The flight from Casablanca to Rio was again with Royal Air Maroc and was very comfortable (red wine and some good films). We arrived to Rio on Sunday 23rd Oct around 7pm and having nowhere to sleep, we were lucky to find a cheap hostel in Santa Theresa. The next challenge, getting from the airport, turned out to be tricky. We tried getting an Uber (cheaper than public buses), but our Spanish-Portugese conversation didn’t go well so we had to take the bus. It was hot and humid outside, the bus was freezing with air-con to max. Around midnight, we were checked in by a friendly guy and who got us a room all for ourselves - yes! We were tired and went to sleep.
We had coffee, cheese, toast and watermelon for breakfast. We chatted with an American filmmaker who suggested to walk up to the Redeemer. Later, we found ourselves following a dysfunctional tram railway, which curved it’s way up the hill through residential area with colourful street art and shops along. As we were approaching the Corcovado, the city was gradually turning into a jungle, offering some exotic fruits and a green escape from the city’s rush. After 2 hours we made it to the Mirando below Jesus and we were rewarded with a stunning view of Rio, looking over Pao de Açucar and Copacabana. We could see no Jesus but fog so we gave up and went back to the hostel. We made dinner (rice with steamed veg) and started talking with Ena, a Brazilian girl who is traveling around the country by working at hostels and selling her homemade natural cosmetics. She loved to dance (contact improvisation), so we watched her while playing chess (Simon won). Later on, a friend of hers arrived and they invited us to smoke some joints with them on the roof which was amazing. High to the moon we went to sleep.
Rio’s sceneries are surreal - a city of mountains, sea, jungle and beaches. The streets are narrow, curvy and quite often much steeper than San Francisco’s! Rio is a vibrant city with distinct culture and lovely people. Brazilians take it easy - they don’t crave 9-5 jobs and money, but instead, they want to have fun and enjoy life. They are always smiling and seem really happy. Many foreigners get captivated by this way of life and stay in Brazil forever. We also learned that Brazilians drink their beer very cold at -4°C (tastes shit otherwise) and that papaya is to be eaten yellow (ripe, don’t buy a green one like us). Another thing about Rio is its nightlife - bars are just about everywhere and they are a great way of knowing the city better. Some offer stunning views, elegant interiors or festive locals dancing and singing.
On our last day, we wanted to explore the city by bike. That didn’t work because we didn’t manage to sign up with the app. Such a shame! We took a tram from Santa Theresa to the city centre to see some sights. First, a huge modernist cathedral, which was actually just a kind of a concrete hollow Mayan pyramid - unlike any cathedral we’ve seen, there was an interesting interplay of the concrete mass with light.. Then we went to the historical Royal Palace, where Portuguese and Brazilian history were written - we finally learned something about Brazil’s past. It was such a beautiful day so we headed to the Copacabana beach - a long stretch of white sand battered by the Atlantic Ocean. On our way back, we were lucky to see some superb view of the Redeemer and Pao de Açucar. And what’s even better, we ate our first Tapioca, Brazilian pancake offered with many different flavours and toppings. We went for the cheese and oregano one and it was the best thing ever! There’s always something happening in the streets of Rio like street performances or Brazilian girls dancing to live drums.
Three days is not at all enough to even begin to know what Rio is all about. Rio made a good first impression and one time, we will comeback.
