Week 191 · Ipanema · Sugarloaf · Christ the Redeemer · Lapa · Escadaria Selarón
Very impressive and one of my favourite cities I have ever been to. We stayed at the intersection of the Ipanema and Copacabana beaches — they are actually located in the near suburbs of Rio as downtown is 30 minutes away. A concern going in was street crime. We were probably overcautious but didn't have any issues and only saw one incident, and it didn't directly impact us.
Met Alexandra right on schedule at arrivals and got to our AirBnB around noon — dated but great location. First day we settled in by exploring Ipanema, Lagoa, and Leblon and of course had to go for Brazilian BBQ for the first meal — all-you-can-eat meat — and we found a place about 6 blocks from our AirBnB. Walking there no issues and a lot of people in the streets, but at 9:30pm coming back it was completely empty and we debated whether to take a taxi or not. We walked with no issues — but didn't see a soul.
Rio de Janeiro ("River of January") was named by Portuguese explorers in January 1502 who mistook Guanabara Bay for the mouth of a river. It served as the capital of Brazil from 1763 until 1960, when Brasília was built from scratch to shift the political centre inland. The city's population is approximately 6.7 million in the city proper and 13 million in the metro area. Ipanema and Copacabana, although world-famous, are indeed residential neighbourhoods — about 20 kilometres south of the historic downtown (Centro). Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) was completed in 1931 and stands 30 metres tall atop Corcovado Mountain at 710 metres elevation; it was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. The 2016 Olympics — the first held in South America — cost Brazil approximately $13 billion; a combination of Zika concerns, political upheaval, and the economic crisis significantly reduced international tourism during and after the Games.
To see the main sites we did a tour which included Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer — a couple of other stops were added in as well, with a good lunch included. Out of 10,000 restaurants in Rio, lunch was at the same place we had eaten the night before — all-you-can-eat meat twice in 18 hours. The tour was worth it as the guide was good and the ticket prices for the sites and lunch alone cost more than the tour. Spectacular views from both Sugarloaf and the Redeemer.
A concern going in was street crime — we were probably overcautious but didn't have any issues and only saw one issue, and it didn't directly impact us. But it did limit our perception of what we could do, especially at night. At 9:30pm coming back from the Brazilian BBQ the street was completely empty and we debated taking a taxi. We walked with no issues — but didn't see a soul.
Overall I had high expectations for Rio and they were exceeded. It is unfortunate that the confluence of Zika and some issues with the government meant more people did not visit for the Olympics and World Cup, which would have helped with the economics.
Next day we rented bikes and retraced some of the places that we had driven by on the tour the prior day and went into Lapa for lunch, then rode home to catch the sunset in Ipanema. Alexandra had a good plan of staying at a hostel in Lapa one night so she could go out with someone besides her dad — but no one else was there, so we grabbed a quick bite and a beer and she just came back to Ipanema.
"Very impressive and one of my favourite cities I have ever been to. High expectations for Rio and they were exceeded."