Day 4: Christ the Redeemer - Natural Environment and Cultural

This is what it looks like from far away.

      We all wanted to go look at Christ the Redeemer. Everyone piled into a cab which took us to the base of the mountain, which took about one hour and cost about $17. The mountain is known as Corcovado Mountain.There were so many people waiting to take one of the trains up, that we decided to hike up  The trail leads us through the Corcovado Mountains, all the way to the 2300 ft top, where the statue sits. The trail starts at a busy street in Rio de Janeiro, but when you enter the lush surroundings, you immediately feel as if you have entered another world.  The climb started out easy enough, as we took in the gorgeous trees and plants that were around us.

The start of the steeper parts. 

          There were several really cool waterfalls that glided down the rocks along the way. At this point the hike starts to get a little steeper and harder to climb. After only a few minutes of going up the steep hills, we were all out of breath and and panting. Luckily, each of us brought a water bottle to help us hydrate along the way. The penetrated through the canopy of trees and provided us with bright natural lighting.The steep trail lasted for almost thirty minutes when we reached the most difficult thing we all had ever seen: a chain to pull ourselves to the top. Each of us struggled to pull ourselves up because of the physically draining hike, but after a couple of tries (and infuriatingly close misses) all of us made it to the top. Throughout the hike, someone would speed up and yell impatiently for the others to catch up and see what lay ahead. We constantly kept each other on our feet. Once we all made it to the top, our breathing hitched. The view was stunning. Among the trees, we had a gorgeous view of Rio de Janeiro. The water was closely hugging the coast which was dotted with the shining glass that made up the city. We couldn't hear the bustling city noises,though because of how far up we were.
    After taking a few photos and enjoying the view, we decided it was time to move on and climb the rest of the mountain. After a while we crossed the train tracks, reaching a road, and knew we were getting close to the end. We got more and more excited as the end got closer. 

The train tracks before the road. 

                                                                       Cultural
When we finally got to the top, we could see Rio de Janeiro panning out in front of us. It was spectacular. We could even see Sugar Loaf Mountains in the distance. We all decided that the pain and effort to get to the top was completely worth it. When we walked around to look at the statue, it was absolutely unbelievable, it was huge (130 ft)!
 

Rio de Janeiro and the amazing view
we had from the top

Christ the Redeemer, close up. 

            Seeing the statue and being able to touch it was an experience none of us will ever be forgetting . It was so cool being up there and looking down on all of Rio. The construction of the statue started in 1922 and officially opened in 1931. It is now considered a symbol of the city and is well known around the world. If people say Rio, this statue is automatically associated with it.It was so tall, everyone was craning their necks to look up at the statue.We spent a while taking pictures of the statue and talking to some friendly people that were visiting all the way from Canada.  We learned all about the statue and when it was built, stopping only to eat a quick lunch. After taking a few more pictures we started the grueling hike back down the mountain. When we finished, everyone was exhausted, but happy.

Day 3: Samba Parade- Festival

      On the third day, we all decided to attend one of the most extravagant events of Carnival, the Samba Parade. We all decided to take the train there, which cost about $0.85, and lasted about 60 minutes. We waited impatiently for us to reach, but there seemed to be a stop every second! The landscape seemed to be one out of a movie, rolling hills with an array of trees surrounding the country side, around ancient buildings that slowly crept above the horizon. Pillows were brought by us and we all promptly took a nap before waking up to exit into the city of Central do Brasil.            

Stands on the sides of the streets

     The city was lively with stands surrounding the sides of the streets, containing masks, costumes, and exotic foods that gave the air a spicy aroma. People were coming from every direction filling the streets with a crowd that made it nearly impossible to go through. The food was irresistible and soon we all got some Brazilian Nuts and Acai Berry Sorbet, which only cost about $2.

Carnival Museum

We all then decided to go to the museum by the Sambadrome, where we learned the story of Carnival and Samba. Carnival started in the 1830s, and was originally a Greek festival in honor of the God Dionysus (God of Wine). The Romans adopted this festival turning it into a feast and later expanded it into a festival right before lent. This is a celebration of last indulgence before then. The mayor then crowns the Fat King/King Momo on Friday, starting the first day of lent. Carnival fever spreads through the towns setting every corner on 'fire' with festivities to celebrate this huge festival. Just knowing what was coming in store made excitement radiate through our bodies and we all couldn't help the happy screams that escaped our bodies, making many people stare at us. The Samba Parade was about to begin.

Samba Parade Float

    We picked up some background information from the museum. The Samba Parade is one of the many events that occur for Carnival. Visitors, like us, come from around the world for a fun, lively week of dancing and partying. At the Samba Parade, schools from the 'Special Group', the best of the best, compete to be the Year's Champion. This all takes place at the magnificent Sambadrome Stadium or the Passarela do Samba Darcy Ribeiro.
    Built in a record 110 days, it is divided into sectors with different seating arrangements. Each sector consists of restrooms, a food court, bars, restaurants, and ice-cream stands.

Sambadrome

    The Arquibancadas is the grandest sector and of course the most expensive, hence it having the best view. We couldn't pay that much though and got decent seats($115) in Sector 12, using the pillows that we brought as seat cushions on the hard allocated chairs we had to sit on.

Vanguard Commission

     A group of 12 people, called the Vanguard Commission, led the way for their float and soon loud cheers erupted from around us and the parade began. Each float was decorated with special effects, probably made to catch the attention of the judges, while some were motorized or manually pulled around.

Eagle Samba Float

    All the dancers were mesmerizing with their intricate costumes that made it seem like they were floating about to entertain us. The most beautiful float was one of a magnificent eagle that flapped down the Parade Route. The Golden Beauty stared at us with its hollow spheres with a lit up crown that just seemed to accentuate its beauty. Not only was the float magnificent, but the girl dancers wearing beautiful white dresses,while the guys wore white tux's. They danced around as if they were born for only this purpose.

Sambadrome Stadium emptying out after the parade

    As the float flew by us, we all began to feel our energy running low and the floats went by us in a haze, while we all stared at the bright lights that continued to shine down on us. The parade seemed to have ended in the blink of an eye and like the snap of someone's finger we were all seeing the stands emptying themselves, filling all of us with a feeling of sadness. The walk back to the train lasted hours as we looked back upon the bright Sambadrome Stadium, that was just then filled with the cheers of millions of people.
    We loaded the train and headed off towards our hotel, with the illuminated city flying by us.This was a Joy and Passion filled day, with never ending fun that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

                                            

Day 2: The Botanical Garden- Natural Environment

        On our second day in Brazil, we visited the Botanical Garden, or Jardim Botânico in Rio de Janeiro, which was founded on June 13, 1808. The garden is world famous, and is home to over 6,000 species of plants. The 350 acre park sits at the bottom of Corcovado Mountain, and is about an hour away from our hotel. It is one of the world's leading research centers for botany, but it started off as a way to make spices. Today it is also used as a recreational area.
 We left at 11 a.m., and arrived at noon. The taxi cost about $16, and we asked the taxi driver to drop us off at a restaurant called Bibi Sucos. They served delicious sandwiches for a cheap price. We noticed they served smoothies, so we decided we should come back and get some after we visited the garden. The food and service was great, and it was reasonably priced ($3-$11). After we ate, we walked over to the botanical garden (it only took about 5 minutes) and decided to explore. Since it was a weekend, it was very crowded with tourists from all over the world.

Imperial palm trees

The entrance to the garden is lined by 134 palm trees, called the Avenue of Royal Palms and is half a mile long. It took us ten minutes just to walk to the end of the path. We were awed by how large and majestic the palm trees were, they were way taller than any palm trees we ever saw in U.S. (especially around Florida). Just walking through them was exciting as each of us craned our necks to view the tops of the palms.

Victoria Regia

Pau Mulato Tree

      An amazing feature of  the Jardim Botanico is the Amazon Garden. We saw giant lily pads called victoria regia on a lake in this garden. They were very impressive and big enough for a person to stand on. We also saw lots of little animals like lizards and frogs lounging around on the lily pads.  The Pau Mulato trees had rubbery bark unlike any of the trees native to the United States. The lake looked so serene and natural, it was hard to believe we weren't really in the Amazon Rain forest.

The greenhouses in the botanical garden shelter beautiful plants of all kinds. Our favorite greenhouse was the orhcidarium. It was filled with orchids, which are brightly colored flowers. The orchidarium was full of so many bright colors and hundreds of flowers. The sweet smell of orchids was very strong, and smelled like perfume.

In addition to plants, the garden is also a home to wildlife such as monkeys, hawks, lizards, and toucans. Most of the animals were used to being around humans, so it was fun to observe them playing and eating. The air was filled with combined screeching of birds and monkeys. Much to our amusement, these two Capuchin monkeys started following us as we walked around . We also saw lots of exotic butterflies of all different colors.

Fountain of the Muses

The fountains, benches, and bridges were plentiful and conveniently placed. This fountain was our favorite. It is called the fountain of the Muses, and had incredible detail. We liked it because of its central location and beauty. You were in the middle of the park and the benches allowed you to take a moment and drink in the splendor of all the nature surrounding us.

Another part of the garden we liked was the Japanese garden. It was filled with Japanese cherry blossoms, bonsai, and bamboo patches. Fish like carp and koi swam in the ponds.The bridges and pathways also reflected Japanese culture, such as the bridge in the photo. It was interesting to see how they incorporated Japanese culture in the park without taking away from the natural beauty.

At the end of the day we were exhausted from walking so much, but we had all enjoyed the peaceful, natural setting of the Jardim Botanico. After spending the day in the hot sun, we walked back to Bibi Sucos and got smoothies. Our favorites were the pineapple and guava. When we finished, at about 6:00, we called a taxi to come pick us up. For the rest of the day we relaxed in our hotel room (with the exception of dinner).

Day 1: Travel

         We woke up on Friday both weary and excited about our trip to Brazil. After the last couple months of planning, it was finally becoming a reality. After a few, frantic last minute additions to our luggage, we drove to RDU Airport and checked in our luggage with United Express (our airlines). It was overcast outside, and the dark clouds made it seem as if it was very early in the morning. With a little over two hours left before boarding our first flight to Newark, all five of us decided to grab a quick lunch at  Salsarita's Fresh Cantina in case we got hungry during the flight.

Ordering Counter

Tacos

             
                                                                             
   
          Shortly after our lunch we were called to board our plane. It was a relatively small plane which seated around forty people (it was tight fit). Only two people could sit together in one side. There were two sides in total and they were separated by a narrow aisle. After shoving our hand luggage into the top compartments above our seats, we settled down for the flight. It was relatively short (1 hour and 40 minutes) and we passed the time by listening to music and talking to one another. The plane itself was hushed with muted conversations which were occasionally pierced by a child's wail. The bright sunlight streamed through the window, occasionally blinding us. While we flew over the country, we took a couple of pictures through the windows.                           
        

Flying above the clouds

       After arriving in Newark, we had to ask for directions to get to the taxis because of our change in airports. We got lost along the way by accidentally taking a couple of wrong turns, but eventually we made it out to the cabs. It was chilly outside in the crisp February cold so thankfully, we were able to get a cab quickly. The drive was supposed to be about fifty minutes but took around an hour and 20 minutes due to the chaotic traffic. It felt like our cab was moving inch by inch. The air was permeated by honking. We reached JFK (our new airport) and checked in with TAM Linhas Aereas, a Brazilian airline that was taking us to Sao Paulo, Brazil. We ate a quick snack at Starbucks and then boarded our second flight of the day. The inside of the plane was nice and the attendants were kind. We were given our dinner of salad, bread and a wrap. After eating, we settled down as this was our longest flight: ten hours. All five of us alternated between sleeping and watching the t.v.s that were provided for us on the back of the seat in front of us.

Our plane which took us to Sao Paulo, Brazil

Security check at JFK

                                                                                                         

            We reached Sao Paulo at around 6:15 A.M. on Saturday. After dozing on and off during the flight and being constantly woken by either the turbulence or children's screams, all five of us were still pretty tired. Our layover time was around four hours but we had to make yet another airport switch. When we stepped outside we were greeted by the warm Brazilian sunshine which helped to wake us up. Everyone was excited at the prospect of escaping the cold for two weeks. We were expecting warm weather in the eighties with a chance for a few, small showers. All of us piled in, and took a cab to CGH Airport which only took about 45 minutes due it being early morning. We checked in with TAM Airlines once more and boarded our last flight to Rio De Janeiro which was only an hour long. We finally reached Rio at 11:30 A.M. After getting our checked in luggage, we went outside and took a cab to our hotel, Mont Blanc Suites, which was only about ten minutes away. It would be our only residence for the next few days. We checked into our room and promptly went to sleep, despite the sunlight and the noise of the city.  Needless to say, our sense of time was affected by this.What a busy day of traveling. Our itinerary was as follows:itinerary.  Our complete budget analysis was as follows: budget analysis

Front of our hotel- Mont Blanc Suites