Down in Rio theres more to life than beaches!
Trip Start
Oct 18, 2006
1
80
93
Trip End
Oct 19, 2007
Where I stayed
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Although riven by inequality, Rio de Janerio has great style. Its international renown is bolstered by a series of symbols that rank as some of the greatest landmarks in the world- the Corocovado Mt supporting the great statue of Christ the Redeemer (a new man made wonder of the world), the rounded incline of the Sugar Loaf Mt standing at the entrance to the bay and the famous sweep of Copacabana beach- probably the most notable length of sand on the planet
Copacabana
! Rio is a city of contrasts- the number one being beauty but poverty. I can safely admit that it is the most BEAUTIFUL city in the WORLD! (the amount of world that l have seen!) Walking along Copacabana beach up to the beautiful Ipanema beach, watching the surfers, beautiful girls walk past in nothing but dental floss (yet topless bathing is illegal!) and the boys in the tinniest and most colorful speedo shorts l have ever seen playing football and incredible games of volleyball (more a mix of volleyball and soccer) all along the beach- you just simply do not know where to look! And the most amazing thing is that that the beaches are not filled with gringos (tourists or foreigners) but cariocas themselves! The beach is a ritual and a way of life for the carioca, and every 20m of coastline is populated by different groups of regulars and they have built their city, sports and lives around the beautiful beaches comprising the Brazilian coast.
Ever since seeing a postcard of Rio when l was in junior school on a friends fridge l have said l wanted to go there! And Rio does not and could not possibly disappoint! Everybody that l have met at the fabulous Mellow Yellow hostel (in Copacabana) has decided to extend their stay in Rio alot longer than they had planned
Girls on Cocpacabana beach
. In a word it captures! I have had only five days though to discover Rio and all that it holds and there is alot more to Rio than beaches! However my first day was all beach, walking from Copacabana up to lovely Ipanema and sipping CoCo (coconut water through a straw out of a coconut) whilst watching the sunset over Ipanema- though as beautiful as the sunset was the volleyball game and surfing taking place in front of me was alot more entertaining! The following day l visited and took the two cable cars which lift you 396m above Rio and the Baia de Guanabane up to Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pao de Acucar), which held spectacular 360 degree views over Rio and across to the Christ situated on one of the neighboring hills. The couple of people from the UK that l went with and l were all so breath taken we just sat in silence for a few moments to take it all in! The afternoon held the beach and some R&R before heading out with fourteen mad soccer (football) fans to the famous Maracana stadium to see Rios Flamencos win 3 to 1! As great as the game was l was honestly looking more around me and the constant flares going off, drums and singing surrounding me and just pure madness which surrounds a Brazilian soccer game! Being my first ever live soccer game- l don't think somehow anything will ever be able to compare! It was crazy fun and we got into it so much that we had our faces painted and we bought tickets so that we would be right next to the mad supporters
Wow those Brazilian girls!
! Escaping the armed guards and fights breaking out we caught the subway back singing and chanting along with the Brazilians surrounding us all the way back to the hostel! If you are ever in Rio you must go to a football game! It was only 20 Reais to get in on a tourist price and then just 4Reais return on the subway....best night! The following day was probably one of the most memorable and surreal days of my entire trip! I was picked up at 10am and my driver took me high up to the top of the Pedra Bonita Mountain into the largest Urban Rain forest in the world- known as Parque Nacional da Tijuca. My reason was not to go hiking or to simply admire the spectacular views over Rio as many people do- but to throw myself of the mountain and fly down to the beautiful beach below! Yes thats right l went Hangliding in Rio! Was l nervous? Yes- once we started to run down the ramp all l was thinking was that it was going to be worth it- l was going to get to fly over Rio! My guide Carlos and l started to run and suddenly launched into the air where the wings swooped us up and l realized there was nothing below me but trees and water! It was the most amazing feeling and l cant even describe the adrenaline rush. My stomach lurched as the wind swooped us up and around above the trees and mansions below. I could see the Christ, favellas, water, beaches and rain forest that comprises Rio all around me- you simply cannot have a more spectacular location to hanglide than Rio
Copac and Sugar Loaf
! I soared like a bird muttering with unbelief the entire time until we landed on the beach which was probably the scariest part of the whole experience as it happened so fast- one minute l thought we were heading straight for the water and the next we were running along the soft golden sand and my leg was bleeding! I call it my hanglidding wound- just a tiny graze unfortunately it wont leave a scar that l can talk about for the rest of my life! It was all simply the most surreal, beautiful and fun experience of my life!! It felt like it had been a dream and for the rest of the day l kept pinching myself that l had actually done it! I spent the afternoon relaxing once again around Copacabana and the hostels spa- turning into a prune as l spent hours talking to some guys from Melbourne, and then enjoying the smooth and easy listening of the beautiful Brazilian guitar at Mellow yellows bar. The following day was filled with shopping through the Centro and getting overwhelmed by the huge and cheap supply and variety of Havianas on offer! I finally decided on a couple of pairs and raced back to the hostel where l jumped on the afternoon tour which took us to the worst favella in South America- Rochina. The major downside in a city given over to conspicuous consumption is the rapacious development that is engulfing Rio. As the rural poor, escaping drought and poverty in other regions of Brazil flock to swell Rios population, the city is being squeezed like a toothpaste tube between mountains and sea. Rios favellas cling precariously to the hillsides, and although not exclusive to the capital, these slums seem all the more harsh here because of the plenty and beauty surrounding them. The movie City of God epitomizes the happenings within the favellas within Rio and Rio alone has over 300 favellas containing 90% hardworking northern Brazilians, the other 10% of course are the famous and notorious drug lords and their gangs
The rouhg waves at Copac
. Iam so glad that l got to see and walk through this part of Rio- it was a real eye opener! And the beginning was probably the most exhilarating part! We were dropped at the bottom of the favella and then were taken up on motorbikes to the very top of the mountain. Having only ever been on a dirt bike before in a mates paddock this was probably not the best start to my motorcycling days- though l cant imagine it could get much scarier! I was the first out of the scared group of 10 guys behind me to be whisked up the mountain, around hairpin corners, dodging in and out of the crazy Brazilian traffic, having my knees scrapped and bruised up against two buses we were trying to squeeze between, riding past boys aged around 18 holding machine guns and just staring me down! I just hanged onto the back of the bike for dear life for the ten minute ride, where l was surrounded by half crazed drivers ducking in and out of the traffic. I finally reached the top and took my wobbly knees to landing and finally let go of my driver who l must have been suffocating and waited for the rest of the group to emerge over the hill. As l got of my driver simply drove away leaving me standing in the most notorious favella in Sth America with a million eyes watching my every move. Finally the rest of the group arrived and looked as wide eyed as me! We were about to embark and walk down through the favella when our tour leader said don't take a photo of the guy over there, we all turned our heads and saw a young guy starring us all down as he walked with a machine gun in his hand
View back across Copac
. He disappeared behind an alley beside the post office and we all let out the breath we had been holding in! Our guide told us that he was probably one of the 10% living in the favella who were linked to the Drug Lords controlling the favellas. A local man had told me the previous day that the favellas were like a volcano- you could never predict when they were going to explode! With this in mind we started our decent down through the favella where l prayed that we didn't hear any fireworks go off as this was the sign between the Drug lords and gangs that the police had entered the favella- and if that happened all hell could break lose! We were fine though as we took our two hour walk down through the narrow alleyways, dodging the sewerage flowing like a waterfall down the alleyways and around our feet. The smell was at times rather overwhelming but the people and the children mostly that we met along the way soon changed the sour expressions on our faces into beaming smiles! The children that you meet and interact with were in one world simply BEAUTIFUL! They loved having their photos taken and seeing themselves on the LCD screens. They all wanted photos taken of themselves which was a welcome change from Central America where people thought you were stealing their soul if you took a photo of them. The highlight of the tour after the thrilling motorbike ride which l still have bruises from and can see in the background of my mind my mothers cross face shouting at me that l should be wearing a helmet!- would have to have been meeting the children on the streets and within the school and daycare we visited
Fishing boats on Copac
. We arrived at the daycare and the door was opened by a four year old little boy who grabbed my hand and guided me into the small room which contained over 20 screaming four year olds! The boys all hesitated at the doorway unsure of how to interact with the children who had begun throwing themselves around our waists, taking our hands and not letting go as they glanced up at us with hear breaking smiles! Being used to children l got right in there on my knees and hugged a whole lot of them, played with them, let the play with my hair and was given more love in those 15 minutes than one could ever wish for in a lifetime. The girls all tackled me to the floor at one stage with so many hugs that some of the boys had to help me up away from their strong grips around my neck and waist! But one girl would simply not let go of my neck and l ended up holding her for the entire visit. It was hard to say goodbye to her- l just wanted to take them all home with me! But this was their home, their reality- they were the children born into the favellas and who would have to fight and work harder than we could ever imagine. The two year olds that we visited next were simply precious and one little boy took a fancy to my headband and it took alot of playing with him to get it back! Next we visited the babies, most of them had already been picked up by their parents coming back from work- and the ones left were simply standing up and smiling in their cots waiting for their parents. Visiting the daycare which is provided free of charge to people living within the favella so parents can work- however it is a tough selection process was such a highlight of my time in Rio
Family hanging out by boats
. The 65 Reais that we paid for the tour all went back into the work of Be A Local www.bealocal.com, who were providing housing (brick), day cares such as this and medical care to the people living within the favellas. It would have to have been the best 30 Aust that l have ever spent.....and left we wanting to come back and teach or do something to help these people. The rest of the tour we were entertained by street drummers, boys and children hanging out in the alleyways, visiting a fantastic local graffiti and artists studio where two artists were teaching the local teenagers how to do graffiti in and artistic and positive way. Their artwork was great but unfortunately l didn't have enough money to take some home with me. We finally reached the bottom of the favella, after an amazing and eye opening couple of hours where we got to see the REAL Rio or should l say the other side of Rio life beyond the beautiful beaches and glitz. That evening l got to see yet another side to Rio- known as Lapa! The famous Lapa is a outdoor street party held in the Centro of Rio beneath its famous white arches. The street party was simply all the locals and gringos combined with a mix of all sorts of street vendors and food stalls selling any sort of meat on a stick you can imagine! One of the girls we were out with even broke her shoe and a man was fixing it within minutes. That is Lapa for you! Though after about an hour of wandering through the crowds, being felt up despite having all the Aussie guys around me and trying to protect me we decided to go into a club where l reached my aim of learning Salsa that night off two Brazilian guys! It was a fun night out dancing to a mix of Salsa and Brazilian tunes along with the typical Western music.
The next day was my last in Rio, and after finally recovering from my 5am dancing stint l headed off on the metro to the famous and rickety old yellow Bondinho (tram) through the narrow and steep streets of Santa Teresa- a leafy barrio composed of labyrinthine, cobbled streets and steps
Copac fishing boat
. As we climbed the streets, the panoramic view of Guanabara Bay drifts in and out of view between the trees that lined the streets. Although it clings to the side of a hill, Santa Teresa is no favella, its slightly disheveled residential area dominated by the early 19th century mansions and walked gardens of the prosperous community which still enjoys something of a Bohemian reputation. It was an entertaining and lovely way to spend my final afternoon in Rio, watching the crazy local boys running alongside, jumping and hanging off the tram whilst riding through the beautiful streets past local jazz bands playing in tiny cafes and bars with their soulful tunes echoing through the Bohemian and graffiti lined streets. Returning l witnessed the sun setting over the Christ the Redeemer (which l had not had time to visit) with its outstretched welcoming hands surrounding and encompassing the favellas and mountains and beaches that surround Rio. As l watched the sunset and witnessed once again the awe inspiring views of Rio l said goodbye to beautiful Rio- a place filled with so many contrasts and packed through with life and energy this is hard to ignore and grab ahold of! Lucky that l don't speak any Portuguese (other than Oi- which means hello) otherwise lam certain that l would have stayed the extra 2 months that my Visa allowed me! Its been a fantastic, adrenaline, eye opening and beautiful filled five days in Rio where l came to learn that there is indeed alot more to Rio than beaches! The images and experiences l had certainly kept me sane for the next 48 hours l spent in transition and on 5 flights!
(Tip- if planning to visit Rio make sure you stay at Mellow Yellow Hostel, great breakfast and surroundings, fantastic tours offered everyday of the week....so try and stay a week to make the most of them all! Also save plenty of room in your backpack for all the flip flops you are going to buy!! And buy them at they pharmacies....they are alot cheaper and still the originals!)
