Rio, beautiful Rio

February 14, 2016 – Day one

After two days at sea and a stop in Santos – Brazil’s largest port, but otherwise simply a bland city with a nice beach – we arrived in Rio. Last night – my birthday – we attended a special Valentine’s Day wine dinner where a lovely violin/piano duo played “Happy Birthday” for me.

We have heard so much about the polluted waters, the extreme poverty, and the crime that we were a bit apprehensive about this visit. What we saw as we sailed toward the city was unbelievable beauty. The city wraps itself around the mammoth granite mountains and along the many beaches. It is possibly one of the most beautiful cities we have ever seen.

For the first day we booked a shore excursion through the ship that featured highlights of Rio and a trip to see the big guy atop Corcovado Mountain. There is massive construction in preparation for the Summer Olympic Games in August. We are not optimistic that it will be finished in time.  We were also not optimistic about our own survival as we waited in a large warehouse full of busses with running motors before boarding our assigned bus and beginning our tour. But survive we did. When we did leave the warehouse we were greeted by the sight of several large floats from Carnival traveling to the next celebration. The various neighborhoods host Carnival events on various nights during the week. Today is the last day.

This was a Sunday, so the traffic was light. The streets are lined with large trees that provide much needed shade and relief from the heat. This was a pleasant surprise in such a large city as the trees were not confined to merely a few special avenues.  As we drove we saw the Yacht Club (in Portuguese – Iate Clube) on the infamous polluted bay that is supposed to host the sailing events for the Olympics. The bay beach was virtually empty on a hot Sunday due to the pollution.

When we arrived at the Tijuca Forest at Corcovado Mountain we boarded a 115-year-old cogwheel tram for the trip through the forest up the top. On the way up we were talking with two young people out sightseeing, but still suffering the effects of some late-night Carnival partying. One was an American who has been living in Rio for several years. Her friend is from France and works for Microsoft.

At the feet atop Corcovado

The trip up is so steep that at some points I had to hold on to keep from falling out of my seat since I was sitting with my back to the front of the car. In addition to the tram there is a very winding road to the top for cars and small vans. At the end of the ride we boarded elevators, followed by a choice of either an escalator or 230 stairs (we chose the escalator) to the 2,400-foot summit. There, at the foot of the 125-foot tall granite covered in soapstone statue, we were treated to amazing views of the city, sea, and countryside. We were lucky to be here on a clear day, so our views were unobstructed. Truly awe-inspiring.    

Before heading back down the mountain we stopped for a drink at the café where we had another interesting conversation with a young man from Egypt who laments what is happening in his country and how the government and the people no longer seem to care about keeping the cities clean and caring for the country’s historical monuments.

While waiting for our return tram we were entertained by monkeys in the tree-tops feeding. One was a female with her baby riding on her back. On the way down I was seated facing up, so no worries about falling out of my seat. John, seated in front of me, got into a conversation with two young Brazilian men from Sao Paulo. They spoke excellent English, but were “charmed” by John’s Portuguese. Not only is his Portuguese from Portugal – a different accent than Brazilian – but it is also a bit different from “modern” Portuguese since it is no longer his primary language and has not evolved.

The show on board tonight was a “Celebration of Carnival” with lots of samba music, dancing and beautiful, scantily=clad Brazilian women. At the end the show continued out of the theater and to the reception area of the ship. The average age of passengers on this cruise is 73, which means the ship is usually very quiet. But not tonight!

February 15, 2016 – Rio Day Two

Today we booked a private tour with Seattle friends Brook and Sharon. We started at Sugar Loaf Mountain – two mountains linked together by cable cars. Again we enjoyed a spectacular view of Rio. Although not as panoramic, these views were more intimate because we were not so high. At the top of the first of the two mountains we walked along an elevated walkway through the tree-tops. Although we saw signs instructing us not to feed he monkeys, unfortunately we never saw any.

The cable car system taking visitors to the tops of the two mountains was completed in 1914, and the story of how they were constructed is the subject of an interesting exhibit on the first segment. Also included are two of the earlier cars as well as life-size bronze statues of the founders.

With one of the first cable cars and the engineer at Sugar Loaf

After a delicious lunch at the famous Copacabana Beach we visited the amazing Escaladora Solara. This is a stairway whose sides and steps are covered in thousands of colorful tile squares from all over the world. It was built by a rich man in memory of his young wife and unborn child who had been killed in an accident. We did not climb to the top due to the heat, but learned later we had made a wise decision because the top of the staircase is at the base of a favela where lots of “dodgy” characters hang out. 

At the Solara stairs

Even we merited a tile!

So, goodbye beautiful Rio. We are off to Ilheaus.