Rio de Janeiro
Author: Shirlz
Thursday, 20 January 2011
To enter Guanabara bay in the early morning on a small sailing boat is an unforgettably beautiful experience. So easy to lose oneself in spellbound fascination of the surroundings. But there are big ships and small islands to be avoided so I tried to pay attention to the way ahead.
Anchored just outside the moorings of the Clube Naval Charitas which is across the bay from Rio. It’s pretty crowded at this time of the year but like most Brazilian yacht clubs it’s more a social scene than a sailing club. Very impressive swimming pool, bars and restaurants. Hordes of prosperous people. But the daily rate is reasonable and the charge for anchoring with full use of the club facilities is half what it costs to tie to the dock. I’ve taken Sinbad ashore a few times and he seems happy.
Yesterday I took the fast ferry into town and, armed with a tiny but detailed map taken from my old Lonely Planet guide, did a touristy walking tour. It was a hot day (40C in the afternoon) and this gave me a good excuse for frequent stops in cafés and juice bars with powerful air conditioning.
Crossing the bay at what felt like 20 or 30 knots in the ferry gave me a rather different view of the beautiful arrangement of hills and vertical rocky sugar loaves. A big ship was making it’s way past the fort. It was another hazy day which didn’t make for good photos of the scene.
I wandered across the Praça XV and had a look at the grandiose Tiradente Palace. It was shady at the top of the steps and I hung about a bit. Unexpectedly the ornate doors swung open and I went inside. It’s where the local parliament sits and I was given a personal guided tour.
Outside again I headed for the shopping district and made the obligatory stop at Confiteria Colombo for coffee and cake. Beautiful old floor to ceiling mirrors infinitely reflecting gilded chandeliers. The cake was disappointing.
On to Rua Alfândega which stretches for a long way lined with colourful noisy stalls. A carnival feel in the air with bright banners strung overhead. The street has been pedestrianised and I enjoyed strolling along.
So much to see. One little tucked-away shop had a marvellous selection of rope, twine and cord.
Eventually the street ends across the way from the entrance to a big park. The enormous trees and green ponds made a pleasant change after the chaos. The park has a happy and fairly well-fed-looking population of cats. They lay about in the shady patches not deigning to move even when I came close. Little capybaras were intermingled with the cats. Geese floated about on the pond and a peacock did his thing.
Back in the streets I found myself in an area dedicated to antique and bric-a-brac shops. It almost made me wish that I had a place to fill with lovely things. Settled for a nice lunch at a shady outside table. A good place for people-watching. I studied my little map. I had wandered off the route a bit but managed to work out where I was.
Continued on my way down Rua Carioca with all the music shops but they were busy tearing up and relaying the stone mosaic pavements and it was noisy and dusty. Glimpsed the Rubik-cubic Petrobras building a short way off and headed that way.
Joined the queue for the tram that goes up to St Teresa. Lots of quirky-quaint old houses. Cafés and bars. Art galleries and junk shops.
The tram was overcrowded and very slow as they were doing maintenance on the overhead cables and we were forced to stop and wait while workmen messed about with the tangle of wires ahead of us. Kids were hanging to the sides of the tramcar as it ground and clattered it’s way up the steep hill only barely scraping past lamp posts and walls. About half way up I hopped off and walked the rest of the way. Sat down for an icy beer in a cool place that boasted wifi. Then caught a bus back to Praça XV and the ferry.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Yesterday Suzie who lives on the yellow yacht ‘Samba’ with her husband Renato, took me to the viewpoint on top of the ridge behind Niteroí. It was spectacular. A better view of Guanabara Bay than you get from the sugarloaf. There is a take off ramp for paragliders at the site and I watched with envy as they launched. A breathtakingly beautiful place to fly.
Monday, 24 January 2011
Another hot day. Took the bus into the big supermarket in Niterói this morning. I had hoped to get my visa extended for another 90 days but the Policia Federal website was down making it impossible to download the necessary form. Maybe tomorrow.
The modern art museum is housed in a spectacular building. It was closed to visitors but I happily snapped away and then strolled along the waterfront for a while. Warm sun on my skin. Surreally beautiful view. Quenched my thirst with an icy cold ‘coco verde’ bought from a street vendor. Thought about the book I’d just finished reading – patchily good and rather disturbing, ‘Skippy Dies’. Couldn’t agree more that a sense of humour is very important. See also Seneca and Montaigne.
This afternoon the wind blew quite strongly which helped to cool things off. It has dropped now and I’m sitting in the cockpit waiting for the moon to come up. Black water fringed by the lights of the city. Sibonghele Khumalo on my iPod.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
My 90 day tourist visa has almost expired and I would like to get it renewed before leaving Rio. The process involves downloading a form from the Policia Federal website. Just my luck the site was under maintenance and not accessible for a few days. It’s working again at last so I’ll try to get things sorted out today.
Yesterday I spent the heat of the day in an air-conditioned cinema watching Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in The Tourist. An enjoyable bit of escapism. Later shared a cold beer with Eduardo whom I’d met at the end of 2007 when I was in Recife with a dodgy mast. He lives here on his boat Bicho do Viento.
Tags: cruising