I can't think of a
city in the world I have raced back to as quickly and eagerly as Rio de
Janeiro...
Since I visited in
2002, I've been counting days until I could return, and while I was there, I
savoured every moment. It cast a spell over me, and I know that however many
times I visit it will still not be enough.
What’s the
attraction? Well, it must be the most spectacular set city on the planet.
Towering, jungle-covered mountains hit the sea at Guanabara Bay and break into
hundreds of little islands. Beaches the colour of cream stretch for kilometers,
basking in a tropical sun a few degrees north of the Tropic of Capricorn. The
soaring granite pitons of the forest-covered Tijuca NP surround the city like a
green fortress. The peaks are topped off with the Christo Redentor, with his
arms outstretched. Cariocas say "on the eighth day, after he created the
world....he took pleasure in creating Rio..."
And then there is
the hedonism of the beaches: Cariocas racing down to the waterline in their
speedos, barracas sellingcoco verts,
little brown heads bobbing in the surf clutching boards. Cariocas live for the
beach, and this is where the entire city comes together. Happiness is strolling
the Burle Marx tiled promenade at Copacabana. I can guarantee you will do this
again and again.
Rio is one of those
cities that stays with you for a very long time. The memories will last forever
-- the sound of the creaking tram as it climbs the hills of Santa Theresa, the
Gregorian chants in the Cathedral Metropolitana, breadfruit ripening on theClaudio
Coutinhotrail with waves crashing below, the sharp tang of the caipirinha, and samba, drums, and election banners holding up traffic. But
most of all, it’s the laughter and zest for life of the Cariocas, and that
feeling of sun on your body as you slowly toast on the magnificent beaches.
Rio is one of those
cities where you discover new things every time you visit.
This holiday
allowed me to stretch my horizons, with visits to the exquisite botanical
garden, the clanking Santa Theresa tram, and an emotional visit to the Maracana
stadium. You will spend most of your time in Copacabana and Ipanema. The
general buzz seems to be that Ipanema has been cleaned up now -- it is even
safe to walk alone at night. Rio seems to be concentrating its tourist police
in the busy parts of Centro, which may explain why the hawkers and street kids
are back along Avenida Atlantica. They know the tourists hang out at the
restaurants at Copacabana. If you want to eat unmolested, just retreat one
block inland to NS Copacabana, where the range of restaurants is much more
varied and cheaper.
The best place to
change money in Rio is the American Express at the Copacabana Palace Hotel.
This famous hotel is one block south of Sequeiro Campos and is an enormous
white confection facing the Atlantic Ocean. All the art-deco hotels facing
Copacabana Beach are impressive, and the Zona Sul is probably the best place to
stay in Rio.
Whenever I go to
Rio, they open a new METRO station.
The new one is Sequiero Campos, halfway along Copacabana. There are plans to run the METRO
station as far as Leblon, with stations in Gavea, and in the next few years,
there will be stations in Ipanema and Copacabana -- the station Cantagliowill be in between the pair of
districts.
Taxis from Galeao
International Airport cost 60 reals, but you may use the smaller Santos Dumont,
just south of Centro, for flights internally in Brazil. The commuter route to
Sao Paolo starts from here and only takes 45 minutes (usually full of
middle-aged computer salesmen). And as you take off, try and get a window seat
on the right. Santos Dumont juts into Bortofago Bay, and there are a few feet
separating the runway from the ocean. The plane banks on take-off, and you get
an amazing view of the Sugarloaf Peak -- it was so close, I felt I could reach
out and touch it. And the great white/sapphire arc of Copacabana Beach looks
like a picture postcard from the air.
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