Three years ago, while on holiday in Portugal, we went to Lisbon and visited the statue of Christ that looks out over the city. We were told about it being a copy of the Christo Redento statue that embraces the city of Rio de Janeiro from its position on the top of Corcovado. I said how much I would like to see the original, not thinking that I would ever get the chance. This year I got that chance. Over the last few years we have tended to be independent travellers, making use of the Internet to book hotels an Europe and America but as we had heard so many warnings about Rio, we decided to book our trip through a tour operator. We only managed to find two mainstream tour operators who offered Rio Page and Moy, and Kuoni, although Thompson also go there now. There are many specialist South American operators but, having looked at what was on offer, we booked with Kuoni, choosing to stay at Le Meridien Copacobana Hotel simply on the basis that if we paid for seven nights, we got another two nights free.
So it was, that on Thursday 8th June, this year, my sister and brother-in-law kindly drove us down to Heathrow Airport for the 10p.m. Varig Brazilian flight to Rio de Janeiro, stopping en route at Sao Paulo - fourteen hours on the plane in all, but at least being overnight we managed to sleep through most of it. We arrived at our hotel at 9.45a.m. local time, and after checking in we showered, unpacked and set off to get our bearings. Most of the hotels are right on the sea front, we just had to cross the Avenida Atlantica and we were on the golden sands, among the coconut palms. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that the numerous kiosks all along the edge of the beach offered freshly prepared food and cold drinks at very reasonable prices. Our first "meal" consisted of a hamburger with plenty of salad and cheese for less than 60p and a can of cold beer ranged from 40p to 60p. We walked to the end of the beach - a rocky promontory called Morro do Leme which has the narrow "Caminho dos Pesacadores" built around the base from where the local fishermen cast their lines. We bought a bottle of water on our way back to the hotel where we changed before setting out again this time heading away from the beach and towards the shops. After buying a few postcards and my first T-shirt, (an expensive one, it cost about £3) we enjoyed our first proper meal then returned to our hotel for an early night. We had not been to bed for 48 hours.
Saturday found us both awake and refreshed nice and early, so we had the buffet breakfast in the 4th floor restaurant then we had a stroll along the front before enquiring at the hotel reception if it was possible to walk to Sugar Loaf. On being told that it was not we asked for a street taxi to take us, the street taxis only cost around £3 to £4 per journey we found. We caught the cable car up to the first stop on Morro da Urca and spent a pleasant hour or so wandering round, admiring the views and the small monkeys that live on the rock. We then caught the next cable car up to the top of Sugar Loaf itself, a span of 2,500 feet covered in three minutes. The views from here are spectacular and we stayed for hours, enjoying an ice cream and a cold drink from the refreshment kiosk. There are many walks around the top, so you can get away from the crowds and enjoy the views on your own for as long as you like as there is no time limit on the tickets, you just get whichever cable car you fancy.
Sunday morning, we got a taxi to Praca Gen. Osorio in Ipanema, where the "Feira Hippie " or Hippy Market is found. We spent several hours wandering round the stalls admiring the handicrafts on sale and buying quite a bit; again the prices were so reasonable and we bought souvenirs and gifts that are unique. We then walked along the Rua Prudente de Morais as far as the "Ipanema Lollipop", an imaginative road island, before retracing our steps so that we could enjoy a drink in the Garota de Ipanema, the bar where the famous song "Girl from Ipamena" was composed. We then headed for the sea front and discovered that, on Sunda,y most of the population of Rio spends the day walking up and down along the sea front. I have never seen so many people walking, riding bikes, mini scooters, roller blades, skates or skateboards. One side of the dual carriageway that runs the length of the sea front is closed to traffic on Sundays to allow for all the people.
We walked back towards Copacobana and visited the Forte de Copacobana which is situated on the small peninsular that divides Copacobana from Ipanema. In the fort it is possible to walk on top of the cupola gun emplacement and go right up to the gun barrels that were capable of firing shells up to 25 miles. You can also go inside the cupola and view the firing mechanism. A gentle stroll along the length of Copacobana - with several refreshment stop s- found us back at our hotel with plenty of time to rest and freshen up before heading out for the evening. We enjoyed our meal to the accompaniment of much cheering, dancing in the streets and firecrackers; there was a big football match and Flamengo, the local team won three nil. There was a real party atmosphere all around and much celebrating, with car horns blaring and firecrackers being set off well into the night.
Monday, we decided to try the City Rio Tourist Buses. These consist of three routes that cover the entire city and each route connects with another one. You can buy tickets on the bus and they are valid for 24, 48, or 72 hours from the time that you purchase it. We got on the bus just down the road from the hotel and as we went round to the next stop at Sugar Loaf, we saw that it was a lovely clear day and that the statue on Corcovado could be seen clearly so we decided that we would go there. Sugar Loaf is where two of the bus routes connect but we stayed on the one we were on as its next stop was Corcovado, here we got off and joined the queue for the train up the mountain, the rack and pinion railway takes 20 minutes to climb up 2 1/2 miles, leaving you with 212 steps to climb up to the statue itself. The steps are interspersed with viewing areas and of course, gift shops. At the top the views really are spectacular and it is worth waiting a while for the crowds to disperse before taking your photographs; most people, especially those on organised trips, rush up to the top, take their photos, then rush back to get the next available train down. We took our time admiring the scenery, wandering round all of the shops and then we sat with a cold drink, at this point we realised that the group of American tourists that had been on the train up with us, had had to go back down an hour before, the joys of being independent, you have time to see things properly and sit and watch the world go by without having to rush. We did eventually get a train back down and waited for the next City Rio bus to come along.
We carried on round the lagoon and past the race track and got off at the gates to the Botanical Gardens where we spent a very pleasant afternoon. We saw plants that we had only heard of before as well as many that we recognised but that we think of as being house plants. We also saw several species of birds as well as the usual monkeys. This was a very peaceful afternoon, a quiet oasis in the centre of a busy city. We got back on the bus and rode round to Leblon, where we got off and sat in the sun with a drink before getting back on the bus to go back to our hotel to change and go out for our evening meal. After we had eaten we decided that it was time that we tried the local drink, the spirit is cachaca - distilled from sugar cane (a bit worrying as some of the cars also run on alcohol that is distilled from sugar cane) this is mixed with crushed ice, limes and sugar and drunk through a straw. The first mouthful is mind-blowing, but the taste grows on you although we only ever had them one at a time. They would be lethal in any quantity, but we did bring a bottle of cachaca home and have made it ourselves.
Tuesday morning we set the alarm for 6.30.a.m. And after breakfast in our room, we got a taxi down to the Marina de Gloria as we had seen a leaflet advertising boat trips round the bay that only went on Sundays and Tuesdays. We found the shop with the boat company's sticker in the window and bought our tickets. It cost about £5.50 each, the man in the shop pointed out to the jetty so we went over to wait. The large boat that was there sailed off and another large wooden schooner sailed up, we showed our ticket and were waved aboard by the crew in their starched white uniforms. We waited for the other passengers to arrive but, once we were settled the boat set off, on a three hour cruise round the bay, over to Niteroi, under the eleven mile long Rio to Niteroi bridge and eventually back to Gloria. All this just for the two of us! We felt really important with this lovely 70 foot boat, all to ourselves; anywhere else it would have been cancelled through lack of interest. When we left the boat,
We then took a ride on the old Santa Teresa tram, old being the word. The rickety wooden trams career at full speed along the middle of the road, up hill into the district of Santa Teresa; the bruises last a lot longer than the ride! It costs only pence to sit inside the tram, but locals can ride for free if they jump onto the running boards and just hang on - you only pay for the privilege of sitting down. When we had left the tram, we walked back through the centre to Praca 15 to see some more of the historical buildings and sit with a cold drink while we watched the Niteroi ferries coming and going. Then we got a taxi back to the hotel.
On Wednesday we had a lazy day, we got the City Rio bus to Sugar Loaf then changed to a different route and did the full circuit before changing again to do the third route round Barra. It took us all day to do all three routes, getting off now and then to look at things or to have something to eat or drink, but at least we knew that we had seen everything of importance and the guide books that you get on the buses are very informative about the places along the route and those just off the route but which are worth seeing. When we got back to the hotel we changed into our Swim suits and collected beach towels from the hotel and headed to the beach for some sun and rest. This is where the hotel really came into its own as they had a stand on the beach with uniformed life guards who , as soon as they saw us approaching with hotel towels, put sun lounger's for us and once we were settled , kept us supplied with cold water and fresh fruit kebabs. You do not really need to visit the shops in Rio, if you sit on the beach the shops come to you, as people selling everything that you can think of make their living on the beaches. Having said this, there is no hard sell, if you say no or just do not look at them they do not hassle you they just carry on, here you can buy T-shirts, sun glasses, sun tan lotion, hats, sarongs, as well as all manner of food and drink - the lazy way to shop.
Thursday, and after breakfast we took a hotel taxi to The Maracana Stadium. It may be past its best now, but it is still an amazing place. Our driver took us right into the stadium car park and then into the ground itself going up six floors in the lift to come out at the top of the stadium looking out over the pitch - a wonderful, experience for anyone, especially someone who likes football as I do. We spent some time soaking up the atmosphere , before our driver took us down again and into the changing rooms, the training rooms and into the tunnel, our most expensive trip so far but definitely worth it. We then returned to the hotel via The Sambadrome, the large concrete grandstands built for the Carnival - probably a lot more impressive when filled with people.
When we got back to the hotel, we changed back into our shorts then walked through the tunnel just down the main road at the side of our hotel to go shopping in one of the large shopping centres before having lunch at one of the sea front kiosks, changing into our cossies again and spending the afternoon on the beach, then doing some more shopping in the evening including buying the cachaca to bring home with us.
Friday morning we again caught a City Rio bus round to Corcovado and started to walk up the mountain. We walked for an hour and a half, enjoying some wonderful views of the statue and of Rio, but it was very hot and the road was quite steep. So we turned round and came back down; we had not intended to walk to the top, but we had just wanted to experience the Tijuca forest on foot instead of on a train.
We got back on the bus and got off again at the opposite end or Copacobana to our hotel, we had some lunch then gently strolled back along the beach. We sat on the front for a while watching the boats and also a submarine making its way into the bay. Another fairly lazy day really.
Saturday morning we asked the Concierge if he could book us a Jeep Tour for that afternoon, and we spent the morning relaxing on the beach. After lunch, we were collected from the hotel and taken on a three and a half hour trip, well into the Tijuca Forest - the real forest. We saw waterfalls, bananas growing, toucans flying around and heard many other birds. The only (very poisonous) snake we saw had been run over but we could still see its vibrant colours, the trip included a walk in the heart of the forest where we saw yet more exotic plants. We ended up at The Chinese Viewpoint, one of only two places in Rio where you can see Corcovado and Sugar Loaf at the same time, as you can imagine, this view is breathtaking. All through our afternoon, our jeep driver had been asking other drivers what the score was in the second leg of the football final which was being played that afternoon. It was a 1-1 draw which meant that Flamengo won on aggregate - so we knew that there would be more celebrations that night. Back at the hote,l we put the television on and, instead of watching CNN as usua,l we found a local channel that was covering the football. The trophy was enormous and for some reason they were displaying three of them. We went out for our meal and everyone was wearing their red and black football shirts and scarves, there were the usual car horns and fire crackers then, all of a sudden, there appeared to be some sort of parade and the team came along riding on the top of a fire engine displaying all the trophies! It was certainly an experience to be there.
Sunday was our last day so we spent the morning doing some last minute shopping then after packing the cases we spent the afternoon by the hotel pool - on the fourth floor , with a lovely view over to the beach. We left at 5 p.m. for our overnight flight back to Heathrow.
My impressions? Rio is a wonderful city with everything to offer, beaches. historical buildings, amazing scenery, gardens, parks, shops and markets. We were warned before we went not to take jewellery or to flash our cameras due to the high unemployment and the poverty. Also we were told not to go out at night and not to walk through the tunnels. We did not feel threatened at all throughout our stay; we went out every night on foot and we walked through the tunnel nearest to out hotel several times, but only during the day. Yes, we saw a lot of poverty - many people sleep on the beach or even on the pavements, but we did not feel intimidated or insecure at all; everyone was very friendly even if they did not speak English. I think that they know that tourism is the way forward and that it can bring money into the city, so it is encouraged. We could not fault our hotel and how Kuoni did it for the money we paid I do not know. But I would criticise our contact there - we were met at the airport by the 'rep's' brother who told us that his friend would take us to our hotel and that our rep would let us have some maps and information. It was four days before this info was delivered to the hotel by which time we had seen the major sights and were managing to get around quite well on our own. Our rep then telephoned a couple of days later to check that we were all right and to let us know what time he would be collecting us to take us back to the airport . It was when he collected us to come home that we met him for the first and only time. We did not mind too much because we are used to travelling independently and like to do our own thing. Someone who had perhaps always dreamed of going to Rio, but was not a very experienced traveller, may well have felt let down and rather abandoned; but this is my only criticism. I would recommend going to Rio to anyone and go in June when the temperature is so nice; it would be far too hot for me in their summer, although I would love to back one day to see The Carnival.
First published in VISA issue 40 (spring 2001).
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