Well today we accomplished two major things. A relaxing morning on Copacabana Beach, which was interesting - interrupted every 20 seconds by someone trying to sell something. In the space of two hours approx we were shown things such as: hats, sunglasses, sarongs, bikinis, jewellery, hot food, cold food, drinks, cocktails, hammocks, selfie sticks, phone cases/chargers, number plates, maps, plus other things that I just can't remember!
It was cheap enough to wander onto the beach and hire some chairs and an umbrella for approximately £4 ish and that was for the day if we had wanted.
Although the sea was lovely, this day it was particularly strong with big waves so all the flags were red.
The women clearly did not care what they looked liked and every single size and shape wore the same thing pretty much - a tiny barely covering it all bikini. No self doubt or lack of body confidence here! I looked positively Victorian in comparison!
Just before lunch time, we made our way back to the hotel for a quick freshen up and change before getting a taxi to the train station that would take us up to the very top of Corcovado Mountain where the Christ the Redeemer statue is located.
Once aboard the small train that looked like something like a tram/Swiss train, we made the ascent up the side of the mountain. The incline of the train was astounding and I was extremely thankful for the amazing grip on the tracks! We were literally pinned back in our seats and it was not easy at all to stand up!
As the train climbed higher and higher and higher, the views that started to appear were amazing. A teasing preview of the sights that were yet to come!
As we pulled into the station at the top, still very much at a tilt, we decided to climb the stairs to the top, stopping along the way to admire the increasing views.
The views from the very top were so breath taking. None of the photos we took do the views justice. There was just so much to see and look at!
Corcovado Mountain itself stands at 690m (2,300 ft). The figure of Christ rises more than 30 metres (100 ft) from a 6m (20 ft) pedestal and weighs 700 tons. At night time, the statue is floodlit.
Once we had climbed the couple of hundred steps to the top, we had an uninterrupted 360 degree view of the city and beyond. We could see planes landing and taking off, the massive bridge, tower blocks and of course, a Sugar Loaf mountain.
It was recommended in our guide book that you visit Sugar Loaf mountain first, as it is only half the height of Corcovado and it could be seen as an anti climax.
We stayed up on top of Corcovado until the sun set in the evening to take even more amazing photographs of Christ and the breath taking view. At approximately 4pm, we met Ben and Jen at the small chapel which is situated in the pedestal base below Christ's feet. It was lovely to meet up with English friends and enjoy this amazing place together ( not to mention we were finally going to get some decent photographs of us together rather than shaky selfies or solo attempts!)
Once the sun had begun to set, we made our way back down to catch the train back to the start. It was busy on the train and very dark by the time we reached the bottom.
After hailing a taxi, we made our way into Leblon, a very nice area just beyond Ipanema for a lovely dinner. As is the usual Brazilian style, enough food to feed the army and some!
A great evening was had by all and it was great to speak proper English at full speed and be understood!