I immediately fell into the spirit of Rio – the raucous rhythm of its music, the riot of colors, the smell of the ocean breeze, the waves crashing against the shore, the friendliness of its people. the delicious flavors of its local food and drink. i couldn’t have asked for a better “makegood” in our itinerary – the 24/7 high energy of this lively city contrasted perfectly with the quiet flowing power of the rainforest and floodplains. To make it positively perfect, Rio also has its own rainforest – the Tijuca National Forest (as mentioned this is the subject of Vitor Marigo’s book, coming in November). More on this park in later posts.
Rio has some incredible sights to behold – and there are no more iconic Brazilian landmarks than Sugar Loaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer – let’s take a look.:
Sugar Loaf Mountain – This natural landmark overlooks Rio de Janeiro at the entrance to Guanabara Bay. It was named by the Portuguese in the 16th Century during the profitable sugarcane trade in Brazil. Blocks of sugar were placed in clay molds made before being transported on ships. Since the mountain resembled these conical shaped “sugarloafs” its name was sealed. It is made of granite and is over 1299 feet tall. It is perfectly located on a peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean, providing stunning views – we of course took the cable car to the top to see for ourselves:
Once at the top, there were some delightful surprises that required a little patience and luck to photograph – common marmoset monkeys:
–
We also got a beautiful photo op preview of the most iconic structure in Rio: Christ the Redeemer:
That’s our next stop – next week!
#