and see the Catholic Cathedral which is the only place in Rio you can go for a full on Mass. It is nice, if plain looking from the outside, but the inside is breathtakingly opulent. There is gold on every surface. This was the work of the Portuguese in the 1800’s
New main Church/ Cathedral: This is modern, built in the 1970’s in a shape which reminded me of an Aztec pyramid. Very interesting. The stained glass is absolutely amazing to see, and I bet on a sunnier day it would fill the whole space with rainbows of light.
Finally we went to Escadaria Selarón (Selarón Steps): This are the most famous steps in Rio and were made by a Chilean artist Jorge Selarón as a gift to the people of Rio. They are a tall/ reasonably steep set of steps which are covered in tiles from all over the world. They are very pretty and vibrant. Tip: don’t queue with the tourists at the bottom who want their picture sitting by the tiles which spell out where these tiles are. Walk up a couple of flights where it is quieter and take your photo there; the steps are iconic, so you and everyone will know where you are sitting
Then the tour was over - back to the hotel for me. I have downloaded my photos from my camera (as I left my phone in my hotel safe) onto my laptop. Sent some postcards, checked my email and updated this.
It’s now time for some room service for sure!
Oh and with regards to feeling safe: I felt totally fine, no hassle at all. You get the usual people trying to sell you tourist rubbish by some of the sights, but at no point did I feel unsafe. That wasn’t just because I was with other people. Hopefully nothing happens to change my mind.
