The Brazil trip was uncertain until the very last minute. We wanted to run some courses there, and due to the difficulty in getting enough participants, the trip could not be confirmed. Finally there were a few registrations and I decided that I will at least get my visa. Unbelievably, I kept working with the courses until the very last minute, but in the end, everything was ready for the trip.
Day 0: Sunday, July 1
I left on a Sunday morning on the KLM flight to Amsterdam and onward to Sao Paulo. My colleague Djurre was going to meet me in Amsterdam since he had spent 3 days there. Incredibly, even if we had checked in separately, it turned out that the seat next to him was empty and even if that seat was much sought after being an exit row seat, I managed to get it and we sat together on the long 12 hour journey. The flight was uneventful, I caught up with my travel blogs, watched a little tv, chatted with Djurre and the Pakistani-Dutch sitting next to me. The service was the best ever I had experienced with KLM. They really kept up with the food and the drinks! We arrived in Sao Paulo at around 5 in the evening local time. There was quite a long queue in immigration and it took a little time to get our baggage as well. After that, we went to the domestic terminal since there was still another flight to catch - to our final destination Rio de Janeiro. We had experienced quite a bit of difficulty to book this flight, but everything seemed to be ok in the end and after paying for the ticket, we could check in and drop out bags. Soon we were past the security and in the departure area. The airport was really crappy and there was not much to do except wait for the departure. The Internet that was promised was really difficult to access and I gave up in the end. The flight was slightly late and by the time we got on board, I was really tired having woken up at 4:15 am. I slept through the short 1 hour flight and we landed in Rio around 9 pm. The baggage took a while to come and in the end, we were out. It was also really difficult to find an ATM machine that could accept international cards, both in Sao Paulo and Rio. In the end, Djurre managed to find one and took out some money.
We booked a prepaid taxi and soon were out trying to find it. The temperatures were great it being a winter night - something lik 25 C. The airport was really chaotic and reminded me of India, although I must say that the new airport in Delhi is really great. It was also challenging to find our taxi guy and we were accosted by a couple guys who wanted to drag our luggage and get some money in return. We let one of them do it but did not give him anything. Soon we were in the taxi and on the way to our hotel.
I must say that my first impression of Brazil and Rio was not extremely positive. The airports certainly left a lot to be desired, and even if I liked the highway that ran from the airport right through the centre (where it became a really nice "parkway" with green areas on the side and trails around the bay), things appeared quite chaotic, there seemed to be quite a bit of pollution (and I experienced burning in my throat the next day when we were in a taxi), and there was also difficult to find things like appropriate cash machines. The taxi from the airport was also rather expensive, costing more than 50 dollars (so almost Norwegian prices) even if the distance was probably double as much.Even if our hotel was right on the beach, I was not very happy with my quite expensive hotel room (cost something like 200 Euros a night). Everything was really old and we faced a wall, with absolutely no view whatsoever. But this was before the city began to grow on me...
Day 1: Monday, July 2
The first day was a bit bizarre since things were still unclear with the half day course we had planned with the oil company Petrobras. I woke up around 7 or so, got ready and met Djurre for breakfast. I got my first glimpse of Copacabana beach, and it looked nice. We took a taxi to the address we had been provided, but the driver had no idea where this place was. Anyhow, we drove towards the city centre, and were also rewarded with nice views of the bay and the Sugerloaf mountain, where you could go with a cable-car. It was a bit challenging to find the buuilding where we had to go, and finally I had to call ouur local contact to help. Eventually, we got there and after taking care of the formalities at the reception, we went up to the 8th floor. There we were met by our local contact who took us to the course room. In the end, all five who were expected to come attended. The course went quite well in general. We also had some discussions with them afterwards. We went back to the hotel, and since it was still early, decided to go up to Corcovado to the Christ the Redeemer statue, the symbol of Rio and may be Brazil to some extent. We got a bit delayed (and in the end, we missed the 5 pm cogwheel train to the top. The next one was half an hour later. In the end, it began to drive upwards. Initially, we were riding very close to some "not so pretty" houses and it gave a feeling of a Mumbai local. But soon we were in the middle of the rainforest with tall trees which broke every so often to allow us to see the vista over the city. However it was almost 6 pm by the time we got up, and it was already getting dark. The sun had almost set and there were only a few orange streaks in the sky. In any case, we could behold the entire city in lights (although would have been better to see the transition from light to dark, we vowed to go to Sugerloaf much earlier). The statue was majestic and it was lighted up white (and pure). Incredible that such a thing could be built on top of the mountain (guess a similar effort in enormity as Mount Rushmore). The statue appeareed to be watching over and blessing the large city. We spent some minutes enjoying the view from all sides. One thing which was quite unexpected were all the mountains around the city, making the view even better. However, it was night time and I could imagine how pretty it could be when it was light. In any case, the lights around and the moon shining over the ocean were certainly more than presentable.
Afterwards, we took the cogwheel train back to the base station, hailed a taxi and went back to the hotel. Djurre had a lonely planet book and there, we could find some "veggie friendly" restaurants. It turned out that one Italian restaurant, La Trattoria, was directly across our hotel and we just went there and had our dinner. While in the taxi, we had noticed some ATMs at the main street behind our hotel and afterwards, we went again in search of some precious cash. After a futile attempt at a couple of them, luck finally dawned at an ATM macine outside a 24 hour supermarket and I had some Brazilian currency (Reias) in my possession. I bought a couple necesary supplies and then it was back to the room for some much needed rest.
Day 2: Tuesday, July 3
I was dreading this day most since I was supposed to run an advanced course for DNV, certainly the most experienced user of our software in Brazil. We were going to start at 0800, so I had an early start. Got in the taxi a 0730, and soon, we were in the centre of Rio. Suddenly, it felt like a big city with lots of people moving quickly to their destinatons and high rise buildings. It almost gave a feeling of New York. The office of DNV was in a skyskraper. I reached the reception and was soon met by our contact. We went downstairs to the training room and strated promptly. The course went much better than I had expected, and they were happy. We ended around 5 pm and I took a taxi back to the hotel. Didn't really do much in the evening tha day as was a bit exhausted. Met Djurre for dinner a bit later and we ate at a middle eastern restaurant.
Day 3: Wednesday, July 4
On the day of American independence, and also the birthday of my father-in-law, I had the first day of my 3rd course of the week, and this one was going to last three days. Luckily, it was in the same hotel, and so I did not have to go anywhere. I had tried to talk with the events in- charge the day before, but it still seemed that there was some misunderstanding in the booking. Apparently, no projection equipment had been booked and we did not have any coffee etc. either. However, this was easy to fix. We also lost one of our participants on the first morning, but the remaining 5 arrived more or less in time. The course was quite intense, but otherwise uneventful and so were the next 2 days as well, before we ended on Friday (took a picture with the course participants on the beach).
Today, we called it a day around 5:30 pm, and after changing my clothes and dropping my stuff, I finally ventured out to the beach. I did not get on the sand, since had been warned against going there when it was dark, but kept myself to the sidewalk running next to the wide sandy expanse. Rio has quite a bad rep when it concerns crime, so I tried to be as careful as I could, leaving all cards except one in the hotel safe, along with my passport, and only carrying limited amount of cash. But luckily, did not feel unsafe anytime. I walked for some time along the beachfront, among the denizens walking, jogging, and cycling. There were some kiosks selling drinks, etc., some small restaurants, and also some people selling t-shirts, towels, etc. I ended up buying a nice chess set from a native Amazonian Indian. Another thing that was remarkable was the low moon that cast a beautiful light in the ocean, and the incredible sand sculptures that had been built, and I managed to take a picture of at least a couple of them (some had their "minders" who wanted money if you tried to take a snap). In the end, I turned around and ambled through a small open-air market selling various trinkets, souvenirs, t-shirts, etc. but did not buy anything.
Then I went back to the hotel, and I and Djurre came back almost the entire way I had walked earlier to another Italian restaurant where we ate. I had eaten ravioli on Monday and it was Risotto today, which I did not like so much. Food here was not very cheap either, the ravioli was something like 15 dollars, and the risotto today was 25 or so. However, the drinks were definitely significantly cheaper than Norway! After dinner, we went back to the hotel and called it a night.
Day 4: Thursday, July 5
Finally, after three full days at one of the most famous beaches in the world, I touched the sand in the water. And I had to wake up early for it since there was no time in the evening. Today, I got out of bed around 0615, put on my swimming trunks and went over to the ocean which was just across the street, and beautiful it was! The sand was quite cold, after the whole night, and contrasted completely with the sand that I remembered from my last beach trip with the kids in Rimini, only about 2 weeks ago. The sun was rising, casting all kinds of colours in the sky and on the water. It was coming up behind the hills and after a while, there was an amazing "haze" that formed due to the sunlight filtering through. I took lots of snaps, and they all turned out very well. There were also the early joggers and walkers, and I felt one with them. The islands near the shore, the waves, the mountains in the background, including the sugarloaf, and the early hour made it a wonderful experience. But sadly, I had to go back to my room to get ready for the day. However, before I went to my room, I did make it a point to check out the roof with the swimming pool. It was also quite nice to look at the beach from a height, and our Christ statue was also visible on the other side.
It was a bit more peaceful than yesterday since all the practical things regarding the course had been organized. So I went to breakfast a bit later. The breakfast in the hotel was really nice, and I mostly indulged myself with the fruits, and why not because there were guavas and mangoes (first time I have seen those) and papayas as well along withh the usual ones such as water melon, banana, pineapple, melon, oranges, and of course sweetended fruits, even figs (another first). There were also amazing juices including a banana milk shake, avocado milk shake and papaya juice. The only other thing I ate regularly was a couple croissants, and I ate some yoghurt, bread, etc. in between. The lunch was equally nice, and I also ate lunch at the same hotel during the three course days. It was also a buffet with a lot of choice, and they also had some traditional brazilian fare, and an extensive salad bar everyday.
We ended the course at around 6 pm, and so it was a long day. I tried to do some shopping afterwards, but did not find much. Eventually, I only bought a Barbie top for Prarthna. I also went inside the 24 hour supermarket that was also called "Sugarloaf" and bought some stuff, mostly cheese, since lately we have been big consumers of imported cheese, bought all over the world! I only grabbed a sandwich for dinner, since had eaten a big lunch and wanted to take a break. Then it was back to the hotel and hitting the hay...
Day 5: Friday, July 6
I had wanted to go back to the beach in the wee hours of the morning, but in the end did not get out of bed. I got up around 0730, got ready, ate breakfast, and started the course. Today, we ended early, around 3 pm. I cleared the invoice for the room rental, etc., got back to my room and packed a bit, and I and Djurre left around 4 pm for the sugerloaf, determined to catch the sunset this time. We got there in 15 minutes, and bought the tickets for the cable car. The ride is actually composed of two cable car trips, with the first one taking you to an intermediate stop before you reach the top of sugeloaf mountain. We got to the top around 5 PM, and the views were breathtaking. This was much closer to the centre of the city, and we could see the marina, the bay, the bridge over the ocean to the surrounding islands, the domestic airport with planes taking off and landing, the city centre with the highrises and of course the mountains and the forest in the background, including the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado. On the other side, there were great views of copacabana beach and the surrounding scenery. There were also some walking trails into the forest and I explored a bit of that. But the main attraction was the sunset that was slowly drawing closer. And exquisite it was. There was a large crowd that was gathered to watch, and only the pictures can do it justice. After the sunset behind the mountains, we walked back to the cable car station and took the two cable cars back down. There, we spent a few minutes at the small beach close to the base station before heading back to the hotel.
Initially, we had wanted to go see a live jazz event late in the evening, but then we saw that there was a large stage that was being set up right on the beach in front of our hotel. Initially, someone said that it was for the Rio marathon on Saturday, but then I found out that this was a celebration of the 120th birthday of Copacabana. First, the hotel personnel told us that the "party" was going to be on Saturday, but then they correctd themselves and told us that it was going to be today. So we decided to go there itself. It was reasonably nice, with some old pictures, an introduction speech, a happy birthday song, and then the show with the band, music, songs, and later on some dance (which I did not watch). It was the first beach concert for me, and even if I did not understand what they were talking about as everything was in Portugese (although knowing that small bit of Spanish did help in understanding some basic things), it was quite nice. The music was not very much to our taste and we went back to the room aftter 1 hour or so. One thing I was quite pleased about that there was soneone to pick up all the trash that people were "creating" from thier food and dinks during the concert so that the beach was left looking clean the next morning when everything was over. I went back to the roof a bit later and stayed on for about 30 minutes and wtaching the people. It was a totally different view watching from the top and we could see the hundreds of people that were in attendance. People were dancing and generally having a good time. Soon I went back and packed up since tomorrow was my last day and I wanted to make the most of it...
Day 6: Saturday, July 7
The day dawned bright and sunny, as all winter days in Rio, with the temperature around 25 or so. I got myself out of bed quite early again, and decided to take another walk along the beach. By this time, I had begun to really like the city, with its beaches, character, mountains, and forest, even if I had not seen much, and this day helped to seal the deal further. I walked mostly on the sidewalk but eventually decided to get on the sand and in the water. I went all the way to the end of Copacabana beach, and walked a little towards Ipanema before turning around and get back in about 1 hour.
I met Djurre for breakfast around 8 or so, and after spending some time in the room, we took a taxi to the Tijuca National Park and went over to the Vista Chinesa, or the Chinese View. I had always thought that the views from Floien and Ulriken in Bergen were pretty much uunbetable. But this was before I went to the Vista Chinea. It was just mindblowing, with the open expanse of the ocean, this time looking at the Ipanema and Leblon beaches, the mountains, the forest, and the city nestled within. So in some respects, it is like Bergen with the water and the hills, but the beach and the weather was the cherry on the cake! I was just talking about this with Djurre when we heard someone ask "Have you been to Bergen?" and lo and behold, there was a Norwegian there (in fact, we had met a couple on our first night sitting next to us at dinner, and then I heard one in the streets, and Djurre met someone also - we had been talking abour how the Dutch really got around, and I told him the Norwegians did too, an this was proof). This guy had lived here for 3 years and loved it of course (worked at Statoil). We walked down together to the bottom of the hill which was a few km. Initially, he said that he will drop us close to our hotel since he had a car parked at the bottom (he had walked up, on "roller skis") but then we told him we wanted to go tto the botanical garden.
But after walking along the fence, we decided to skip it since it did not appear very interesting. Instead, we walked on the west side of the lagoon whichh has a nice path, stopping to watch a very serious Brazilian football match between two local clubs that was played with 8 players each on a shorter field. There was also an area nearby where sightseeing helicopters were taking off and landing. Here you could pay 80 dollars or so to go on a 6-7 minute trip around rio. It was a bit fascinating to see these machines from such close distance. We continued further and saw that there was a very nice play area as well.
Soon we left the lagoon area and were on the street leading up to Leblon beach. The houses there looked grand and stately, but the main attraction was certainly the beach itself. The Ipanema and Leblon beaches look on a slightly other part of the sea as compared to Copacabana, and it was also quite nice. The beach was packed to the brim with the weekend crowd. We walked for some minutes on the beaches, enjoying the sun and the waves. One thing I noticed that the sand here was really really soft. Eventually, we cut across the beach, and then walked over to the copacabana side. Here we saw a drilling rig being towed real close to the beach (we saw several offshore installations quite close to the city and the beaches, also when we went up to sugarloaf).
Then, after an amazingly long walk (I must see how much it was, but it was close to 10 km + my walk in the morning) I was back at the hotel. I relaxed a bit in the room after saying goodbye to Djurre (he was staying longer), took a much needed shower, got a small bite to eat and then did my final packing before checking out and jumping on the taxi to the airport. We arrived in good time since there was not much traffic, it being a Sunday. There was not much to do at the airport. I walked through the only duty free shop, spent my left over Brazilian money to buy som chocolates, considered to go to the lounge but then did not, grabbed a snickers (but soon realised how sweet it was and how I cannot eat it anymore) and then sat to relax at the gate and started writing this. Soon boarding started and it as time to bid adieu to brazil. And end the nice trip..
And I have managed to finish this in the taxi...
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