We were anxious as we landed in Rio, simply because of its reputation of being very dangerous due to armed robberies on the streets. So we had decided not to wear trinkets that may attract attention or use our larger cameras whilst sightseeing.
We also beforehand, arranged multiple day tours to see the sights and reduce the risks.
During our stay we travelled around within the city of Rio...
 |
| Rio city related day tours |
As you will also read within this post, we took a tour outside of Rio to a town called Petropolis...
Rio is a city of almost 7M people and consists of the good, the bad and the ugly.
The Good…
From a distance you see the beautiful Rio including its long white and famous beaches of Corcovado and Ipanema, usually packed with crowds of people enjoying them and showing off those little bikinis.
 |
| The locals and tourists enjoying the famous Copacabana Beach |
Then there are the large peaked mountains surrounding Rio’s large natural harbour and 2 of its most famous destinations, the 30m high, Christ the Redeemer statue, atop Corcovado hill...
 |
| It is impressive when you get up close |
 |
| Okay... we know but its the 'stock' pose when you visit this icon of Rio |
Sugarloaf Mountain reached via 2 cable car rides… both locations showing amazing views of this city.
 |
| The view from Sugarloaf Mountain and cable cars taking you there |
 |
| Sugarloaf Mountain and plane turning in front on way into land |
One of our tours took us about an hour out of the city into the mountains to a city called Petropolis that came into being after Brazil’s 2nd and last Emperor, Pedro II, built his beautiful summer palace there.
 |
| The summer palace of Pedro II |
There were many old colonial style buildings within the city and was home to a very famous early aviation inventor called Santos Dumont.
 |
| Some of the architecture around Petropolis |
The Brazilians claim Santos invented and flew the first plane in 1906, even though it was 3 years after the Wright brothers, because it took off and landed on wheels. Wrights plane took off from a rail line.
He is attributed as the principle driver for the creation and protection of the Iguassu Falls area and indicative of his personality, his house we visited was small, quirky and aimed entirely at being efficient as practical.
 |
| Stairs into Santos Dumont's home |
The Bad…
During the city tour using Rio’s excellent metro and walking, we saw Rio’s typically weathered face with most buildings, roads and footpaths requiring maintenance and attractions like the Carioca Aqueduct, finished in 1723 and the 141 yr old tram cars taking us higher to Santa Teresa all needing a spruce up.
 |
Carioca Aqueduct with tram crossing it the way we did to
get up to Santa Teresa |
Our local guide Juliana informed us whilst climbing the Selaron steps, that Rio is short of funds and she was scathing of Brazil’s new President and the corruption siphoning funds away from its people.
 |
| Section of the Selaron Steps |
The lack of funds is also why we saw many very heavily armed military personnel guarding popular parts of Rio, as Rio can’t afford to pay for enough police.
She also described how some of her clients from the previous day who had arrived into Rio that morning had been robbed of passports, cash, phones and cameras whilst out walking!
The Ugly…
Then we saw and heard about some of Rio’s darker sides with a day tour into one of Rio’s famous favelas or slums, in which ~22% of Rio’s population live.
We had originally booked to visit Rio’s largest favela but our guides would not take us there because it was too dangerous due to shootings and murders occurring after we arrived into Rio.
Immigrant construction workers brought in to develop Rio also built the favelas on the sides of the mountains around Rio because they couldn’t afford housing. The favelas are located very close to the wealthy areas of the city.
We started at the top of the favela with a local guide living in it and walked down through it to the bottom.
 |
| Standing at the top of the favela looking down it to the wealthy areas below |
It was fascinating and very interesting; whilst at the same time a little unnerving when meeting the favelas own armed sentries, employees of that favela’s drug lord.
Our group were sternly warned about not photographing certain things and when some of them forgot, they were soon yelled at. There were also a number of offers to buy marijuana as we progressed through it.
 |
| Inside the favela |
 |
| Creative building style in favela |
As we exited the favela, we walked amongst more very heavily armed police stationed outside it and observed multiple large bullet holes across the walls of the local school.
The other story making the news whilst we were visiting was of the young female activist councilwomen, Marielle Franco who was assassinated whilst in her car, allegedly for speaking out about too many things.
We learned during our tours why most of the motorcycles, of which there are many, have at least 1 antenna reaching above the head of the rider on the handlebars.
A fun pastime of the children is to play with kites, including rubbing a special resin onto the kites strong strings and impregnating the resin with small bits of glass.
They then do battle with each other, trying to cut each other’s string and claiming the others kite, but unfortunately at times, those tight impregnated strings have dropped low into the path of unsuspecting bike riders, causing some to be badly cut across their throats… or worse.
Would not want to leave you with the wrong impression of this city because it has an energy like few others, most of that energy coming from its people whom we found to be very warm, welcoming and keen to assist if they could.
 |
| Colour and vibrancy everywhere |
The vibrancy of the city is on show everywhere, including the last afternoon we walked down to Ipenema Beach to watch the sun setting over the water and mountains.
 |
| Its all about the beach |
A Brazilian band was belting out some great music on the beach whilst being filmed for a music video, surfers behind them and the declining red glow of the sun in the distance.
 |
| The rhythm was great to listen to |
You do have to be cautious and ever vigilant to the risk of robbery and heed the advice of locals of where not to walk and when BUT we both really enjoyed our time in this intriguing and exciting city.
 |
| Our final sunset over Ipenema Beach... great way to end our visit |
Next morning it was time to board a plane and head to the centre of Brazil in search of wildlife but until then... go well!
No comments:
Post a Comment