I got to Rio de Janeiro after 14 hours of flying and connecting at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris which was trouble free with no bags going missing which is great. On the reception desk of my hotel there were alot of advertisements for tours so I took a leaflet to decide where I wanted to go.
The first tour I picked was to the Maracana Stadium to watch a football match between Vasco de Gama and Fluminese. The Maracana Stadium is one of the biggest in the World and it will be hosting the 2014 World Cup Final. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric with people with flags, banners and flares. The supporters threw rubbish down from the top of the stands if they didn't like a referees decision but there were no fighting between fans. Fluminese looked the best team and won 2 -1. After the game we took the tour bus to our own hotels.
The second tour was a day around Rio which was basically showing you all the sights of Rio in a day. I got picked up at 8am from my hotel and taken past the Copacabana beach to Sao Conrado beach which once had lots of hotels on the front. Now there is only one due to the drug warfare in Rio de Janeiro, all the rest closed down. Next we went up and through Barra da Tijuca which is where the nice neighbourhoods, in Rio de Janeiro. We then went through the Tijuca forest where there is animals, greenery and tranquility. As well as that you can see through the trees and get a fantastic view of Rio de Janeiro. After that we went up Mount Corcovado where at the top stands one of the most famous statues in the World which is the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue. A cloud seemed to sit on the mountain so we could see nothing looking down which was disappointing but seeing the statue was enough. After that we went for our dinner which was provided with the tour and was a very nice all you eat buffet. Next we went to Sugar Loaf Mountain and took the cable car to the top. The only bad thing was the same as Mount Corvacado and the cloud was sitting on the top. We got a glimpse of the Copacabana beach but that was it. After that we went to downtown Rio de Janeiro and saw the Teatro Municipal and the Candelaria. We also saw some favelas which are the main residential areas and probably the poorest areas of the city. In some favelas there is a problem with drugs and the police pay money for peace on the streetsas it can be like a war zone at times.
For the rest of the week I relaxed on the Copacabana beach, went around various shops and had a massage. Rio de Janeiro was very nice with it being sunny and not as dangerous as you read on the internet and in books. Not many people speak English but the people are friendly and willl try to understand hand movements or show you pictures to point at.
Next stop will be Amsterdam for the day.
Take care.
Robert
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