Day 5: Rio
This was another overnight flight to our benefit where we could sleep for a little while before we began our day’s activities. The flight itself was much more beautiful this time around. We could see the amazing city skyline, the marvelous Sugarloaf Mountain, and the stunning Christ the Redeemer statue in the distance. Already we are impressed.
We arrive at our hotel without much trouble at all, dodging most traffic. As we go thru the city we are introduced to the heart of culture in Brazil, including some language barriers. Very few of us spoke Portuguese and it was difficult to convey at first glance, but over time (and a lot of Google Translate) we were able to make it work! Once we arrived at the hotel we were granted a few hours of downtime before we had our tour guided look at Rio. While most of the gang decided to venture out and explore the city, I was feeling too drowsy. After my roommate and I had wandered down the street to get some lunch we ventured back to the hotel. I needed my time to recharge before I was going to venture out. The heat was unforgiving as well as the sun (though it was beautiful to see the sun and clear skies). This day was more of a day to catch our breath.
Now like most cities, many citizens of Rio get around the vast city through the use of the subway system. It was a new experience to some of us, especially getting the tickets at first. Thankfully we had some experienced members of the group to help us order the tickets. Here we are waiting for the subway to arrive, as it finally pulls up, we get a serious wake up call. They load and unload people very fast. This gave us a total of maybe ten seconds to board. Many of us are able to embark while some were not so lucky (with Georgie getting her foot almost caught in the door, thankfully it was only her flip flop taken. We waited for everyone at the next stop and we all joined back up. No big deal. Once we got off after a few stops we spent a little bit of time just exploring the city before we headed back to our hotel. We were on our own for dinner so a group of us just went down to the restaurant in the lobby. The food was pretty well done and made a simple meal.
After dinner we had another round of presentations with Andy and I taking the lead and talking about biodiversity of the Amazon. Our presentation went rather well and we were definitely prepared. After us was Nicole who talked about Favelas and their status in Brazil, she did an extremely well job of presenting and added some interesting tid-bits.
Overall this day was our first day to catch our breath and relax for a while. This was our first look at Brazilian culture as we were in the culture capital of Brazil. Once the presentations had ended it was time to shut down for the night and wake up to some more fun activities the next day!
We arrive at our hotel without much trouble at all, dodging most traffic. As we go thru the city we are introduced to the heart of culture in Brazil, including some language barriers. Very few of us spoke Portuguese and it was difficult to convey at first glance, but over time (and a lot of Google Translate) we were able to make it work! Once we arrived at the hotel we were granted a few hours of downtime before we had our tour guided look at Rio. While most of the gang decided to venture out and explore the city, I was feeling too drowsy. After my roommate and I had wandered down the street to get some lunch we ventured back to the hotel. I needed my time to recharge before I was going to venture out. The heat was unforgiving as well as the sun (though it was beautiful to see the sun and clear skies). This day was more of a day to catch our breath.
Now like most cities, many citizens of Rio get around the vast city through the use of the subway system. It was a new experience to some of us, especially getting the tickets at first. Thankfully we had some experienced members of the group to help us order the tickets. Here we are waiting for the subway to arrive, as it finally pulls up, we get a serious wake up call. They load and unload people very fast. This gave us a total of maybe ten seconds to board. Many of us are able to embark while some were not so lucky (with Georgie getting her foot almost caught in the door, thankfully it was only her flip flop taken. We waited for everyone at the next stop and we all joined back up. No big deal. Once we got off after a few stops we spent a little bit of time just exploring the city before we headed back to our hotel. We were on our own for dinner so a group of us just went down to the restaurant in the lobby. The food was pretty well done and made a simple meal.
After dinner we had another round of presentations with Andy and I taking the lead and talking about biodiversity of the Amazon. Our presentation went rather well and we were definitely prepared. After us was Nicole who talked about Favelas and their status in Brazil, she did an extremely well job of presenting and added some interesting tid-bits.
Overall this day was our first day to catch our breath and relax for a while. This was our first look at Brazilian culture as we were in the culture capital of Brazil. Once the presentations had ended it was time to shut down for the night and wake up to some more fun activities the next day!
Day 6: Christ the Redeemer
Before I could even tell my father that I got accepted to the group for the trip to Brazil, he would always mention how amazing it would be to see Christ the Redeemer in person. The symbolism to the Catholic religion and to the world is simply amazing. I was so looking forward to this part of the trip
The morning started off much like the previous ones on the trip, many of us trying to sleep the extra few minutes and almost rushing breakfast to get ready. This was necessary to do though, Christ the Redeemer on any given day is such an amazing site that people from all over the world migrate down to Rio to get a glimpse of this symbolic wonder of the world at any time of year. The earlier you go, the better chance you have of getting enough room to take amazing photos. Once everyone was ready to go, we promptly boarded the tour bus and went on our way. We were able to beat most of the traffic to get there seeing we left as early as we did. The bus was able to take us up most of the way but we still had to hike a good portion uphill to get to the statue itself. You are able to notice this statue in almost any part of the city and seeing it up close made me realize actually how big this statue was and made everyone feel so small. The views were gorgeous and you could see every part of the city as well as the mountain ranges outside the city limits. This was truly a site to behold and it did not hit me until I walked right up to Cristo to realize that I had seen one of the major wonders of the world.
Once we were done at Cristo, we promptly boarded the bus to go directly across the city to Sugarloaf Mountain, named because of the loaf like shape. This was one of the highest points in Brazil as well, we could not simply walk up. To get to the top of the mountain we had to be lifted by cable cars, about three in total to reach the top. Each level we were lifted to seemed to have a different environment. The first level we were lifted to seemed like a little biodiversity hotspot with many different creatures to see from multiple species of butterflies, hummingbirds, and even marmoset monkeys (which were an invasive species). This view gave you a better look at the bay of Rio which was almost as amazing as the view Cristo gave. Every part of this day was amazing.
After Sugarloaf we made our way for an informal city bus tour. We stopped for lunch at a buffet style outdoor restaurant which allowed everyone to refuel after the long morning we had. Our first stop was seeing the soccer stadium where the Summer 2016 Olympics were held in, the stadium was closed to the public but it was still nice to take pictures. While we were there we were approached by a vendor selling jerseys of the many different Brazilian teams in Rio. About half of us ended up buying a shirt from him (from that day on I learned that I like the style and feel of wearing a soccer jersey which I had added to my wardrobe). I may not be as big a soccer fan as some others in our group, but as a sports enthusiast it was truly a great opportunity to see a place of sporting history.
Some other stops of the day included an immense cathedral which looked like an armory that we had passed the day before on the street. It was so immense on the inside with beautiful sculptures and artifacts all around. We encountered a Carnival of people dressed in their brightly colored carnival attire which we felt obligated to take pictures with. Finally on our last stop of the day many of the group stopped in a small alleyway to see an example of the amazing architecture found around the city. I wish I could provide a better account, but at that time my ankle swelled up like a balloon and I was not able to walk on it much until later when I was able to ice it. Moving on, Tait was gracious enough to buy us authentic coconuts from a vendor outside which we had shared. The coconut water from the coconut itself had a different taste than the processed coconut water/milk we have grown accustomed to in the United States.
Overall this day included a lot of the sight-seeing that we were told explicitly by our parents to remember and photograph. I was very grateful I was able to send my parents all the pictures of the day as well as pick up souvenirs for them. I was starting to miss home a little bit since this day marked my personal record as days away from home with little communication. That being said I was still having the time of my life and was experiencing all that I could to bring the stories back home.
The morning started off much like the previous ones on the trip, many of us trying to sleep the extra few minutes and almost rushing breakfast to get ready. This was necessary to do though, Christ the Redeemer on any given day is such an amazing site that people from all over the world migrate down to Rio to get a glimpse of this symbolic wonder of the world at any time of year. The earlier you go, the better chance you have of getting enough room to take amazing photos. Once everyone was ready to go, we promptly boarded the tour bus and went on our way. We were able to beat most of the traffic to get there seeing we left as early as we did. The bus was able to take us up most of the way but we still had to hike a good portion uphill to get to the statue itself. You are able to notice this statue in almost any part of the city and seeing it up close made me realize actually how big this statue was and made everyone feel so small. The views were gorgeous and you could see every part of the city as well as the mountain ranges outside the city limits. This was truly a site to behold and it did not hit me until I walked right up to Cristo to realize that I had seen one of the major wonders of the world.
Once we were done at Cristo, we promptly boarded the bus to go directly across the city to Sugarloaf Mountain, named because of the loaf like shape. This was one of the highest points in Brazil as well, we could not simply walk up. To get to the top of the mountain we had to be lifted by cable cars, about three in total to reach the top. Each level we were lifted to seemed to have a different environment. The first level we were lifted to seemed like a little biodiversity hotspot with many different creatures to see from multiple species of butterflies, hummingbirds, and even marmoset monkeys (which were an invasive species). This view gave you a better look at the bay of Rio which was almost as amazing as the view Cristo gave. Every part of this day was amazing.
After Sugarloaf we made our way for an informal city bus tour. We stopped for lunch at a buffet style outdoor restaurant which allowed everyone to refuel after the long morning we had. Our first stop was seeing the soccer stadium where the Summer 2016 Olympics were held in, the stadium was closed to the public but it was still nice to take pictures. While we were there we were approached by a vendor selling jerseys of the many different Brazilian teams in Rio. About half of us ended up buying a shirt from him (from that day on I learned that I like the style and feel of wearing a soccer jersey which I had added to my wardrobe). I may not be as big a soccer fan as some others in our group, but as a sports enthusiast it was truly a great opportunity to see a place of sporting history.
Some other stops of the day included an immense cathedral which looked like an armory that we had passed the day before on the street. It was so immense on the inside with beautiful sculptures and artifacts all around. We encountered a Carnival of people dressed in their brightly colored carnival attire which we felt obligated to take pictures with. Finally on our last stop of the day many of the group stopped in a small alleyway to see an example of the amazing architecture found around the city. I wish I could provide a better account, but at that time my ankle swelled up like a balloon and I was not able to walk on it much until later when I was able to ice it. Moving on, Tait was gracious enough to buy us authentic coconuts from a vendor outside which we had shared. The coconut water from the coconut itself had a different taste than the processed coconut water/milk we have grown accustomed to in the United States.
Overall this day included a lot of the sight-seeing that we were told explicitly by our parents to remember and photograph. I was very grateful I was able to send my parents all the pictures of the day as well as pick up souvenirs for them. I was starting to miss home a little bit since this day marked my personal record as days away from home with little communication. That being said I was still having the time of my life and was experiencing all that I could to bring the stories back home.
Day 7: Tijuca National Park
This day marked our last day in Rio, and although I did not know it at the time, it was one of my favorite days of the trip itself. Today was the day we were able to go on a lengthy and challenging hike thru the Atlantic Forest. When people think of Brazilian wildlife and national preserves, they almost always think about the Amazon Rainforest. True the Amazon is famous for its unique creatures and resources but not many think about the remarkable sights to be seen in the Atlantic Forest, specifically Tijuca National Park which is still considered a rainforest due to the high volume of rain it gets each year.
This was going to be another lengthy bus ride for the group so it was important for us to rest on the ride. We were able to make it to the park entrance which was truly remarkable and great photo opportunities. Then it was time to make our way up to the park of the park we would be hiking at. We stopped at the small visitor’s center which had many unique information regarding the status of the park along with all of the species that call this home. I was disappointed to read in the exhibits that because of the coffee plantations set up in Tijuca, megafauna such as Harpy Eagles and Jaguars (my personal favorite) were eradicated from the park for the protection of the people and the livestock they had brought with them. However my mood was saved by looking at the vast collections of beetles they had on display (known as the coleopteran family). This collection some very unique specimens that dwarfed our own, including rhinoceros beetles and Hercules beetles which are thought to be some of the strongest animals on the planet (pound for pound of course). From there I was keeping my eye out for anything that even resembled a beetle which lead me to get pictures of other species such as spiders, frogs, wasps, and other interesting creatures. This hike was an amazing time with plenty to see. I was able to keep pace with the more experienced hikers on the group (all while carrying at least 10 pounds worth of supplies on my back) until it started to backfire and I became more exhausted much quicker than most.
Once the hike was complete. Many of us needed showers from the sweat and humidity that surrounded us. When we arrived back to the hotel that is exactly what I did. This day ended up being one of the shortest days of the trip. Although some of us still had the energy to go to Ipanema beach to enjoy the sunshine one more time. I am a boring, non-beach loving person, so I found more solace in catching up with family and taking that much needed shower. This ended up being one of my better decisions. The water itself was stricken with very foul pollution too explicit for this blog…one of the group members, Ana, ended up getting a bacterial eye infection from swimming in the water for a few days afterward and many people had a few other sicknesses which followed them for the next few days as well. This day did give rise to the “shark attack” story which was mentioned every day after on the trip, though most of us knew that this was no shark attack, it was just Heather being clumsy…(love you Heather). It was still an entertaining story none the less.
Rio ended up being one of my favorite stops on the trip because of this day. I absolutely enjoyed the sites, the wildlife, and the experiences of the last few days. I was starting to get used to the life of a fast paced traveler now and I was starting to connect more with the group…other than just me telling them my amazing puns ;D
This was going to be another lengthy bus ride for the group so it was important for us to rest on the ride. We were able to make it to the park entrance which was truly remarkable and great photo opportunities. Then it was time to make our way up to the park of the park we would be hiking at. We stopped at the small visitor’s center which had many unique information regarding the status of the park along with all of the species that call this home. I was disappointed to read in the exhibits that because of the coffee plantations set up in Tijuca, megafauna such as Harpy Eagles and Jaguars (my personal favorite) were eradicated from the park for the protection of the people and the livestock they had brought with them. However my mood was saved by looking at the vast collections of beetles they had on display (known as the coleopteran family). This collection some very unique specimens that dwarfed our own, including rhinoceros beetles and Hercules beetles which are thought to be some of the strongest animals on the planet (pound for pound of course). From there I was keeping my eye out for anything that even resembled a beetle which lead me to get pictures of other species such as spiders, frogs, wasps, and other interesting creatures. This hike was an amazing time with plenty to see. I was able to keep pace with the more experienced hikers on the group (all while carrying at least 10 pounds worth of supplies on my back) until it started to backfire and I became more exhausted much quicker than most.
Once the hike was complete. Many of us needed showers from the sweat and humidity that surrounded us. When we arrived back to the hotel that is exactly what I did. This day ended up being one of the shortest days of the trip. Although some of us still had the energy to go to Ipanema beach to enjoy the sunshine one more time. I am a boring, non-beach loving person, so I found more solace in catching up with family and taking that much needed shower. This ended up being one of my better decisions. The water itself was stricken with very foul pollution too explicit for this blog…one of the group members, Ana, ended up getting a bacterial eye infection from swimming in the water for a few days afterward and many people had a few other sicknesses which followed them for the next few days as well. This day did give rise to the “shark attack” story which was mentioned every day after on the trip, though most of us knew that this was no shark attack, it was just Heather being clumsy…(love you Heather). It was still an entertaining story none the less.
Rio ended up being one of my favorite stops on the trip because of this day. I absolutely enjoyed the sites, the wildlife, and the experiences of the last few days. I was starting to get used to the life of a fast paced traveler now and I was starting to connect more with the group…other than just me telling them my amazing puns ;D
Cathedral Flock of Frigate Birds
Christ the Redeemer, Anna and I selfie-ing with the enormous monument
Cable Car Ride to Sugarloaf Mountain Soccer Stadium that was host to the 2016 Summer Olympics
Hike thru Tijuca National Park, many cicada shells to be found and many amazing insects to be seen!
As we made out way up Sugarloaf, the views were breathtaking and the wildlife seen was amazing!
Amazing view of Rio!