Rio de Janeiro
Contagious joy and wonderful scenery
We decided to celebrate my birthday by treating ourselves to a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's forever iconic destination.
We had bought a package on Despegar, falling into the temptation of the good price. Big mistake. The company offers lousy customer service and in case of a problem they do not take care of anything.
What happened?
When we arrived at the property at two in the morning, we were told that our booking was cancelled, so we were not allowed to check in unless we paid for the night. No communication line indicated on the website was available. We then had to resolve the situation on our own, paying the regular rate to be able to access a room and try to get some rest. The next day, actually since 6 am, the insistence with which we had to try to find a solution was indescribable. After a long pilgrimage of calls and a timely message on X-Twitter, the reservation was confirmed, late in the afternoon of the unlucky day of my birthday.
Reminder: cheap is expensive and these wholesale websites become very unreliable at the slightest inconvenience.
Once the bad time was over, our Carioca vacations in beautiful Rio began.
The chosen accommodation was the Hotel Nacional. The selection of the lodging had its reason. The building is the work of the enormous Oscar Niemeyer, whose architecture we admired so much during our trip to Brasilia. It was declared Historical and Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Its gardens were designed by Burle Marx, Brazil's star landscape designer, who combined native species of Brazilian flora with elements of modernist design. In addition, in the entrance hall there is an immense light installation by the artist Paulo Correa de Araújo, twelve meters long, made of machê paper, which simulates the scales of a mermaid.
Next to the bar, a mural of more than twenty meters, the “Painel de Carybé”, by the Argentinean Hector Páride, Carybé, who left so many traces in our native Salta. It consists of several concrete pieces that represent the life of the “retirantes nordestinos”, a sample of the culture of the Brazilian people.
The pool area, with a fantastic view of the sea, is also outstanding. There you can see the very feminine bronze sculpture “A Sereia”, by the artist Alfredo Ceschiatti, of course, also in modernist style.
The hotel is located right in front of São Conrado beach, which we did not hesitate to enjoy, under the parasol, sitting on the deck chairs provided by the hotel's beach service.
During our stay, two cloudy days were foreseen. Therefore, we decided to dedicate a day to visit the Barra Shopping and the Decatlhon store.
For the next day, we decided to take a tour to Petrópolis. The imperial city, located about 70 kms. from Rio de Janeiro, in the high part of Serra da Estrela.
There Pedro II had his palace built, which served as the summer residence of the imperial family, hence the name of the city, that is the union of the words Petro (Pedro) and Polis (city).
We toured the Imperial Palace inside and outside, which currently houses the Imperial Museum.
We then continued on to the neo-Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter of Alcantara, which houses a mausoleum with the remains of Peter II and Doña Teresa Cristina and a short walk through the Crystal Palace.
The tour suggested a stop for a buffet lunch. We decided to skip it and chose a delicious Brazilian coffee at the traditional bar Casa D'Angelo.
We loved the proposal of the Brewery Experience Center, in the historic Complexo Bohemia, the old brewery that gave birth to the Brazilian power in malt and hops.
The copper stills and the lively tour stand out, while tasting the different beers.
Before returning, we stopped at the last home of the colossal Alberto Santos Dumont, the father of aviation, and then in front of the Quitandinha Palace, to appreciate the architecture of what was once a luxury resort where - in other times - the largest casino in South America operated.
We returned late at night, crossing the city and its famous neighborhoods, first Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon until we reached São Conrado. We had booked the hotel on a half-board basis, so we enjoyed dinner and got ready to rest. The hotel restaurant offers a varied gastronomic proposal and, although it is the buffet system, of which we are not very fond, we did recognize the quality and diversity of the dishes.
The next day, we decided to get up early to make a tour on our own of the main downtown attractions of the city.
First, in fact, we started at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Niteroi.
An extensive Uber ride took us to this unmissable iconic piece, crossing the city, its port and the mythical bridge. The city of Niterói is located on the other side of the Guanabara Bay, crossing the Presidente Costa e Silva Bridge, so during the tour we enjoyed the extraordinary views.
The museum was designed, of course, by Niemeyer, so obviously the flower-like structure and serpentine-shaped entrance walkway in crimson red is stunning against the immaculate white figure of the building. From there, the Sugar Loaf can be seen majestically.
It does not have a permanent collection, so it is better to check the temporary exhibition that is proposed. We decided not to enter, as we were not tempted by the current exhibition at that time and wanted to make the most of our time there.
After being enraptured by the imposing design of the museum, we took another Uber to Etnias, a mural of three thousand square meters by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra, dating from 2016, the year in which the Olympic Games were held in the city. It is then located on Rio de Janeiro's Olympic Boulevard, in the port area. The work refers to the diversity of the peoples of the continents.
From there, a short walk to Valongo. This is the old pier from 1811, also located in the port area, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco for being the only material vestige of the arrival of enslaved Africans to America, their disembarkation and trade.
Then, we headed to Pedra do Sal, in the Saúde neighborhood, one of the original “quilombos”. Tradition has it that this is where samba was born. Nowadays, on Mondays there are lively open-air concerts.
Nearby, it is worth a quick visit to the Escadaria da Rua Eduardo Jansen, in the Morro da Conceição, the small stairway with the Brazilian flag painted on it.
Just a few blocks away is the Museum of Art of Rio - MAR. There are two buildings, one modernist and the other classic (the Palacete Dom João VI), interrelated.
Just across the street, almost over the sea on the Maua Pier, the Museum of Tomorrow -Museu do Amanhã- is dazzling. Designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, it stands out mainly for its design, although the exhibition is very entertaining, especially for children, as it mixes urban life with environmental awareness, with the idea that tomorrow is to be built by all of us. In fact, it has innovative systems to reduce energy consumption, in line with the museum's mission.
On our way out, we decided to take a walk trying to take in the main historical buildings of the city. Thus, we passed by the Imperial Palace, of baroque style, located in the XV de Novembro Square, from the 18th century, which served as the residence of the governors of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro. Today it is a cultural center. Then, we continued to the Tiradentes Palace, a public monument of neoclassical style, seat of the Legislative Assembly of the State. A stop at the emblematic Colombo, cafeteria, founded in 1894, is one of the main tourist attractions downtown. Entering it allows you to imagine what the Belle Époque was like in the then capital of the Republic. From the top floor, you can see the imposing tea room and the beautiful stained glass windows up close.
The Royal Portuguese Reading Cabinet, the library and cultural center of Rio de Janeiro, with its ornate and Instagrammable interior, awaited us.
It was built between 1880 and 1887 in neo-Manueline style, evoking the exuberant Gothic-Renaissance style of the Portuguese discovery period, known as Manueline in Portugal because it coincided with the reign of Manuel I of Portugal (1495-1521). The ceiling of the Reading Room has a chandelier and a skylight in an iron structure that is a marvel.
A few blocks away is another example of amazing architecture, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, officially the Cathedral of Saint Sebastian of Río de Janeiro. It has a conical, pyramid-like layout and giant stained glass windows that project the Greek cross from the ceiling to the floor.
The sun was beginning to set, as we went during the carioca winter, so around 6 pm it was getting dark and we hurried to get to the Aqueduto da Carioca, known as the Arcos da Lapa, built during the colonial period, is a symbol of the city. The aqueduct connects the morro do Desterro (current morro de Santa Teresa) and the morro de Santo Antônio and was built in 1750.
Although we knew that we had to be cautious throughout the downtown area to avoid inconveniences, it was at the aqueduct that we felt the least safe. Nothing happened, but we recommend: be alert and very cautious. There are many people in street situations in the vicinity.
Finally, we went to the famous Escalera de Selarón, located in the Santa Teresa neighborhood, next to the convent of the same name. Its striking decoration made it fashionable in social networks so the number of people in the area is fatal. Luckily as in our case we arrived almost at the end of the afternoon and it was not so bad.
The Chilean plastic artist Jorge Selarón started in 1990 the covering of the staircase with tiles from all over the world. It has 125 meters and 215 steps and is completely covered with ceramic pieces of different colors, sizes and shapes. The story goes that on January 10, 2013 Jorge Selarón was found lifeless on the staircase he created.
The following days were pure sunshine so we took advantage of the beach and the sea breeze, enjoying everything that happens there, the street vendors, super entertaining, the stallholders of the richest caipirinhas, the locals and their customs. A lot of fun.
Some time ago we were in Playa del Carmen and we had a great time in those hyper white sands and turquoise waters, but we must admit that in Brazil there is a unique vibe, all of which is lived very intensely in its beaches.
However, we still had to visit other Carioca icons.
A must is to take the cable car up to the Sugar Loaf and its companion, the Morro da Urca.
The cable car was inaugurated in 1912.
From the top you get incredible views of the wonderful city.
The first line of the cable car, which connects Praia Vermelha with Morro da Urca, reaches up to 227 meters above sea level. Then, another 750 meters separate Morro da Urca from Sugarloaf Mountain, which has a total height of 396 meters.
Another plan we had in mind was to visit the Corcovado and combine it with the Henrique Lage Park, but we hesitated because of the crowds we knew there would be. One variant is to access by the classic train through the jungle and the other is via mini buses that go up the hill. But Mr. @tripticity_ decided to give us a spectacular aerial view of Christ and the whole city, very unique. He hired a helicopter ride of almost half an hour. We were told to be half an hour before at the Bar do Golfe, a golf course from where it departed in the neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca. A golf cart drove us to the heliport, we got in and left for a flight over the mythical beaches of the city, passing by Barra, São Conrado - in front of our hotel -, Ipanema, Leblon and Copacabana. We also saw the Gavea rock, the Dos Hermanos mountain and the Vidigal favela. A panoramic view of the Sugar Loaf followed and then we entered the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon on our way to one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, the gigantic Christ the Redeemer, the enormous thirty-meter statue.
The experience of flying in a helicopter is extraordinary and in a city as beautiful as Rio de Janeiro, where nature is so imposing between the sea and its hills, it is even more enjoyable.
Another tour we really wanted to experience was the one that allows us to experience a favela. We had inquired ahead of time about some tours offered by local guides but that involved part of the tour on a motorcycle. That made us a little uneasy. So we found the option of a walking tour from the GuruWalk app that we decided to book. First, early in the morning the person in charge of the tour changed the time of it, to which we agreed, and then, when we got into the Uber that should take us to the meeting point to start it, the driver told us that he could not take that trip because he was not going to be allowed to enter the favela. We insisted but there was no case. We called the guide offering the tour who told us otherwise. In the end, the time was over and we could not do it.
We crossed disenchanted to the beach bar of the hotel to have a beer and change the mood of frustration of not having been able to fulfill the tour. It was there that we met Eric, the waiter who brought us the chop glasses. With my extroverted personality, in a short while we were talking to Eric in perfect Portuguese. Without hesitation he told us that he was born and lived in Rocinha and that he was offering to take us on the tour. We agreed on the price and time for the next day. It was to be at sunset, when he got off work. It just happened to be a Friday so when we started the tour walking to the starting point of the favela the crowd was tremendous. The market that operates there for street vendors was in full swing. Upon arrival, Eric made each of us get into a motorcycle cab, which started and began to quickly climb the zigzagging main access artery, amid mini buses, cars, motorcycles and people getting on and off. The journey was one of the most adrenaline-filled experiences we have ever had; we felt that a collision was about to happen at every edge, at every bend in the road. When we reached the summit, the sun had already set and the sky was tinged with beautiful pink and violet tones. From that point we could see the Christ, the lagoon, the beaches of Ipanema and Leblon. Eric wanted to treat us to his “cigarette of flowers”, we thanked him without accepting, he sat on the railing of the lookout and began to tell us about his life, about what it was like to grow up in the favela and what it is like to live there. About the “bocas de expendio”, about the “bandits” as he called them. Then we started to go down and into the passageways and stairways, the ones he knew like the back of his hand, into the areas where strangers are allowed. We passed by the market in the main artery of what was for years the largest favela in Brazil, followed by stops at other viewpoints and @tripticity_’s favorite, the murals. The street art in the favela is fabulous. We felt safe all the time walking alongside the tall and handsome Eric, the young light-eyed blond guy with an athletic body, but always recognizing us as outsiders. Although we didn't see any suspicious looks, weapons or conflicts, and everything happened very naturally, the experience was an energetic shock. We felt very much alive, like explorers!
Guided tours of Rocinha and Vidigal, the neighboring favela, are gaining notoriety, so we were glad to have done so when the authentic is still preserved and, above all, on the night of a busy Friday, when the locals were returning home or preparing to go out for a night of revelry. After the circuit, Eric whistled at a passing motorcycle cab, decided who would get on which motorcycle and sent us on our way. After a while we noticed that he was on another motorcycle cab, as he was going to accompany us back to the hotel. A gentleman! A carioca par excellence, friendly and smiling.
During dinner we did not stop celebrating for having encouraged us to make the visit that way, for being safe and sound after so much zigzagging and for being together, enjoying the adventures that @tripticity_ encourages us to live.
On the last day, we rested on the beach, drinking a delicious morango caipirinha and a kiwi caipirinha. At sunset we went up to Masi, the Japanese restaurant on the top floor of the Hotel Nacional to say goodbye to the city with a panoramic view of its sea, its morros and its Rocinha, a perfect synthesis of our days there.
Early the next morning a van picked us up for a one-hour ride to the huge Galeão International Airport to take the plane back to Salta, our home.