After landing, I grabbed a registered taxi and set off for a hostel I found in Clare's lonely planet the day I left La Paz. I didn't have any reservation much like most of my adventure, which was a fairly nerve racking experience at night in one of the worlds most dangerous cities. So dangerous, the taxi driver wouldn't stop at traffic lights as to avoid being car jacked. (I later discovered that people on the street charge parkers to watch their car to make sure nobody steals or damages it.) Thankfully, there was room at the hostel and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
My first full day in Rio was rather upsetting as I got the news of the passing of my grandma. I will miss the funeral but I was able to say my goodbyes before leaving Australia. Reality still hasn't sunk in and I don't think it will until I return home. I'll miss you Gre.
The rest of my afternoon was spent on one of the world's most famous beaches, Copacabana Beach. The skimpy bathers are evident straight away, however, most of the time it is unwanted as fat and/or old people show too much. Although, there is the odd bit of eye candy for everyone.
On the 8th, I went for a walk to the adjacent and Ipanema Beach. Since it's Easter, the beaches are packed with holiday-makers and locals. There shore breaks are as heavy or heavier than Boomers in Victor Habour. I stopped to watch people getting slammed by the massive closeouts.
In the evening, I finally managed to see my first South American soccer match... and it was a big game between the Flamingos and America. Maracana Stadium is supposedly the biggest stadium in the world, holding 120,000 fans. Apparently, they have crammed 180,000 sardines into some finals. This all sounds impressive but I would say the MCG is much more impressive. It doesn't make sense to me cause a soccer field is smaller and Maracana only had two levels whereas the 'G' has 3 or 4 around most of the ground. Maybe they can fit more people because the Brazzilans are smaller people (or Australians are fatter - depending on your viewpoint).
The game was organised by the hostel where I met 2 Norweigen girls and a Swedish girl. Unfortunately, it rained for half the game and there were only a few thousand people in the crowd. For the record, Flamingos won 4-1.
If there is one symbol of Brazil, it's the Statue of the Christ Redeemer on Corovado Hill. Today was my chance to visit, so I caught a bus to the bottom of the hill. When I got off to catch the train, a guy convinced me and another guy from Vancouver (now living in Sao Paulo), Maz, to catch a private car up the hill. It was cheaper, quicker and we got an extra stop for photo opportunities.
The views at the top are spectacular. I later discovered that Rio's coastline and bay is on Wikepedia's 7 tourist wonders of the world. It is certainly the best view of a city I've ever seen, even after seeing most of Europe. We spent a few hours admiring the view and got the typical tourist photos. Maz was kind enough to take a few snaps on his digital camera and emailed them to me.
I had ideas of going to sugar loaf but the afternoon brought more rain and I couldn't see how the view could be any better than what I'd already seen. Instead, Maz and I found a traditional Brazillian meal consisting of rice, chips, meat and beans.
Back at the hostel, I ran into the girls from the soccer who were going to a samba dancing club, so I made a spur of the moment decision to join. The tunes were OK but I couldn't understand a word of the Portugese. The dancing seemed to be simply feet shuffling but everyone was really getting into it and enjoying themselves most importantly. Again, we tried to kick on but there wasn't much open being Easter.
Just like when I got on the ferry for Mykonos, my luck wasn't working for a spot of hang-gliding over the bay of Rio. I'd even paid for it and was ready to fly but the winds weren't strong enough so a refund was given. Maybe next time...
I spent my last few hours walking down the deserted Copacabana Beach. Easter was finished and everyone was back at work. I was ready to leave Brazil and see our brilliant cricket team in action at the world cup!
According to a world survey, Brazillian people are the happiest in the world. However, in my experience I didn't see as many smiles as I would expect from the happiest country in the world. Also, poverty seems to be a bigger problem than Australia with the majority of Brazillians continually struggling to earn a living.
Return rating: 8
Well, that's it for South America... for now. I didn't have time to see Igausu Falls (despite popular belief it's much bigger and impressive than both Niagra and Victoria Falls), Buenos Aires and the Galapogas (seemingly something that can be done in my senior years). Next time I hope to be able to speak some Spanish or Portugese.
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