We took a bus from Montevideo to Colonia del Sacremento, two hours west of Montevideo. The bus ride was quite pastoral-gentle rolling hills of green wheat fields (because it is spring) and vineyards. Arriving in Colonia was not just pike rolling the clock back it was like being somewhere where the clock seems to tick a few seconds slower. The city is small. The historic center is on a small peninsula about a half square mile large. The area immediately outside the old city wall is almost as old and this is where our hostel was and most of the businesses and restaurants. All of the streets are shaded in maple trees with new green leaves and all of the streets are cobble stoned.
After checking in we made quick friends with a Chilean girl who had been on our bus and together we went to grab a late lunch. We had a chivito platter, a plate of steak covered in fried eggs, ham, cheese and served on a bed of fresh tomatoes and fries. Haha sounds like a heart attack like a chorrillana from Chile. It might be, but it's a delicious heart attack.
After lunch we walked around the historic center. It was like being in a storybook. It is hard to describe without pictures, (there will be photos one day...). The town is a former Portuguese colony from the 1650s. The waterfront, along the River Plata had a number of contemporary beach houses. It is amazing to think that people live amongst the colonial structures in this town.
> There were many interesting buildings to photograph as we wandered aimlessly. There was a lighthouse, the ruins of a convent, a number of mansions with courtyards, the old church, a tower along the waterfront, industrial dock buildings, old drugstores, and the original city walls complete with drawbridge. One street in particular was so perfectly charming. The entire street features all original colonial houses. They have settled over the centuries, leaning left and slouching right. Plants and grasses grow out of the thatch and tile roofs. The walls are painted in shades of red, orange and pink. The sun was just beginning to set do our timing to photograph was right on. I think we were ready to just sit down in the center of the street and never get up again. But we did, it was a good thing because for dinner we had beef Milanese where one portion was enough to feed both of us.
The next day we went horseback riding in the morning. The ride was over two and a half hours. At a leisurely pace we went from the horse ran h amongst vineyards and wheat fields, through native forests of trees covered in epiphytes, to sandy grasslands and then the beach. Unfortunately with all the recent rains, the river water was super high and most of the beach was underwater. Our horses had to go out into the waves in order to get around the coastline trees. It became obvious we weren't going to make it very far in this way so we returned to the ranch via a country road. It got pretty funny from this point because our guide who didn't speak any English and whose Spanish was a mumbled mess to our ears could not make his horse go anymore. Ching Jen's horse, Chiquita, a white mare, started binging on food. She stopped to eat every few minutes. Meanwhile, Jon's horse, Estrella, a light brown horse rocking a Justin beiber hairstyle, was finally ready to tro and led the way back to the ranch. This was in stark contrast to earlier when it had a difficult time keeping up and had stopped at every muddy puddle to go around. Everyone made it back including our guide who spent a lot of time picking flowers for some reason. He did dance a hula for us so that part was worth it.
After the horseback ride we walked around the artisan fairgrounds and then the old port. We spent the afternoon walking around the historic center again and sitting for a drink at a cafe. We went up the lighthouse to see a view over the town and the river. The cafe had a couple of old fords staged to set the scene of the the town pre- WWII. One car was set up so that two people could eat inside another had plants growing out of it. It was fun to watch people come around the corner, first be excited to see the cars and then notice the table inside or the plants. We waited long enough to catch the sunset over the river. It was pretty brilliant.
The following day we checked out of the hostel and caught a bus to Carmelo, a town upriver in Uruguay. From Carmelo we caught a ferry, a hydrofoil to Buenos Aires, through the delta and the many islands. We had a couple of hours to kill in Carmelo and it was super nice to sit alongside the river and relax. The crossing in the delta was very scenic. The sunset was magnificent. It definitely felt like a pretty posh way to immigrate from one country to another.
We arrived in Tigre, a suburb of Buenos Aires and easily took a train and the subway to our hostel in Palermo, Buenos Aires.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
We got into Rio airport around 6:30am and had to wait until 3:20pm for our flight to Montevideo. So we hung out, wrote in our journals, blogged and had some lunch. We´re surprised at how small Rio´s international airport is--it does not seem like it has the capacity to serve the crowds that will arrive for the World Cup and Olympics. Hopefully that will be solved. It was late when we got to Montevideo so we grabbed some dinner at a bar after checking in. For a very reasonable price, we had a juicy 1/4 chicken with mashed potatoes and steak and fries.
The next day we walked to Centro and the old port. Montevideo is a beautiful city with many old buildings giving the city a European feel. Many of the streets we walked on felt like we were in Germany or the like. There are many small plazas and parks as we walked through the town, giving us many opportunities to stop and rest and people watch. We checked out a great artisan craft market and bought a few items. On one corner, there was an old random fountain with a fence around it. There were many locks on it, most of them rusted. We learned that couples would put their initials on a lock and lock it to the fountain to secure their future together. We also walked by the Teatro Solis, which is their opera house. There was a poster advertising their partnership with New York´s Metropolitan Opera and the ability to watch the Met Opera´s similucasts of the upcoming season. We made our way to Mercado del Puerto and was immediately transported back to the Victorian era. The market no longer sells fresh produce or raw meats, instead it is all restaurants. However, each restaurant is an open counter and tables with Victorian style details. Each restaurant has a large grill and you can watch the grill master cook up your meal. With the smoke coming from the grills, the market is smokey, but the haziness paired with the wrought-iron beams and old styled fans and with the light streaming through the smoke make for great photos! We loved it and of course took lots of photos. We sat at one of the counters and ordered a mixed parrilla for two; this included steak, 1/2 a chicken, chorizo, blood sausage and intestines, and a side of salad. It was delicious, but Ching Jen didn´t feel like eating all of the intestines. We were very full by the end of our meal but we were very satisfied.
When we finally were able to pull ourselves away from the market we made our way down to the Ramble or as we call them, an esplanade or promenade. The Rio water is brown and choppy and wasn't really a "pretty" view but it was nice. We briefly stopped at the hostel before heading out again to explore the neighborhood of Pocitos. It started to rain however and we discovered that there wasn't a lot going on around here. We took cover in a bookstore for a little while before finding a cafe for dinner. We each had already bowl but Jon's was filled with rice and sausage & vegetables, while Ching Jen's had pumpkin soup (we think).
The next morning we packed up and went to the bus station to catch the bus to Colonial del Sacramento. We liked Montevideo a lot, for the feel of the city, the easy going atmosphere and especially the people who were always very friendly, curious to know where we are from and why we are in Uruguay. They were always ready to assist us in finding our way.
The next day we walked to Centro and the old port. Montevideo is a beautiful city with many old buildings giving the city a European feel. Many of the streets we walked on felt like we were in Germany or the like. There are many small plazas and parks as we walked through the town, giving us many opportunities to stop and rest and people watch. We checked out a great artisan craft market and bought a few items. On one corner, there was an old random fountain with a fence around it. There were many locks on it, most of them rusted. We learned that couples would put their initials on a lock and lock it to the fountain to secure their future together. We also walked by the Teatro Solis, which is their opera house. There was a poster advertising their partnership with New York´s Metropolitan Opera and the ability to watch the Met Opera´s similucasts of the upcoming season. We made our way to Mercado del Puerto and was immediately transported back to the Victorian era. The market no longer sells fresh produce or raw meats, instead it is all restaurants. However, each restaurant is an open counter and tables with Victorian style details. Each restaurant has a large grill and you can watch the grill master cook up your meal. With the smoke coming from the grills, the market is smokey, but the haziness paired with the wrought-iron beams and old styled fans and with the light streaming through the smoke make for great photos! We loved it and of course took lots of photos. We sat at one of the counters and ordered a mixed parrilla for two; this included steak, 1/2 a chicken, chorizo, blood sausage and intestines, and a side of salad. It was delicious, but Ching Jen didn´t feel like eating all of the intestines. We were very full by the end of our meal but we were very satisfied.
When we finally were able to pull ourselves away from the market we made our way down to the Ramble or as we call them, an esplanade or promenade. The Rio water is brown and choppy and wasn't really a "pretty" view but it was nice. We briefly stopped at the hostel before heading out again to explore the neighborhood of Pocitos. It started to rain however and we discovered that there wasn't a lot going on around here. We took cover in a bookstore for a little while before finding a cafe for dinner. We each had already bowl but Jon's was filled with rice and sausage & vegetables, while Ching Jen's had pumpkin soup (we think).
The next morning we packed up and went to the bus station to catch the bus to Colonial del Sacramento. We liked Montevideo a lot, for the feel of the city, the easy going atmosphere and especially the people who were always very friendly, curious to know where we are from and why we are in Uruguay. They were always ready to assist us in finding our way.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Amazon
So we finally made it to the Amazon. A couple days after we were hoping and only to Belem, a biggish city at the mouth of the Amazon. It was mighty hot when we got there- 90 degrees and only 9:30 am. We found a hostel in Comercio, the historic center of Belem. Belem is a city of a couple million in the metro area. It is best known as the port city of the Amazon. Everything that goes up or down river passes Belem. It is also a city that on the second Sunday of October hosts 2 million people for a religious celebration. People come to parade and hold a rope that stretches for 7km around the city through the streets linking two separate churches. The images of this are quite amazing.
The first sightseeing thing we did in Belem was head to the zoo/city rainforest park. It is a small space, preserved from colonial times. Outside we had a snack, tacaca, a soup of dried shrimp, cassava in a gummy texture, and Jambi leaves, a very tangy vegetable like collared greens. It was okay, but we would not order seconds. The tanginess was just too much. Inside the zoo was kind of disappointing. The big snakes were closed for viewing, as were the piranha and other fish. The jaguar was hidden and the tigers were sleeping aside from one Fangy grin. We did see many birds like ibises, tucans, and parrots, along with capybaras, tapirs, monkeys, turtles, tortoises, and iguanas.
In the afternoon we walked around some of the neighborhood in Belem where high-rises seem to be springing up on ever corner. We ended up inside in the AC at a shopping mall. We think we saw the temperatures reach 104.
Our second day in Belem we walked around the port and historic old city. The port was pretty impressive. The city has invested a lot of dollars into attracting tourism with renovated warehouses and shipping equipment on display. It was from here that we saw the amazon, a huge brown river with numerous islands in this part of the delta. Nearby we walked Ver o peso market, the largest in all Latin America. There are over 12000 stalls! They sell everything from clothing to witchcraft items, lotions and perfumes to salted dried seafood, live chickens, ducks, the birds, and mice for some unknown purpose, meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables and regional crafts. It was lots of fun to gawk and wander at the stalls.
After the market we checked out the fort and the cathedral. We took a rest in a plaza with fresh chilled coconut juice. The. I asked the vendor to hack it open so we could eat the meat. It was so refreshing.
The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering shops and the Comercio. The area is filed with sidewalk vendors and bargain stores. We had ice cream at the port, watching a pretty spectacular downpour of rain. We watched the sunset over the river- the water was a shimmery purple because of the glow from the sun.
Then at night we checked out of the hostel and headed to the airport for our flight at 2:40am. It was bizarre when we got to the airport around 10, it was super quiet. Then around 11, stores and restaurants started opening and many passengers starting checking in for other flights. We learned later the airport is closed earlier in the day because there are no flights out.
The first sightseeing thing we did in Belem was head to the zoo/city rainforest park. It is a small space, preserved from colonial times. Outside we had a snack, tacaca, a soup of dried shrimp, cassava in a gummy texture, and Jambi leaves, a very tangy vegetable like collared greens. It was okay, but we would not order seconds. The tanginess was just too much. Inside the zoo was kind of disappointing. The big snakes were closed for viewing, as were the piranha and other fish. The jaguar was hidden and the tigers were sleeping aside from one Fangy grin. We did see many birds like ibises, tucans, and parrots, along with capybaras, tapirs, monkeys, turtles, tortoises, and iguanas.
In the afternoon we walked around some of the neighborhood in Belem where high-rises seem to be springing up on ever corner. We ended up inside in the AC at a shopping mall. We think we saw the temperatures reach 104.
Our second day in Belem we walked around the port and historic old city. The port was pretty impressive. The city has invested a lot of dollars into attracting tourism with renovated warehouses and shipping equipment on display. It was from here that we saw the amazon, a huge brown river with numerous islands in this part of the delta. Nearby we walked Ver o peso market, the largest in all Latin America. There are over 12000 stalls! They sell everything from clothing to witchcraft items, lotions and perfumes to salted dried seafood, live chickens, ducks, the birds, and mice for some unknown purpose, meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables and regional crafts. It was lots of fun to gawk and wander at the stalls.
After the market we checked out the fort and the cathedral. We took a rest in a plaza with fresh chilled coconut juice. The. I asked the vendor to hack it open so we could eat the meat. It was so refreshing.
The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering shops and the Comercio. The area is filed with sidewalk vendors and bargain stores. We had ice cream at the port, watching a pretty spectacular downpour of rain. We watched the sunset over the river- the water was a shimmery purple because of the glow from the sun.
Then at night we checked out of the hostel and headed to the airport for our flight at 2:40am. It was bizarre when we got to the airport around 10, it was super quiet. Then around 11, stores and restaurants started opening and many passengers starting checking in for other flights. We learned later the airport is closed earlier in the day because there are no flights out.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Salvador Sol
It was dark already by the time we arrived in Salvador. We found our way to our hostel in the historic center, Pelourinho, a World Heritage Site full of colorful colonial buildings. The center sits at the edge of a cliff overlooking the bay. We immediately went looking for food and found a place that served traditional Bahian food. We ordered coconut curry with shrimp and a side of rice. It was too bad that all the stores and other restaurants were already closed or closing otherwise it would have been nice to hang out on the street and people watch as the night was warm yet breezy.
We woke up to a beautiful view of the bay-until our sink faucet broke and water was flooding the bathroom! Luckily the staff quickly shut off our water in time. It wasn't a big deal and we got changed and on our way. First we went to the bus station to purchase tickets to Belem. It would take us 2 bus rides, 20 and 15 hours each- we didn't really have a choice but we knew it could be done and that it actually would be manageable. After that was taken care of we caught the bus to a beach where we watched surfers ride the waves. The tide was high and our clothes got a little wet so we walked along the coast looking for another beach spot. Unfortunately, there was none close enough to walk to but we found some rocks to sit on and watched a group of boys jump off the rocks into the ocean. Later in the evening we shared a large portion of fish, battered and lightly fried, beets and cabbage salad and rice and beans. It was super delicious. After dinner we caught the end of a performance by a live band having a great time watching people dance.
The next day we first caught the funicular down the cliff to check, out the artisan market. We browsed every stall but didn't end up buying anything. We did find some interesting bracelets made out of snake skin-the seller showed off his roll of dried snake skin he uses to make the bracelets-but we were wigged out a bit and had concerns about customs. So we took the elevator up the cliff and wandered the streets taking lots of photos. We went inside the church, Igreja Sao Francisco, with beautiful and ornate decorations. The courtyard was lined with blue and white tiles along the walls while the church interior was covered in gold baroque details. The whole place sparkled with light. For lunch we had juicy chicken and spare ribs. The rest of the early afternoon was spent taking photos of the streets and colorful buildings and browsing shops before heading to the bus terminal.
We woke up to a beautiful view of the bay-until our sink faucet broke and water was flooding the bathroom! Luckily the staff quickly shut off our water in time. It wasn't a big deal and we got changed and on our way. First we went to the bus station to purchase tickets to Belem. It would take us 2 bus rides, 20 and 15 hours each- we didn't really have a choice but we knew it could be done and that it actually would be manageable. After that was taken care of we caught the bus to a beach where we watched surfers ride the waves. The tide was high and our clothes got a little wet so we walked along the coast looking for another beach spot. Unfortunately, there was none close enough to walk to but we found some rocks to sit on and watched a group of boys jump off the rocks into the ocean. Later in the evening we shared a large portion of fish, battered and lightly fried, beets and cabbage salad and rice and beans. It was super delicious. After dinner we caught the end of a performance by a live band having a great time watching people dance.
The next day we first caught the funicular down the cliff to check, out the artisan market. We browsed every stall but didn't end up buying anything. We did find some interesting bracelets made out of snake skin-the seller showed off his roll of dried snake skin he uses to make the bracelets-but we were wigged out a bit and had concerns about customs. So we took the elevator up the cliff and wandered the streets taking lots of photos. We went inside the church, Igreja Sao Francisco, with beautiful and ornate decorations. The courtyard was lined with blue and white tiles along the walls while the church interior was covered in gold baroque details. The whole place sparkled with light. For lunch we had juicy chicken and spare ribs. The rest of the early afternoon was spent taking photos of the streets and colorful buildings and browsing shops before heading to the bus terminal.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Living in a Flying City
We landed in Brasilia from Rio. It was hot, sunny, dry and dusty. Brasilia is the masterplanned capitol city of Brazil. The plan is literally in the shape of a plane- an airplane. The plane is flying in an eastward direction towards a large artificial lake. The entire city is aligned such that on April 21, a day to recognize the martyrs of Brazil's independence, the sun rises perfectly on axis. At the eastern end of the city are the main governmental buildings. The congress, a famous Niemeyer building with two towers rising from a platform that also is the base for a domed volume and it's inverse bowl form (the legislatures) is at the cockpit, eastern end of the city with sun rising between the towers. The wings of the plane house residential sectors, local commerce areas, hotel zones, entertainment sectors and designated zones for businesses and industries. For example all the banks are clustered together. Embassies are clustered and so too are hospitals. Hotels and shopping are split between the north and south wings. All of and their are no street names. Addresses are by block and building. For example our hotel address was sector SHS quad 1 block 3.
We got into Brasilia with most of the afternoon to walk around and hang out. So we went to the cathedral first. It is unlike any cathedral we've seen. Well it's the same architect as Rio so I guess one might anticipate something pretty special. It is a fantastic building. The entrance is via a subterranean ramp. At the end of the ramp one arrives in the main space, a round building in plan with an amazing ceiling of clear glass and blue mosaic tiles, supported by curving concrete columns. The wall curves down to become floor. Three large angel sculptures seem to hover at the center of the room. The curving concrete columns rise up creating the volume and then beyond the roof surface to puncture the sky.
Following the cathedral we checked out other buildings along the central part of the monumental axis like the library and the theater. The library looked like something out of a di chorico painting. The theater felt like a building in Hawaii with a lushly planted tropical lobby. Then as it was nearing dinner time and we didn't feel like hotel restaurants or taking a cab out to the local restaurant areas, we did like a Brazilian and went to the mall. Brasilians love to hang out at malls and their food courts are much better than American food courts.
The next day we basically covered the rest of the axis. We started at the center, going up to the observation level of the tv tower. From there we got our bearings for the entire city and masterplan. We took the bus to the tail section and went to the pretty time warpy museum/monument to JK, Brazils 20th century president responsible for the creation of Brasilia and many other reforms and construction projects in Brazil. The interior of the building was decked out in mid 20th century furniture, red shag rugs, and black marble. The exterior of the building is a trapezoidal/ pyramid volume with a ramped underground entrance and exit. In the front is a tall monument of JK standing on a pillar at the center of a crescent moon. We walked a little bit down the monumental axis under mango trees to the convention center and the had lunch at a gas station cafe. This is another thing we noticed in Brazil. Their gas stations are fancy, selling bottles of wine, expensive chocolates, ice cream bars for $6 US each. And they often have cafes with waiter service even, outdoor tables and umbrellas.
Following lunch we went to Dom Brasco church which is the biggest surprise architectural highlight of the trip thus far. I think the one thing that would describe this building is to say it made Ching Jen want to go to architecture school. Haha. It is a building packed with a great surprise. Outside it is a monolithic cube with 3 storey tall gothic arch like voids around the entire building. Inside one realizes those voids are filled with 18 different blue tinted stained glass panels. It is a dazzling effect, like being inside a kaleidoscope. It was so peaceful and wonderful to sit there that we stayed for a while and toon a ton of pictures.
After Dom Brasco we too the bus to the eastern end of the monumental axis. We walked the length of the ministries, individual government department buildings. The buildings are really impressive and overwhelming lined up like dominoes to either side of the axis. The buildings are clad in green vertical louvered panels on the west side, a glass curtain wall on the east side and white marble on other two, shorter sides. We checked out the Ministry of Justice building a pretty cool mid century building with huge oversized cantilevered waterfalls on the front facade. Nearby was the congress building and the Square of Three Powers. The presents palace/office building and the court building are similar to each other and flank the square. Each building has these very delicate concrete curving columns that suspend the first floor of the building in the air. The buildings appear to be floating. The entirety of the building is white marble and because of the structural design it looks like they could have been carved like an ivory figurines.
Brasilia wasn't all architourism though, we did a lot of people watching and trying to figure out what it would be like living in a city like this. For dinner the second night we ended up at a shopping center food court again, this time opting for Brazil's version of Mcdonalds, only at Giraffas they serve steak.
We spent the next morning running errands and trying to book travel to the amazon. Our flight to Salvador left in the afternoon.
We got into Brasilia with most of the afternoon to walk around and hang out. So we went to the cathedral first. It is unlike any cathedral we've seen. Well it's the same architect as Rio so I guess one might anticipate something pretty special. It is a fantastic building. The entrance is via a subterranean ramp. At the end of the ramp one arrives in the main space, a round building in plan with an amazing ceiling of clear glass and blue mosaic tiles, supported by curving concrete columns. The wall curves down to become floor. Three large angel sculptures seem to hover at the center of the room. The curving concrete columns rise up creating the volume and then beyond the roof surface to puncture the sky.
Following the cathedral we checked out other buildings along the central part of the monumental axis like the library and the theater. The library looked like something out of a di chorico painting. The theater felt like a building in Hawaii with a lushly planted tropical lobby. Then as it was nearing dinner time and we didn't feel like hotel restaurants or taking a cab out to the local restaurant areas, we did like a Brazilian and went to the mall. Brasilians love to hang out at malls and their food courts are much better than American food courts.
The next day we basically covered the rest of the axis. We started at the center, going up to the observation level of the tv tower. From there we got our bearings for the entire city and masterplan. We took the bus to the tail section and went to the pretty time warpy museum/monument to JK, Brazils 20th century president responsible for the creation of Brasilia and many other reforms and construction projects in Brazil. The interior of the building was decked out in mid 20th century furniture, red shag rugs, and black marble. The exterior of the building is a trapezoidal/ pyramid volume with a ramped underground entrance and exit. In the front is a tall monument of JK standing on a pillar at the center of a crescent moon. We walked a little bit down the monumental axis under mango trees to the convention center and the had lunch at a gas station cafe. This is another thing we noticed in Brazil. Their gas stations are fancy, selling bottles of wine, expensive chocolates, ice cream bars for $6 US each. And they often have cafes with waiter service even, outdoor tables and umbrellas.
Following lunch we went to Dom Brasco church which is the biggest surprise architectural highlight of the trip thus far. I think the one thing that would describe this building is to say it made Ching Jen want to go to architecture school. Haha. It is a building packed with a great surprise. Outside it is a monolithic cube with 3 storey tall gothic arch like voids around the entire building. Inside one realizes those voids are filled with 18 different blue tinted stained glass panels. It is a dazzling effect, like being inside a kaleidoscope. It was so peaceful and wonderful to sit there that we stayed for a while and toon a ton of pictures.
After Dom Brasco we too the bus to the eastern end of the monumental axis. We walked the length of the ministries, individual government department buildings. The buildings are really impressive and overwhelming lined up like dominoes to either side of the axis. The buildings are clad in green vertical louvered panels on the west side, a glass curtain wall on the east side and white marble on other two, shorter sides. We checked out the Ministry of Justice building a pretty cool mid century building with huge oversized cantilevered waterfalls on the front facade. Nearby was the congress building and the Square of Three Powers. The presents palace/office building and the court building are similar to each other and flank the square. Each building has these very delicate concrete curving columns that suspend the first floor of the building in the air. The buildings appear to be floating. The entirety of the building is white marble and because of the structural design it looks like they could have been carved like an ivory figurines.
Brasilia wasn't all architourism though, we did a lot of people watching and trying to figure out what it would be like living in a city like this. For dinner the second night we ended up at a shopping center food court again, this time opting for Brazil's version of Mcdonalds, only at Giraffas they serve steak.
We spent the next morning running errands and trying to book travel to the amazon. Our flight to Salvador left in the afternoon.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Weather Check
We woke up and outside it was overcast, much more so than the day before, in fact it felt like it would rain. We walked to the beach to see if we could see the Christ Redeemer as an indication as to whether or not we should go up Corcavado mountain to see it. Nope, not a chance. But Sugar Loaf lookout was visible so we decided to go there and see if the weather would improve. We took the subway there when it started raining. Bummers, it didn´t seem like a good idea to spend the time and money to do it today either. Ah well. So we went to the infamous Ipanema neighborhood to wander and have lunch. We had lunch at a buffet place and wandered the neighborhood which reminded us of Waikiki. After lunch we stepped out onto Ipanema beach between lifeguard posts 9 and 10, where supposedly all the beautiful people go to sun tan, but of course no one was there since it was raining. Still the (natural) view was beautiful. On our way back to our hostel, we found a band playing bossa nova on the street so we listened for awhile before continuing on. At dinner time, we weren´t so hungry so we ended up only have dessert. Also, we were craving ice cream. We found a cafe and Jon had a chocolate milkshake and Ching Jen had a waffle with vanilla ice cream. It totally hit the spot.
The next day it was overcast, but the clouds were high and it seemed like it would stay that way all day. Optimistically, we set out to Corcavado mountain and waited for the train up to the Christ Redeemer. It is amazing that you really can see the Redeemer from every part of the city. The Christ Redeemer stands 13-stories high and he´s huge and awesome to look at. Many tourists were taking the classic photo where they stand with their arms outstretched like Christ, however, the photographer often had to lie on the ground in order to fit the Christ Redeemer in the picture. The views of the city were great too, you couldn´t see far into the horizon because of the clouds, but you could see the entire city and that was the important part. We took loads of photos in every direction before heading back down. We had a picnic near the water facing Sugar Loaf (Jon had a giant avocado while Ching Jen had a sandwich) before making our way to Sugar Loaf. Sugar Loaf lookout is made up of two small mountains, one smaller than the other, and there is an option of hiking up the smaller one. We opted to do this since it wasn´t too hard, just a nature trail and it made the views much more rewarding. From there, we took the cable car up to the larger mountain. Again, it had amazing views, this time with a view of the Christ Redeemer, even though he was tiny tiny. We planned the timing perfectly, the sun was just setting so we got a drink and sat and watched it go down. We waiting for the street lights to come on so that we could take more photos before finally heading back down via cable cars. It felt great that we were able to see both on our last day, the waiting was worth it.
The next day it was overcast, but the clouds were high and it seemed like it would stay that way all day. Optimistically, we set out to Corcavado mountain and waited for the train up to the Christ Redeemer. It is amazing that you really can see the Redeemer from every part of the city. The Christ Redeemer stands 13-stories high and he´s huge and awesome to look at. Many tourists were taking the classic photo where they stand with their arms outstretched like Christ, however, the photographer often had to lie on the ground in order to fit the Christ Redeemer in the picture. The views of the city were great too, you couldn´t see far into the horizon because of the clouds, but you could see the entire city and that was the important part. We took loads of photos in every direction before heading back down. We had a picnic near the water facing Sugar Loaf (Jon had a giant avocado while Ching Jen had a sandwich) before making our way to Sugar Loaf. Sugar Loaf lookout is made up of two small mountains, one smaller than the other, and there is an option of hiking up the smaller one. We opted to do this since it wasn´t too hard, just a nature trail and it made the views much more rewarding. From there, we took the cable car up to the larger mountain. Again, it had amazing views, this time with a view of the Christ Redeemer, even though he was tiny tiny. We planned the timing perfectly, the sun was just setting so we got a drink and sat and watched it go down. We waiting for the street lights to come on so that we could take more photos before finally heading back down via cable cars. It felt great that we were able to see both on our last day, the waiting was worth it.
The Favela
Our second day in Rio the weather still looked overcast with the clouds low enough to obscure the views of the Christ Redeemer and Pao de Acucar. Therefore we spent the morning walking around Copacabana where the beach was mostly deserted. I'm the afternoon we went on a favela tour, which at first sounded a pretty uncomfortable- going through a favela (shanty town) as if it were a zoo. However, it turned out to be one of the coolest and eye opening learning experiences.
Our guide picked us up and drove a small group of us through Ipanema and Leblon, which were just as empty of people. The cloudy, rainy weather really puts a damper on Rio. We stopped at Rocinho, the largest favela in Latin America with an estimated count of 250,000 people living there. The favela is located on a steep hillside over Sao Conrado, an upper middle class neighborhood of high-rises. The backside stretches over the saddle of the mountain and down to the top portions of Leblon, probably Rio's most expensive neighborhood. The proximity of the favela with the high-rises is one of the first things we noticed. Employers in Brazil pay for transportation, therefore they have an incentive to hire people whose commute costs the least. Thus, the closer the favela is to the restaurant, store, hotel etc... The closer that resident is to their job and more hirable they are. It is a catch 22 in a way because as we learned and saw many residents in the favelas make enough to support a family and own tvs and play stations and upholstered furniture sets, but if they lived elsewhere they would be in danger of loosing their jobs. Thus they put up with the poor or lack of infrastructure for sewage, trash, running water, electricity, mail delivery, healthcare, police and fire service, schools and more that we rake for granted.
The tour started at the top of the favela. On foot we entered and walked down one of the main roads. The favela is un taxed land. They are essentially squatters. It had expanded to the point where there is nowhere to build but up so it is getting more dense and more dangerous as people build homes on top of poorly built structures of concrete, wood and in many cases found construction material. About a quarter of the way down we stopped at an artist studio. The tour company we were with has fostered a relationship with the favela over the past 15 years. In that time they have worked to develop an artist community, entrepanuerialism, and a daycare center. So our stops to interact with local residents was somewhat staged as the residents see people like us daily. Nonetheless it was a unique and a very nice experience to speak with them. Whenever we could see beyond a building, the views of the favela were mindboggoling. The buildings are so crammed together that the main "streets" are 4 or 5 feet wide with three or four storey buildings making canyons out of them. The locals even get lost, which is why the drug lords like to live in the favela. The police can't really enter and navigate through the favela in an organized way. Therefore beginning in the 70's and 80's as the drug trade increased drug lords started taking refuge in the favelas. The favela residents as we understood it don't want the drugs in the favela, but the don't have a choice as the drug lords have money, guns and power. They live in a kind of parasitic harmony with the drug lords using the favela as a hideout and the favela benefitting from the trickledown of money. It is a shame because the drugs really create a bad reputation and for most brasilians favelas=drugs. From our perspective after the tour, the drugs are a side show and favelas= super tight communities of really resourceful people. People who could afford to move out do not because of the warm community aspect.
With the favela the residents have established infrastructure to get water and electricity. The most desirable places to live are near the bottom for electricity and water because you can tap into the grid, the electric company even manages to run a meter for each house. At the bottom you are also closer to mass transit and in many cases the community where you work. However, the bottom is also where all the trash and sewage piles up. And as we said because of their streets and the fact that the land is untaxed there is no way for the government to supply trash pickup or sewer lines. There is a movement to start providing services and building schools and hospitals, but this means knocking down houses, relocating residents and coming to terms with the drug lords. At Rocinho there are plans to build a tram line and more whoops and health clinics. Currently for the 250,000+ residents there is one health clinic and 4 schools. Most of the children are undocumented as they are bit born in hospitals. What was a rainy day plan and sounded a little morally awkward at first was in fact a very interesting and humbling experience.
After the favela we went to the supermarket to pick up some groceries. We made curry ramen with watercress and chicken for dinner before we were given a demonstration of capoeira, or Brazilian martial arts by a group of people from the same favela we visited. Afterwards, a group of us from the hostel made our way to Lapa where there is a block party every Friday night. Cars are blocked from entering the streets and the restaurants sell food and drinks on the sidewalks while the clubs blare music out their windows. We hung out there for a few hours before we all decided to go home. Before getting on the bus, we all had hot dogs with ketchup, mustard, mayo, egg, potato sticks, and corn. It was an interesting mix--one we probably won´t try again.
Our guide picked us up and drove a small group of us through Ipanema and Leblon, which were just as empty of people. The cloudy, rainy weather really puts a damper on Rio. We stopped at Rocinho, the largest favela in Latin America with an estimated count of 250,000 people living there. The favela is located on a steep hillside over Sao Conrado, an upper middle class neighborhood of high-rises. The backside stretches over the saddle of the mountain and down to the top portions of Leblon, probably Rio's most expensive neighborhood. The proximity of the favela with the high-rises is one of the first things we noticed. Employers in Brazil pay for transportation, therefore they have an incentive to hire people whose commute costs the least. Thus, the closer the favela is to the restaurant, store, hotel etc... The closer that resident is to their job and more hirable they are. It is a catch 22 in a way because as we learned and saw many residents in the favelas make enough to support a family and own tvs and play stations and upholstered furniture sets, but if they lived elsewhere they would be in danger of loosing their jobs. Thus they put up with the poor or lack of infrastructure for sewage, trash, running water, electricity, mail delivery, healthcare, police and fire service, schools and more that we rake for granted.
The tour started at the top of the favela. On foot we entered and walked down one of the main roads. The favela is un taxed land. They are essentially squatters. It had expanded to the point where there is nowhere to build but up so it is getting more dense and more dangerous as people build homes on top of poorly built structures of concrete, wood and in many cases found construction material. About a quarter of the way down we stopped at an artist studio. The tour company we were with has fostered a relationship with the favela over the past 15 years. In that time they have worked to develop an artist community, entrepanuerialism, and a daycare center. So our stops to interact with local residents was somewhat staged as the residents see people like us daily. Nonetheless it was a unique and a very nice experience to speak with them. Whenever we could see beyond a building, the views of the favela were mindboggoling. The buildings are so crammed together that the main "streets" are 4 or 5 feet wide with three or four storey buildings making canyons out of them. The locals even get lost, which is why the drug lords like to live in the favela. The police can't really enter and navigate through the favela in an organized way. Therefore beginning in the 70's and 80's as the drug trade increased drug lords started taking refuge in the favelas. The favela residents as we understood it don't want the drugs in the favela, but the don't have a choice as the drug lords have money, guns and power. They live in a kind of parasitic harmony with the drug lords using the favela as a hideout and the favela benefitting from the trickledown of money. It is a shame because the drugs really create a bad reputation and for most brasilians favelas=drugs. From our perspective after the tour, the drugs are a side show and favelas= super tight communities of really resourceful people. People who could afford to move out do not because of the warm community aspect.
With the favela the residents have established infrastructure to get water and electricity. The most desirable places to live are near the bottom for electricity and water because you can tap into the grid, the electric company even manages to run a meter for each house. At the bottom you are also closer to mass transit and in many cases the community where you work. However, the bottom is also where all the trash and sewage piles up. And as we said because of their streets and the fact that the land is untaxed there is no way for the government to supply trash pickup or sewer lines. There is a movement to start providing services and building schools and hospitals, but this means knocking down houses, relocating residents and coming to terms with the drug lords. At Rocinho there are plans to build a tram line and more whoops and health clinics. Currently for the 250,000+ residents there is one health clinic and 4 schools. Most of the children are undocumented as they are bit born in hospitals. What was a rainy day plan and sounded a little morally awkward at first was in fact a very interesting and humbling experience.
After the favela we went to the supermarket to pick up some groceries. We made curry ramen with watercress and chicken for dinner before we were given a demonstration of capoeira, or Brazilian martial arts by a group of people from the same favela we visited. Afterwards, a group of us from the hostel made our way to Lapa where there is a block party every Friday night. Cars are blocked from entering the streets and the restaurants sell food and drinks on the sidewalks while the clubs blare music out their windows. We hung out there for a few hours before we all decided to go home. Before getting on the bus, we all had hot dogs with ketchup, mustard, mayo, egg, potato sticks, and corn. It was an interesting mix--one we probably won´t try again.
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