LOCATION: RIo de Janeiro
Seemed like a great idea at the time from the comfort of air conditioning in Daisy Hill. But the reality of a 10 hour 20 minute day, sitting sideways on a cramped bench, under 30 degree heat in 83% humidity, with intermittent showers was a little different.
And if we could have created the least favourite day for @Deb this would be it. Uncomfortable with heights and positively queasy with speedy, swerving, edge clinging mountain driving ... this was it. If only we could have thrown in an uphill bike ride - it would have probably made it to the "hell" category for her - but with determined crossing, clenching and clutching (think even her pelvic floors got a work put), @Deb was smiling at every way point and stop that involved terra ferma.
Okay, once you deal with the “reality” of some of the "out of comfort" moments- just get that out of the way - I have to say the experience was super fun AND Rio as a destination, speaks for itself. What a gem.
Mountain remnants everywhere - steep cliffs falling to the ocean and providing a backdrop to the urban area. Sweeping bays, sandy beaches, water and sunshine. And Christ the Redeemer, supervising it all either through the sweeping mist of a cloud or shining white and bright backed by blue skies.
And yep, two special HUMUNGOUS ticks today - the Brazilian meat BBQ for carnivore @Mac and our first spot of the toucan in the wild. What a day.
The Adventure
Today’s activities included:
A. Jeep Tour - 4 Wonders of Rio - We were on tour with @Philippe today and fellow travellers @Irene and Jeff (Leeds in the UK), @Hanah and @Michael (father and daughter from Germany) and @Maria and @Barry (Brisbane.)
We were shoulder to shoulder and knee to knee with them on this trip. Was sort of a bonus really - in this close proximity and in the vehicle for many kms getting from place to place, we really managed to fall into "have a chat mode." When you think about it @Mac, it was just like Gold Leaf on the Rocky Mountaineer - you were up close for all the views, but without the glass dome, the comfy seats, the air-con, the room, the food or the Bailey's. But same same. 😅🤣😂
Stop 1: Sugar Loaf Mountain: a windy, limited access cobblestone lane way gave us priority access to the base station to pick up the first cable car. The progress up the mountain is divided into two stages - a swinging car that delivers you to an interchange. And a second ride to reach the top. I think I heard it is heralded as one of the first in the world (fact check needed.)
The mountain peaks rise up from a small peninsula at the entrance of Guanabara Bay (believe you cannot swim in here - visitors can only use the sand, the water heavily polluted - fact check needed) , its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of a sugar loaf. Another confusing story here - what is a sugar Loaf? I thought it was the cabbage but I think we were told it was named after the bags the pounds stakes of sugar cane were place in! Research pending.
The first cable car delivered us to the top of Urca Hill, which rises 215 metres above sea level and offers spectacular views of the entire bay and its island.
From this distinct and separate Urca Hill, the second cable car was to the top of Sugar Loaf which rises 395 metres above sea level and offers a 360 degree view of the entire city including Botafogo and Copacabana beaches, Corcovado and downtown Rio.
The views were spectacular. The water looked calm and inviting. The beaches made perfect inviting arcs for boats and swimmers. The proliferation of concrete buildings and glass, shimmer and reflect the sunlight and pops of colour break up the green and silver of the vegetation. Oil rigs were visible in the Port in the distance and cargo and cruise ships dotted the horizon. AIrcraft, helicopters and birds circled in the sky. And yes, the bowed head and the open arms of Christ the Redeemer constantly drew your eyes, often wrapped in wafts of cloud and mist and welcomed and embraced you in Rio de Janiero. Classic! Iconic!
Wanted this pic because through the haze would see the Rio-Niteroi Bridge - approximately 13.29 kilometers (8.26 miles) long, with 8.83 kilometers of that distance directly over the waters of Guanabara Bay - could be a bridge run for @Mac!
@Deb just couldn't wait to get back into those swinging cars for the descent - but took up a centre spot and soldiered on to the next "new heights."
Stop 2: Now there are busy places and then there are BUSY places. This was the latter. A heaving mass, where every millennial wanted the perfect Insta shot. No joke, you have to step over and around people prone on the ground on their back trying to take that perfect angle! Some with self-esteem sticks - imagine the thrill of that if you weren't paying attention. With my lack of peripheral vision, it is quite possible I may have been responsible for some road kill here.
We did have priority driving privileges and parking but after that we were in the queue. There's a process- get a band, get scanned (many many times) join the snaking queue, board the mini van for transit to the elevators, left elevator to take two fights of outdoor escalators... and you are there, under his armpit at the base of the plinth.
This is the "barely move" zone but as you progressed down two levels of platforms out to the best vantage point you are in the "no move" zone and have to step over bodies and avoid losing your balance and accidentally knocking the people over the edge who are standing, sitting or kneeling on the ledges (which bear big clear signage not to!!!!) which are the barrier to the cliff face. The "Tourista Policia" have shrill whistles which are blowing to attract your attention if you are being naughty. They really pip pip pip constantly and the "naughty ones" never look their way.
To be fair - somehow it all works. The hubbub and bustle is all part of the journey that makes the destination so much sweeter. Like us, everyone had come from somewhere to this place to stamp it with a special memory. We all have that extra few seconds up our sleeve to wait, take your turn, snap someone else's picture or just stand still for a few moments and take it all in.
When we could exit the squeeze we made a few minutes to run the lap around the base and from this height on Corcovado we could see the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon and the Botanical Gardens.
The statue was shrouded in a misty cloud which constantly swished and swirled by, but for about 5 seconds a blue sky appeared - the crowd did let out a little collective gasp of wonder. At one stage a para glider popped out of the mist doing loop the loops over the edge of @Corcovado. Classic! Iconic!
Stop 3: Lunch at Carreta Classic Grill, a carnivore's delight. We did have to drive a significant distance to find this pace and at first queuing, there was a chance we did not have a booking! Persistence and patience paid off because we managed to score a table outside. Actually quite please with this outcome because inside was "tango dinner squashed" and with a noise level to match "anywhere in China.." Fresh air, sunshine, conversations and great food and drink.
This is where the salad bar stretches endlessly over a number of tiers, and no male seems to touch it! But the ladies definitely indulge.
The waiters come with piping hot skewer of meat - beef, pork, chicken - in a variety of cuts, prepared with different flavourings and BBQ'd from rare to well done. You just keep smiling and nodding and they keep offering and sticking. As usual, I was done after two (roast beef was a winner) but @Mac kept nodding and smiling for 7 rounds and finally declined at round 8 which was a skewer of chicken hearts!!!! Than sorted the boys from the men!
Worth noting the drinks round. I enjoyed a local beer and @Mac opted for a local cocktail recommended by @Irene and @Jeff yesterday. Surprisingly it came out with an inverted Corona in it - so in total that males for @Mac's second beer ever (the other was in Germany on the top deck of the river cruise.) The cocktail was a winner though - it was a double and had plenty of lime along with the sugar cane based rum - thinking the beer didn't even get to register on the taste buds.
As an aside here - and totally biased palate ... yes, we enjoyed and lapped it all up ... but Aussie seafood and steak are the definite winners ... I can't wait for @Mac to fore up the BBQ at home.
Stop 4: Well planned - after lunch, the biggest walk of the day - a time to stretch the legs and settle the tummy at the Botantical Gardens, founded by Dom Joao VI in 1808 as an Acclimation Garden for exotic plants. It was transformed over nearly two centuries into the Research Institute of the Botanic Garden of Rio de Janeiro and now contains more than 6,000 different species of tropical and subtropical plants and trees, including 900 varieties of palm trees (I read the sign 😀)
We strolled through keeping our eyes out for wildlife and trying to make the connections @Phillipe was sharing - visited the specialist lily ponds, orchid house and bromelaid displays.
All of this was dwarfed by the toucans. Yes, real live ones! In the the tree top. Flapping and hopping from branch to bramch. I can't definitively say who can claim this - was either @Deb or me asking when the toilet stop was or @Mac spotting a toilet block - but the combination meant we were delayed in this spot just at the right time.
I emerged from the loo block oblivious of all the action above to hear @Mac frantically or maybe that should be urgently, calling "Jan ... Jan .... Jan ... Jan."
Took me a few secs but I zeroed in and caught them bouncing from branch to branch. Just as I remembered the phone to take pictures, the cloud above unzipped and water poured down in a stream that rivalled the Iguazú Falls entrance.
The birds were so fast. Very lucky to spot them. But the big yellow beaks and black bodies definitely visible in the green of the trees. Admitting - pictures not the greatest, but we were there and saw them. Yippee, another tick.
Step 5: Tijuca Forest - this little trip had to be the piece de resistance for @Deb. A wild fast ride on narrow cobble stone and pot holes road on the cliff side of the road filled with uphill and down dale swerving and curving action. Add to that the two way traffic for big vehicles, bike riders and pedestrians and absolutely randomly parked care, this was not a dream run. At one stage @Deb's query "Are we going down hill?" met with attempts at suppressed guffaws. It was down hill in every direction and I am not confident in reporting on how much of our vehicle was hanging outside of the roadway. That downhill question could have all sorts of meaning.
The rush was to get to the gate of the park before closure. There were so many turns - just when you thought you were up ... and in . there was another mountain to climb.
After 35 minutes of this elongated roller coaster ride - we arrived and were met by dozens of walkers or workers leaving. All of this for a "waterfall." Poor @Deb. Kinda funny really - given we had just viewed the mighty Iguazu from both sides of the border... we were thinking this better be something!
Tijuca Forest is the world's largest urban forest, a restored 3,953-hectare rainforest teeming with biodiversity, monkeys, and waterfalls like Cascata Taunay, its tallest, our first destination and one of two focal points of the visit. The forest provides an Amazon-like experience within city limits, covering a massive, hilly area.
Originally, the area was cleared for coffee and sugar plantations. The forest was replanted in the 1800s to protect the city's water supply, making it a giant reforested area. Today, it acts as a vital city temperature regulator (lowering temps by up to 9 degrees (fact check needed)) and provides fresh water for the city.
Surprised - made the connection that this national park is divided into three main sectors, containing landmarks like the Cristo Redentor statue (Corcovado) ... light bulb moment ....... Pedra Bonita, and Vista Chinesa .. that was our next stop.
Okay, the waterfall. Think Natural Arch. Cascading waterfalls. Bridge. Swimming hole. In rainforest. And there were people swimming - just not anyone from our group (I'm reluctant, almost paranoid @Liz, unless i can smell chemicals to kill stuff! Need to get over that before we get to Galapagos. )Nice? Yes. Remarkable .. um ...
Back in the vehicle for a few more twists and turns brought us to the Vista Chinese. It was a Vista- the views were stunning with thr magnificent vIpanema and Copacabana beaches, Guanabara Bay and Niteroi all curving in front of us.
Took all the obligatory pictures and confessing we were all getting a bit hot and thirsty by now so may not have been quite as enthusiastic as we should have been.
Squeezed back onto our benches (not sure we needed seatbelts we were so wedged in.) Under fading light we took a different winding, swerving, curving route out of the forest, this time accompanied by roars of motor bikes as the workers made their daily trek home at speeds which were more than the old hummer, without power steering and the one metre high manual gear stick change could manage. Joined the highway for the peak hour traffic drop off run to the three hotels. Of course, you guessed it .. we were LAST. It was a long noisy but vibrant drive along the beach stretch. It was alive with beach volleyball and tennis, an endless stretch of on the sand restaurants and bars. Music blended with the traffic noise and people were walking, jogging, exercising in sort of cross fit groups, eating drinking, singing and dancing. Shirts on men were an optional extra and cheek coverings for anyone under 30 were non existent- if you are thinking the face ... think lower. Bare feet was totally acceptable . Healthy, happy, alive and fun. Not a bad ending to the day.
The itinerary had described the adventure as 8-9 hours. We were ten hours and twenty minutes! It was a no brainer - we were parched and soaking wet from sweat. We were still recovering from lunch and opted for last night's leftovers. @Mac and I went straight to the supermarket and picked up topups for both rooms and threw in a couple protein shakes and a cork screw bottle opener combo!
M...a....t ...e... (draw it out) we were totally knackered. Not as young as we used to be.
It's okay, a 10 am start tomorrow morning - for a walking (eek) tour - @Mac might get a sleep in and @Deb won't be swinging cable cars and white knuckling in a Jeep AND can have her eyes open to see things in the journey.
PS Please note, we were not inspired to be a local on our supermarket run - Chest covered, cheeks covered (i didn't really fit the demographic) and the Inala boy even opted for shoes. Just in case you were wondering
PPS we have two pending disasters - @DeLoy also known as the @Wilsons in Rio are down to their last change of clothes for tomorrow- so we need a laundry STAT.
My phone took an absolute hammering in the rain at the park and is firing off urgent messages to turn it off when the charger is plugged in! Message says electrical are wet. Got some hair dryer action planned. Fingers crossed
Survival Barometer
Steps 17 700
Weather 32 degrees 83% humidity
Health a little throat niggle x 2
Can you believe this?
🌟 Key Facts About Christ the Redeemer
📍 Location & Symbolism
- The statue stands atop Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, overlooking the entire city.
- It is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, officially recognized in 2007.
🛠️ Construction & Design
- Designed by French sculptor Paul Landowski and Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, with the face sculpted by Gheorghe Leonida.
- Built using reinforced concrete and covered with soapstone, chosen for its durability and smooth appearance.
- Construction was completed in 1931 after about nine years of work.
📏 Size & Dimensions
-
- Statue height: 30 m (98 ft)
- Pedestal height: 8 m (26 ft)
- Total height: 38 m (125 ft)
- Arm span: 28 m (92 ft)
🙌 Cultural Importance
- It is one of the most recognizable symbols of Christianity worldwide and a cultural emblem of Brazil.
- Originally proposed as early as 1850 by a Catholic priest, long before construction began.
For Jesse - out and about with us on the visit high above Rio today
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