Whirlwind Weekend in Rio (Part 1)

From the sparkling beaches of Ipanema to the unimaginable views atop Sugarloaf mountain it is no secret that Rio is exceptionally beautiful and I had been longing to experience it with my own eyes. Restless heart stabbing into my soul on this holiday weekend, my oldest friend (basically my sister) in town, and my ever willing mum sharing in my pain, it was time for a whirlwind weekend. The flights to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil leave Houston at night and fly back to Houston at night, making it easy to leave work on Friday and head straight to the airport for Rio with the knowledge that I would arrive back early enough on Tuesday morning to make it to work on time.

On the Balcony at the Corcovado Guest House

We landed in Rio around 9 am on Saturday morning and did not waste a moment.  After getting some cash from the in-airport machines (*see at bottom of page) we hired a taxi to take us straight to our bed and breakfast: the Corcovado Guest House in Cosme Velho. The people that run the guest house were just fabulous, treating us as family, making us feel so incredibly welcome. The gorgeous little buildings had stunning views of Rio which we took in from a lovely balcony while settling in and roughly planning out the day. Wandering out of the old wooden doors onto the stairs that would lead us to our next adventure.


Stopping at the Corcovado tram station we learnt that you have to book a ticket online to reserve a tram time in order to go up the mountain. Luckily however, they allowed us to buy some tickets for a tram in 2 hours as it still had some space available. Now then, 2 hours may seem like a long time. However, when you think about travel time to and from a location along with time spent at the location, 2 hours is not long at all. We had originally thought we would head to the beach, but thinking about it more rationally we decided to explore the local area we were staying in. What a fantastic idea!

Greenery and life everywhere! There were even orchids in
pots attached to trees all down the pristine roads (this is obviously the way to have fabulous orchids as mine always die but here they could be seen thriving on every tree you passed).  The roads were miraculously clean with not a piece of rubbish to be seen, and every person we passed had a massive smile on their face. It was like walking through a utopia, a pleasantville of sorts, where even the street art was to be appreciated. We went into a local super market and bought some snacks we didn't recognize with names we could not pronounce and  made our way back up the road towards the tram station. However, while enjoying our nameless delights, our noses caught the alluring scent of fresh Brazilian coffee wafting from a quaint little restaurant and we were forced to make a caffeine pit stop.

Over-caffeinated on the most brilliant Brazilian coffee, it took no time at all to make it to the Corcovado tram station. As there was still plenty of time and the weather was changing it seemed sensible to head back to the hostel to deliver our shopping bags and add a layer of attire. The guest house is conveniently located near the tram station. It is a decent walk back up a gorgeous cobblestone street to a flight of stairs, that would make Tigger feel intimidated, which takes you to the hostel entrance. (The only way to get  into the hostel is from these stairs, either going down from the incredibly steep road above or hiking up the impressive steps from below. Luckily for us we were all happy for the exercise but it is definitely not wheel-chair friendly.)

Looking at Sugarloaf Mountain from atop Corcovado

Waiting in the tram station taking touristy photos in goofy cutouts, the excitement was building. We boarded the tram and once every single seat was filled, it began to move slowly up the tracks. Going through the jungle, with snails racing past us, its was a surprisingly adrenaline filled experience. The tram, at times on the sheer face of the mountain, or passing over ravines on a wooden bridge, did not come across as the most reliable form of transportation as we stopped several times for extended periods while the driver wandered past our car. The door next to my seat would not close, providing a stunning nauseating view of every jungle window. That moment when you are on a roller-coaster going up a steep slope to reach the point where you go shooting

View from the top of Corcovado Mountain

 down the tracks, the incessant "clack, clack, clack, clack" that gets your heart pumping in anticipation, that was the moment that lasted the entire journey but (thankfully) instead of shooting down the other side of the mountain we arrived at one of the most famous sites in the entire world.

You do not step off the tram and find yourself facing Christ the Redemer (Cristo Redentor), you really have to earn it, and are greeted by a stairway to heaven.  However, every single "clack" of the tram and every single step on the way was 100% worth it! WOW! Cristo Redentor is absolutely enormous and has the most unbelievable panoramic view of all of Rio.

Unbeknownst to us, we had booked the tram that put us with Christ at the top of Corcovado in time for sunset, pure magic. Such an image can not be put into words. As the sun went down the mist moved in, shutter clicking all the way back to the stairs I did not notice the ENORMOUS queue until I basically walked into the back of someone. With the temperature dropping and the queue barely moving we were popsicles by the time we were given the last three spots on a tram. Once on, it quickly became apparent that there were in fact only two spots available but we squished in and made it work, hoping nobody would either notice or care.

caipirinhas with Brazilian cheese balls

A driver hired by the hostel was scheduled to pick us up at 9 to take us to the Vila Isabel Samba School. We were back at the hostel by 7:30 giving us enough time to enjoy a delicious homemade dinner and fresh caipirinhas (my new absolute favorite drink!) made to order by the fabulous Corcovado Guest House.

Ticket Window

The driver dropped us off at the legendary Vila Isabel Samba School at 9:30. Upon discovering the ticket windows, which were actually holes about 5" diameter in a 12" thick concrete wall that you have to peer through at a person before inserting your entire forearm to exchange money for tickets, we were prepared for the show. However, the school didn't open until 10, leaving us on an comfy bench enjoying the music coming from various groups of people gathered the whole way down the road.

Once inside the samba school we took our seats at the table we had booked and waited. and waited. and waited. an hour passed in which we were one of two groups of spectators in an otherwise empty building. At 11 o'clock the band arrived and started to warm up and around 11:15 people began showing up to prepare for class. (going to a samba school in Rio does not mean you are going to take samba lessons. To the contrary, it means you are going to watch "professional" samba dancers prepare for carnival.)

We had scheduled for our driver to pick us up at midnight so we called to push the time back to 1 o'clock once the music got going. Boy were we happy we did! It was the dance off for some of the main spots at carnival and the dancers were unbelievable! I felt as though I had been dropped into a scene from a film, the costumes, music, expressions, and hips were like nothing I had ever seen in person before and it made me desperate to go to Carnival one year for the real experience. One o'clock rolled around as they were finally getting into full swing and it was sadly time to go.

It had been a stupendous first day in Rio and it was hard to go to sleep through the excitement of the day and the anticipation of what tomorrow would bring. (Check back tomorrow for day 2 in Rio!)

(NOTE: We discovered upon arriving home that our card information had been stolen and duplicate cards were actively in use busily collecting cash from various ATMs in Rio. The only place all three of the stolen cards had been used was in the airport at the ATM. So word to the wise... Be wary, especially where you may not feel you need to be...)