Today was my third day in Rio de Janeiro and I went on a guided tour to see Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.
Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.
Today, Gail and I booked a guided tour to see the Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugarloaf Mountain. I was surprised when the tour took us to a few other places as well. This was my favourite day during my time in Rio de Janeiro. Visiting the Christ the Redeemer statue was my reason for going on this trip, and I have now been able to cross it off my bucket list.
Christ the Redeemer statue.
We were picked up from our hotel by a coach for our trip. When we got on the coach, the guide asked a couple of people to move from the front seat so that I wouldn't have to struggle to get a seat. The guide checked Gail and me off her list and called us Mr and Mrs Morris. Gail pointed out that we were not married, and we were soon driving through Rio de Janeiro to Corcovado Mountain, where the statue is.
I was surprised at how steep the mountain path was. There was no way I would ever have been able to walk up the road. As we climbed up the mountainside in the coach, the homes gave way to lush vegetation, and the views back down towards Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara Bay were fantastic. We arrived at the base of the statue and the visitors' store, where you have to buy tickets. Our entrance was included in our tour, and we were given 20 minutes to use the bathrooms. I took the time to buy myself a T-shirt before we were taken to the entrance to the statue.
When we were taken in, there was a path winding up to the statue, but our guide took me and Gail to an elevator for disabled people to use. When we arrived at the statue, we were given some time to walk around it, take photos, and admire the view. I took the obligatory tourist photo of me with the statue behind me and admired the view. I was glad I had been to see the statue and to have crossed it off of my bucket list, but it was too busy for me. Hundreds of people were all pushing and shoving each other, and trying to get into a small place to have their photo taken wasn't that enjoyable. As I walked back to the disabled elevator and made my way down to the meeting point, our guide saw me approaching and asked people who were sitting down near the meeting point to get up so that I could sit down. She was working hard to look after me and was very polite, she kept calling me Mr Morris.
When Gail arrived, and we were ready to leave, the guide walked us out and told us which way to go to get our coach. As we were boarding our coach, another coach came around at a sharp turn in the car park and hit the coach in front of it, knocking part of its bumper off. I thought we would get stuck for ages behind the two arguing coach drivers, but they did move out of the way so that our coach could leave. As we moved off, our guide turned to us and asked me if my partner and I enjoyed the statue. We said we did, and Gail pointed out that we weren't partners and weren't married either. The guide then began calling me Mr Alan, and I seemed to get even more attention from her.
As we went back down Corcovado Mountain, we had to go through the Favela, where some of the Fast and Furious films were shot. We didn't stop in the favela, but we stopped above it so that we could take some photos and look down at it. Our guide was excellent and gave us lots of information about the area. I was standing near a wall looking down at the favela, and our guide approached me. She called out to me and asked, "Mr Alan, would you like me to take your photo here for you?". I told her to call me Alan, not Mr Alan, and she took lots of photos for me before we got back on the coach. We drove down through the favela and saw a few brave people walking up through it. I wouldn't want to do this for two reasons: safety and the steepness of the climb.
It wasn't long before we left the favela, and we soon stopped at the Maracana Stadium briefly to take photos outside the stadium. Once again, our guide got off with me and took photos of me outside the ground before we got back onboard and headed towards Sugarloaf Mountain.
Photos from Christ the Redeemer, a favela and the Maracana stadium.
Sugarloaf Mountain.
We arrived at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain next to the Mausoleum of the Heroes of the Battle of Laguna and then on to where the cable car would take us up the mountain. Once again, our guide showed everyone which way to go but led me through a disabled entrance and to a lift to take us to the Cable Car station. We were soon in a cable car, and our trip to the first stop began. It was quite a steep climb, and Gail and I were lucky enough to be right in front of the cable car. We had a great view as we ascended the mountain. I enjoyed the ride, but I´m not sure how much Gail enjoyed it as she is scared of heights. I thought she did well and didn't show it if she was nervous.
We walked from the cable car we arrived at to the next cable car station, and our guide showed us the different viewpoints and plants growing on the side of the mountain. Sugarloaf Mountain and its views were incredible, and it was a lot more relaxing than when we were at Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain. We carried on to the final stop and the top of the mountain in the cable car, and when we arrived, we were given time to explore on our own. I walked around, taking pictures of the different views and enjoying the scenery. Sugarloaf Mountain was a lot more enjoyable than Christ the Redeemer for me because there were fewer people and more room to move around, and it was laid out a lot better. Every single rise in height had a disabled lift, which made it a lot easier to get around the different levels.
As I was making my way back to the meeting point, our guide met me again and took me with her to different spots. She took my photo and explained everything we were looking at. She told me the names of the beaches below us and more about the history of the visitor centre and when it was built. I looked inside the small museum and saw the original cable car cogs from the original gear system that pulled the cable cars up and lowered them back down Sugarloaf Mountain. The Cable Car system that was there at the time of my visit was the third set that had done the job. My guide asked me which place I preferred, Christ the Redeemer or Sugarloaf Mountain, and when I replied that I preferred Sugarloaf Mountain, she looked pretty happy and told me that it was her favourite place.
While I waited for the rest of the coach party, I met Gail, and she took a photo of me at the Sugarloaf Mountain heart photo point. I couldn't help noting four Brazillian girls there. They looked beautiful and were so overdressed for a visit to a tourist spot that I had to take a photo of them in their colourful dresses. They would brighten up anyone's day.
Back at the meeting point, our guide walked me through the exit so that I wouldn't have to queue or walk down any stairs and then showed me the point where we had to meet the coach. I stopped by a man selling water, bought a bottle of water and then walked back the short distance to the coach. The coach was soon on the move again and dropped Gail and me off at the hotel. The rest of the coach had a full-day tour booked, but it was to places I wouldn't have been able to enjoy, like the Escadaria Selarón, so we had only booked the first half of the tour. As the coach dropped us at our hotel, I passed our guide a tip. She had been very good at making sure I was alright everywhere we went, and I enjoyed my tour and the places we had been to and talked about.
As we got off the coach, she thanked me and said goodbye Sharky, my nickname, which was on my shirt. Since we had gotten on the coach, Gail and I had gone from being thought of as Mr and Mrs Morris, a married couple, to partners and, finally, to travel friends. Our guide started by calling me Mr Morris, then Mr Alan, and finally, to Sharky. She had gone from being our guide to my guide to my photographer. She had worked hard looking after me and fully deserved a tip.
Photos from Sugarloaf Mountain.
Copacabana Beach.
This evening, Gail and I walked to a local restaurant near our hotel for something to eat, and once again, it was terrible. The food is relatively cheap in the local restaurants but of an inferior standard. I couldn't recommend any of the local eateries in Copacabana so far. After our meal, we stopped at a local bar on the way to the hotel.
Gail had a beer and left, but I stopped. I used the bars' internet to log into Arsenals' website and listen to the commentary of the Arsenal vs Lens Champions League game. There was a local football match on the television, and I got some strange looks from people during the game. I kept cheering when Arsenal scored. They won 6-0. This, of course, didn't correspond to the game they were all watching on the TV, and they couldn't work out what I was cheering for. When the game finished, I paid for my beer and went back to the hotel.
I had a great day, and saw some lovely places. Arsenal won 6-0, and I slept very well.