Every country has their obsession. For Argentina, it’s
platform shoes and cigarettes. In
Uruguay, it’s crocs and mate. And in Rio, it’s Havaianas and…….. I’ll tell you
in a second, but first, let me take a selfie! Yes, selfies. OBSESSED.
I did an incredible tour of the city today. For only $72, a
mini van and a tri-lingual guide took 8 of us tourists around to the top
attractions from 12 noon to 7 pm. Earlier that morning I had been dealing with
money issues. Every single bank had rejected my debit card, so I had to skype
call Bank of America which was a huge pain. I had a bad feeling that maybe I
had been scammed or something… People have been telling me how easy it is for
that to happen. I guess old men will loiter around ATM’s in airports with these
card readers in their pockets that pick up your card info if they get close
enough to you. And also they will put scimmers over ATM’s on the street or in
grocery stores. That’s why it’s always best to use ATM’s that are actually inside reputable banks, preferably with
a security guard standing at the door. But BOA assured me nothing looked
suspicious, re-set my card, and 30 min later I was finally able to withdraw
cash. Being in a big city with no money is not a good feeling.
But I digress. Back to the city tour and selfies. We went to
5 of the absolutely positively “must see” attractions in Rio: Christ the
Redeemer statute, Santa Teresa, Lapa steps, the Cathedral, and finally the
ultra-famous Sugarloaf Mountain.
Cristo Redentor, or Christ the Redeemer statute. It was even
more magnificent and humongous then I imagined. How they were able to build
that at the top of a mountain, I’ll never understand! Hoards of tourists – both
foreign and local – swarmed the base of the Christ. It was a mad house. The
favorite pose was to stand and stretch both arms out, just like the statute.
Instagram must blow up every day with hundreds of these #cristoredentor
pictures. This is where I first started to notice the selfie obsession. I guess
for me, I’ve always just asked people to take a picture of me or of my group.
But no one… NO ONE… does this here. They only take selfies. They even have
these special poles that they can attach their phones to so they can squeeze the
whole crew in. The girls will stand there smiling and posing, batting their
eyelashes, repositioning their hair, applying lip gloss, pulling their shirt
down just a little lower, adjusting the camera and turning in all angles for
10+ minutes to get the perfect shot. It’s pretty amusing, actually. The
background itself doesn’t seem to be a priority. At any rate, standing
underneath the Christ in all its grandeur made me feel really, really small. On
the way back down the mountain, our guide pointed out a huge Favela village in
the distance. Favelas – unfinished houses on a hill – are where the poor people
of Brazil live. They used to be horrible, known for drug trafficking and crime,
but now are much better thanks to a stronger police presence. The quality of
life seems to be improving, since increasing numbers of the poor are now
working while simultaneously not paying taxes or rent. It’s still not great,
our tour guide explained, but it’s slowly getting better. He said many of them
actually drive nicer cars and wear better clothes than him. The Christ stands
guard over this Favela, watching over it.
Santa Teresa was just adorable. We didn’t stay long, but
it’s a place I’d like to visit again. It’s got a nice artsy, eclectic, boho
vibe going for it. The narrow cobblestone streets are lined with little art and
craft stores and cafes. Many of them serve a popular dish here – feijoada –
which is a hearty black bean and pork stew. An old lady carrying a styrofoam
cooler sold the most delicious homemade popsicles in a bag: strawberry, mango,
and passion fruit. I tried the latter… aaaah heaven! We stopped to check out
another woman’s beautiful necklaces made from buttons and shells. Her
smile was so white and pretty… I put my bag down for a moment to take a picture.
My guide jumped all over me. “Never ever put your bag down!!!” he warned. I
became so used to being in Uruguay which is much safer compared to Rio. Forgot
that teenage boys in certain parts of Brazil are notorious for snatching bags,
even cutting them off unsuspecting tourists as they run by. I’ll have to be
much more on guard now.
The Lapa steps, or Escadaria Selarón. This extra long staircase is covered from top
to bottom in mosaics. Back in the day (1990 to be exact), an artist from Chile
(Selarón) decided that
he wanted to beautify this area, and he spent many many years working on the
stairs. They’re like a giant patchwork quilt – every color and design
imaginable jumping out at you. Especially pregnant woman. He was obsessed with
this population, painting 25,000 of them on his mosaic murals. The stairs also
happen to be right at the bottom of a large Favela. Despite being a popular
tourist destination and heavily patrolled by police, poor people still loiter
around looking for opportunities to rob. When we arrived to the stairs, I saw 5
policemen: 2 special tourist ones with bright yellow jerseys on bikes (I heard
they are useless), 1 frisking someone halfway up the stairs, 1 standing at the
bottom of the stairs with a machine gun (a machine
gun???!), and 1 up in the bushes looking for something. The stairs were
breathtaking and I highly recommend them to everyone, but I held onto my bag
and camera with a death grip.
The Cathedral, or Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião.
This oddly shaped building rises like a pyramid into the sky. I walked inside
and felt the breath immediately got sucked out of me. The ceiling opened into a
cross made of clear glass, which allowed light to stream down the center of the
cathedral. The 4 corners of the wall were made entirely of stained glass, like
gleaming mosaic carpets streaming down. It was massive and glorious!!! I was
the last person from my tour group to leave. I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed
by its beauty.
Sugarloaf Mountain, or Pao da Acucar. You take a tram from
the base to the 1st mountain, and then another tram from there to
the 2nd mountain. The views from the top are insane. Rio is beyond
gorgeous! But many people seemed oblivious to this beauty around them. They
were too busy snapping selfies. Even on the tram, everyone had their phones
out, capturing the perfect face shot with the awesome background of cloudy
glass and iron bars. I saw a girl flipping through the pictures on her phone,
but they all looked the same to me. They were all of her face. Sugarloaf was
our last stop, and although it was amazing up there, I was completely exhausted
from our 7-hour tour of Rio and ready to rest.
I made it to Ipanema just after dark and checked into Mango
Hostel. This is in the best location possible – 1 block from the beach! Was
starving so started walking to find a place to eat. On the way, I watched 4
chiseled guys doing capoeira in the street. One of them could back flip
over a dangerously high rope. Pretty cray!! Found a nice little restaurant with
an English-speaking waiter called “Crusto”, which the waiter proudly informed
me was voted 3rd best bar in the city this year. I savored every
drop of the chilled gazpacho. There were little pepper jelly balls in it that
reminded me of tapioca, and the most delicately toasted croutons. Then I had
potatoes au gratin, served in stacks – crispy on the outside, creamy and cheesy
on the inside – topped with thyme and tomato relish. And of course, a caipirinha!
The passion fruit swirled in thick globs, like mounds of tadpoles. I slurped
the delicious fruit through my wide straw. Then I went back and slept like a
baby.
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