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Rrrrrrrio de Janeiro!
One of the most famous cities in the world, with one of the most famous statues in the world - the huge Jesus overlooking Rio.
Well, gray skies and clouds greeted us as we got to Rio, and unfortunately they kept on escorting us throughout the week... Rio is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but it was hard to see it with such a crappy weather...
Copacabana beach is very nice, and it´s lovely to sit there and drink your morning coffee. huge malls and fancy buildings are found in the area of Copacabana and makes it a nice area to explore.
Lapa is another interesting part of town, with the famous Lapa arcs. This is one of the biggest party areas on weekends, although during the day it´s a bit dull.
We had 3 different highlights during our 5 days stay in Rio, other than just exlporing this huge city.
Maracana stadium
How disappointing can it be when you get to the biggest and most famous soccer stadium in the world and it is closed due to renovation... (For the next Mundial of course). We got in there just to see a small museum and the stadium from above, ripped to shreads and redecorated. Well, you still have to visit the Maracana - right?
Corcovado - Jesus Christos!
The sign of Rio de Janeiro and one of the most famous statues in the world is sitting on top of a huge mountain amidst the city. The view is spectacular from the top, although in cloudy days you get to see different parts of the city - one at a time... The elusive Jesus is also hiding inside the clouds and pokes his head from time to time. Still - an amazing mirador you just can´t miss.
Favela Rosinho
Yes, Favela, just like in the movie ¨City of god¨. For those of you who don´t know what it means - Fa (black skin) Vela (boat) is a name given to a neighbourhood that was taken over by poor people. These areas have no police control, they pay no taxes and hardly any electricity bill. They live in relative poverty and commit many crimes (mostly theft and drug dealing) in Rio. It is very dangerous to get inside a Favela since while the people there don´t commit crimes against each other, being an outsider means that your money and/or blood is free to be claimed, and there are no cops to help you. There are guns and drugs freely inside the favelas and all is led by one man (in our case - Nem, 23 years old).
Apparently there are tours to one favela which can give you an interesting glimpse into the Favela´s life. The multilingual guide Bruno took us through a fascinating tour in the biggest Favela in Rio, and gave us a unique perspective of life through the eyes of the poor people living there. Lucky for us, the rules of the area are very strict mafia rules, and this means - no harming the tourists and no violence during a tour (otherwise the tours will stop as well as the money flowing in through these visits). We came out alive with all our belongings, knowing that we could never enter these areas of town alone without risking our lives.
Interesting Rio finally had some sunny weather on our LAST DAY, which means that we left it just as things got better! But lucky for us, we´re heading on to Ilha Grande - a very big island for some more beach and relaxation, where the weather is much more important!
Wish me luck...
Gilad.
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