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Hawaii, USA, Nov-Dec 2001	Sao Paulo, Brazil, Dec 2001	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Dec 2001

		Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Dec 2001		For photos click here

Rio de Janeiro	Corcovado	Angra des Ries	Hang gliding	Sugar loaf	Back to reality

		RIO and COPACABANA		For photos click here
A couple of decades ago THE holiday destination, Rio de Janeiro has since lost most of its glamour and prestigious tourist industry with it. The city is packed between the foot of Corcovado mountain range and the tropical beaches. Its huge population density forces very rich and very poor people to close coexistence, what makes life interesting! The most famous places in Rio are the Copacabana and Ipanema/Leblon Beaches, both packet with hotels. I recommend these places for a vacation hub, since they offer some good deals on hotels and the place itself is well policed with civil, federal and military police. Though that still wont stop thieves to nick ANY belongings you might leave on the Copacabana beach while going for a swim!

Your stay there can be as exciting as you can possibly imagine. Although I found initial lack of information on activities (I must admit I never searched thoroughly for them before), once you are into one or two, the whole myriad of things to see and do opens up. Again much like in Hawaii there are often several activity/tour providers, so the first deal offered by hotel concierge need not be the best or the cheapest in town. Bear in mind, you are in non-English speaking country. Why am I stressing this – firstly to get you acquainted with the language barrier you will feel on every step and secondly, cheaper tours usually involve guides with very poor English! So … you get what you paid for!

		ACTIVITIES
		CORCOVADO			Top
The must activity you should do early on is visit Christ the Redeemer on top of Corcovado mountain. You’ll find several guided tours with pick-up from Copacabana for 40 to 60 R$. Usually tours start with the tram ride up to the top of the mountain. The statue itself is 30m high and stands on 8 m high platform. As you get up onto the platform, walk over to the sightseeing platform and look up – straight into His eyes! The location and the size of the statue make for a memorable experience, regardless of one’s religion. Hope you’ll be lucky with the weather – in a clear day you'll have awesome view of the whole city of Rio de Janeiro. It’s a must to get the feeling how stretched and packed the city is, and how many beautiful beaches the Cariocas (natives) can enjoy year round!


		ANGRA DES RIES		For photos click here	Top
This coast and island chain is some 2-3 hours drive from Rio, in the direction of Sao Paulo. I found a tour operator via the leaflet on the Copacabana beach, which included transportation, all day boat sail between islands and buffet lunch, for only 50 R$ (20 USD). Now that’s a good deal if there is such a thing! The place is well worth visiting and getting away from the crowded Copacabana at the same time. The beaches here are really beautiful – if you want to relive the cliché: enjoying the n-th capirinha while lying in a net under the palm trees on a soft sandy beach listening to tropical birds and the turquoise blue sea splashing along the shoreline, watching the sun sink into the ocean … such place exists right here in Angra des Ries! The few hours long cruise provides ample opportunity for a 20 min dip into the perfectly clear ocean and to swim with the fish (meaning exactly that). If that’s not enough add capirinha (a strong native alcoholic drink, to be clear (well more like misty... :)) and samba music together with some beautiful ladies and everyone's party gears start churning!


		HANG GLIDING		For photos click here	Top
For those of you (us) who want the "neck-breaking" excitement, this passage is just for you. Cruises are wonderful but leisurous. Imagine excitement of jumping of a 500+m high cliff holding onto nothing but few square meters of fabric of a hang gliding kite! Sounds easy, believe me. It is, for professionals. But for a first timer it was unforgettably exciting. Now I don’t know about you but I kinda have this safety switch in my brain which keeps me from doing fatally dangerous things – like jumping off the cliff! Kite is just like a plane - it takes off at sufficient speed. And YOU have to generate that speed by RUNNING, which is a hell more difficult to do when your legs turn into jelly (safety switch kicks-in)! I admit I haven’t yet tried bungee jumping, nevertheless hang gliding has to me more difficult to start off. For bungee-jumping one merely has to jump of the cliff and enjoy a few second of free fall. While at hang gliding one has to RUN towards the cliff! And for his courage is rewarded with several minutes of spectacular and unique sight-seeing!

Hey if I am talking your words here and you happen to go down to Rio – pick up a leaflet for Hang gliding with Paulo Cellani. He’ll personally pick you up from your hotel in well recognizable white jeep. This gives him the chance to get to know you which is important, since lives here depend on the cooperation of the pilot and the passenger! Before all the fun you have to sign the liability claim (basically it says you are willingly accepting the risks) in the local hang gliding association’s office and fork out 5 R$ for using the park and you are off onto a rapid climb 500 + meters up into the mountain. There Paulo’s assistant will have the kite(s) all assembled and ready for take-off. Don’t miss the photo opportunities, yet there are more to come. Paulo has camera mounted on the tip of the kite and takes photos of you and the scenery in the background as you fly. Take the deal – it’s well worth the extra 20 R$!!
That’s it! The moment to doooo-it has come! Of course you are not pushed off the cliff on your own, but (literarily) hanged onto the kite next to Paulo. Take one last breath, close your eyes, run like hell (on jelly legs) and hope not to see St. Peter the first thing when opening eyes again! (Just joking – Paulo hasn’t had fatality in all his 15+ years of gliding - or he wouldn't be around today, of course!!). If the winds aren’t favorable you’re looking for a10 minutes flight from the mountain over the forest, the city, U-turning over the ocean and landing on the beach. And that's the end of the story, I am afraid – in two hours all-together you’ll be back in you hotel, full of adrenalin and smiles up to your ears. I strongly advice to ask Paulo about hiking tours in Rio (mention Gabriel’s tours). He’ll have the phone numbers and will know all the latest on the subject. Of course don’t miss the opportunity to learn about city’s night life and hear his stories of charmed foreigners falling for Brazilian girls (as they fall on their money!).

	SUGAR LOAF HIKE	For photos click here	Top
Wait! Excitement isn’t over yet! Sugar loaf is our next destination – a 400m high mountain with very distinct shape has a cable car running on top to the sight-seeing platform. But that would be way to easy for us. The spectacular view of the city is way more memorable and enjoyable when earned the hard way – by climbing foot after foot from sea level bottom all the way to the summit! I got on this personalized tour on a quick notice with Paulo's help. His contact Gabriel organizes hiking tours in Rio (visit www.riohiking.com.br). Well in half a day we’ve arranged the tour for the next morning (I was departing in the afternoon of that day). This was the first-only-and last time my pick-up from hotel was actually punctual (thanks to Rafael)! At 7 AM it was only a short drive to the bottom station of the cable car where the hike commences. Believe me you want to do this hike in the morning. We had an overcast weather and yet was hot enough in the rocks that morning. Bring water supply! The tour itself is mostly walking and some rock climbing, I was told. Where is the excitement you ask? Hell I wasn't told the walking is infact a goat climb on long wide STEEP ledges overlooking some 200 + (as you climb) meters drop-off onto the ocean rocks. One misplaced foot, one slippage and you better be born under the lucky star to catch those few scattered bushes before crashing onto the rocks down bellow. Yes there is an option of safety ropes – but I’ve opted for an exciting climb. Actually I didn’t want to fall-out as a wimp and was told only afterwards that lots of people prefer safety ropes over those sections. I recommend hiking shoes with good grip and not worn down sneakers like mine. The rocks are not crubly and you do have a safe step. It’s a mind game about breaking that mental barrier of "what if…".

A little further up we get into some 15 meters high wall. Well this is a good place to test rock climbing skills. Its child’s play for skilful climbers. For likes of us the guide goes first and attaches the safety rope. This time better safe then being sorry with a broken back in the mountain ledge on the day of departure. Hell you still have to climb that wall, there is no other way up now, I’m afraid. And you don’t have all day either - there are hikers coming up from behind. Here I must emphasize the importance of being physically fit for this hike, which is nothing like a "walk in a park" of the Diamond Head "climb" I went on in Hawaii. When you start this hike better turn away gracefully at the foot of the mountain if you are afraid of heights or can’t manage a walk onto the 10^th floor in your hotel – or you’ll be fucked half way up. Returning to the wall we find me half way into it facing the notorious humpback rock. To make life more exciting I was poring with sweat, which made any hand grip on the edges of rocks more treterous. As you can see in the photos below the relief and adrenalin induced excitement was obvious after reaching the top. And I admit I did slip once on the humpback rock – I lost the foot grip and sweaty palms gave me no grip to hold on by hands. At least I’ve made a worthwhile operation of setting up the safety rope in the first place!

Now, after the wall, we are really getting into some serious sight-seeing. But the walk isn’t over yet! Couple more tricky ledges covered with some loose sand (this time watch out!) and footpaths through the bushes (home of lizards and snakes) and finally we reached the fence of the sightseeing complex. One last climb over and – congratulations for making it all the way to the top! And boy was it worth the effort – the spectacular sights combined with the feeling of achievement really paid off the effort and made my Rio visit that much more positively unforgettable experience The way down is a hinch – Everybody takes a cable car to the first station (of the two). This leg is for free and then take an easy "walk in the park" descent back to the base of the mountain through a scenic forest route. And you should meet some nearly domestified monkeys on the way (they eat from hand!).
I am truly grateful to Paulo for setting me up with Gabriel (www.riohiking.com.br), which in turn arranged on such short notice the time of Rafael and Miguel. Thanks a lot to Miguel, my personal guide (we went on our own for most of the way) for taking the time to show me the beautiful place and inspire me even further for true natural hikes in the wilderness. Unforgettable!

	BACK TO REALITY	For photos click here	Top
All dreams must come to an end and so did my month of holidaying at two truly different and spectacular places on the planet - Hawaii and Brazil (Rio). They both offer beautiful, picturesque nature and places once you get away from civilization (if at all possible ?). Though I went around alone (essentially was there on business) now I understand better those lot who take weddings and honey-moons at/to such lavish places. It’s a once in a lifetime event and has to be accompanied with appropriate settings. Brazil as such is viable place for western consumers, where some £2k can easily afford the trip with decent accommodation for two in remote areas for at least a week.

And had I ever get myself into this situation, or should I have to chose the favorite place, it wouldn’t be an easy choice. I liked the discipline and security of Hawaii, yet disliked their high prices and too commercialized tours (read my thoughts on liability in Hawaii), which takes out the primal element of exciting discovery. Brazil, on the other hand, is even more so beautiful and affordable. But it didn’t give me that illusive sense of security and safety. Hell I’ve seen other people’s belongings snatched infront of my very eyes while sunbathing on Copacabana beach. Such event would be unheard off on Waikiki beach. A big glitch in Brazil is communication – not many speak English and if you don’t speak Brazilian Portuguese, makes life much more interesting :-). Don’t be surprised to hear a descent English where you would least expect it – from a local bartender in one of many wooden shacks serving chilled drinks all along the Copacabana beach!

Web editor: Bostjan Last update: January 2002