Rio De Janeiro

The Girl from Ipanema

Country Number 4 on our big adventure

We have arrived in Rio De Janeiro!

We’re in Rio (Rio…. please sing the appropriate tune from the movie Rio in your head). Despite being nervous about Rio De Janerio, our fears were totally unfounded and we had a great time. We were staying at an Air BnB situated between Copacabana and Ipanema, so spent a lot of time that area.

17/10/2018: Day 1

On day one we had an “easy” day. After having a well deserved sleep in we walked to Gringo’s, which serves American style brunch, in Ipanema. After a delicious brunch we decided to check out the highlights of Ipanema; the beach and the havaianas store. We also walked down to Copacabana and up to Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, because it was quite overcast (but still very hot) after having a look around we decided to retire to the Air BnB for a cup of tea and a nap.

17/10/2018: Day 2

We decided to book ourselves onto a tour for going to Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountains, they are a lot further apart than we thought they were, so we were up early to meet the tour at 7am. Our tour was with Rio Shuttle Tours (RST), and the best thing about the tour (apart from the air conditioned shuttle) was the fact that our tour guide got us up to Christ the Redeemer first. So for all of about a minute we had the place to ourselves. The statue really is as impressive as it appears. It towers above you, and it is on one of the tallest mountains in Rio.

After an hour at Christ the Redeemer we made our way back towards Copacabana and the Sugar Loaf Mountains. We caught both cable cars up to the top of the second mountain, the iconic looking one. At the top we got some stunning views back at the city. You could see Christ the Redeemer from the mountains, when it wasn’t covered in cloud, Copacabana, and parts of the central city. We also got to see a marmoset, it was sitting on one of the tables eating some chocolate and drinking coffee while being photographed.

For lunch we went to Papa Fina’s in Ipanema, which had randomly been recommended to us, and it was so good! It was a Portuguese buffet, and as well as having the bonus of there being no language barrier the food was fantastic. It ended up becoming a favourite of ours and we went there a couple of times. The weather was so sunny that we decided to wander back to Ipanema beach and see it in the brilliant sunshine.

18/10/2018: Day 3

Today we joined the Free Historical Centre Walking Tour of Downtown with Strawberry Tours. We went to the Olympic Torch, Imperial Paco, Lapa Arches, Municipal Theatre, November 15 Square, Teles Arch, Selaron Steps, the Metropolition Cathedral of Saint Sebastion, Candelaria Church and the Colombo Confectionary (where we had lunch). It was a great tour and we learnt so much about the history of Rio De Janeiro and Brazil. I highly recommend the Free Walking Tours as a good way to get to know a new city, we now always look for them when we first arrive somewhere.

After the Free Walking Tour we headed to the Museum of Tomorrow. The Museum was very impressive, but the building that housed it even more so. It was built for the Olmypics, and the view off the end of the pier it is built on to the harbour is fantastic.

We then headed back to Ipanema on the subway. The Rio Subway is great, there is a womens only cart from Monday to Friday during rush hour both morning and evening. It makes it super safe for getting around.

19/10/2018: Day 4

On day 4 we got to do something we’d tried to do on day 1, rent some of the shared bikes you can find around Rio. For whatever reason the stations didn’t like our foreign cards so we had to download the app. Once this hurdle was crossed, we walked down to the Lagoa in the morning and found a bike station. The system they have is great, you can hire a bike for 5 pesos a day. You can pick these bikes up from any of the stations, and return them to any of the stations. The only catch is that you should only have them out for an hour at a time so that everyone has equal opportunity to use them. We used the bikes to cycle down to the Rio Botanical Gardens. The bike ride was stunning, the sun was shining and the Lagoa was perfectly still, and the gardens were well worth the bike ride. We spent a few hours wandering around the various parts of the gardens; from the palm tree lined main corridors, to the Japanese garden and the orchid greenhouses.

When we finished in the gardens we cycled back to Ipanema and had a late lunch at Papa Fina’s again, such good food. After lunch we found the Havaiana flagship store. Which is. Three. Stories. Of. Jandles. Which proved very handy for picking up a last few gifts from Rio. To complete the day, we made our way back to Copacabana to get the last bit of sun on the Sugar Loaf Mountains and enjoy (our one and only) capriniha on the beach while the sun went down. Then it was off to the airport for the beginning of our 30 hours of transit to get to Puerto Maldonado.

Rio definitely proved to be a highlight of the trip. Would love to come back one day and enjoy at least one full day of lying on a beach drinking caprinihas.