Rio in Reality

Ola Pessoas Maravilhosas!

Colour, excitement, danger and fabulous mayhem all spring to mind when I thought of Rio De Janeiro. Before my trip to Brazil, my expectations of this exotic city were sky high, and this may have had a part to play in my disappointing experience of Rio. 

 

Rio was probably the one thing I was most looking forward to on my South American journey. I couldn't wait to see the stunning views from the Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer, chill out on Copacobana beach and experience the crazy party atmosphere that Rio was renowned for. All of these, possibly bar the views, were a disappointment. I don't know if this was because my expectations were too high, that the weather was pants or that I just didn't go to the right places. Whatever the reason, I just didn't feel that Rio lived up to the hype. Boo hoo.

I stayed in a hostel in Copacobana, so was in an ideal location. We were 2 blocks from the beach and a short bus journey from other attractions around the city. Copacobana itself seemed quite tired and run down; a far cry from the lavish beach front resort I was expecting. The weather on my first day in Rio was ideal, beautiful clear skies and a nice 25 degrees. Sadly, this did not last and the rest of my time in Rio was clouded in rain and mist! The two main things that I wanted to see in Rio were the Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer, both of which were weather dependant, waaaa curse the rain and cloud! We did manage a few hours on the beach though. But that was it! Coming from England, I though I'd escape the rain and cloud; sadly it followed me.

After a morning of torrential rain we decided to head to the Sugar Loaf anyway, as we reasoned it was better to see it in the rain than not see it at all. We took a short bus ride to Ucra, where the cable car entrance is, and when we arrived the top of the Sugar Loaf was shrouded in mist; you couldn't even see the top. Fan-bloody-tastic. I managed to blag a student ticket, which was 30 Reals and as the weather was so pants we didn't even have to queue for the cable car. Once we reached the first level there wasn't a fat lot to see, bar a lot of cloud and mist. I was starting to be seriously disappointed and cursed my luck that the hideous British weather seemed to have followed me to Rio. We soon took the second cable car to the top, in the hope that the mist would eff off and we'd be able to see the stunning view that all the photographs promised.

Once at the top of the Sugar Loaf the cloud slowly started to lift. We could now see Copacobana beach and some of the city winding between the hills. As the light began to fade, so did the rest of the mist and we were confronted with the stunning view of Rio at dusk. I can't describe how relieved I was that the cloud had finally lifted and I could actually experience the amazing views the Sugar Loaf had to offer. When in Rio, this is an absolute must! 

Our evenings in Rio were spent in Copacabana. There were lots of bars and restaurants close to our hostel, so there wasn't much need to travel further away. Plus Copacabana is known for being reasonably safe at night, and we didn't want to risk wandering into a dodge area. I don´t know if we just ended up in the wrong places, but we just couldn't seem to find the amazing night life that Rio was famous for. Sure we went to a few restaurants and got very merry off Caipirinha in bars, but the whole atmosphere was seriously lacking.

We took a risk and decided to hold out till our final day to go up to see Christ the Redeemer. We had tried the previous day, but it was closed as the cloud and mist cover was so bad. Thankfully our gamble paid off and we had pretty good, clear weather. The views from this iconic landmark were absolutely unreal. Rio really is a truly amazing city, from a visual perspective. The mountains, jungle, sea and city provide an amazing sight from high up on the hill. I think this view alone made my visit to Rio worthwhile. Despite my short trip here no living up to my expectations, I would love to go back on day and try to live the Rio life that everyone raves about.