RIO – IMPRESSIONS (PART 2)

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                    • We saw incredible buildings and structures along the way:

                    • And, of course, we rode the cable car to Sugar Loaf Mountain – a spectacular and iconic Rio landmark!  The views from the mountain’s summit are awe-inspiring.

                    • From the many hills and peaks, we laid eyes on one of the most interesting cities I have ever seen.
 
                    • We ended our daytime activities with a stop in the Bohemian area of Lapa, where we saw a tile staircase designed by artist Jorge Selaron (originally from Chile), which has been in movies such as “The Incredible Hulk”.  Check out the tile, showing a cruise-ship! 

                    • At night, we joined a HAL group traveling by motor coach to an all-you-can-eat Brazilian barbecue at “Fogo de Chao” and then a live show of song and dance of carnival, Afro-Brazilian folklore, samba and other dances.

          • By Day 2 (1/20/12), we were so exhausted that we slept in until about 11:30 a.m.  We intended to go bowling, but they moved the departure time up from 4 to 3:30 p.m., and we didn’t want to fly to Argentina.  So we decided to just shop, instead.  Unfortunately, it’s a Brazilian holiday, and the clothing stores were closed.  We did manage to find a McDonald’s for lunch – where they charged us $44 Realis (about $30 US)!

• THOUGHTS/IMPRESSIONS
          • Rio was crowded, with lots of traffic and people just about everywhere we went.  But it’s an incredible place.  Everywhere you turn, there’s something else to see and photograph.  One can go into “sensory overload” in a hurry!  It was hazy and overcast, but stunning nevertheless.
          • At the Sambodromo, I bought a Carnival mask and a couple refrigerator magnets, but only the mask made it into our bag – something I didn’t discover until returning to our room.
          • “Christ” didn’t disappoint and was even more stunning in person than in the amazing photographs I’ve seen!  It’s one of those, “am I really here” moments!  The ascent is steep and the views from the top absolutely breathtaking!

          • Everyone told us how crime-ridden and frightening Rio has become, but I didn’t see that.  They did “forget” my magnets, and a cabby overcharged us for one ride.  Nothing major.  This was a modern metropolis, juxtaposed against a stunning, lush landscape.  Its people were friendly, and no one tried to grab anything off of us; police were present at the tourist sites, mall and dock.  As a travel destination, Rio belongs on everyone’s “bucket list”!  You just have to stay with the “right” people in the "right" places.

          • The Brazilian barbeque was fair.  I was, again, herded "HAL style":  3 buses, too many people, too few our age.  It was pretty chaotic at the restaurant – some people got the “good” stuff, some didn’t.  I ordered a pina colada, but it wasn’t frozen.  It was “icky”.  So I ordered a rum and coke instead.  They brought me a glass filled with ice and started filling it with rum until I shouted out for the man to “stop”.  But there was no coke.  Where’s the coke?  After a long (long) wait, they finally brought me a coke.  Then, they charged me $18 Realis for the rum and $6 more for the Coke.  That’s about $15 U.S.  Yikes!  The menu said we’d get pork, tenderloin, beef ribs, chicken wrapped in bacon.  Nope.  The waiters seemed to be bringing the good meats to the other side of our long table and skipping right over us.  It was a disorganized feeding of the masses.  Why’d I sign up for this?  Oh yeah, the show … it was pretty cool!  Those girls could shake their boo-tays!
          • Today’s “mission” was to find me a dress for the Samba formal tomorrow night.  We tried hailing a cab, but the guy wanted to charge us $100 round-trip.  Then we got them down to $65, only to find out it should only be $20 each way.  We paid $30 one way and $20 the other – we learned.  And the man who overcharged us took us to a mall that doesn’t open until 3 p.m., when we told him we have to be back to the ship by 3 p.m.  Now, I have no dress for the “Samba” formal … bummer.  Still, I loved my time here!
          • As I’m writing this, we’re sailing away from Rio.  “Christ” stands on the mountain to my right, watching over Sugarloaf Mountain and the city below.  Farewell, Rio!  For my friends, I leave you with a few more images as we leave this amazing and exotic city … the first place I will “miss” …