This was one of those days where I spent countless moments feeling blessed for having discovered the path of exploration. I truly live a life less ordinary! I want to warn you ahead of time, there will be a lot of photos in this post and in the next. Thankfully, I saw such an abundance of beauty, that I simply cannot leave out most of the photos that were taken. So, grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy!
The night before, the Israeli’s and I decided to meet at 8AM next to the train station that would take us up to see Christ the Redeemer. I arrived promptly, but did not see them anywhere. Already by that time there was a 2-4 hour wait. I was just about to give up on my friends 15 minutes later when I saw them pull up in a taxi. The 3 of us decided that there was so much we wanted to do/see in Rio and if we waited that long, then we would not be able to fit it all into the day. I saw some guys around the corner offering other tourists rides up the mountain in their cars for less than a train ticket would cost AND there would not be any wait. It seemed a little sketchy, but I am always up for an adventure! We paid for our ride and soon enough we were on our way up the mountain.
We stopped about half-way up at a lookout point that had magnificent views of the statue and Rio (if you take the train up, you do not get to stop at said lookout point).
My 1st view of Christ the Redeemer.
A view of both Rio and the statue (see him on the far right?).
A view of Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, along with Sugarloaf mountain.
I should say a little about my new friends. Their names are Keren and Tamir and they are both flight attendants for an Israeli airline, which has them flying all over the world. Yes, I am beyond envious of their lives as well! They are 2 of the nicest people I have encountered throughout my travels. I know I probably say that about everyone I meet, as I tend to love all travelers, however they really added a lot of sunshine to my already incredibly bright trip.
As we were walking back from the lookout point to the car, Keren spotted something in a tree. She yelled, “Look at the hamster!” I was so confused. Then she said, “No, I mean koala!” Then I was REALLY confused. Seconds later, I saw a monkey swing from the trees and I realized what she was talking about. I love those “lost in translation” moments!
The rare Brasilian hamster/koala hybrid.
It took us about another hour to make it to the top. In all honesty, I am glad that I did not miss this experience, but I was not majorly impressed with the statue. Maybe because it does not resonate with me on a religious level or maybe because I am bit jaded with my travels throughout Asia, where the statues are larger and older? Nonetheless, the photos came out really well and now I can say that I have seen another Wonder of the World. I have already seen the Great Wall of China, Machu Pichu, the Roman Colosseum, and Chichen Itza. Next month I will be able to add the Taj Mahal to the list as well!
I think we only spent about 10 minutes at the foot of statue before starting our decent. On the way back down the mountain we planned out the rest of our day. First, we needed to refuel our energy with some acai though. We made a quick stop at my friend’s hostel and then found a nearby cafe. I seriously became an acai addict on this trip!
Tamir and I with our acai.
Now Keren and I with our acai.
After we were properly satiated, our next stop was to one of the notorious favelas, where I had an unforgettable experience. . .
One of “the” spots in the world! Love the hamster/koala!
I want a koala, and a hampster so maybe I’ll just go w the hybrid! LOL_ LOL. …. I think we need to travel together!! Actually I mean to say that WE MUST TRAVEL TOGETHER!!!!!
I love that you took the alternate route in someone’s car! Gorgeous pics of the city and I love the close-ups of the Christ. Really impacting. Acai is so expensive here…that is cool that you got to enjoy it in Brazil. It is supposed to have many health benefits, as I am sure you already know!
LOVE it!
Great pictures I remember my trip to see the statue. I lived in Botafogo for 3 months before I finally made the trip to go see the statue. We had a taxi take us up my frist trip the second time I climbed Corcovado. Love the Monkey pics I have a few myself from Christ Redeemer and Sugar Loaf.
wow, very nice pictures, i wana visit brazil too:)
Looking gorgeous Andi! Keep it up, you look more alive and fresh each day! Liefetjes!!!
Just occurred to me your site hasn’t been showing up in my feed in ages. So weird! The exact same thing happened with the other Andi, so I had to delete and readd her. It’s the Curse of the Andis! Stupid Google!
These are amazing photos! I hope to visit Brazil some day.
The acai looks pretty good too. I had to look it up, I’ve never heard of it before
I love all of the photos, keep em coming! I love meeting people when traveling, Facebook actually, I hate to say it, helps us stay in touch once we get home.
I’m glad you finally got to see it, without the 8 hours of waiting in line
The pictures are gorgeous, thanks for sharing them!
How long are you planning to stay in Rio?
I am glad you got to experience a part of Brasil many will never see. Thanks for sharing.
I love Brasil!
What a fun vacay!
Bonita!
I wanta go to Brasil now!!!
What a fabulous post!
I didn’t want this post to end!
Gorgeous post & pics!
Fabulous post!
Magnificent post, very informative. I wonder why I didn’t find your blog earlier. Great blog. Especially thank you for this entry – looking forward to next one.
Magnificent blog, very informative. You must continue your writing. I’m confident, you have a great readers’ base already!
[...] site – why and where: Despite my undying love for Brasil, I was deeply disappointed with Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. While I think it is beautiful, I also do not think it should be considered one of the seven [...]