Summing up Rio de Janeiro in a travel blog is a near impossible task, that stretches far beyond my skill, time and patience. The uploading of pictures (when I eventually get round to it), will hopefully provide a helpful insight into the ´beautiful city´. In short, Rio is a city of contradictions. Geographicaly sublime and unique, a constant dialogue between land and ocean. The famous beach districts of Ipanema, Copacabana and Leblon (the best known of a myriad of options), lye at the base of some of the most spectacular coastal hills and mountains. Nothing seems ordinary in Rio. The huge condominium blocks that dominate the seafront, are dwarfed by the giant peaks and hills behind, and the hard concrete and (at times) lack of architecture, is softened by the deep blue and green waters of the Atlantic. Everything and everyone seems to constantly vye for attention, but it is nature that inevitably takes centre stage. The vast socio-economic divides are however also quite blatant. Whilst in most other cities, the wealthy are atop the hills with the best view, in Rio, this is far from case. The favellas creep up the hills like ivy, gripping to whatever ground they can find. The corrugated tin roofs and walls clashing painfully with the lush and verdant vegetation. All this seems to accentuate the plenty and excess of wealthy in the city. Their beach front high rises with rooftop pools lie in sight but out of reach.Day 1Our first day in rio we somewhat bravely (we thought so, but in reality this was one of the safest methods of travel) hopped on the metro to take us downtown. Despite our best attempts to blend in, within minutes we were firmly established as the gringos in our carriage. Sitting looking at a map on the train, a countless number of people asked us if we needed directions, knew where we were going etc, where we were from. This wasn´t the monday morning rush hour I was used to on the Jubilee line. It seems that everywhere you go in Rio, the Cariocas (Brazilian for people who live in Rio), never have too little time to stop and help. We had been reccommended a cafe downtown, called confiteria colombo. This was the first ever restaurant in Rio and its architcure is famous nationally. On stepping off the train, into a crowded metropolis, we stood slightly confused trying to figure out which street we needed. Within a few seconds a man in a suit came to our aid, asked us where we were going and offered to walk us there.
Despite having a reputation as one of the most dangerous cities in the world, I can´t say that I ever really felt unsafe. I think that if one is careful and if you don´t do things you wouldn´t do in London or any other city, then there is no reason to fear. Where streets are crowded, violent crime is rare, and in touristy areas and areas in which the wealthy live, police presence is high. So what I am basically saying, is don´t let the reputation for danger put you off going!After lunch and some exploration of downtown, we wandered over to the foot of Santa Teresa. This is known as the bohemian heart of Rio. Populated and frequented by an arty crowd, it is supposedly the Brazillian equivalent to Camden or New York´s Soho. The area is perched on a hill overlooking downtown Rio and Lappa (the nightlife district). It is reached by a horrendously rickety tram which seems to take an eternity to wind up the steep cobbled hills, dodging cars and people, and giving some breathtaking views over the city as you reach the top. If walking round art shops are for you, then I am sure you will have an enjoyable time. For me, once you have seen one imitation sculpture of Christ the Redeemer, you have seen them all. We followed the tram line down slowly, stopping off at a hostel where a friend of mine was staying. We decided to return for the evening and head into Lappa.Lappa is world famous as the heart of nightlife in Brazil. It was a weekend and the main strip was packed with a complete mix of people. The weather was oppressively humid, but the brief showers didn´t seem to deter the locals. Live music in the bussling streets, blended with packed nightclubs catering to all different tastes in music. The strange fusion of samba, drum and base and electronic music, didn´t seem out of the ordinary here. With a complete melting pot of people, it had a fantastic atmosphere and was probably the best night out we had in Rio. Again, its more of a place that one has to experience to understand, and so I am going to stop trying to explain. It was a truly unique place and makes for a very interesting night out.Day 2Awaking late after the excess of the previous night, we began an afternoon tour to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain. tour passed through some more highlights of downtown rio, including the Sambadrome. The Pao de Azucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain), is reached by a two stage cable car. The first stage gives an impressive and privelleged view over botafogo, the yacht club and the surrounding bay. The higher one climbs in Rio, the more impressive the landscape and the more obvious the sheer scale of things become. The mountains seem to consume the city which clings to the habitabal stretches of flat dryness between the ocean and the peaks. It takes a while to even notice the large bridge linking
Rio with the city of Niteroi across the bay, as the slightly smaller ranges opposite rio catch the eye immediately. After taking in the view, you asscend on another cable car. From here one is treated to another spectacular vista. Looking back, on a parallel level with the statue of Christ, to the right, the white carpet of Copacabana stretches into the mountains and immediately below sits botafogo. Day 3We awoke early to begin our tour up Corocavdo and the statue of Christ the Redeemer. The statue is reached by a short furnicular that winds its way up though the Tijuca National Park. The statue (known locally as ´Christo´) dominates almost every inch of the city. It is lit up at night, so that the only time it is obscured from view is in heavy cloud cover. Its popularity however, means that it is also very very crowded. We were there on a Sunday morning, and the crowds did detract slightly fom what is an amazing spot. To take a decent photograph one has to push and jostle for position, and you are guaranteed at least 3 other people in the same shot if you want to be photographed at the foot of the statue. That said, the all encompassing panoramic views are definitely worth the effort. As was the surreal feeling of standing beneath one of the most famous landmarks in the world, looking over Rio and her beaches, and remembering the wet December morning that I booked my trip!Returning to the hotel, we had a quick turn around and made our way to the Marracana stadium. We had managed to obtain some tickets to a cup final to watch Botafogo take on Fluminese. Everything I had imagined about Brazilian football was proven correct. The countless flares, the incessant drumming and a carnival atmosphere were all present. The game was a close encounter, with Fluminese being awarded a penalty on the stroke of half time. We were sitting in the Botafogo end, and so we learned some fantastic new words for talking to a referree in portuguese. Fluminese missed the penalty which sparked wild celebrations from the Botafogo fans. I thought, ´imagine, what these guys will be like when there team scores.´ The second half saw a Botafogo player sent off, and afforded us the chance to pactise our newly learned words. As the match drew to a close, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and both sets of fans became more and more edgey. With less then 10 minutes to go, out of nothing, Botafogo bundled in a goal. The stands errupted in an explosion of flares, flag waving and drumming. Despite the fact that there was 10 minutes to go the fans partied as if it was all over until the final whistle (despite a few hairy moments in their own area). As the fluminese fans dissolved slowly out of the stadium, the Botafogo players lifted the trophy amongst a cacophany of noise. One of the most amusing parts of the day were the couple sitting in front of us. The man supporting fluminese, and the woman botafogo. I have never seen someone reduced to tears in a football match before. The company that provided the tickets and the transport to the game, had run a small bet before the match. The person who guessed the correct score line would win the winning teams jersey. Being the pundit like genius that I am, I knew with absolute clarity that Botafogo would win 1-0 and so placed my bet (having a vested interest in the resultactually made it all the more enjoyable and I of course cannot promote any form of illegal gambling). I collected the shirt as we left the stadium and celebrated like a local all the way home (swung it round my head like a british football hooligan, however the brazilians seem to make it so much more sexy!). That night, we opted for a slightly different experience to lappa. We headed into the district of Leblon. The home of the rich and famous would for one night only be soiled and degraded by our presence. We found our way to an overtly pretencious and over priced club| bar. Perhaps it was the fact that we wern´t wearing vacheron watches, or possibly it was the fact that we were wearing hiking boots, but the people there didn´t really seem to fit into the friendly carioca stereotype. There was some live music which was nice, but it felt far too western, and a lot like a london nightclub in Kensington or Chelsea. The language barrier also proved to be a bit of a problem. However that didn´t stop us from looking.Day 4We had planned to go on a schooner around some of the nearby islands but that sadly didn´t materialise. The weather which had for the last couple of days been pretty mixed, had turned foul. We slept in and then went out for some lunch along Copacabana. We found a great restaurant called Arab, where I gauged myself on Pita, Falafel, Humous and Schwarma. The weather had improved slighlty and so we went for a stroll along the beach. Again strolling along the famous beachfront was a surreal moment, that made me think, wow, I am actually in Rio. The lack of prolonged sunshine sadly meant that I can´t fairly vouch for Rio´s other reputation. The beaches were pretty quiet, and apparently far too cold for local brazilian girls who seemed intent on breaking the stereotype and covering up in heavy rain! I guess we will have to return for Carnival to experience a busier and sunnier Rio beach scene. The next day was a local holiday, the rain was reminiscant of london and everyone we asked seemed to think the evening would be pretty quiet, and so we decided to have an early night.Day 5We checked into our hotel, for the overland trip we were about to embark on and then headed out once more to the beach. The weather had improved and being a public holiday it was much busier, with the avenida atlantica that runs parralell to copacabana pedestrianised and teeming with people, rollerbladers and cyclists. We walked up to the famous Copacabana palace, and dressed in shabby T shirt, trunks and sandals, I made my father very happy. We got the charming doorman in white gloves to let us enter and I went to enquire about dinner reservations. Basically they let us wander round the hotel and check out the amazing swimming pool area. Dinner was clearly too expensive for our measeley gappers budget, but it was quite fun to pretend, and definitely worth a visit, if even only for a poolside drink (somthing that we couldn´t afford). On the way back we stopped at one of the far more economically sensible coconut vendors on the ocean front and indulged in some top notch people watching. Even in poor weather, the Rio lifestyle based around the beaches is clearly a very attractive one. I had considered (intended would be too strong a word) to hangglide over Rio, but the weather and the steep price tag proved a hinderance. Again I think this is something I will have to come back and do, as is a Favella tour which was reccomended but again, we didn´t really have the time. Basically I am trying to justify a return to Rio. It is a truly mesmerizing city that will leave a lasting impression.That evening we met up with out GAP group for the 45day overland trip to Lima. Some were going all the way to Lima and others ended in La Paz. Went out for a meal and then hit one last nightclub in Ipanema. It was a shame that I had already eaten, because the club on paper seemed like a brilliant concept. Sushi and a nightclub (I would have preferred just the sushi but hey). Again, being Ipanema, and being a fusion between sushi and dancing, it obviously catered to a wealthier crowd, but it was great fun. It had a complete mix of tourists and locals. One sad occurrence during our time in Rio, was the docking of a 7,000 strong US Navy aircraft carrier in Rio. The city at night was seemingly overrun by loud, skinhead Americans complaining, that whilst the city was ´pretty sweet´ and the woman ´hot´, it ´sucked because no one f*cking speaks a word of f*cking English´ (reference American Navy personel trying to understand the logical test that is a bilingual cash machine). I can´t remember when but we also saw the beach districts of Ipanema and Leblon by day, which is basically a wealthier and more upmarket version of Copacabana, with nicer and more expensive shops and restaurants. Both of which I would reccomend if staying in Rio. Day 6We departed mid morning, passing all the famous landmarks that had made this city so special. As we reached the outskirts of the city, only the back of Christo could be seen. The road out once again emphasised the disparity between the rich and the poor as the favellas clung to the roadside hills. We were heading from the paradise city to the paradise island of Ilha Grande.So, yes Rio is a truly special place, and is certainly worth a visit. I think that locals are right in saying that you can never visit Rio just once. At least I hope they are right.