Life in Rio is nice. To give some background, which I didn't really include in the earlier post, Jenn and I got down here a couple of weeks ago for a conference. We tried to get in as many tourist attractions as possible in the first week. So here's a quick highlight tour of Rio via the written word courtesy of yours truly. When in Rio you really should visit certain sites that, while touristy, would be a shame to miss. One of these is, of course,
Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Azúcar), which I believe I mentioned in my earlier post. The mountain sits next to Urca mountain at the far end of Copacabana Beach (well, not really at the end...Urca is at the end and then comes Pão de Azúcar), guarding Guanabara Bay. The photo of Sugarloaf on the left was taken from the top of Urca Mountain. Tourists can reach the top either on foot up a steep foot path or in a cable car first to Urca and then to the top of Sugarloaf. The views are amazing....we set out just before sunset to see the sun go down behind the Christ statue in the west. And of course a trip to Rio wouldn't be complete without a visit to Cristo Redentor, the massive sandstone statue of Christ the overlooks the city, gazing out towards the ocean. There's a train that takes you up
Corcovado Mountain to the statue (or you can take a taxi or walk up the road), and the view is well worth the trip. Just be sure to check if the clouds are obscuring the view. When it's truly cloudy or foggy not only can you not see the city, you can't even see the statue even when standing at its feet! Jenn and I also visited the Jardim Botánico, the botanical gardens started by one of Brazil's emperors back in the 19th Century. It's full of beautiful royal palm trees and other exotic plants and flowers, as well as greenhouses for orchids, bromeliads, and carnivorous plants. I included a photo from the bromeliad greenhouse below. There's also a garden for the blind, which uses of texture, sound and scent instead of color as the basis for the aesthetics of the garden. Oddly enough the cactus garden is right beside it, a detail that I thought was a little ironic. During the first week before the conference our sightseeing also included a trip to the neighborhoods of Santa Teresa, a bohemian neighborhood that sits on top of a hill near the city center, and Lapa, where much of Rio's nightlife takes place (at least if you're interested in Samba, Forro and other Brazilian music).
So I leave for now with this little glimpse of Rio. I'll do my best to update things tomorrow as well. Or at least in the next few days. Finding a quiet spot to concentrate on writing has become more and more challenging as the hostel fills up. The hostel I'm staying in has only been open for about six weeks or so and is only now getting a reputation for being a good place to stay. When I first got here it was relatively empty but right now it is almost at capacity. While staying in Guatemala in hotels or with friends I forgot what it was like to stay in a hostel with scores of backpackers who are only in a place for a few days at a time and who want to wring every bit of experience out of their trip before moving on. I have to admit sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming to be in the middle of all that when you are not approaching the city in quite the same way. That said, I have met some very interesting and friendly people here, and if any of you are thinking of visiting Rio I would highly recommend checking this place out. Ok, then, I'm off...até logo.
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