Day 16

Rio de Janeiro – Day 1

It was much lighter at 5 AM than I expected when my phone started playing its musical tones waking me from a sound sleep.  For a moment, I forgot why I had set my alarm, then remembered that we were sailing into Rio de Janiero and could catch a glimpse of the famous Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugarloaf Mountain. 

EARLY MORNING VIEWS

The Amsterdam was still about 10 miles from Rio as we slowed to pick up the harbor pilot from the speed boat that raced out to meet us.  By leaning out over the railing on my verandah, I was able to see Christ the Redeemer as a speck when using my telephoto lens.  I went up to the forward lookout on Deck 6, directly under the bridge, and joined about 35 other passengers enjoying the scenery.  There were probably about 30 people out on the bow. 

Usually when there is a scenic arrival, the ship serves, coffee, orange juice and “Panama Rolls”.  (Something like a jelly filled doughnut).  Not today.  Around 5:30 AM, a lone water appeared carrying a tray of orange juice. 

The view was not very spectacular, and while I am glad I did it once, I probably wouldn’t do it again.  If you want to sleep in for this one, I wouldn’t feel too bad about it.  I woke Judy up, who is not a morning person, and forced her to get out on the Verandah so she could see for herself what the view was all about.  After a few minutes she returned to bed and a sound sleep. 

TWO DAY TOUR

Our plans for Rio were to take a 2-day tour from a company called Do Brazil Right.  Here is a description for Day 1 – The price per person for each day was about $125 USD. 

First Stop – Ipanema Artcraft Fair, also known as Hippie Fair.  Located on General Osorio Square in Ipanema, the Fair was stablished in 1968, and the traditional Sunday fair continues until today with over 700 stalls.  This is a great place to find authentic Brazilian folk and contemporary art, jewelry, clothing and regional food.  The Hippie Fair is the most well-known and popular street market in the south zone of the city.  Stalls of various goodies are set up every Sunday around the perimeter of the Square, while its center is reserved for artists selling much larger canvases and artworks.  For unique souvenirs, there is no better place in Rio to go. Visit will last approx 45min. 

The tour will continue to Ipanema Beach, located 1 block from the Fair.  Passengers will have 30 minutes for Pictures.  

After Ipanema, the tour will continue to the Copacabana Beach, which on Sundays the boulevard is closed for traffic, becoming a huge walkway for pedestrians, cyclists and riders of e-scooters.  You will be able to swim (bring your swimsuit), sit by a Kyosk for drinks and snacks, or simply walk the promenade for some people watching.  Visit will last approx 1 hour. 

After Copacabana, the tour will continue to the Christ Statue – Pre-scheduled Train Tickets – No lines to go Up the Hill.  Ride the Iconic Train to the top of the Corcovado Hill.  Visit will last appox 1 hour.  Please expect big lines for the Return Train ride that unfortunately cannot be prescheduled (only going up).  It´s very important all passengers are together in the line so they can all catch the same return train, otherwise it will cause an inconvenient delay. 

After Christ Statue, the tour will continue to the famous neighborhood located on a hill near downtown called Santa Teresa.  Known as the artistic heart of Rio, Santa Teresa’s cobbled streets are lined with rambling mansions that were once home to the city’s wealthy elite, and today function as artists’ studios, restaurants and guest houses.  Visit will last approx 1 hour. 

4:40pm – Return to the Port in order to arrive at 5:15pm. 

 We were moored along a long quay wall alongside several warehouses that have been converted into cruise terminals and other uses supporting the cruise ships.  

After leaveing the ship, we walked alongside the buildings until we got to Terminal Number 4, which is the Cruise Terminal.  Inside the Cruise Terminal there were several tour operators, gift shops, snack bars and some ATM machines.  (Do not use these machines – their effective exchange rate was only 3.09 $R to $1 USD instead of the bank rate of 4.2, and the Recife Cruise Terminal rate which was 3.9.)  There is free Wifi, but the ships Wifi is so good on this cruise, the number of people here was very low. 

We met our guides outside Terminal 4 as shown on the map.  There would be 3 passenger buses, each with about 20 people going on this tour.  We would stay together for most of the next 2 days. 

Across the street from the cruise terminal, is another building that is used to load all the tour buses, including the larger buses serving the HAL tours.  

NOTE: Running alongside the cruise terminal street is a light rail system that connects this area to the rest of the Rio de Janeiro public transportation network.  More information about public transportation here 

The area around the cruise terminal is very clean and feels very safe.  There was not a large, obvious police presence, but wandering in this area feels quite comfortable. 

There was a nice spot to use as a pick-up spot for Uber which is readily available .  On the far side of the building where we boarded the tour buses, was a taxi stand with plenty of metered taxis available.  Some taxis take credit cards, but be sure to confirm they do and their processing machine works before you hop in. 

HIPPIE FAIR

Our first stop was the “Hippie Fair” near Ipanema Beach.  This is an open area market that fills General Osorio Square but only operates on Sundays.  Lucky for us, today was Sunday and we were able to spend 30 minutes here browsing a variety of vendors selling everything from T-shirts to Paintings.  While you should always be vigilant when traveling anywhere, this area felt very safe for tourists.  Most vendors took credit cards or USD, but not all, so be sure to ask first. 

THE BEACHES

We walked the one block to Ipanema Beach, made famous in the song by Frank Sinatra – “Girl From Ipanema” which you can listen to here; 

Ipanema Beach is wide, sandy and gorgeous.  Filled with people sunbathing and strolling ankle deep in the surf, there were life guard stations and people renting beach chairs and umbrellas.  It was busy, but not wall to wall crowded, you could easily find a spot to lay out your towels.  Plenty of Lime scooters and other versions of electric bicycles are available for rent using appropriate smart phone apps. 

Copacabana Beach, of the Barry Manilow song fame, was right around the corner from Ipanema Beach, and had a similar look and feel.  Both of these beach areas were filled with tourists and locals enjoying the long holiday weekend. 

Red flags were posted at both beaches.  There were few people in the water as strong surf with a crashing shore break made it difficult to get past knee deep in the water. 

CHRIST THE REDEEMER

The iconic statue – Christ the Redeemer – was completed in 1931 after 9 years of construction.  There are several ways to visit and more information on the various options: train, car/van or hike can be found here. 

Taking the train is probably the most well-known method.  The tickets are sold in advance for a specific time, and while you can buy a “walk up” ticket you will wait in a space-available line that may take anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours or more. 

There are a few times to see a view while taking the train up and down, but the view is so fleeting.  I wouldn’t worry about trying to get a window seat.  But for your information, the view side will be on the station side of the train. 

Once you get off the train, you can reach the top via elevator and escalators, or walk up the 220 some stairs.  We took the elevator up and walked down.  There is a snack style restaurant and 2 or 3 souvenir shops near the top of the stairs. 

Plan for monster crowds.  The viewing area feels like a NYC subway platform during rush hour.  You will see people lying on the ground trying to get the best picture of the statue and plenty of jostling.  The sun’s position for photos is best in the morning, the earlier the better.  We visited in the early afternoon and the statue was backlit making photographs difficult.  Get the best shot you can and move on – enjoy the experience and take some photos of the craziness in the crowds. 

SANTA TERESA

Our final stop for the first day was an area called Santa Teresa.  This area is filled with small restaurants and shops and is a pleasant place to wander around for an hour or so.  We had a late lunch here before heading back to the ship.  This spot is a little over 2 miles from the cruise terminal, but I would recommend taking a taxi. 

BACK ON THE SHIP

Tonight’s entertainment was a local cultural show giving you a sample of the music and dancing you would see if you were here during Carnival.  Normally these local shows are offered only once, but they did two shows at the normal times 7:30pm and 9:30 pm.  The show featured a heavy percussion beat with energetic dancers.  It was entertaining, but got a little repetitive after 15 minutes.