Brazil – A Country Welcoming the World

General Thoughts

Rio de Janeiro was the city that could just not catch a break from the media over the past year. Political instability, striking police officers, concerns over security and pollution and last but not least, the Zika virus. It seemed for a period of time that the Rio 2016 Olympic Games may not even happen.

Yet despite the hardships that Brazil is facing right now, the Brazilian people share a genuine optimism about the future of their country. Visiting the Rocinha favela, I could feel the enthusiasm, the energy and a passionate joie de vivre that was pervasive. Brazilians know how to have fun, and they do it with style. One of the most cherished moments from my trip to Rio is watching a group of young kids perform hair-rising stunts of Brazilian martial art (or capoeira) right on the concrete floor of a playground. Also amazing was a favela band playing music with tin cans and plastic drums. 

Regardless of anyone’s opinion of the wisdom of hosting the Olympic Games at such a difficult time in Brazilian history, what leaves the most lasting impression is that the Brazilian people greeted us with their warm smiles and like the iconic Christ the Redeemer perched on the Corcovado mountain over Rio, extended their arms to welcome the world. And in true Brazilian fashion of course, they delivered one hell of a party.

My Journey in Brazil

Iguaçu / Iguazú Falls

The Iguazú or Iguaçu Falls (in Portuguese and Spanish respectively) represents one of the towering masterworks of Mother Nature. They are one of the largest in the world, their thundering roar and vast expanse was said to have led Eleanor Roosevelt to exclaim “Poor Niagara!” Indeed, pictures alone cannot convey the true awe of these mighty curtains of water, one has to be there to listen, to see and to feel the majesty and beauty. Situated at the confluence of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, the falls mark natural borders between the three nations. National parks on the Argentine and the Brazilian side (Iguazú National Park and Iguaçu National Park, respectively) protect the fragile natural ecosystem in the region. In a toxic climate where building walls and barriers between nations have become common talking points, visiting these falls reminded me of how nations work together to protect the shared patrimony of the world and doing so without walls. From a certain perspective, that is perhaps the true beauty of these falls.

For my trip to Brazil, I once again joined my frequent travel buddy Eric, a seasoned traveller himself. On our first day, we crossed the border into the Argentina side of the falls. At Iguazú National Park on the Argentine side, we stood on a platform directly above the Devil’s Throat, the largest part of the waterfalls. While from this vantage point, it was not possible to get a panoramic view of the falls, the experience of being enveloped by water mist and the mighty roar of the Devil’s Throat can only be had here on the Argentine side.

There are several hiking trails through the jungle surrounding the waterfalls, none of which are too long and can be completed in one to two hours. The highlight of our day in Iguazú National Park was boarding a speedboat that took us almost directly underneath the many curtains of water that make up the falls. We ensured our cameras and other electronic devices were safely stowed away in waterproof bags before being completely drenched in water. It was a thrilling, fun and definitely unique showering experience! While we failed to see many exotic wild animals, the promenade through the South American rainforest was relaxing and eye-opening at the same time.

On our second day, we visited the Brazilian side of the falls at Iguaçu National Park. There are no speedboats on the Brazilian side, only a long hiking trail that gets visitors close to the Devil’s Throat from the front for a panoramic view. From a platform situated in front of the thundering water curtains, we enjoyed a breathtaking view of the natural wonder that is the Iguaçu Falls. After our visit to the falls, we also toured the nearby Bird Park, which features a wide variety of exotic birds endemic to Brazil.

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Rio de Janeiro

My travel buddy Eric and I arrived in the city of Rio de Janeiro a couple of days before the opening ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The months leading up to the Olympics were not kind to Rio due to all the press about the outbreak of Zika, Brazil’s mounting political issues (including the impeachment of then President Dilma Roussef as well as local police forces striking) and the doping scandal involving Russia. However, when we arrived in Rio, all seemed quite normal except for the presence of the Brazilian military around populated areas. We booked an apartment unit in the Leme district of Rio through Airbnb. The apartment unit was owned by kind lady who worked as a private tutor to elementary age children. The owner’s daughter Helena greeted us and handed us the keys when we arrived. While the apartment was quite old (the AC unit broke on the first evening), it was close to the famous Copacabana Beach and other amenities. Helena was exceptionally kind and had the AC unit fixed as soon as we informed her of the issue.

Our first day in Rio was relatively relaxed as we went for an afternoon tour of the Botanical Garden. First opened in 1822, the Garden feature a wide variety of endemic plants and is a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. As the Garden lies directly underneath the Corcovado Mountain, we got a very good view of the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue (located at the peak of the Corcovado Mountain). Rio is a city surrounded by mountains with steep cliffs, and as such mountain climbing is a popular pastime for the city’s residents. From the Botanical Garden, we took a taxi back to the Copacabana Beach. We strolled along the length of the beach, which was filled with bars, nightclubs, beach volleyball games and makeshift tents selling Olympic merchandise. There were also companies sponsoring the Olympics exhibiting their newest technologies, including the novel VR system that attracted a huge lineup. Young volunteers and sports officials donning Olympic jerseys could also be seen everywhere, ensuring that everything leading up the Olympic Games ran smoothly. Looking far out into the sea, we could see a steel battleship dutifully patrolling the shores of Rio de Janeiro.

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The next morning, we went to the nearby beach volleyball stadium (situated on the Copacabana Beach) to buy tickets to see an Olympic table tennis game. While we had already pre-purchased tickets to see a volleyball game, we thought we should maximize the number of Olympic events we see while we were in Rio (we were only staying in Rio for four days, and only one day after the Olympic Games begin). After the long lineup to purchase the tickets, we walked to a nearby hotel to meet our tour group to visit Rocinha, the largest favela in Brazil. We had previously booked the tour online as, having loved the movie City of God, I really wanted to visit a favela and see it with my own eyes. It is highly advisable to visit favelas with a guided tours as these neighborhoods can be very dangerous for tourists. Rocinha has seen gunfights between the local drug lords and the Brazilian military in recent years due to a governmental crackdown on crime.

Edson, our tour guide, grew up in Rocinha and knew a lot about the favela’s history and shared his experiences living there. After a short ride on a minibus, we arrived in the middle of a busy street in Rocinha. Rocinha was built on a mountain as is characteristic of many favelas; there simply wasn’t enough space for poorer Rio residents so they had to build upwards. The electrical gridline here is a mesh of crisscrossing power lines, making it evident that the neighborhood just grew on its own without uniform urban planning. Our guide Edson took us through the narrow alleys and streets of Rocinha, explaining how the neighborhood had become its own city, with a post office and even international fast food restaurants. We walked by the waste disposal area of the favela, where trash was left out in the open and the sewage system was pretty much an open channel of waste water.

We enjoyed the local performing arts talent, including a musical performance from a band whose instruments were nothing but tin boxes and plastic buckets, as well as local kids performing amazing stunt moves of the Afro-Brazilian martial arts known as the capoeira. We even saw an American news anchorwoman on the ceiling of a residential building, broadcasting to her audience on the conditions of life in a favela at a time when Rio was gearing up for the Olympics. Walking out of the favela, we passed by busy streets flanked by shops and markets that were frequented by the residents of Rocinha. There may not be much in terms of first world amenities in Rocinha, but a great number of people call Rocinha their home. In their eyes, we saw the friendliness and warmth that characterizes the Carioca spirit.

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Our third day in Rio was also the eve of the Opening Ceremonies of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. We had a packed day, with many to do items on our itinerary. We started our day with a visit to the Christ the Redeemer statue, a must do on our Rio itinerary. There are many ways to get to the statue, one can take an old-fashioned tram up the Corcovado mountain or take a van departing from a number of locations including Copacabana Beach. We chose the quick and easy route and embarked on a van from Copacabana Beach (tickets can be bought on the spot). The van travelled through the enormous Tijuca Forest National Park, an urban tropical rainforest that is possibly the largest one of its kind in the world. Once on the peak of the Corcovado, we enjoyed the breathtaking view of Rio and marvelled at the towering Christ the Redeemer statue that stood before us. Construction of this symbolic statue took almost ten years and was completed in 1931. It is now recognized as one of the new seven wonders of the world.

After our tour of the Corcovado, we headed back to our Airbnb in Leme to pack our luggage. As our following day was dedicated to attending the Olympic events and our flight out of Rio being later at night, we thought it was a good idea to store our luggage at the airport (as we had to return the keys to the Airbnb the next morning). However, once we got to the airport, we discovered that the storage units were out of commission! Having wasted an entire trip to the airport, we contacted Helena, who kindly made arrangements for us to store our heavy luggage in her mom’s classroom that night (we couldn’t store it in the apartment as it was already booked for the next guest). With our luggage issue resolved, we headed back to the apartment, left our luggage and headed straight to the nearby cablecar up to another landmark of Rio: the Sugarloaf Mountain.

The view from Sugarloaf Mountain is incredible. As the sun set on the eve of the Olympics, it was a dazzling sight to see Rio de Janeiro lit up with excitement and anticipation for the first Olympic Games in South America. Although the Christ the Redeemer statue can barely be seen from the Sugarloaf Mountain, we could feel the wide open arms of the city’s iconic statue welcoming the world.

After the sun had set, we took a cab to the historical Santa Teresa neighborhood where we walked up the Escadaria Selarón, a staircase composed of tiles imported from all over the world. This feverish, Quixotic work of passion was built by a Chilean artist named Jorge Selarón over 20 years right up until his mysterious death in 2013 on the steps of his own creation. We also grabbed dinner at the Bar do Mineiro, a restaurant in Santa Teresa serving authentic Brazilian cuisine. We watched the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games from there, alongside the excited locals whose eyes were fixated on the TV screen. After our dinner, we headed back to our Airbnb apartment, where we picked up our luggage and took a taxi straight to our host’s classroom to store them. When we eventually met our host, we had difficulties communicating as she did not speak a word of English. However, she was an extremely kind and patient lady, guiding us to her classroom that will be home to our luggage for the next day.

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Our last day in Rio was packed with two Olympic events: a volleyball game at the Maracanãzinho stadium and a table tennis game at the Riocentro. The two venues were situated at opposite ends of the city, and so we basically had to cross the entire city to get from one venue to the next. The volleyball tournament featured matches between Korea and Japan, as well as between China (the eventual gold medal winners) and the Netherlands. I had been to the Olympics once before (the Beijing 2008 Olympics), so it was a sincere pleasure to be enjoying this global event once again. The matches were quite fun to watch, and we found the Brazilian spectators to be extremely passionate about sports even though Brazil was not playing. After the matches ended, we immediately exited the venue and hailed a cab to take us to Riocentro. The ride was quite long and even when the cab dropped us off at Riocentro, we had to take a bus and walked a long distance before we got to the table tennis venue. The table tennis match wasn’t quite as exciting as we had expected, as our seats were quite far from the main events. The matches were qualifying too, so the best of the best in table tennis were not competing yet.

As we had a flight to catch that night, we didn’t stay long at the table tennis match. Once outside, the challenge was finding a cab. We had to walk several kilometers far outside Riocentro before finding cabs that were available (there were also buses going to and from the venue, but on the first day of the Olympics they were still not operational). The cab took us directly to our host’s classroom, where we had issues communicating with the security guard as he didn’t understand why we wanted to go inside. However, at the last minute, our Airbnb host showed up and explained the situation. With our luggage in our hands, we bid farewell to our kind Airbnb host and headed to the airport. While our adventure in Rio was not without hiccups and challenges, the Rio people we met along the way really helped us every step of the way and made our visit all the more fun and fulfilling!

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UNESCO World Heritage Sites visited in Brazil:

• Iguaçu National Park
• Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea

See more pictures from my adventures in Brazil at:https://storiesofnoah.com/gallery-view/brazil/