Rio de Janeiro: Sun, Sand, & Sites

We were excited to visit the “famous” Rio de Janeiro. Thoughts of the wild parties, the larger-than-life “Bonecos” (giant paper-mâché puppets), and all the other festivities of Carnaval filled our minds. Fortunately, Rio isn’t like that all the time. We found the city to be very pleasant, especially in the winter. The days were usually in the mid-70s, the beaches were not overly crowded, and the people were very nice.

We found ourselves in a nice little Airbnb in downtown Ipanema. It had a nice little view overlooking the square. It was a block away from the beach, and there were ample stores and restaurants very close to us. We took Uber to locations further away, like the street of Escadaria Selaron. That is an artistic area of town.

The colorful murals/graffiti and the little gift shops dotting that area are fun to browse. I couldn’t resist grabbing a few pictures of them and placing them in a slideshow.

We woke up on a Tuesday morning to find that right outside our front door in the square was a large bustling farmers market. What a score! There were beautiful fruits and vegetables displayed, and the attractive smells made our tummies growl. We were able to purchase our groceries for the week and had a delicious meal of pastels. They are deep-fried flaky rectangular savory flaky pastries filled with cheese and or meats. We took them home and added some fresh salsa (onions, garlic, tomatoes). What a delicious meal! The other score was the delicious fruit! The red mangos and the cherimoya/custard apples were ripe and ready to eat. The avocados were huge and pear-shaped, and oh-so sweet! These made for delicious toast and great burrito fillers. We have to admit, we didn’t lack in the food department.

Of course, how can I forget about the beaches? We had to see the Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. Yes, I admit, I was looking for the “girl from Ipanema,” and I think we did see her. The beautiful beaches were full of scantily clad people, both young and old. Truly, there are some very beautiful people living here. We were surprised by the amount of wind on those beaches. They are actually on the Atlantic Ocean, and the waves are very strong. That is great for those who love to surf, but for me, a timid swimmer, I was very cautious of those strong waves and didn’t venture too far out. We saw many kitesurfers, and that part was fun to watch as they cut back and forth on their boards.

You can’t go to Rio without visiting the Jesus statue. It is quite a landmark and quite beautiful in its own way. The large statue rises out of a mountain with outstretched arms, indicating that the city is safely nestled under the arms of Jesus.

We were blessed to have a fairly sunny day there, where not only could the statue shine in its glory, but also the surrounding cities that lay beneath were visible. No matter what your beliefs may be, the “Christo el Redentor” statue is something to behold. The cog train ride up the hill allows for beautiful views of the valley and gives you an idea of just how many beaches and bays are in this city. However, the train doesn’t take you all the way up. You need to walk up a fair amount of steps to reach the statue. If you’re like me, steps are not your friend, however, if you can manage it, it really is well worth going all the way up.

I wanted to save the best for last, which is the fantastic and fairly difficult hike that Rick went on. We found out that Sugarloaf Mountain has a strenuous hike/climb you can take up along the backside of the mountain.

The views are amazing as you see the bay and city below. However, the climb is vertical, and you feel it very quickly as you make your way up the mountain.

At the top, you are rewarded with a stone wall climb that requires buckling in with a belaying line for safety. It helps to have strong upper body strength and long arms to grasp the holds found in the cracks. As an added benefit, you get to do a full-body pull-up at the top to finish the ascent. Now you understand why Rick was the only one who went on this hike.

For the rest of us, we can conquer the mountain by riding the gondola. It may be cheating, but you do what you’ve got to do, right? You won’t be disappointed with the 360-degree view of Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara Bay, the city of Niteroi, and the Atlantic Ocean.

We spent some time just walking around Rio and taking in the sights. Here are some of the interesting views.

We loved Rio, although it was a different experience for us being primarily in the city. We are usually stalking animals, but here we just enjoyed some nice beach time and sightseeing. It was a relaxing break before our next adventure.