Onto the Next Adventures: Rio de Janeiro - City of sun, samba, and saints

Saturday, 16 November 2013

Rio de Janeiro - City of sun, samba, and saints

Our arrival into Rio de Janeiro at 10pm, after our relaxing island stay was anything but. BUT, sometimes all the planning and organizing wouldn't prepare you for the unexpected events. Let me explain...

Rio is know for its (packed) white sand beaches, surrounded by gorgeous landscapes and plenty of beach-bronzed Brazilian bodies BUT it does have its share of crime and violence. So one must be very cautious...especially at night-which is when we arrived. Our entry into Rio brought on a heightened alertness for the both of us, me especially reading too many warnings and cautions in the guide book. So as we arrived into Rio, everything (and I mean E V E R Y THING) was covered in gang tags. I'm not talking about the beautiful graffiti you will see in the photos, which we also saw plenty of, we're talking marked territory on signs, bridges, concrete fenced walls, houses, high-rise apt, cars...We definitely felt we were out of comfort zone as we arrived at the largest bus terminal in South America.

BUT...

View from Sugarloaf looking onto Rio

Christo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) who sits arms outstretched atop Rio, was definitely looking out for us this night. After stepping off the bus, we must have looked a little unsure of our next move because a young girl we travelled with all the way from the island, asked us (in English) where we were going. When we told her Botafogo (a district in Rio) she said "I live there, close by to where you are going, we could split a cab if you like?" Surprised with our luck or Christo himself, we eagerly agreed to take up her offer and opt out on the city bus we were advised not to take. It was more our lack of funds arriving into Rio that made us opt out of the taxi:( As it turned out, she was a student, studied in Ireland for 5 years near Cork where Shawn's relatives are from, and came back to Rio for more schooling. We were given lots of info and tips on the taxi ride to Botofoga and she even paid most of the fare knowing we didn't have enough Reales left. Her kindness and generosity instantly gave us a different impression of Rio than what we rode in on!