11/27/2022

Busy day.  We were up at 5, breakfast and hustled to the bus at 7.  First stop Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Mountain in the Tijuca National Park.  Sloths and monkeys live there, although they hid when we drove by.  The guide said once they had to wait 30 minutes for a sloth to cross in front of them.  She was informative and knowledgeable, but sometimes she liked to joke around.  

 

All morning the clouds hung low on the mountains surrounding Rio.  On the bus, van, and second van that ferried us up 2000 feet above the city, we kept hoping the clouds would blow away.  They did! Christ the Redeemer Statue is big.  It is powerful.  It is beautiful.  Well worth the 45-minute trip up and down extremely bumpy mega-switchback roads while going a lot faster than all but a seasoned driver would go. (As our guide said, “Our bus driver, Mario’s best friend is a Formula 1 driver.”)

 

        

                                                         Christ the Redeemer

 

There is a chapel in the base.  A Baptism was happening.  We silently laid our petitions on the altar through the open door.

 

 

A peek into the chapel at the base of the statue

 

We got back on the van, transferred to the other van and drove down the Mountain at a breakneck speed. (We were on an 8-hour tour that they pared to 7 hours to fit in the ship’s scheduled departure.) Back on the bus we traveled across town as our tour guide gave us lots of entertaining and interesting bits about Rio.  Our next stop was the base of Sugar Loaf Mountain.  We boarded the tram in 2 stages and were treated to awesome (truly) views as again the clouds were absent.  All the icons of the city were visible, and many pictures were taken. Including 2 rear facing videos of the 2 minute ride up both stages.

 

                    

Bob and Ann above the Copacabana

 

                                            Paul and Shirley above the Copacabana                           

 

Mountain top trips took all morning, and we were hungry.  We stopped at the Assador, a Brazilian steak house.  Good food, frenetic pace as we were rushed the whole day (except for our time atop the Mountains).

 

At 3 we boarded the ship (BTW - the 8-hour tour took 8 hours).  And we were off to Argentina by 4.

 

 

Sugar Loaf Mountain, goodbye Rio!