So today was our final full day in Rio and we kept the best till last, we were off to see Christ the Redeemer. Before this we had our usual Brazilian breakfast of...yes you guessed it Cheese, Ham, White roll and fruit (however this time it was Pineapple and Papaya) however as we discovered it wasnt a free for all like the last place!!!!
We sent off into the unkown as all we had was our guide book (no map in there) and a hand drawn map of the area with things written on it in foreign. Neil led us (very well I night add) up and down the steep streets and following tram lines ( I thought he was mad but it worked) we found the bus stop that should take us to Cosme Velho. However halfway there we and the bus driver discovered that the road was shut due to it collapsing down the side of the mountain. He told us to get off and walk and we should reach out destination (or so we thought due to his pointing and Neil guessing what the man meant) so we crossed the collapsed road and continued to walk alone in the large amazonian jungle! No one else was about and it seemed like we were walking for miles until we reached a sign that pointed to Cosme Velho and so we began to walk on these very steep streets (when we mean steep we really do see the pics!) which were really hard for me as I cant see my feet on normal days never mind walking down a steep hill. I'm not gonna lie I nearly cried but I didnt and finally we made it to Cosme Velho and to the Train Station that takes us up the Corcavodo (Hunchback Mountain) which Jesus sits on. The cog train goes up the mountain (yes the one we walked up and down) it takes about 20mins and we had the company of a band making a racket in our ears the entire time and spolling the quiet, tropical views of the journey.
 |
| Very steep hill... |
Anyway we get to the top and begin walking to the top, guess what they even have a lift and escalators 716meters up! We finally get there ansd take in the enormous Jesus Christ which is 36 meters high himself (just a little fact...in 2009 the statue was vandalised with graffitti which was on JC face and right arm...how the people did it I do not know!) it is a grand sight but better then that was the spectatular view of Rio itself, it completely took my breath away and we both spent time just staring at the view..it was really romantic...ahhh. We took lots of pictures, saw a helicopter and handgliders and then headed out way back down the mountain.
We then had the task of purchasing in advance our bus tickets to out next destination of Parati, now this may sound easy but in a country where we don't know where we are or how to communicate very well this is a huge undertaking and so we hopped on a bus (which we knew took us in the right direction to the bus station) and began this adventure.
I knew the word for 'bus station' the word for 'two' and the name of the place we were going- easy. We got a bus going to the bus station easy, got off in a very dodgy area about a kilometre from the place, walked for ages up a massive, dirty, busy, urine-smelling road but finally got there. We found the place where they sell the right tickets – this is when I realised that I should have learnt more words such as 'tomorrow', 'eleven in the morning' etc. Through the internationally renowned method of pointing and nodding we managed to get the right tickets. So far, this method has stood us well. Our next favourite technique of communicating to Johnny Foreigner is the, 'Repeat in English a bit slower and a bit louder' method. This also works and has the added bonus of making us laugh.
Hopped on a bus back, jumped off, got KFC by pointing and nodding, walked around, found our bus, got back to hostel. Only got off about 10 mins walk early – getting better all the time! Went out for beers and snacks to a lovely traditional (and famous) bar nearby. It was raining. We had some of these mini pie things that we see everywhere – very nice.
17th/18th August
Got the bus to Paraty – these buses are amazing – loads of leg room, air-con, toilet, leave on time. It was all great until the two people in front of us reclined there seats almost horizontal – the only people on the bus to do so. It wasn't so bad even then and the four hour bus ride seemed to take no time at all. The view was beautiful (once we got out of the very extensive Rio suburbs/slums) – all blue sea and green islands, occasional picturesque fishing villages, then thickly forested mountains.
When we got to Paraty, I liked it instantly. All low-rise traditional buildings kept in good condition, wide roads made from stone and lots of palm trees. Such a big diference from Rio which basically looks as though everyone left it 20 years ago and abandoned it to rot. Bindya led the way from the bus station to the Hostel and we got there in about 5 mins. Unfortunately we didn't realise this and walked straight past it. Luckily we got stopped up the road by someone asking if we were lost (or so we thought) and by a strange coincidence, they worked at the hostel. Clearly too many things were going well for us so when we got to the hostel we were told that they didn't have the private room we had booked, all they could do is put us in a dorm for 6, but make sure we were on our own. Bunk-beds for us tonight. The room was being painted (?) and we could have it the next day. We asked about having it for another night and were told it would cost over 200 Rs (nearly 100 quid) per night. Turns out there is some massive festival going on this weekend – a festival of cachaca. Cachaca is the local spirit distilled from cane sugar. We decided to book to stay for the festval – we went for a cheaper place instead... Should be fun!
Had a wander around – just love the place more and more – ate a bit of pizza, had a few drinks, found a nice local bar later on and had a few drinks, ate chicken burgers and a massive bowl of chips – why don't they do different sized bowls of chips? Maybe I don't want to eat £8 worth of chips. Maybe I just want a few chips to go with my burger. Why am I not allowed that choice? Anyway, Bindya asked how much money I had. I pointed out to her that she said she had all the money before we left. She pointed out to me that she said she didn't have any money before we left. After a quick calculation I reckoned we had enough for the bill. B reckoned we didn't. The bill came and we were about 30 cents short. Since I lost, I had to run back to the hostel and get more money. I didn't want to short change them as our waiter was the first nice, friendly, smiling one we've had so far.
It was a cold night in our bunk beds and I couldn't wait 'till morning. Breakfast was the worst yet – only bread and fruit, not even ham and cheese. All this was forgotton by the time we found the beach. Just a small one but hardly anyone else was there and it just looked beautiful. We both totally relaxed for a few hours. The water was cold and wasn't the clearest, but I loved it anyway. After a bit, B started to complain of a sore belly. This just seemed to get worse and she started feeling a bit nauseous so we headed back. We got to our new room (TV! Fridge!) and B was throwing up within 10 seconds. Quite a nasty case of dodgy belly by the sounds I can hear from the bathroom. I'm writing this now while she's trying to rest, between me forcing her to sip oral rehydration fluid and dose her with loperamide. We need her better before the booze festival. I have to go now because I need to get more toilet paper...
No comments:
Post a Comment