The reversal of fortune

솔직히 브라질의 Rio de Janeiro 에 대해 아는게 없어서 정보를 찾아보았다. 다음 글은 이곳에서 10년을 살고 있는 사람이 쓴 글인데 언제 한번 꼭 가보고 싶은 곳이란 느낌이 들었다.

Rio de Janeiro

I have never seen any statistics, but Rio must account for well over half of all tourist trips to Brazil. This is perhaps the most beautiful large city in the world. It has it all: Climate, green forests, sharp brown mountains thrusting up in the sky, white beaches, blue skies and green waters.

Rio has plenty of good hotels and many of them are reasonable. Food and shows are great, but the main attraction are the beaches, specially the young women on them. Everything the song says about the "Girl from Ipanema" is true, but don't forget the girls from Copacabana, Leblom, Sao Conrado, Barra, Recreio, and my favorite beach, Grumari.

To see Rio is easy. Nature has provided two great platforms: Sugerloaf and Corcovado. Both are wonderful sites where your eyes can feast on the beauty that is Rio. If you have a chance, climb the lower hill of Sugarloaf. It is a great walk up and takes less than an hour from Leme Beach (at the northern end of Copacabana). Once in a great while (one hour every few years) you can see an old sailing ship under full sail coming in or out of the bay. That is a something few people see, but it is so wonderful. When you go up to Corcovado, take the little cable train from Larangeiras. It is a nice trip. Make sure it is a clear day, because sometimes low clouds will obscure the view of the city and beaches.

We lived in Rio for 10 years, so there are many places that I could recommend, but many would be hard to get to. If downtown, visit the Confeitaria Colombo, a nice old style restaurant that hasn't changed in 100 years. Check out the mirrors. Not far away from there is the Rua do Ouvidor, where Carmen Miranda sold hats before her talent took her to Casino da Urca, New York, and Hollywood. Another place I liked, just down the street, is the Gabinete Portugues de Leitura, an old traditional reading room. I wonder if it is still there?

If looking for food, there are lots of good options, but most cater to the business crowd. The oldest part of town is down near Praca 15. Check out the museums and the fish market. Stay away from Praca Maua and Praca Tiradentes. These are not places for the tourist. Another fun thing is to go see a samba school rehersal in the suburbs. This usually is done in group excursions and is quite safe. Sometimes they will throw in a visit to a Macumba ceremony (voodoo black magic), but I personally have zero interest in that stuff.

A fun trip is to take the ferry to the island of Paqueta', in the bay. This is a small island where cars are not allowed. It used to be quite abandoned, but I have heard that it has been cleaned up and is a nice place to visit. Other great day trips is to the Royal city of Petropolis, up in the mountains above Rio. This is where the Royal family went to escape the hot, humid summer temperatures (before air conditioning). It is a really nice small city.