 Welcome to Blue Ocean Studios  Around the World
After our 2 failed attempts, we finally made it to Corcovado Hill this morning! It was our last chance to go on our way to the airport, and even though the skies looked cloudy we decided to go for it. After a little negotiating, we hired a taxi driver to pick us up at the Sheraton, drive to the top of Corcovado, and then drop us off at the airport. It wasn't cheap, but when are we going to get another chance to be in Rio?? This driver was the same guy who brought us to the Sheraton originally. He gave us a great deal then, so we decided to call him up again. Before leaving the hotel, we experienced one of the most frustrating checkouts ever. The hotel wanted to use our points for only 2 nights, and charge us $350 for the third night. Second, they wanted to charge 10,000 points instead of the 7,000 points per night that they normally charge. All of this was because they had upgraded us to a suite (which we thought they were doing out of generosity for a Platinum member). Believe it or not, we had to get a manager involved and spent a lengthy 25 minutes getting this straightened out! Who knows how many points they may have deducted now, but I will surly be checking up on them in my online account. Anyways, back to Corcovado - our driver took us through the Tijuca park, a large natural forest area with many hiking trails. As we drove through the park, the driver was nice enough to stop and let us take a few pictures at the scenic lookouts. We got a few glimpses of the Christ statue as we got closer. Lucky for us, the clouds weren't too bad, more of just a haze from all the humidity in the air. Since we were driving to the top, we got to skip the train ride and only had to pay $2.50 each to get to the monument. If you have more than 1 person, it definitely seems to be cheaper to just hire someone to drive to the top instead of paying ($12.50pp) for the train ride.
We made it to the airport and had just enough time to relax in the British Airways lounge for a few minutes before boarding our flight. We were luckt to have business class seats for this 10 hour flight from Rio to London. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that our seats could recline to a completely flat sleeping position! We settled in for the long flight, happy to know that we would get some sleep. We watched the movie Walk the Line (one of 8 movies we could choose from) and enjoyed the business class service and meals.
Food: We can't really say we had a lot of authentic Brazilian food while in Brazil. Many of the restaurants we found were typical international foods (and of course a pizza shop on every corner!). We did enjoy the fresh fruits and juices - our favorite fruit is the spiky red strawberry-looking one that we tested out from a Manaus street vendor (something like CumuCumu - but we have no idea :). On our final night, we finally made it to a Brazilian Churrasqueria where they carry all sorts of meat out on large skewers and carve it for you at the table. There, you can eat as much or as little as you like - it was a good meal and a great value. Despite our encounters with high prices otherwise, food was relatively inexpensive everywhere. Beer of Choice: Bohemia Memories: getting stranded at the Argentina-Brazil border by our bus driver, poisonous snakes in the Amazon jungle, croc hunting, piranha fishing, sleeping in hammocks in the jungle, crazy drivers with no concept of lanes in Manaus, meeting of the waters, seeing the Christ statue on Corcovado Hill, relaxing on the beach and at the Sheraton pool, $1 fresh coconut waters, missing out on one of the biggest concerts in the world - Rolling Stones on Copacabana beach - because we didn't know it was free!, the locals give thumbs up for everything, pricey! People: Everyone in Brazil (except for the one mean anti-American cab driver) was really friendly and helpful, despite the language barrier. It was more difficult to communicate, as most people did not speak any English and Spanish could only get you so far. Brazilians appear to have a very festive and carefree lifestyle. Maybe this is because it is nearing Carnival time, or maybe they are like that all the time. We almost always had big smiles when we talked to anyone. Economy: Brazil has the strongest economy of the South American countries and its exported goods are a growing presence in the world market. Brazil's economy is made up of 51% services, 38% industries, and 10% agriculture, with significant production coming from Manaus's free zone industries. While inflation is under control in recent years, the consumer prices inflated 14% in 2003. We found most goods to be as expensive or more expensive than in the US - so we're ranking it as the most expensive place visited in South America.. Climate (February): HOT AND HUMID! If you go anywhere in Brazil in February, plan to be sweating from the minute you step outside (even though they say it's no longer summer :)! Exchange Rate: 1 US dollar = 2.11 Reals
9 out of 10 for Amazon Rainforest - same as above for the remote and difficult to get to, but once you are there, there is a lot to see. We didn't see as many animals as we would expect (except for at the zoo) but we sure learned alot about the trees, birds, and people of the region. We heard that if you want to see more animals in the wild, you should go to the Pantanal (another region of the rainforest a little south of where we were). It was nice to spend time at the lodge and we were lucky to come in the low season and got the guide all to ourselves! We're not sure why it's the low season, as it seemed pretty good to us! 8 out of 10 for Rio de Janeiro - Rio is a typical large city with lots of city type tourist activities (churches, old neighborhoods, etc) but with the bonus of the many beaches lining the Atlantic Ocean. We loved spending time on the beach and had close to perfect weather, although very hot. The Christ statue on Corcovado is a must-see. Hang-gliding down from the hills is a popular tourist activity, but we didn't have the time (or more accurately - the energy) :) . We didn't see that much, so it's hard to really say how to rate it other than the beaches are very plentiful, long, and the water is warm! View Iguazu (Argentina and Brazil) Photo Gallery View Amazon Jungle Photo Gallery View Amazon River Photo Gallery View Rio de Janeiro Photo Gallery Day 55 - Rio de Janeiro < | Index | Photo Galleries | > Day 58 - Cape Town © 2007 Blue Ocean Studios, LTD. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Services | About | Contact Prints | Return Policy | View Cart World Travel Galleries | World Travel Blog | Links |
It is pretty difficult to go from summer to fall to winter and then back to summer in only a matter of 4 days, but that is what we are going to do! With a long 2 days of traveling ahead, we are thankful that we got to rest up during our time in Rio. 
Our driver let us off at the top and told us he would be back at 12:15pm to pick us up (the parking area at the top is too small to have the cabs wait up there) - giving us 40 minutes to tour. The statue of Christ is definitely an amazing sight, along with the panoramic view of the city below. We took our pictures, along with the hundreds of other tourists competing for the same shot! It was hot and muggy and crowded, and we couldn't even imagine how much hotter it would be if the skies were completely clear! We were glad our packs were in the car and not on our backs (as originally planned). On the way back down, we stopped at the next hill where the helicopter rides take off from, which had a perfect view of the Christ from afar. 
Final thoughts on Brazil:
Recommendation to friends: 