Thursday, October 27, 2005
South America Trip - Day 8 and 9 - Rio de Janeiro
First of all, thanks to all those that sent their birthday wishes through comments on the last blog post. Second we have uploaded our first batch of photos (sorry they are in alphabetical order by caption).
Day 8:
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
This is a lagoon that is popular in the weekend for almost all recreational activities including running, football, basketball, volleyball and pedal boats. What people don´t do is swim because the lagoon is polluted. On weekdays it seems to be populated with topless men working out and showing off their bodies.
Copacabana
Copacabana is the most famous beach in Rio. All along the shore front there are large hotels and appartment buildings. There is a bit of surf which put off Joy and Lou from swimming for a while but Lou went out into the waves with me and had a good time. When sitting on the beach you are constantly approached but people selling water, snacks, sun glasses, sarongs, deck chairs and umbrellas. They are not too bad and will move on once they realise you are there with locals.
Shopping mall
At the food court we introduced Servia to Mexican food. She had tacos and seemed to like them (although I am not sure if she was just being polite). Luiz enjoyed his burrito. It is interesting that Brazil is much closer to Mexico than NZ but they have not tried Mexican food before.
Pao de Açucar (Sugar loaf)
It was late afternoon by the time we reached the Sugar loaf and there was some cloud cover so it was not a good time to go up. We checked the prices for the gondola to the top. Instead we took a seat on the wall beside Praia Vermelha (Red beach) and enjoyed watching the locals fishing and looking at the view. Although Rio is a large city there are many hills and rocks around. When sitting on the beach you could imagine you are not sitting in a city at all.
Day 9:
Jardim Botânico (Botanical Gardens)
The garden has a large selection of tress from around the world including South America, Asia and Africa. It is quiet and pleasant to walk around but today it was 32 degrees and humid. In the past the gardens were the site of a gun powder factory (before the inevitable explosion).
Pao de Açucar gondola
The weather was clearer today so we took the gondola up to the Sugar Loaf. The gondola is in two stages. From the base station to the middle station then from the middle station to the top. The top is 390m high and aforeds a beautiful view of the South part (Zona Sul) of Rio. You can also see the other side of the harbor to Nicteroy.
Barra de Tijuca
In the evening we headed down to Barra de Tijuca. This is the most popular baech in Rio now. It is a new part of the city so the buildings are all flash and new. The beach is about as long as Copacabana but the waves are much bigger. Strolling along the beach side we stopped at a cafe and had coconut juice. These are not like the coconuts we get in NZ. They are young coconuts and so have more juice and less flesh. They have a subtle taste and a very refreshing. After you have finished the milk they are cut open and you eat the think filmy layer of flesh inside. A complete meal.
Day 8:
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
This is a lagoon that is popular in the weekend for almost all recreational activities including running, football, basketball, volleyball and pedal boats. What people don´t do is swim because the lagoon is polluted. On weekdays it seems to be populated with topless men working out and showing off their bodies.
Copacabana
Copacabana is the most famous beach in Rio. All along the shore front there are large hotels and appartment buildings. There is a bit of surf which put off Joy and Lou from swimming for a while but Lou went out into the waves with me and had a good time. When sitting on the beach you are constantly approached but people selling water, snacks, sun glasses, sarongs, deck chairs and umbrellas. They are not too bad and will move on once they realise you are there with locals.
Shopping mall
At the food court we introduced Servia to Mexican food. She had tacos and seemed to like them (although I am not sure if she was just being polite). Luiz enjoyed his burrito. It is interesting that Brazil is much closer to Mexico than NZ but they have not tried Mexican food before.
Pao de Açucar (Sugar loaf)
It was late afternoon by the time we reached the Sugar loaf and there was some cloud cover so it was not a good time to go up. We checked the prices for the gondola to the top. Instead we took a seat on the wall beside Praia Vermelha (Red beach) and enjoyed watching the locals fishing and looking at the view. Although Rio is a large city there are many hills and rocks around. When sitting on the beach you could imagine you are not sitting in a city at all.
Day 9:
Jardim Botânico (Botanical Gardens)
The garden has a large selection of tress from around the world including South America, Asia and Africa. It is quiet and pleasant to walk around but today it was 32 degrees and humid. In the past the gardens were the site of a gun powder factory (before the inevitable explosion).
Pao de Açucar gondola
The weather was clearer today so we took the gondola up to the Sugar Loaf. The gondola is in two stages. From the base station to the middle station then from the middle station to the top. The top is 390m high and aforeds a beautiful view of the South part (Zona Sul) of Rio. You can also see the other side of the harbor to Nicteroy.
Barra de Tijuca
In the evening we headed down to Barra de Tijuca. This is the most popular baech in Rio now. It is a new part of the city so the buildings are all flash and new. The beach is about as long as Copacabana but the waves are much bigger. Strolling along the beach side we stopped at a cafe and had coconut juice. These are not like the coconuts we get in NZ. They are young coconuts and so have more juice and less flesh. They have a subtle taste and a very refreshing. After you have finished the milk they are cut open and you eat the think filmy layer of flesh inside. A complete meal.
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