Day 1 of Rio de Janeiro: January 5th
With a four hour flight starting off our day, we finally arrived in Rio! I could see the change in the atmosphere of the city as we drove through the hectic traffic. It felt as if we were riding in NYC instead of Brazil, and it was exciting. When we checked into the hotel, all of us were passing out in the lobby from lack of sleep. The WiFi at this hotel was so much better than the one we dealt with in Manaus, which was great since we were able to get in contact with each other much easier. We had initially set plans for what we would do directly off the plane, however these changed, as we had all been exhausted from the action packed days in the Amazon. My roommate and I had plans to sleep and then head to the pool, but my roommate ended up leaving early to head to the beach. I was starving after my nap, so I ended up going to lunch with Tait and some other students at a buffet style restaurant. The food was amazing, but way more expensive than our previous location.
After the restaurant, I finally made it to Copacabana beach. I took a ton of pictures to make sure I would capture the moment of being there. I knew that I needed to return there again to fully enjoy all this area had to offer. Our time at the beach was cut short, since we needed to meet up with the rest of the group.
After the restaurant, I finally made it to Copacabana beach. I took a ton of pictures to make sure I would capture the moment of being there. I knew that I needed to return there again to fully enjoy all this area had to offer. Our time at the beach was cut short, since we needed to meet up with the rest of the group.
When the whole group got back together again, we ventured out to go on a trip through the subway system of Rio de Janeiro. We were such a large group, and compared to the crowds of the subway, we couldn't all fit at once. One of the students got her foot caught in the door of the subway as it was closing, and about 5 of us, myself included, were stuck on the platform. We got onto the next subway only to be greeted again by our group at the next stop. Finally, we were all together again. We walked around the city, but were soon able to find our ways back to the station. Inside the station were street performers that we enjoyed listening to while trying to figure out a way back to the hotel.
Once back at the hotel, a few of us went out to dinner to go see what Rio was like at night. The fast food restaurant had a mixture of Brazilian, American, and Chinese food there, and I stuck with a burger and an acai bowl since my stomach was feeling a little upset. As we walked around, we spotted a Blockbuster, which has been shut down in America for years now. We walked onto the beach to see bars playing dance music and all the volleyball courts were full. I watched some of my friends play with the locals and I chatted with my roommate who watched with me. We had to return back to the hotel that night for student presentations, but it was awesome to get a hands-on experience with the residents of Rio.
Once back at the hotel, a few of us went out to dinner to go see what Rio was like at night. The fast food restaurant had a mixture of Brazilian, American, and Chinese food there, and I stuck with a burger and an acai bowl since my stomach was feeling a little upset. As we walked around, we spotted a Blockbuster, which has been shut down in America for years now. We walked onto the beach to see bars playing dance music and all the volleyball courts were full. I watched some of my friends play with the locals and I chatted with my roommate who watched with me. We had to return back to the hotel that night for student presentations, but it was awesome to get a hands-on experience with the residents of Rio.
Day 2 of Rio de Janeiro: January 6th
Today was probably the most touristy day of the trip. After grabbing breakfast, we were greeted by our tour guide, and we hopped on a shuttle to go to Cristo, or Christ the Redeemer. Although we were able to see this from the hotel, it was entirely different to see this up close. There were many flights of steps to reach this spot on a steaming hot day, so it truly felt like a journey to be here. When we reached the top, I was able to see all of Rio, as well at the view of the beach. We all took pictures emulating Cristo, and I walked around to see the church that is found inside the statue. It was fairly small considering the size of the statue, so I couldn't imagine how crowded it must be on holy days.
When the statue became too crowded, we made our way back down to the bottom of the mountain, and got onto a bus. This route had many twists and turns, so we pretended as if the bus were a roller coaster, which was hilarious. We then got back on the previous bus to go to Sugarloaf Mountain.
When the statue became too crowded, we made our way back down to the bottom of the mountain, and got onto a bus. This route had many twists and turns, so we pretended as if the bus were a roller coaster, which was hilarious. We then got back on the previous bus to go to Sugarloaf Mountain.
Originally we were supposed to hike/climb up part of the mountain, but due to weather conditions, we instead took a cable car. This cable car held about 40 people, and gave a 360 view of the area around the mountain. Overall there were two stops. The first stop was a little park area, which we called Sugarbread Mountain, since it was shorter than Sugarloaf. It had native flora and fauna from the Atlantic Forest, including Marmoset monkeys. The second mountain was an amazing spot for me to take photos, and we spent a good hour there taking group shots.
Reaching the bottom of the mountain, we finally stopped to eat lunch at an outdoor restaurant by Copacabana beach. It was buffet style, and the price was included in the trip. We were then taken on a ride around the city, where we saw the soccer stadium used in the Olympics from last year. Almost all of us ended up buying Brazil jerseys from a street vendor, and a few of us played soccer with a local.
Along our travels, we ended up around a street used for Carnival, and saw dancers dressed in Carnival garb. We took pictures with them, and then got back onto the bus for our next spot. The previous day, while we were lost, we passed by on of the most important cathedrals in Brazil, and were given the opportunity to enter today. The stained glass windows formed a cross at the ceiling, and there was a bunch of other Christian themed objects throughout the church. I am not a follower of this religion, and have been away from it for a while, so I didn't really understand the significance of these objects. The final location we stopped at was a street market, but because I was tired I hadn't really gone out of the van. Tait treated everyone to coconut juice, but I did not partake, since I do not like the taste of coconut. Some students began to crack open the coconuts on the ground in order to get the meaty parts on the inside.
When we got back to the hotel, I ate dinner with some of the other students in the hotel restaurant, and then we all headed up to the pool for a night swim. The water was warm, and felt amazing to relax after our long day. We played games in the water until presentations that night. I really loved the memories from that night, as it was probably the day I actually began to let loose around this group of amazing people.
Reaching the bottom of the mountain, we finally stopped to eat lunch at an outdoor restaurant by Copacabana beach. It was buffet style, and the price was included in the trip. We were then taken on a ride around the city, where we saw the soccer stadium used in the Olympics from last year. Almost all of us ended up buying Brazil jerseys from a street vendor, and a few of us played soccer with a local.
Along our travels, we ended up around a street used for Carnival, and saw dancers dressed in Carnival garb. We took pictures with them, and then got back onto the bus for our next spot. The previous day, while we were lost, we passed by on of the most important cathedrals in Brazil, and were given the opportunity to enter today. The stained glass windows formed a cross at the ceiling, and there was a bunch of other Christian themed objects throughout the church. I am not a follower of this religion, and have been away from it for a while, so I didn't really understand the significance of these objects. The final location we stopped at was a street market, but because I was tired I hadn't really gone out of the van. Tait treated everyone to coconut juice, but I did not partake, since I do not like the taste of coconut. Some students began to crack open the coconuts on the ground in order to get the meaty parts on the inside.
When we got back to the hotel, I ate dinner with some of the other students in the hotel restaurant, and then we all headed up to the pool for a night swim. The water was warm, and felt amazing to relax after our long day. We played games in the water until presentations that night. I really loved the memories from that night, as it was probably the day I actually began to let loose around this group of amazing people.
Day 3 of Rio de Janeiro: January 7th
On our final day in Rio, we finally had another hike! We started by grabbing breakfast at the hotel, and then got into the bus to Parque Nacional de Tijuca, or Tijuca National Park. Walking through the information station at the park and listening to a presentation from Tait, I had learned a ton about the forest. This national park is 10,000 acres of the Atlantic Forest that is slowly dwindling away from industry. It has 30 waterfalls, and technically counted as a rainforest. All of the plants found in the area were secondary succession though, since the area was used for sugar and coffee production.
The hike we went on today lasted about three hours. The land we hiked on was fairly dry, with only a few wet areas. There was a rickety bridge that we walked over a waterfall on, which was awesome to get to experience. We got lost a few times, but our tour guide was not very helpful in getting us out. Nevertheless, we had a fun time going through the forest and seeing the abandoned buildings from previous civilization. I had slipped and fell on my butt only once, which was the first and only time I've ever fallen on a hike, so I think that's some pretty good odds! After finishing the hike, all I wanted to do was shower, eat, and relax, in that order, since I was a little aggravated at our tour guide.
The hike we went on today lasted about three hours. The land we hiked on was fairly dry, with only a few wet areas. There was a rickety bridge that we walked over a waterfall on, which was awesome to get to experience. We got lost a few times, but our tour guide was not very helpful in getting us out. Nevertheless, we had a fun time going through the forest and seeing the abandoned buildings from previous civilization. I had slipped and fell on my butt only once, which was the first and only time I've ever fallen on a hike, so I think that's some pretty good odds! After finishing the hike, all I wanted to do was shower, eat, and relax, in that order, since I was a little aggravated at our tour guide.
We were given the rest of the day to relax by the beach, but this time we had a choice between Ipanema and Copacabana. Since I hadn't wanted to get back on the subway, I decided to stay at Copacabana with my roommate Anna and some other students. We grabbed lunch at the same spot I had eaten on the first night, and then headed to the beach. At the beach, I bought a tapestry of the Brazilian flag that ended up matching the one Georgie bought. Even though I had known of the dangers of swimming, I swam in the waters of Copacabana with Anna. As soon as we got back to the hotel, I checked my phone to messages from Tait about the trip to Ipanema. Apparently, one of the students had been bit by a hammerhead shark, and needed to have her leg bandaged. By the time we reached Iguacu, I had learned that this was all just a joke, and in fact she had slipped on some rocks, but I was unable to tell at first due to her amount of bandages. I hope she gets a tattoo of a shark bite to commemorate this occasion!
Back at the hotel, I again took a swim in the pool before presentations. I wanted to enjoy the view of the rooftop one more time before we had to leave. We had our presentations a little later that night from the "shark" incident, so to make it up to us, Tait ordered pizzas with tons of different toppings on them. While the pizzas weren't awful, they definitely made me miss the taste of a slice back home.
Back at the hotel, I again took a swim in the pool before presentations. I wanted to enjoy the view of the rooftop one more time before we had to leave. We had our presentations a little later that night from the "shark" incident, so to make it up to us, Tait ordered pizzas with tons of different toppings on them. While the pizzas weren't awful, they definitely made me miss the taste of a slice back home.