Sights & Sounds of Rio

Entry into harbor

A slight haze hung over Rio as we entered the harbor but by midday the sky had cleared with a high in the mid 90's. Even though I am a Texan and conditioned to these temperatures, it was still uncomfortably warm on Friday but Saturday was a day that any Chamber of Commerce would tout. Perfect day to be out and about in this beautiful city. Following are some of the sights and sounds we experienced under the guidance of Eduardo as we wound our way thru heavy traffic along miles and miles of beaches, beautifully landscaped parks, business districts, high rise condominiums, churches, cathedrals, more beaches and parks, shanty towns where lean-tos were literally stacked on top of one another, street merchants and countless homeless, more so than any of our previous ports. On the way to our first stop, a beautiful cathedral which I think John Paul II christened/inaugurated?? (help me out here you Catholics) I spotted this full service gas station. Last time I saw one of those was in Mason, I think. Note the attendants swarming around the cars like ants. Sure beats pumping it yourself. Perhaps those with the conversion ap can figure out how much per gallon they pay for their gas. Anyway, thought it was interesting. Also along the way on the not so pleasant side I saw miles and miles of razor wire atop fences, hundreds of street people, and a heavy police presence (even noticed several police cars and officers with long rifles trained on a guy sprawled on the ground and another in cuffs). All of this to me indicates long term economic problems as well as too many people in too small a space. The world is not sugar-coated, nor will it's description be sugar-coated by me.

Copacabana beach with its many colorful umbrellas and volleyball courts

Exterior of the very unusual Cathedral. Shaped somewhat like a pyramid with the pointed top flatted out, it has four stained glass panels stretching from floor to ceiling centered on each of the four walls. I forget how many hundreds of people it seats, but it is massive. In a city this size everything must be large to accommodate the masses.

Cathedral interior

Our literal taste of Rio.

Our first stop was the beautiful Cathedral designed by a noted architect whose name when pronounced by Eduardo sounded like Oscar Mayor to me. As the first of my shipmates emerged from the bus they were confronted by an aggressive beggar who did not want to go away. Until the police car arrived that is. Then all was well. The Cathedral and view from that particular peak were both spectacular. Most of the flowers and trees are same as home with a few exceptions. One exception was the monkey fruit tree producing multi-colored trailing flowers which turn into inedible fruit. Pity. While we toured the Cathedral, Eduardo talked with the police to make certain our exit would be uneventful and it was. He did point out that one of the nearby vendors was a former street person who had turned his life around when offered a cart from which to sell his wares. I think we all bought something from him whether we needed it or not. I know, the cynic in me says that Eduardo owned a piece of the action but. . .

From there it was on to the beautiful beaches filled with beach volleyball courts, umbrellas,

gorgeous scantily clad bodies of both sex, even more not so gorgeous scantily clad bodies, sunbathers, swimmers, refreshment stands, white, white sand and clear blue water. In the distance we could see Sugarloaf and Christ The Redeemer.

The end of Copacabana Beach. Love the convergence of white sand, blue waters and volcanic peak.

Shipmates Don and Kathy enjoying the scene.

Christ The Redeemer Statue. No pictorial of Rio would be complete without this icon.

That's right, in Rio one does not pump one's own gas! Everything is crowded here.

Our last stop was for refreshments at a "well-known barbeque restaurant" near yet another heavily shaded park complete with flower gardens and a reflection pond. Much to Eduardo's chagrin, two persons were bathing in the pool. No, I did not take a picture of this. As it turns out our refreshment was a locally produced soda. One of my fellow travelers dubbed it as carbonated Kool-aide. Actually a pretty apt description. Then we noticed the can had Antarctica on the label. Having been there recently, we surmised that it was as cooling and refreshing as Antarctica, not a product thereof. None chose to partake of the barbeque.

Carnival had just ended and cleanup was still on-going as we drove past the stadium/arena/?? in which it is held. My mind simply cannot imagine the crowds during Carnival. Even though Rio is too crowded for my taste, one should see and experience it for themselves. The engineering feat in getting that statute atop that mountain and the wonderful cog railway to visit it alone should make anyone's top ten list.

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