‘Tall and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking…’ Tom Jobim, composer
Rio de Janeiro! The captain has told us he’s opening up the bow to passengers as we sail into Rio this morning. I am up and heading out to the bow at 5:30 AM. In spite of the time, David is up early and right behind me. If he hasn’t earned sainthood yet, he’s awfully close. The sight is worth getting up for. Scarves of mist trail through valleys and across islands. Sugarloaf Mountain is the first iconic landmark to show distinctly in the distance. As we get closer, Christ the Redeemer stands out on top of Corcovado.
Rio is breathtakingly beautiful. The bay is big, and complex. Inside the narrow entrance it widens into a huge body of water, with channels like tributaries running off into valleys. The Portuguese explorers mistook the bay for the delta of a great river, hence the name Rio de Janeiro, River of January.
I’ve been told that seven million people live in the city and it’s suburbs, but it is not the solid mass of buildings I was expecting. All around the bay there is indeed buildings as far as the eye can see. Instead of forming a solid, gigantic mat, the masses of buildings follow the contours of the valleys. Although some poorer areas are built precariously up some slopes, there are steep hills of green jungle, large and small, thrusting up everywhere. It looks like a world of pristine islands rising above a delta of white foam. Where land meets sea, either sheer rock rises from crashing waves, or wide ribbons of soft golden sand, some short, some long, beckon you to the beach. This may is easily the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen.
At last we dock, the ship is cleared, and we’re free to head off. For our last stop in Brazil, we have another DoBrazilRight tour. This is a full ten hour tour, covering the Sugarloaf, Christ the Redeemer, a city tour, time at each of two famous beaches, and a leisurely lunch at a traditional Brazilian restaurant on the waterfront. Most people have chosen the two day tour, covering the same ground in shorter intervals spread over two days. We prefer to spend a full day on the big picture, and save the second day for exploring on our own.
As we tour the city, the architecture is amazing. Brazil does not believe in boring. While there are some historic buildings here, other than church or government buildings most are more modern. I also notice that the Christ statue on Corcovado appears everywhere: over the tops of houses, down the opening of a cross street, through the trees of a city park. It reminds me of Taipei 101 in Taiwan: every time you think it’s behind you, it pops up in front of you again.
We take the two stage cable car to the top of Sugarloaf, a tall peak of rock guarding the harbour entrance. The views are fabulous. Even more exciting, there is a stand selling Pão de Queijo, the little Brazilian cheese bread I’ve been searching for. Soft, warm, and chewy, it’s made of tapioca flour and cheese. They’re celiac friendly and delicious! We notice that the crowds we expected to see on Sunday of a major holiday weekend aren’t here. Nothing is busy, and there’s space, glorious space, even at a major attraction!
Now it’s time for lunch, which is included in the tour price. We are taken to Fogo de Chau, a Brazilian charcuterie restaurant on the waterfront of Guanabara Bay with views of beach and city. Lunch is delicious, and plentiful, as servers come one after another with big skewers of yet another BBQ’d meat, which they carve onto your plate. Oh, and baskets with crispy polenta sticks and yet more pão de queijo. I may be in heaven.
Eventually, we waddle to the bus and resume the tour. Next stop is the train up to Corcovado, Christ the Redeemer. Here the crowds of the holiday weekend finally appear. The statue is impressive, but the sheer crush of humanity is daunting. A huge number have their backs to the statue, or the view, at all times, taking selfies with the landmark of the day somewhere behind their right ear. Some have heard that you get a slightly better angle up at the statue if you lie on your back to take the shot. They may not have heard this works better when it’s not so crowded there. I hope that somewhere in the dozens of crotch shots of strangers there’s one of Christ peering at them over someone’s elbow. There should be some reward for their trouble.
Like everywhere else today, I have taken at least a brazillion pictures, and the camera battery finally dies. Back on the bus, David produces the battery pack and charger cord he put in the bag, just in case. I told you he was short listed for sainthood.
Now we explore some of Rio’s old and fascinating neighbourhoods, including Ipanema. Then we stop at the beach there, famous the world over, for free time. A storm is passing far to the south, and has sent huge waves this way. Maybe because of the look of the waves, or maybe because of the red ‘high risk’ flags on the beach, I am the only one of our group to take off shoes as socks and head into the surf to wade.
And this is why, for a shining moment in time, I am know as The Girl From Ipanema to a small group of tourists on a bus in Rio de Janeiro. And so I cross off a bucket list item I didn’t even know was there.
Our final stop is Copacabana Beach. Once again, my inner water spaniel sends me into the water. The waves are smaller here than at Ipanema, but surprisingly cold. The current here comes from the south, and this side of the equator, south means colder, not warmer. I tend to forget that. The day is fading, and as I expect the many vendors to start packing up, instead more appear and set up stalls. I guess for some, life on the beach begins at dusk.
As the sun sets behind Corcovado in the distance, we climb back on the bus and head home to the Amsterdam. We are here overnight, and can watch the city lights come up around us. Tomorrow we will still be here, and head out on our own for Rio, part 2. See you then!
Senses of Today: The sight of Corcovado, Christ the Redeemer, glimpsed from everywhere we went. The sound of young men playing drums on Copacabana Beach. The feel of the sugary texture of the sand at Ipanema Beach. The smell of hot green jungle rising up the slopes of Sugarloaf. The taste of Pão de Queijo, Brazilian cheese bread, at the bakery stand on Sugarloaf.
Today’s Tip: Seize the day. Especially when you travel, you have the chance to do things you may never get again. Watch the sun rise, or set, behind an iconic landmark. Walk barefoot in the sand and surf of a world famous beach. Have your picture taken with the dancers in exotic local costumes. Don’t let everything that could make today memorable slip away.
A Passport in my Parasol 