Journal Entry # 12 Sunday, July 1, 2007
We woke up in our new lavish hotel in the late morning again and took our time either showering or eating breakfast. We then met down in the lobby at eleven thirty for the tour we were about to have. We boarded the bus and met our guide named Pedro Mendes who had lived in Brazil and the US each for a long period of time. As we drove to our first sight, Sugar Loaf, Pedro told us many interesting things about Brazilian tradition and society: the people in the slums have it as good as the middle class in Brazil because the lower class gets tax breaks, free filtered water, free electricity, and free cable. When we got to sugar loaf we took 2 gondola rides to the top where we saw performers at both stops. The sights from the lookout points were amazing, the mix of the city sight and nature stuck out from all other scenes. After we spent some time on sugar loaf we took another bus ride over to the Corcovado, where the Christ the Redeemer statue is. We went up to the top and saw the famous figure standing through the hazy pall of fog. We stayed at the statue for a good while learning facts and trivia that Pedro provided about Christ the Redeemer. After that we moved on to a late lunch/ early dinner at supposedly one of the best restaurants. We went to a Chauhescheria, a place fully equipped with a gorgeous salad bar and a place where waiters come around with all different types and cuts of the highest quality meet for you to choose. There was a pretty large crowd outside waiting to get in so we had about an hour to wait but thankfully there was a street flea market called "The Hippie Fair" across the street. We walked around looking at all the interesting different things that people were selling and making. Unfortunately the fair had tailored itself to tourism so everything was very expensive but it was still fun to get a flavor of the people around. We then ate at the restaurant and had a great, full, double meal. After eating, we drove down the different beaches learning all the rich history about them all. We went back to the hotel to regroup and decided what we were going to do at night. We walked to the beach and bought some coconuts there to drink. After, we went as a group to a local hangout with live music and food to get some of the Brazilian culture that Rio is so famous for. There was great music and a lot of interesting people to meet. We went back to the hotel to get our last nights sleep in Brazil