Rio de Janeiro
Trip Start
Jan 2003
1
191
200
Trip End
Dec 2003
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
What can I say? Despite Kara's arrival giving us some impetus, the thought of spending another five weeks in Rio and on Brazil's beaches has bizarrely been usurped by the lure of London in January. While on the face of it this decision may seem odd, I've not felt more confident on a particular choice all year. Without repeating the reasons, Christmas seems like a logical and appealing conclusion to our trip. Consequently we've brought our return flight forward a few weeks and our excursion, much like that of Phileas Fogg (see, it is destiny) will culminate in a return to London just in time for New Year.
With that albatross lifted (perhaps too harsh a term) we've relaxed and started enjoying Rio's dayime offerings. Having sunned ourselves further with the beautiful people on Ipanema beach we took our first venture down the road to the Copacabana area of the city. Although more famous than every other Rio district the impression we'd been given is that it had seen better days and wasn't the safest place for three still-too-white foreigners to be wandering around aimlessly at night. True o form, while not intimidating, the more seedy aspect of Brazilian culture was evident - a trip during the day might be taken at a later date but further evening escapades will not be high on the list of priorities.
We've also visited two other Rio landmarks: Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain. Chris, as he's now been abbreviated to, was the monumen I had highest expectations for but his (or should tha be His) impressiveness stems from his stature from a distance. Up close he's a huge but far from intricate piece of masonry where as from afar he seems to serve His purpose as protector of the city. Initially I thought our hostel was special in that you can see his right side from the patio. The truth is however, that you can see Him from most streets in one way or another. One of the best views of Christ is from Sugar Loaf. Unfortunately, seen from this angle, He is dwarfed by a huge pylon inconsiderately erected behind him. Still, watching the sun set over Christ, the city and the surroundings from such a vantage point is a thoroughly relaxing way to spend a couple of hours.
