My Travels: Rio de Janeiro

From my time in Belo Horizonte i got a bus to Rio de Janeiro. It was the worst bus ride ever. The bus was an older bus, the roads bumpy with holes, and then the bus driver drove so fast that i was bouncing all over the place. He was driving that fast that we arrived 40 minutes early.

So in rio i arrived around 4.30 and Flavia picked me up around 5ish. Flavia lived with us 7 years ago in Australia. I was seeing my big sister finally after all this time.

Rio de Janeiro - River of January. When the Portuguese first came to Brazil, they entered Rio through what they thought was a river, but was just a bay, and the month was January, so that how it got its name. ( right flav???)

The first sighting of Christ

Ipanema Beach

the 2 headed mountain at the end of Ipanema Beach and myself

Christ has risen.

Me and FLAV

We went to the "Australian" restaurant/Steakhouse "Outback". Its not that Aussie, its an Americanised version of Australia. I had a salad served with a jack Potato, reminded me of mum. The words on the card means "participate in our quest for satisfaction"

This is a kind of "onion ring" was nice but ive never seen anything like this at home. Just like they served hot chips covered in melted cheese and bacon pieces.

Then the same night, we went to Flavias Nanna Rachel as they were celebrating the Jewish new year. Here they are attempting to sing the traditional songs, but laughter kept taking over.

Rachel and myself

Sunday at the beach and people getting involved with the election campaigns. The elections finally happened the weekend i left Brazil, so around the 3rd Oct.

Walking on Ipanema

on a rock looking down on Ipanema beach and city

On the hill are some Favelas (slums). I learnt that the difference between a favela and a poor area is that favelas are illegal, they are an invasion of the land, so all the small houses are illegal, but theres not too much they can do about it because otherwise there will be no where for the people to live.

Sunday Flavia's dad Roberto took us to lunch. Buffet style (very popular in Brazil), I tried as much as I could. And Flavia would always say to me... "Oh your'e so like Nathan, trying everything"

From the left Renata (sister), Roberto, Myself, Flavs, Roberto's Mother, Leo and his Girlfriend

Leo drove us afterwards up to a lookout. Rio is such an amazing city. So beautiful. Theres square shapes of the buildings set in the natural curves of the mountains all around the city.

My Brazilian siblings

Looking out onto the Botafogo bay from the 7th floor of a shopping centre.

In peek hour there is a carriage on the train dedicated to women only. There would be an odd man in the carriage who would look very much out of place, and at some stations there was a security guy making sure no men were on board

The centre of Rio

The headquarters of Petrobras downtown Rio. The largest petrol company in Brazil. Designed to look like an oil rig

A Church

Lapa

without restoration

i liked the colours of these buildings

Copacabana Palace - the place famous people stay

At the Copa, Copacabana

whoo hoo

Looking back on the beach after walking it - once curved around the corner one can see all the buildings and more interesting to me the mountains. Thats what makes this beach more special, the mountains.

At the end. We had planned to go to the same military museum mum went to, but it was monday, and it was closed.

Mum got a photo with this, so so did I.

One morning i visited this house, which is now a museum and the gardens are open free for the public, so alot of families go there.

im not really sure why the man that lived there was important, as there wasn't really any English options.

But in the house i found something very interesting. There was this very tall vase, and on the vase were images of glorified pigeons, A bird which is seen often as a pest. Then in the kitchen hanging on the wall was a small painted image of a Tucan bird, dead, hanging by the legs. This beautiful special bird that now endangered in Brazil.

Garden

That afternoon, Roberto picked me up, and took me to Sugarloaf mountain.

On the way up.

Oh these small monkeys are so sweet, even if they are disease ridden. The Sunday that Leo took us for a drive, we came to the bottom of Sugarloaf, and went for a short walk. For about 50 metres on the rail right next to us, followed by our side a family of about 10 of the monkeys. They are so small, you just wanna put one in your bag, and take it home.

His view of the world

Cactus, One of many different species of plants on the mountain, including alot of Bamboo

Roberto and myself with Copacabana beach in the background, then further along the beach, around the next corner is Ipanema beach.

Botafogo bay on the right

in the air and on the water

loved to drink Gaurana

Poem and Statue about Rio

Many people waiting for the sun to set

It was a full moon

That was my favourite mountain in Rio, the square shaped one, it looked so odd against the others.

It was really nice to spend this day with Roberto, he couldn't speak English, and me no Portuguese, but still we spent along time together, not talking, but just being in each others company. Was a lovely afternoon/ evening.