Fellow adventurers,
Brazil. Finally. We spent 25 hours on a bus after being ferried over the border by a cab with an older French couple who was exploring the Brazilian side for the day. Goodbye Spanish speaking America, you will be greatly missed. I was just starting to get a handle on the language and now it is completely useless to us. The bus ride to Rio was one of the most difficult yet, and had us regretting taking the semi-cama option. Our bus was stopped several times along the way by the local, federal, and every other police in Brazil to check for drugs. The first stop netted a young women with a pound of weed in her baggage. The hours never seemed to end until we arrived yesterday in the Marvelous city, Rio de Janeiro.
We decided on staying in the neighborhood of Leme, just at the end of Copacabana beach. From the bus station we caught a local bus to Copacabana and hailed a cab for the rest of the short distance. Our hostel is at the bottom of a pacified 'favela', the Brazilian term for slum or ghetto. The road leading in is guarded 24/7 by a militarized patrol car, and overall, we have felt no real safety issues. On our first day we tried to rest and recover from some kind of cold that has been plaguing us for the last week or so, unfortunately to no avail.
Today we decided to try and at least see the famous Christ the Redeemer statue atop Corcovado in the middle of Rio. We had wanted to explore some of the beaches also, but our morning venture to the statue ended up taking the majority of our one and only day here in the city. We hopped on a bus which took us through the neighborhoods of Copacabana, Botofoga, and Flamengo before finally dropping us at the bottom of Corcovado. The site was packed full of tourists, and our tickets didn't end up being for nearly 2 hours after we had arrived. We wasted time in a nearby park, people watching and discussing the dynamics of Brazilian life before it was our turn to take the train to the top.
The train took us through a natural park, teeming with fruit trees, lush greenery, and even some monkeys. As we ascended to the top a band hopped on and serenaded everyone in the local stylings of the Samba. We finally arrived and hopped off making our way to the top, where we were met by hundreds of others wanting to see one of the 7 Man-made Wonders of the World. The third wonder we have seen, after Machu Picchu and the Colosseum. The statue itself was less impressive to me than the surrounding views which were fully encompassing and amazing. Though we did not have several more days to explore the city, we at least had a chance to view from a distance the sights of the Sugarloaf, Maracana, favelas, and the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema from the skies above Rio.
Tomorrow we fly to Belem, at the mouth the Amazon River. Our first and only goal is to find a boat for Wednesday that will take us down the river to Manaus, from where we have to make our way to Georgetown, Guyana for our flight home next weekend. The boat ride is a full five days of nothing but relaxing as we pass through one of the biggest ecosystems on the planet. Our four month journey is really winding down now and our emotions are very mixed. On one hand we feel relieved to be somewhere familiar and with those we know and love. On the other we are going to miss the continent which has taught us so much and tested us so firmly.
Return we will, to Old Brazil.
Gavin e June
3 comments:
Congratulations on making it through your bus-ride in one piece. I would have been un-nerved after getting boarded so many times for inspections. Brazil is really cracking down now because of Rio's upcoming summer olympics in 2016. It's pretty dangerous up in the hills. Your pictures are fantastic. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world...
Some quotes for you! (http://matadornetwork.com)
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” – Oscar Wilde
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung
“A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” – Jean de La Fontaine
“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.” – Douglas Adams
“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” – George Moore
Some big stadiums!! I can't imagine how rowdy Brazil must be - and the craziness that ensues around carnival and the soon to be summer olympics. John would most like to visit Brazil - because some of the best martial artists in the world are born and trained there. He would love to see some of their training camps while down there. Maybe we'll all return in the future!
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