Overview of Brazil
Brazil has 26 States, the Capital is Brasilia. A population of 202 Million. It is the 5th most populated Country in the world, it is also the largest Country in South America and the 5th largest country in the world. Every city has at least one soccer stadium. Language spoken is Portuguese.
Flag of Brazil
Rio
We decided to spend Christmas and the New Year in Rio we both love the beach and were told the beaches here were as good as the ones in Australia. Rio is all about nature, wild places and beautiful views, oh and Party Party. We stayed in a great apartment that had an amazing views, it was a 15 min walk to Leblon beach, 20 min to Ipanema and 30 min to Copacabana. The area we stayed in was Vidigal, Vidigal is a pacified favela, (an area that has been cleared of Drugs and Gangs). We were a bit apprehensive about staying here, but we really wanted to stay in an area with the real people of Rio, not just the middle to upper class. We should’nt have worried as all the people were very nice and we had no issues at all. The only difference with the people here is that they do not have as much money as others. We are glad we made this decision. The weather has been in the mid thirties every day. A bit to hot to do any treks. We thought seen as we were staying near the beaches we would get a nice sea breeze, but that was not the case.
View from our Balcony
Favela
We had Christmas Lunch at the Sheraton Hotel, which was very nice. We spent Stevens Day at the Botanical gardens it has the largest numbers of cacti we have ever seen. They had some very unusual and beautiful plants.
We organised a guided tour to Tijuca Forest
The forest is considered to be the largest urban forest in the whole world. It is a lush Atlantic rainforest. It represents 7% of the whole city`s territory, and it is also known as the lungs of Rio. In 1961, Tijuca Forest was declared a National Park. The tour was very informative we seen Cascatinha Waterfall; the Mayrink Chapel, the light pagoda-style gazebo at Vista Chinesa outlook; and the giant granite picnic table called the Mesa do Imperador. The weather was very hot so we did not see any wild life, but it was a wonderful afternoon.
We did another day tour to the following places.
- Christ the redeemer Keeping a watchful eye over the people of Rio de Janeiro, the Statue of Christ the Redeemer (or Cristo Redentor) sits atop Corcovado 2,300 feet (700 meters) above the city. It was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.(it is amazing to see)
Sugar Loaf a peak rising 396 meters and offers a bird’s eye view of Rio de Janeiro from the mouth of Guanabara Bay.(cable car to the top, views are spectacular)
- Escalera Selaron The famous Coloured Tiles also known as the ‘Selaron Steps’ They are the work of Chilean-born artist who claimed it as his tribute to the Brazilian people. (a must see) you are sure to find a tile that relates to your country of origin. There are tiles on every topic and country you can think of.
This is a self portrait tile of Artist
Catedral Saint Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro in the center of the city was build between 1964 and 1997. The Cathedral is conical in form with a external height of 75 m. and a external diameterof 106 m. giving room for 20,000 standing worshipers or 5,000 seated people. The architecture of the cathedral was inspired by a Maya pyramid on the island of Yucatan in Mexico.
- Sambodromo (official venue of Rio Carnival)
- Estadio Maracanã Built for the 1950 FIFA World Cup Brazil and also used for the opening and closing ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games. Once the largest stadium in the world, packing in crowds of up to 200,000.
It was a fun filled day, the tour guide was great, we learned so much about Brazil.
New Years Eve
It was hard to decide what to do on New Years Eve. We decided to spend the day on Copacabana Beach and to go back to the Apartment to watch the Fireworks. There are fireworks in lots of different spots around the area, Copacabana, Leblon, Ipanema so we thought seen as our apartment had a great view of all these areas this was going to be the best spot to watch them. We were not disappointed, they were wonderful, although we still felt the ones in Sydney are better. Rio really is the Party Capital of the world. The New Year was celebrated for days and nights. This really is the Party City.
Arraial do Cabo Rio
We had heard Arraial do Cabo had the best beaches in Rio so we organised a day trip, the first beach we stopped at was Praia Grande which is 40Klms of white sand and turquoise water, the water was as clear as anything I had ever seen. It was a beautiful beach. We then took a boat to Praia de IIha do Farol, it was another beautiful beach, just not as large as Praia Grande, you can only get to the beach by boat. We continued on the boat to Pontal do Alataia a small beach that was as nice as the other two, you could drive to this beach but there are a large number of steps down onto this beach. We did some snorkelling off the boat at another inlet, the snorkelling was good I seen a turtle and a lot of fish. It was a great day, and we were so glad we took this trip, I had always expected beaches like this in Rio and when we got to Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon we were a bit disappointed as although the beaches are nice the water is not very clean and there are just too many people on them, but I suppose that’s what happens when you live in a country with so many people. The traffic from Copacabana to the Arraial do Cabo area is very very busy, so leave early in the morning.
Praia Grande which is 40Klms
Boat trip
Praia de IIha do Farol
Snorkelling area
Beautiful clear water
Another interesting tour we did was the Petropolis Imperial Tour.
Petrópolis, also known as The Imperial City, is a municipality in the Southeast Region of Brazil, located 68 kilometres (42 mi) northeast of Rio de Janeiro. The town’s name (“city of Peter”) honors Pedro II, the last Emperor of Brazil, who is entombed there at the Cathedral of Saint Peter of Alcantara. The city was the summer residence of the Brazilian Emperors and aristocrats in the 19th century, and was the official capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro during the First Brazilian Republic, between 1894 and 1902
It included the following
Quitandinha Palace
Built with the goal of being the largest hotel casino in Latin America, with more than 50 thousand square meters of the most beautiful German architecture in perfect condition, containing a beautiful lake in the shape of the map of Brazil in front of the palace. Gambling had been permitted in Brazil since 1930, but it was outlawed on May 30, 1946 As a result, the casino closed after only two years. It is an impressive hotel, just a shame it only lasted two years as a Casino.
Imperial Museum
The museum includes the palace itself and a temporary exhibition hall dedicated to contemporary art. The palace was the summer palace of Dom Pedro II and Popularly known as the Imperial Palace. The palace is composed of 44 rooms spread over two wings and an upper floor. The left wing and the upper floor are decorated so as to show the private quarters of the Imperial family and the right wing is mainly devoted to displays the cultural, political and economic aspects of Brazil. The history of the Imperial family is very interesting, our guide did a great job of explaining it.
The Imperial family Tree
Crystal Palace
At the request of the Conde d’Eu, husband of Princess Isabella and inspired by the Crystal Palace in London, he initiated its construction in France and was opened in 1884 in the city of Petrópolis. It was a gift for Princess Isabel. The palace is the centerpiece of a quiet park that hosts concerts on the weekends, what a great location for a party.
Santos Dumont House
Alberto Santos Dumont known as the father of aviation was invited by Princess Isabella to spend the summers in Petropolis during the Empire, his residence is maintained in excellent condition to this day. Santos-Dumont designed, built, and flew hot air ballons. He won the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize on 19 October 1901 on a flight that rounded the Eiffel Tower. He also won the Deutsch-Archdeacon Prize for the first officially observed flight of more than 25 meters. By then his primary interest had turned to heavier than air aircraft. He died in 1932, There are many monuments commemorating him in Brazil.
St. Peter of Alcantara Cathedral
With total of 70 meters long and 22 meters wide the Cathedral dedicated to St. Peter of Alcantara, patron of the city of Petropolis. In it’s right entry, a chapel known as Imperial Mausoleum houses a double sarcophagus with the remains of Emperor D. Pedro II and Empress Teresa Cristina his wife, plus the resting place of Isabella his daughter and her husband Conde d’Eu. The construction of the church began in 1884, and was completed in 1925. The church tower was built in 1969.
It was a very interesting and enjoyable day, we learned so much about the history of Brazil.
Two Brothers Mountain
We got up at 6am which is very early for Martin and I, we wanted to climb to the top of the Two Brothers Mountain (The Dois Irmãos) it is Rio’s famous double peaked mountain on the coast in Zona Sul. The weather had been in the high thirties each day therefore we thought it best to get an early start. It was 28 degrees when we started the climb. The climb itself was not to bad, nothing like the Inca Trail, It only takes about 50 min, but I would not attempt this climb if it was raining or had been raining the day before as it would be treacherous. It only takes about 50 min. The view from the top is amazing. You get to enjoy the spectacular panorama view over Ipanema, Lagoa, Corcovado, Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, and also two Favelas, Vidigal and Rochina. It was definitely worth the trip.
View from the top
On our final day in Rio we went to Pedra do Telégrafo. It is 1,161 feet (354 meters) high, and located in Pedra Branca State Park, it offers sweeping views of beaches and Guaratiba Hill. During our hike we enjoy panoramic vistas of the ‘wild beaches’ of Rio de Janeiro: Praia do Perigoso, Praia do Meio, Grumari, Pontal do Recreio, Barra da Tijuca, Pedra da Gávea, and Restinga da Marambaia. Plus, take in views of the mountains of Pedra Branca State Park and Tijuca National Park. The views really are amazing. Our intention was just to walk to Pedra do Telégrafo but at the very start we missed a turn and ended up at Priaia Do Perigose an amazing beach, the walk to this beach is tough, and it was very hot with humidity of 85%. We walk back and start again, this time we found Pedra do Telégrafo. What was suppose to be a two hour walk ended up being 5 hours in total. Good exercise I suppose.
Priaia Do Perigose
At Pedra do Telégrafo
A lot of trust here
Well that was Rio! what a great time we had .