Rio de Janeiro!!!

First things first, it's pronounced 'hio'!

Please look at the Rio de Janeiro Album J

August 8, 2014

Friday, my team let me take the day off so I could travel to RIO!!! Raquel drove me to Viracopas Airport in Campinas in the morning. I checked in, got breakfast, went through security and was on my way! Rio is approximately the same distance from LA to San Francisco, so the flight was really quick. On the flight, I was amazed by the beautiful views of the Brazilian coastline and was even more amazed by the bird's eye view of Rio de Janeiro. Flying over, I saw Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Copacabana, Ipanema, and more! I had no idea that there were that many mountains and islands surrounding Rio!

When I arrived, I took a taxi to Copacabana to meet up with some other global interns. Around 1 PM, I met up with Smiley (Rio), Billie-Jazz (Salvador), Clarisol (Recife), and Phil (Recife) and we got lunch at a really cute Brazilian restaurant called Cafeina. I ordered fresh squeezed orange juice and a filet mignon sandwich with gruyere cheese and caramelized-onions on ciabatta bread. It was phenomenal!

After lunch we took the subway and a bus to Corcovado to see Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer). Smiley really helped us navigate through the public transportation since he spent last semester studying abroad in Brazil (jealous!). Overall, the public transportation felt safe!

We got to Corcovado and traded in our online tickets for physical tickets (I recommend buying tickets online prior to going) and got on the tram! The tram takes about 30 minutes to go all the way up to Cristo and there are many beautiful views of the mountainside and the city as you go up. Once we got to the top, I could not believe what I saw. Cristo Redentor cannot be described in words and there is something about it that makes you feel so inspired and uplifted. We got to the top around 5, took some pictures, watched the sunset, and then got coffee and fruits to wait for the night view. The sun set around 6 and by 6:30, the entire city lit up. Unfortunately my camera's battery died from taking too many pictures of the day view L At least I have a mental snapshot of it!

For dinner we went to a traditional Brazilian restaurant where its buffet style and you weigh your food at the end. After dinner, we met up with all of the global interns that met up in Rio (16 of us!), the Rio interns' buddies, and some other colleagues for a night out in Rio!

Yagmur from Seattle (Sao Paulo GIP) and I slept in Lauren's (also from Seattle) room! All of the Rio interns were so hospitable to all of us visiting!! I cannot express my gratitude towards them!

August 9, 2014

Saturday, we woke up around 8 AM and got breakfast at the hotel. I had the most amazing omelet and a plate of fresh fruit. It was a little overcast and rainy so our plans to go to the beach had to be postponed. We hung out for a little bit and then got lunch. For lunch I had an acai bowl and chicken soup (perfect for the weather!). Another funny story, I ordered chicken soup and got a chicken tapioca crepe - The miscommunication continues! #languagebarrier ;) Luckily the waitress understood and I eventually got my soup J

After lunch, we went to see Lapa, a famous, artsy area of the city. Lapa is famous for its arches and its stairs. We started at the arches and right when we got there it started raining! The rain/clouds actually made the ambiance of the area feel more right. The walls of the streets are covered with beautiful, colorful street art and graffiti. After walking around the streets of Lapa, we came across the stairs! There was so much culture in one place, it was amazing! The stairs are covered in tiles of different colors and designs and there are local Brazilians there playing music and singing!

After Lapa, we walked to the Catedral de Metropolitania da Arquidiocese de São Sebastião. From the outside it looks like an upside down concrete cone. I did not understand what was so special about it until I saw the inside of the building. My breath was taken away. It was one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen! There were amazing stained glass windows on each of the sides that worked their way up to the top of the cone where there was a window on the ceiling designed like a cross. Also, the shape of the cathedral enhances the acoustics of the church choir. Just like Cristo Redentor, my spirit felt more alive in the cathedral.

Then we wanted a snack, and the group voted on sushi! We found a place that was approximately 15 minutes away so we started walking there. As we got closer, we realized that all of the stores and restaurants were closed, the neighborhood was getting worse, and we saw less and less people. We kept hoping that the sushi place we wanted to go to was open (online it said it was). Unfortunately, the sushi place was closed and we were a little worried because we did not know where to go and there were no taxis around to take us home. With our guards up, we continued walking to what seemed like the right direction. To our surprise, we ended up coming across Rua Ouvidor, a long, narrow street where locals hang out where there is authentic food and live music. It was so fun and we got pastels and feijoada, two very popular Brazilian dishes. It was very refreshing to see some of the local lifestyle; it made me feel like less of a tourist! :P

We ate dinner on the rooftop of the Rio global interns' hotel, which is right on Copacabana beach, so we had an INCREDIBLE view. After dinner, we explored Botofogo and Ipanema!

August 10, 2014

Last day in Rio!! We woke up really early because we wanted to see a lot before we had to leave! After discussing plans, the Sao Paulo interns wanted to see Cristo first, just in case they ran out of time (because they got in later Friday and were leaving earlier than me Sunday). Jess has already been to Rio and seen Cristo, so she asked me if I wanted to go to a fancy brunch! Obviously, I said yes! We walked to Copacabana Palace and got brunch by the pool. It was such a beautiful day out, the food was delicious, and the environment was amazing! I felt like a celebrity on vacation.

Later, Jess and I went to Copacabana Beach and randomly ran into some of the other global interns, Kiana, Connor, Smiley, Phil, Clarisol, and Billie-Jazz! We all hung out on the beach, took pictures, watched the surfers, and tanned (and didn't burn!!!)! The locals there don't tan on beach towels, they lay on a piece of cloth that is like a Hawaiian sarong (the thin cloth you can tie 1000 different ways into a dress). I bought one as a souvenir of the pattern that is famous to Copacabana!

For a late lunch/ early dinner, I ate at the rooftop restaurant of the hotel again and got some GREAT pictures of Copacabana beach! We rushed because the Sao Paulo interns had to go to the airport and the Rio interns (and I) wanted to go to Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf) and make it in time for the sunset! Pão de Açucar was on the way to the airport so I brought my bags with me. We made our way up the cabled tram and saw the most beautiful views of Rio de Janeiro. On the way up, you have to take 2 trams. The first one takes you up and the second one takes you over. For future travelers, make sure you take some pictures from the middle level of the scenery and of Pão de Açucar. Once you are at the top, there are so many people and it is very difficult to get a photo where someone else's camera is not in your shot! J

After being blown away by the sunset and the scenery at Pão de Açucar, I left by myself so I could catch my flight. I was already nervous about taking a taxi alone with all my belongings, but I was much more nervous when got to the bottom of the mountain. There were NO taxis there since it was a Sunday night and it was pitch black. I started panicking because my flight was in about an hour. I went to the information desk and the woman couldn't call me a cab for me and told me to take the bus. I didn't want to do that because I knew I would take the bus in the opposite direction. Luckily, I found some 2 English speaking men who waited with me until I found a taxi! I was extremely relieved but upset at the same time. I never wanted to leave Rio!!!

In Campinas, Raquel picked me up from the airport and took me back to the hotel. I ordered some homemade chicken soup from room service and went to sleep!

Tchau tchau!