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We arrive in Rio
18/01/09 - 22/01/09
As we stepped out of Rio International airport we were confronted with the most ferocious storm you could imagine, rain drops were as big as boulders and the sky was lit up by fork lightning! We jumped into a cab which was far from luxurious and the driver thought he was better than Lewis Hamilton on wet tyres. He drove between 90-100 kmph, about 6 inches from the vehicle in front, whilst aquaplaning….very scary!!! Probably the most memorable part of the journey (when I managed to open my eyes), I looked to the left and saw the world renowned "Christ the Redeemer" statue dramatically lit up on top of a mountain in the distance.
Christ the Redeemer
After the 1st day of finding our feet, we decided to take a mini-bus tour to the Christ the Redeemer. Fortunately it was one of the better days in Rio in terns of weather, by midday it had already reached 34 degrees. The tour consisted of two stops, the first of which was a peak positioned below the statue, yet the views over the city and of sugar loaf mountain in the distance were exhilarating. We then made a steep climb to the statue, at times it felt as if the minibus was at a 70 degree tilt. I can't really describe in words how incredible the views are and I don't believe that photo's could do it justice…all I will say is that I have never seen a more spectacular view.
Rio and Ipenema
Upon leaving the city, our one regret is that we didn't get to see more of it because of the rain. From what we did see, the size of the city is unbelievable…it makes London look tiny. We stayed in the cosmopolitan Ipenema district which is regarded as one of Rio's more upmarket areas and because of its multi-cultural population offers numerous world cuisines, coffee shops and smoothie bars. The beach is incredible, not only has white sands runs for miles, with views of the various islands and emphatic green mountains which dominate the skyline, but it is the atmosphere of the place which makes it stand out. From around 6.30am the road which runs parallel to the beach is closed off on one side to traffic and is littered with fitness fanatics. Power walkers, joggers, people rollerblading, as well as the beach activities including volleyball and football! However despite the good points, Rio and even Ipenema have its shortfalls. Most significantly is the threat of crime. Whilst we experienced a hassle free stay, many others don't and robbery is common place due to the extreme divide between poverty and wealth. This made us feel pretty uncomfortable, especially at night thus the lack of photo's as our valuables were left within the confines of the hostel.
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