Day 5 - Rio, Copacabana, Ipanema, & Jardim Botanico

Good morning Rio! What shall we do today? Well, it’s been a very busy few days – so why not have a more relaxing day – wandering through Rio’s botanical gardens. We begin our trek down the lengthy Copacabana beach – crossing over to Ipanema beach, a thinner but oddly busier beach. Gently strolling down the soft sands and warm sidewalks we decided to ‘take our first coconut’. For the small sum of R$5 (about £1 at time of writing), the vendor chops open a fresh, green, coconut with a machete, sticking in a straw for your oral enjoyment. Very refreshing, and oddly satisfying – green coconut water/juice is gently flavoured and about half as sweet as a soft drink. Lolling along the sandy causeway, sipping on coconut, you couldn’t help but feel at peace. Rio is a very clean (very little litter) but very dirty (soot/sand/?) city – I often found myself rubbing mystery particles out of my eyes – so the gentle breeze, hot sun, and clean coconut combination, alongside the crystal clear water, was a nice change.

Passing by Ipanema beach on to Leblon beach (much quieter), we grew closer to the gardens. The botanical gardens (about 8km from where we started) was immediately a place of solace from the bustle of the Rio streets. Lush, green plants from all over the world encapsulate quite a large park – playing host to hundreds of flower and bird species. We enjoyed a walk through an Orchid nursery – as well as an area flaunting dozens of cactus species of every shape and size. The highlight of the gardens was watching tiny little humming birds darting around, presumably looking for their next meal.

We finished our walk in the gardens through a section on worldly medicinal plants (all signs in Portuguese unfortunately) and began our long trek home. Stopping for dinner in a little local pub(?) eating our last Rio meal – refreshing our weary feet – we reflect on our days in Rio. We both thoroughly enjoyed Rio – though – we both expected more colour. It’s a very grey city – which just didn’t gel with our preconceptions of what Rio (and our first taste of Latin America) would be like. We must have gone in expecting 24/7 Carnivale – and although we didn’t get it, still enjoyed the city. Next on the docket – is the small colonial town of Paraty (pronounced Pa-ra-chee). Stay tuned!

Day 3 - Tour of Rio de Janeiro

Bom dia a todos! As we pull our groggy, jet lagged bodies down 10 flights of stairs – we emerge into the noisy, hot streets of Rio. What guidebooks – and people – never told us, is that Rio is in a constant state of repair. The buildings, the roads, the sidewalks, random blocks of concrete – all broken and being mended in a continuous cycle of noise. Needless to say, wherever we went in Rio, there was always noise. Beach noise, construction noise, people shouting (Agua de doiche! Agua de doiche! or something to that effect), and cars honking. Be prepared. 

We exited our apartment and picked up some local baked goods that were ubiquitous in all the shops – cheesy, breaded meats and seafood. Cheap, satisfying, and salty. We hop on the metro – which consists of 2 lines – and head North to Carioca station. There, I grab a coffee (very nice – strong), and meet up with other travelers going on the Rio free walking tour (Rio - Free walker tours) [Which we highly recommend!]

Our tour was led by a well spoken Carioca (Rio local), who guided us along many of Rio’s most famous locations. The walk was a gentle 3 hours and was very informative. We walked through old cobbled streets, observing historical buildings – each told with their unique histories. One building was a restaurant for the aristocracy and presidents. Another, the palace of the first King of Brazil. Next, the home of famous entertainer Carmen Miranda. The House of Justice, the Municipal building for politicians, and the National Theatre. The aqueduct – now tourist train – and the Principal Cathedral. Finally, we finish on Rio’s famous steps – created from tiles donated from over 60 countries.

The group – consisting of German, Swiss, Austrian, Canadian, and British tourists, all stop for lunch together after the tour – dining in a local restaurant, eating typical meat and bean dishes. The group says their goodbyes and we stick with a Swiss couple, and a German tourist, all of whom have been touring South America for the past few months. We visit the large Cathedral – which was very pretty inside in a stark, unusual way. The building was designed in a way as to draw everyone together – looking up to the heavens.

We jump on to the little tourist train and ride up into Santa Theresa – which supposedly boasts a stunning 360° view. We couldn’t find this place. We did however, find a lookout point which proffered a beautiful view over the surrounding bay.

After a trek down from Santa Theresa (the train stops at 4pm) – we decided to watch the famous sunset of Ipanema and Leblon beaches at Arpoador. A gentle climb atop some well-worn rocks, on a small peninsula off Ipanema, we relax and watch as the sun strikingly sets before us.

We say Goodbye to our German traveler friend (his 2^nd last day of travels) and grab some nightcaps on Copacabana. The famous Rio drink – Caipirinha (lime, cachaça [sugar cane liquor], ice, and sugar) soothes our weary feet and we say goodnight to Rio once more.