South America, 2014: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

1 March 2014

While I was planning this trip, I thought visiting Rio would be the highlight for me, so I was extremely excited to finally arrive. The two days at sea prior to our arrival was a nice restful time to prepare for our visit. The day we arrived, Saturday, the 1^st of March, was a busy day; we had an all day tour and then we went to the Sambadrome to see the Samba Schools compete. We left the ship at around 7:30 am and returned about 3:30 am the next day.

Saturday started with some anxious moments for me. I had made arrangements to meet the people who were supposed to deliver our Sambadrome tickets at the terminal before we took our day tour. When I got off the ship, I left Russ to meet with the tour group and we used our walkie talkies to stay in touch. I had to pick my way through huge masses of people – there was another cruise ship at the terminal whose passengers were ending their cruise and luggage and people were everywhere. Finally I got to the designated meeting place and …I waited…and I waited. The time was rapidly approaching when the day tour was going to leave and still no Sambadrome guy. There were several angels in the area that were helping me try to find the guy because it was so crowded I couldn’t see all the area where he might have been stationed. But he was not to be found. I finally had to call the Miami office and found out that he was caught in traffic and would be late arriving. I had to leave to catch the day tour without my Sambadrome tickets. Another phone call to Miami and they assured me that the guy would be there when we returned from the tour. But there was a bit of anxiety throughout the day for me.

I was the last person on the tour bus, but it didn’t really matter. We pulled out into the street, turned a corner and sat in the worst traffic I have ever experienced for 45 minutes. The tour guide explained that there was a planned Carnival party in the downtown section and we were taking a detour to miss all the bad traffic. Well, it looked like everyone else had done the same thing. We slowly made our way to the first stop, Christ the Redeemer and after about 2 hours (it would have taken about half an hour in normal traffic) the guide said we would arrive within 10 minutes. Then he gets a phone call from the travel group organizing the tour and was vectored over to Sugarloaf instead. I guess they were trying to level load the tour groups. At any rate, we were on the bus for another 50 minutes until we reached Sugarloaf.

Along the way to the two main attractions, the young tour guide pointed out buildings of importance, the Recolete Cemetery where Carmen Miranda is buried and gave a bit of Brazilian history. Like Recife, the city had lots of high rises but they were run down and not well taken care of. Even the higher rent district that we drove through on the way to Sugarloaf was not that well taken care of. I get the impression that the better neighborhoods are outside the city.

And driving is definitely an interesting phenomenon. It is clear that the lane markers and signals are just suggestions for both cars and people. I had to close my eyes several times as the monster bus we were aboard maneuvered its way like a small motorbike through the masses of other busses and cars. It is amazing the vehicles aren’t all beat up, but they actually looked to be in pretty good condition. I decoded the horn beeping code that the drivers use; one beep means you are getting too close or, hey guy, I am going to get into that tiny space in front of you and two beeps means thanks for the courtesy. They were always light taps, none of this heavy laying on of the horns.

The climate is tropical and beautiful trees and bushes are everywhere. The day we arrived, it was warm and hazy but we didn’t get rained on. I would say the temperature was in the low 80s.

To get to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, you have to take 2 cable cars Both of the stations, the one half way up and the top one had beautiful panoramic views. The place was jammed with masses of humanity and it kind of became an ordeal of making our way from one spot to another.

After we made our way back down and got back on the bus, we found that we were not going to lunch just yet; instead we were going to Christ the Redeemer. Fortunately, the drive back to Christ the Redeemer went quickly.

Then we had a disaster. The lady that had been setting next to me on the bus took a bad fall as she stepped off the bus at our second stop. Russ and I did not see it as we were already off the bus, getting my scooter out of the cargo area of the bus. When I saw her, she was lying in the street between the bus and the curb and there was a stream of blood on the street from her head. We got my scooter over to her and some guys helped her get up and over to sit on the scooter, but a few minutes later, she rolled to the left and went down again. I got a look at her left ankle – it was so badly broken, the foot was at a very crooked angle from the leg. It was then that I realized that the tour guide was not well prepared for this type of situation, neither he nor the bus driver had a first aid kit and his first inclination was to call the tour company rather than call 911. We cleaned her off as well as we could with Kleenex and moisture wipes. She was definitely in shock and I wasn’t sure if she had not suffered a concussion on top of the ankle problem. Finally, the tour guide got a hold of a taxi and some guys got her moved into the back of the taxi and off she went with a tour group rep to the hospital. Later we heard that the ankle needed surgery. I don’t know if she got back on the ship – I haven’t seen her since.

With that situation seemingly in hand, the rest of the tour group headed off to see Christ the Redeemer. This 131 foot tall stone sculpture is on the top of Corcovado Mountain which is Rio’s highest peak. We boarded a cog train for a ride through a rainforest, Tijuca Park, which is a national park. There are hiking paths through the park, but the tour guide didn’t seem too keen on taking them, not sure if he is just not the hiking type or if he was concerned about safety.

Christ the Redeemer was completed in 1931 so it is very Art Deco. We had heard a week earlier that a lightning strike had hit one of the hands and damaged the sculpture, so we were interested to see if it had been repaired. There was still some damage, but I don’t know how bad it was to begin with.

We were fortunate with no rain although it was hazy. The place was crowded, not just with cruise tourists but local tourists also. The week of Carnival is a week for the locals to take off and vacation.

The cog train climbs at a seemingly impossible angle. I think it was a 20 to 30 minute ride up to the elevators that would eventually take us to the viewing platform. The gal that was running the elevator Russ and I went on (it could hold about 8 people max), had her back to us as she sat on a stool when the door opened. She was asleep! The guard had to say something sharp to her to get her to get up and move her stool so that we could get into the elevator. Then she sat down on the stool, pushed the up button and went back to sleep. We think she is a dancer at one of the samba schools and probably did not get any sleep the night before.

There are only a few things from my elementary school education that have stuck with me through the years and I have never been able to figure out why they stuck out more than others. One is a photo of Christ the Redeemer from my sixth grade social studies book where we spent a semester studying South America. I remember, at the time, thinking about how far away this place was and having a hard time putting the size of the sculpture into perspective. Now that I have visited the place, I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to travel here, even if it was just for a short while.

Back on the bus at 4 pm, we finally head off for our “lunch” at a Brazilian steakhouse. The tour was destined to be a memorable one all the way to the end – when we arrived at the restaurant, the entrance for busses was chained off. So the tour guide got off, we had to go around the block with the bus (which is no mean feat since I don’t think there are two streets in Rio that meet at right angles) but by the time we got back, the chains were down and the restaurant was open.

By now, it is 5:30 pm and our tour was supposed to be over at 6. I, of course, remained worried that the Sambadrome ticket guy wouldn’t hang around and I would be without my tickets. We finally got back to the ship at 7 pm and, as we rounded the corner on the terminal, I saw a guy with an orange shirt and I just knew it was the Sambadrome guy. I didn’t let him out of my sight while Russ hurried back to the ship to get his tripod and other camera body.

We did get to the Sambadrome and I will talk about it on the next blog. Took too many pictures for one blog.

The next day was Sunday. We slept until noon, had some lunch then got off the ship to walk around the downtown section a bit. We headed down Avenida Rio Branco where we came upon the scene of yesterday’s Carnival party. Apparently there are still remnants of the party going on since we found some percussion bands marching down the street and lots of people in costume dancing their samba moves and having a good time. All the stores were closed so we didn’t get any window watching in. And the streets needed cleaning from the party. Even so, it was fun to mingle with the locals. Afterwards, on the ship, some people we talked to were amazed that we would take such a risk – they had been warned that there was a lot of crime. We didn’t encounter anyone that I was suspicious of. There were lots of families with small children walking about and we didn’t go down any dark alleys. We were careful and kept aware of our surroundings, and I don’t wear any of my jewelry off the ship so we didn’t appear to be particularly affluent although we didn’t need a sign to advertise that we were tourists. I felt just as safe here as I do walking around Long Beach (I know, folks, that isn’t necessarily a great comparison).

The sail from Recife to Rio was peaceful, sunny and warm. It is so relaxing to sit on our balcony and gaze at the ocean.

We are finally seeing birdlife – it has been sparse on the trip so far.

A Samba float sitting just outside the building where it was constructed, waiting to be moved over to the Sambadrome.

The two trams meeting in the middle as they cross the second of the two spans on the way to Sugarloaf Mountain.

Waiting for the first tram.

On the way up to the first station. I cannot identify the beaches or significant areas in the panoramic pictures – I didn’t bring a map with me.

Rio is developed along the points and valleys of the area. There are a lot of ancient volcanos which for the most part have not been developed. From a distance, Rio is beautiful.

The airport. From our angle, it looks impossibly short.

The final stop on the peak of this volcano cone.

We think either Copacabana or Ipenema beach are in the background.

A sculpture at the top of the mountain.

Russ caught this cool picture of cars parked in a circle right in front of the first tram station.

We had a nice walk down a winding path through part of the rainforest as we made our way back to the bus.

One of the many Baroque style buildings built during the colonial times of Rio.

The cog train that took us through the rainforest national park up to Christ the Redeemer. It reminded me of the one we took in Zugspitz Germany. The tour guide, originally from Switzerland, says that if we save our ticket we can get 50% off a ride on a sister cog train in Switzerland.

Inside the cog train

Rio has a huge horse race track!

Christ the Redeemer!

A view of one of the many inlets.

Sugarloaf as seen from Christ the Redeemer.

You can see the damage the lightning strike did to the finger.

The intrepid travelers.

You can see the damage to the finger here. Doesn’t compare to the nail puncture.

The sculpture was created in a fashion (like DaVinci’s David) that allowed you to see it up close and have the proportions appear to be correct.

Some of the smaller, older buildings nestled in between modern high rises.

This is the widest street in Rio, Avenida Presidente Vargas.

We found the partee!

People were having a fun time and they loved having their picture taken.

Cross dressing for guys seemed to be quite popular.

Families dressed as a group. Even small children had coordinating outfits.

Have no idea what these things were supposed to be, but they were a hoot to watch as the dancers twirled about.

Each of the Samba schools at the Sambadrome had a truck, much bigger than this, loaded with speakers and acoustic equipment. They were covered up, but this smaller version was open to view. Quite a rig.