Rio de Janeiro I - So Much To See/Do

Many travelers that I met in Brazil told me that Rio is absolutely amazing. This obviously pushed my expectations to a very high level and as l was driving into Rio, I was wondering if I would have the same experience as them.

It certainly started well, as when I arrived a few people from the hostel asked me if I wanted to go to a football game in the famous Maracana stadium (the same in which Germany won the 2014 World Cup). Hell yeah, even though I only had 20 minutes to change and pack away my stuff. While the game (low quality football) and the stadium itself was a bit underwhelming, the aura of the stadium and atmosphere made it worth going.

The next day, our hostel was organising a hike to the Dois Irmaos - basically twin peaks that offer stunning views over Ipanema Beach and wider Rio. To get to the starting point of the hike, though, we had to hire Mototaxis to drive through a Favela. It was all fine and didn't look sketchy to be honest, but we were told to definitely not walk through it.

The hike itself wasn't tough, but the heat and humidity made it an exhausting exercise. However, once we were at the top, the views were stunning - blue skies, Ipanema beach unfolding in front of us, my first glimpse of Christ The Redeemer on another hill to my left and the Sugarloaf Mountain rising from the harbour in the distance. It was a really cool place to get a birds-eye view over the city.

In the afternoon, it was time to chill on Ipanema Beach, which was an experience in itself. It was busy but not too crowded, and vendors selling everything from ice cream, shrimps, caipirinha, halloumi cheese, bikinis, and lemonade were passing by and offering their products. But in a very nice and laid back atmosphere - Brazil-style I guess.

In the evening/night, we went to Pedro do Sal, which is supposedly the birthplace of Samba.
It was a Monday night, but the streets on which the loud music was playing was packed with people - I wondered if Rio would be open for business the next day. I had a great time partying on the streets of Rio and only got back to bed at around 4am.

Then it was time to see Rio again from the top, but this time from a helicopter. And to make matters more exciting, one that did not have doors, so we could swing our legs outside when we were over the Jesus statue and at the crossing point of Copacabana and Ipanema Beach. It was such a cool and exciting experience - in particular being above Christ The Redeemer. It felt a bit strange at the beginning flying without doors, but I got used to it very quickly and sitting next to the pilot again, I could enjoy the views pretty much the entire time.

The rest of the day was spent pretty much the same way as the day before. Relaxing on the beach in the afternoon and going out in the evening/night. I felt like this would be my modus operandi for Rio over the next few days.

The following morning, I went to see the Jesus statue with a few people from the hostel I met the days before. Christ The Redeemer - one of the Seven Wonders of the World and my fifth one. Also the most disappointing one, to be totally honest. Comparing it to for example Machu Picchu, the Colosseum, or Petra, the statue wasn't really a wonder of humankind to me. We stayed up there probably for 30 minutes or so, taking our time with pictures, but since it was quite crowded, we didn't unnecessarily linger there. Still, it is impressive once you stand in front of it and the location it was erected in is really beautiful as it overlooks the impressive Rio Harbor (one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World). Czytaj więcej