Christ Redeemer & Copacabana

Some exercise, finally

The Windsor Asturias Hotel is equipped with a gym and pool on the rooftop.  I woke before 0700 and checked it out.  Both proved to be tiny.  The gym had three treadmills, a bench and some free weights.  After not having done any proper exercise, this was better than nothing and I spent 45 minutes there before cleaning up for buffet breakfast downstairs.

The buffet breakfast priced at BRL44 was not too different from what we had in other cities included in the room rate.  Our room rate here was highly discounted so breakfast wasn’t included.  While pricey for Brazil, it was cheap compared to New Zealand; only the price of one plated breakfast at a nice cafe.  We decided we’d just do it for one day and eat less on the next two days.

Christ Redeemer

For our visit to Christ Redeemer or Cristo Redentor, I had prebooked for the 1040 entry which required ticket collection by 1010 latest.  We left the hotel around 0920 and picked up our ticket around 0945; a printout was required unlike at Sugarloaf.

There was a short wait before the queue for our train opened.  Strangely, our departure was 1030 and not 1040.  There were two red carriages with probably more than 100 seats on them each, arranged in a 3+2 configuration.  Our seats faced downwards which meant that we kept sliding down them, but we had overheard that that’s the better side for the view.

The ride up took 20 minutes passing through some homes, mossy wall-fences, then jungle with some tracks and some gaps that gave us a preview of the awesome view that was to come.  It seems unbelievable that such a steep mountain can be accessed by train and car!  Obviously the contour is such that the track and road can be built in the right places.

Once at the top station, we walked up a few storeys past two cafes to get to Christ Redeemer, the huge statue of Christ that was completed in 1931.  The 30m statue sits on an 8m pedestal on the peak of the 700m high Corcovado mountain.

It was crowded but the view was just superb.  We managed to get our turn at the various lookouts to enjoy the moment and capture some memories.

We stayed for about an hour, went down for a drink before lining up for the train down.  We didn’t make the first train but managed to get on the second after a wait of over 30 mins.

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Copa-Copacabana

Back on ground level, there was internet which meant we could order a Uber ride to Copacabana, getting dropped off at Praca do Lido.  That was just a point we had seen on a map that would allow us to see and walk a decent length of the beach to our meeting point for the afternoon’s free walking tour.

First thing at Copacabana was to feed ourselves.  We found a beachside kiosk with seating where we had a burger and a sandwich.  It was a gorgeous spot.  The beach was white, sandy, long (4km apparently) and broad (narrows at the other end).  The water was beautiful but the surf was strong.

Facilities like food and toilets were available through the length of the beach.  Perforated hoses  sprinkle water onto the sand to cool it so that it is possible to walk to the sea (not necessary right now but some were on).   The beach is divided into “posts” so it is easier to communicate one’s location to friends.

Our walking tour of Copacabana and Ipanema began at 1530.  The guide explained the history of Copacabana to us.  The area settled on a permanent basis but only for holiday homes until transport link by way of tunnels were made available.  Early settlers chose Rio because of the sheltered harbour with a narrow entrance whereas Copacabana faced the open ocean.

We were told about the layout of the beach, and pointed out the favela (shanty towns) on the hills that were visible between the high rises.  Along the way were a couple of statues of a notable people that I didn’t have much affinity towards.

On the end of Copacabana was a fort of the same name.  In fact, it gave the beach its name.  The name was originally from a chapel there but a fort had to be built there for protection in the historic days.  The area demarcates Copacabana from the next beach Ipanema.

Ipanema seemed a bit narrower than Copacabana.  Both were being eroded in parts.  Both were artificially created after reclamation to build the waterfront roads.  Both seemed nice enough to me with many highrise apartments overlooking the water.  However, Ipanema seems to be the more preferred area now.

After being shown the two cafes where the composers of the song “Girl from Ipanema” use to hang out, we cut inland.   After a short walk reached Lagoa where we finished our tour.  Lagoa is a lagoon that’s more like a lake which is connected to the ocean by a narrow canal.  The area around Lagoa was beautiful with tracks for cycling and running.

This walking tour was a good introduction to the area.  While we did learn a little bit more of the area, there wasn’t heaps to learn.  It was very useful and enjoyable.

We managed to connect to the internet at Ibis hotel to order a car home.  We took dinner at our favourite eatery (so far) in the alley next to the hotel.  Their mixed salad was fabulous last night and tonight it was different but equally good.  We wanted the lasagne but they only had cannelloni … which turned out to be just like lasagne without the cheese topping.  Delicious anyway.

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Thoughts on Brazil & Rio

Some thoughts about Rio and Brazil so far:

• Despite my independent travel in Sudan, Pakistan, Yemen, Papua etc, the thought of Brazil has always been scary for me. I finally face my fear and am rewarded with the beauty of Rio de Janeiro.  I’m so glad I finally made it here.  The parts of the country I’ve visited have been great too!
• I don’t think I know of any city in the world that has such a stunning natural setting.  Rio de Janeiro is truly special!
• On the beaches, there are a lot of the “body-beautiful” type wearing very little clothing.  But on the other hand, there are also many “normal”, larger or much larger specimens also wearing very little.  So, there is no “fat-shaming” by the body-beautiful of the larger people.  And that is very civilised.
• People are wear their very skimpy swimming gear rather far from the sea or beach.  People skate, cycle and run in speedos and bikinis.  In some western countries, there is a point beyond which beach clothing is viewed as “like underwear”.
• Brazil seems very modern and progressive compared to most of the Latin American countries that I’ve visited.  Sure, it has a huge poverty and homelessness problem but that aside, the infrastructure in many areas are very good.  And in cities, facilities are comparable to that in developed countries.