I planned on taking a side trip to Rio de Janeiro after a business trip I had to São Paulo in 2005 but work got in the way. 13 years later, I finally got to visit this beautiful city. I am also very happy that I have now seen Christ the Redeemer.
Christ the Redeemer, or Cristo Redentor, stands atop Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro. It is a globally renowned symbol of Brazil and is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. You need to take the Corcovado Train at the base of the mountain to get to Christ the Redeemer. The entrance to the tram is decorated with what seems to be flags from all the countries in the world. I naturally looked for, and found, the Philippine flag. Can you see it?
Our tram tickets were for 10:30 AM but when we arrived at around 9:30 AM, our guide was able to get us in earlier, saving us about 45 minutes of waiting time. Cool! It takes about 20 minutes to get to the top. With Christ the Redeemer being a hugely popular tourist site, there are always a lot of visitors here, and the day we arrived was no exception.
Thankfully, the weather was good. We spent a lot of time at the peak of Corcovado Mountain taking photos of Christ the Redeemer and the amazing views of Rio.
The second main item on our itinerary for the day was a visit to Sugarloaf Mountain. It gets its name from its resemblance to a sugarloaf, which was how refined sugar was produced and sold until the 1800s. To visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you need to ride two cable cars. The first one takes you to a lower hill called Morro da Urca. The second one takes you to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain.
The very first Sugarloaf Cable Car opened in 1912 and was the third cableway built in the world. The older cable car designs are on display at the Morro da Urca stop. The yellow car (you can sort of see it at the back of this next photo) was the first one ever used before it was replaced six decades later. The updated car, which was in operation in 1972 and which has now also been replaced, was used in the James Bond film Moonraker.
We went around Sugarloaf Mountain at a relaxing pace, allowing us to take lots of photos. We even had enough time for a coffee break. You get a fantastic view of Copa Cobana beach from the top.
While Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain were the two primary sights in our tour of Rio, our guide also took us to a few other places, including a nice spot where you can view Ipanema and Leblon beaches. In this next photo, Ipanema is on the right side which is further away while Leblon is on the closer left side. Around the bend of the island after Ipanema is Copa Cobana beach.
Looking at the opposite direction from that same spot were you view Ipanema and Leblon, you get to see an interesting contrast in the landscape. In the front is the luxurious Sheraton Grand Rio Hotel. Behind it, you see the Vidigal favela or slum.
Before the day ended, our guide took us to two really interesting places. The first one was the pyramid-shaped Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro. This church is dedicated to St. Sebastian, the Patron Saint of Rio de Janeiro.
The highlight of the Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, at least for me, are its massive stained glass windows that soar 64 meters from the floor to the ceiling of the church.
Our tour guide decided to extend our tour just a little because she wanted to take us to one last place: the Selarón steps, or Escadaria Selarón. This project, which began in 1990, was the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón as his tribute to the people of Brazil.
The stairs are covered with ceramic tiles painted in the colors of the Brazilian flag: green, yellow, and blue. Tiles also cover the walls and pedestals that flank the steps. These tiles represent, or are from, dozens of different countries.
The story behind Escadaria Selarón is written at the base of the steps. There is a version in Portuguese and another one in English.
To complete our experience or Rio, we also got to eat in a couple of Brazilian-style restaurants. Lunch during our tour was in Carretão do Lido, which is a churrascaria (barbecue) with rodizio service.
This type of service is popular in Brazil. Waiters walk around the restaurant with different cuts of meant on large metal skewers. If a guest would like to have the cut of meat that a waiter brings, that waiter then slice some of that meat onto the guest's plate. There is also an accompanying buffet of appetizers, sides, and other accompanying dishes.
We also had dinner at what is called comida por quilo/kilo at Siqueira Grill on both nights we were in Rio. These types of restaurants offer buffets where food is sold by the kilo regardless of its kind. You just put food on your plate, go to the counter where they weigh your food (including the heavy plate, unfortunately) and you are charged for the total weight. Siqueira Grill was practically across the street from the Windsor Palace Hotel Rio which is where we stayed. Our hotel provided coupons that gave guests a free drink at the restaurant. On both nights, we were tired and didn't want to have to wait too long for food nor worry about communicating in Portuguese so the por quilo buffet set-up was very convenient for us. I did enjoy the food I had on both nights.
The day after our tour, my mom and I got on the late morning flight to Iguassu Falls, which meant we were in Rio de Janeiro for less than 48 hours. Obviously, our stay here was a bit too short. While our hotel was just a block away from Copa Cobana, we didn't really have a chance to walk along this famous beach nor take photos there. I also realized in this trip that Rio really is such a beautiful and livable city, with mountains, beaches, and lagoons all located within city limits. Due to the shortness of our stint here, Rio is probably the city I want to revisit the most among all the cities we visited during our tour. Who knows, if I'm fortunate, maybe I will have another chance to see Rio in the future.
Next: Iguassu/Iguazu Falls
Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor)
Christ the Redeemer, or Cristo Redentor, stands atop Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro. It is a globally renowned symbol of Brazil and is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. You need to take the Corcovado Train at the base of the mountain to get to Christ the Redeemer. The entrance to the tram is decorated with what seems to be flags from all the countries in the world. I naturally looked for, and found, the Philippine flag. Can you see it?
Our tram tickets were for 10:30 AM but when we arrived at around 9:30 AM, our guide was able to get us in earlier, saving us about 45 minutes of waiting time. Cool! It takes about 20 minutes to get to the top. With Christ the Redeemer being a hugely popular tourist site, there are always a lot of visitors here, and the day we arrived was no exception.
Thankfully, the weather was good. We spent a lot of time at the peak of Corcovado Mountain taking photos of Christ the Redeemer and the amazing views of Rio.
The second main item on our itinerary for the day was a visit to Sugarloaf Mountain. It gets its name from its resemblance to a sugarloaf, which was how refined sugar was produced and sold until the 1800s. To visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you need to ride two cable cars. The first one takes you to a lower hill called Morro da Urca. The second one takes you to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain.
Sugarloaf Mountain
The very first Sugarloaf Cable Car opened in 1912 and was the third cableway built in the world. The older cable car designs are on display at the Morro da Urca stop. The yellow car (you can sort of see it at the back of this next photo) was the first one ever used before it was replaced six decades later. The updated car, which was in operation in 1972 and which has now also been replaced, was used in the James Bond film Moonraker.
We went around Sugarloaf Mountain at a relaxing pace, allowing us to take lots of photos. We even had enough time for a coffee break. You get a fantastic view of Copa Cobana beach from the top.
Awesome view of Copa Cobana Beach from Sugarloaf Mountain
While Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain were the two primary sights in our tour of Rio, our guide also took us to a few other places, including a nice spot where you can view Ipanema and Leblon beaches. In this next photo, Ipanema is on the right side which is further away while Leblon is on the closer left side. Around the bend of the island after Ipanema is Copa Cobana beach.
Ipanema and Leblon Beaches
Looking at the opposite direction from that same spot were you view Ipanema and Leblon, you get to see an interesting contrast in the landscape. In the front is the luxurious Sheraton Grand Rio Hotel. Behind it, you see the Vidigal favela or slum.
Sheraton Grand Rio Hotel and the Vidigal favela behind it
Before the day ended, our guide took us to two really interesting places. The first one was the pyramid-shaped Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro. This church is dedicated to St. Sebastian, the Patron Saint of Rio de Janeiro.
Rio de Janeiro Cathedral
The highlight of the Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, at least for me, are its massive stained glass windows that soar 64 meters from the floor to the ceiling of the church.
Stained glass windows inside the Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro
Our tour guide decided to extend our tour just a little because she wanted to take us to one last place: the Selarón steps, or Escadaria Selarón. This project, which began in 1990, was the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón as his tribute to the people of Brazil.
Selarón steps (Escadaria Selarón)
The stairs are covered with ceramic tiles painted in the colors of the Brazilian flag: green, yellow, and blue. Tiles also cover the walls and pedestals that flank the steps. These tiles represent, or are from, dozens of different countries.
The story behind Escadaria Selarón is written at the base of the steps. There is a version in Portuguese and another one in English.
To complete our experience or Rio, we also got to eat in a couple of Brazilian-style restaurants. Lunch during our tour was in Carretão do Lido, which is a churrascaria (barbecue) with rodizio service.
Carretão do Lido
This type of service is popular in Brazil. Waiters walk around the restaurant with different cuts of meant on large metal skewers. If a guest would like to have the cut of meat that a waiter brings, that waiter then slice some of that meat onto the guest's plate. There is also an accompanying buffet of appetizers, sides, and other accompanying dishes.
food sliced directly onto my plate
We also had dinner at what is called comida por quilo/kilo at Siqueira Grill on both nights we were in Rio. These types of restaurants offer buffets where food is sold by the kilo regardless of its kind. You just put food on your plate, go to the counter where they weigh your food (including the heavy plate, unfortunately) and you are charged for the total weight. Siqueira Grill was practically across the street from the Windsor Palace Hotel Rio which is where we stayed. Our hotel provided coupons that gave guests a free drink at the restaurant. On both nights, we were tired and didn't want to have to wait too long for food nor worry about communicating in Portuguese so the por quilo buffet set-up was very convenient for us. I did enjoy the food I had on both nights.
Siqueira Grill
The day after our tour, my mom and I got on the late morning flight to Iguassu Falls, which meant we were in Rio de Janeiro for less than 48 hours. Obviously, our stay here was a bit too short. While our hotel was just a block away from Copa Cobana, we didn't really have a chance to walk along this famous beach nor take photos there. I also realized in this trip that Rio really is such a beautiful and livable city, with mountains, beaches, and lagoons all located within city limits. Due to the shortness of our stint here, Rio is probably the city I want to revisit the most among all the cities we visited during our tour. Who knows, if I'm fortunate, maybe I will have another chance to see Rio in the future.
Next: Iguassu/Iguazu Falls
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