O Cristo Redentor

Every great city has an iconic central monument. New York has the Statue of Liberty, Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Wellington has nothing in particular. The Bucket Fountain maybe. Rio, of course, has its statue of Christ redeeming us.

The statute sits atop a 700m hill, which Eyob and I wanted to climb. Louis decided that, between that and the NZ $20 entrance fee, he'd rather go to the gym. Ok then.

The climb itself takes about 1.5 hours. The trail is known for its armed robberies (you are trekking through deserted jungle) so we had to sign a liability waiver at the gate. Eyob insisted I take point and walk in front.

There was the usual gaggle of tourists at the top (they took buses up), all speaking different languages. More like we'd climbed the Tower of Babel than anything. Long queues for tickets but they were only NZ $12, a pleasant surprise. Quite often the information others give us here is somewhat awry.

Statue was impressive, awe-inspiring etc. etc. but I really enjoyed the climb more. A good challenge in the heat. There is a hill you can climb for free right across ('Dos Imanos' - Two Brothers) which has views just as nice without the crowds.

ALSO: As commented, we (I, that is) had some stuff stolen on NYE. I was left looking after our stuff as the others went for a midnight swim. The thief's accomplice comes up and taps me on the shoulder asking for a 'fuego' (cigarette light). 'No tengo' I respond (I don't have one). She persists, forcing me to turn around and repeat more forcefully. She gives up after a few goes and disappears into the crowds. I look down and $80 NZ worth of our stuff (mostly cash) is gone. The only consolation to my stupidity is that no phones were lost.

Pics: (1) The man himself; (2) We were warned; (3) The view of Rio as we climbed; (4) Atop.Read more