Day 4: Arriving in Rio
We left for Sao Paolo at about 1 am, got there, and then took our connecting flight to Rio. We arrived in Rio at about 9 am. Getting to Rio was very cool, as the airport was packed and you could sense that we were in a very different part of Brazil. We took two buses to our hotel, The Premiere Copacabana Hotel, where we had a couple of hours to do what we wanted before we took the subway into the city. Driving to our hotel, I noticed that there were a lot of corporations and businesses along the highway. A lot of the buildings that did not seem to be used for commercial purposes were almost half built, or at least looked that way. When we got passed the first mountain and exited the other side, you could see Christ the Redeemer on the top of the hill. This sight was amazing, and I quickly made note of how spiritual the statue looked. The statue looked as though it was blessing all of the people that lived below. I knew that I could never get tired of looking up at this statue, even though I am not necessarily a very religious person.
The hotel was located across the street from the hospital, which came in handy a couple of times during our stay, as one student rolled their ankle, another student got very sick, and one student got attacked by a shark (bit by barnacles). During the few hours before we went into the city, I took a nap because I was absolutely exhausted. I woke up and we were headed to into downtown Rio. The subways were jampacked, and we were told not to bring any valuables except our body wallet because things can get crazy in the subway. When everyone got onto the subway, some of our group got left behind (one student almost got stuck in the door). This was slightly scary, but was mainly because we are not used to the speed of the public transportation systems in Brazil. We got off at the next stop and re-joined the rest of our group. When we got to the city, Tait, our groupleader, needed to buy a bag strap. We looked around for one but were unable to find one. I looked across the street when we stopped at a store, and saw that there was a music store. Lester and I went across the street and I strummed on a guitar for a little bit until it was time to go. We walked farther into the city and found that most of the buildings here are used for commercial purposes. Not many citizens of Rio state actually live in the city, as it is too expensive. For that reason, Rio can be rather desolate at night. When I got back to the hotel after we took the subway back to Copacabana beach, I took an antibiotic because I had not been feeling that well that day. I hadn’t eaten very much, and I knew that if I took an antibiotic and started eating better the next day, that I would avoid getting sick in this magical city. That night I also took our recommended malaria pill, and ate a cheeseburger from a place on the street corner. The burger was not great at all, but I did start to feel better. Later that night, me and a couple of friends went to the beach to see the night life of Copacabana Beach. We saw stands and lights coming from what looked like every square foot of the beach front property. There were also volleyball and soccer fields along the beach. Many people here seemed to enjoy playing sports at night, and I think this is because it is much cooler. I bought some things for my sisters after me and my new Brazilian friends won a game of volleyball. When we returned to the hotel, Andy and Alex presented information on the changing biodiversity in the Amazon. There are 40,000 plant species, 2.5 million insect species, 3,000 fish species, and 1,300 bird species. There is a great level of biodiversity here because it is such a large area, it is isolated geographically, there is heterogeneity of biological and natural environments, and there is a great deal of disturbances. The largest threats to this biodiversity are deforestation and acid deposition. The largest threat to biodiversity in the Amazon, is climate change. Nicole also presented on day 4. We learned about the Favelas, which were established in 1897. There is a great lack of infrastructure here, including lack of plumbing, trash pickup, and sanitation/ electrical facilities. This area is extremely impoverished, and the effects of the lack of sanitation facilities here are taking a toll on the water quality in the bay area and other surrounding municipalities. Though things are not very well in the area, 94% of the community say they are happy, and 70% would continue to live here if they had another option.
The hotel was located across the street from the hospital, which came in handy a couple of times during our stay, as one student rolled their ankle, another student got very sick, and one student got attacked by a shark (bit by barnacles). During the few hours before we went into the city, I took a nap because I was absolutely exhausted. I woke up and we were headed to into downtown Rio. The subways were jampacked, and we were told not to bring any valuables except our body wallet because things can get crazy in the subway. When everyone got onto the subway, some of our group got left behind (one student almost got stuck in the door). This was slightly scary, but was mainly because we are not used to the speed of the public transportation systems in Brazil. We got off at the next stop and re-joined the rest of our group. When we got to the city, Tait, our groupleader, needed to buy a bag strap. We looked around for one but were unable to find one. I looked across the street when we stopped at a store, and saw that there was a music store. Lester and I went across the street and I strummed on a guitar for a little bit until it was time to go. We walked farther into the city and found that most of the buildings here are used for commercial purposes. Not many citizens of Rio state actually live in the city, as it is too expensive. For that reason, Rio can be rather desolate at night. When I got back to the hotel after we took the subway back to Copacabana beach, I took an antibiotic because I had not been feeling that well that day. I hadn’t eaten very much, and I knew that if I took an antibiotic and started eating better the next day, that I would avoid getting sick in this magical city. That night I also took our recommended malaria pill, and ate a cheeseburger from a place on the street corner. The burger was not great at all, but I did start to feel better. Later that night, me and a couple of friends went to the beach to see the night life of Copacabana Beach. We saw stands and lights coming from what looked like every square foot of the beach front property. There were also volleyball and soccer fields along the beach. Many people here seemed to enjoy playing sports at night, and I think this is because it is much cooler. I bought some things for my sisters after me and my new Brazilian friends won a game of volleyball. When we returned to the hotel, Andy and Alex presented information on the changing biodiversity in the Amazon. There are 40,000 plant species, 2.5 million insect species, 3,000 fish species, and 1,300 bird species. There is a great level of biodiversity here because it is such a large area, it is isolated geographically, there is heterogeneity of biological and natural environments, and there is a great deal of disturbances. The largest threats to this biodiversity are deforestation and acid deposition. The largest threat to biodiversity in the Amazon, is climate change. Nicole also presented on day 4. We learned about the Favelas, which were established in 1897. There is a great lack of infrastructure here, including lack of plumbing, trash pickup, and sanitation/ electrical facilities. This area is extremely impoverished, and the effects of the lack of sanitation facilities here are taking a toll on the water quality in the bay area and other surrounding municipalities. Though things are not very well in the area, 94% of the community say they are happy, and 70% would continue to live here if they had another option.
Day 5: Cristo and Sugarloaf Mountain
On the fifth day, we woke up and took an early bus to arrive at the Christ the Redeemer statue at around 830 am. When we got there, there was a line, but when we got the front of that line, the distance the line covered nearly doubled. The statue is located in the Tijuca Forest and weighs 635 metric tons. It is an amazing sight, and one that, whether you are religious or not, brings about a very spiritual feeling within you. When we got to the base of the statue, I looked up and realized just how big it really is. The sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean, which is where the statue faces, so when we got there, the sun was just rising into the peak of the sky. The statue was looking down on all of the people getting to work in the city, and we were looking down at this beautiful sight along with it. There were mountains and hills as far as the eye could see. In the distance you could see a mist over the farthest hills. The sights from up by the statue are so amazing, there is nothing else like it. You could imagine what it would be like to be a Portuguese settler, and to arrive at this beautiful place when just the native Tupi Tribe was living here. Settling on such a land would have been very eye opening for a European. As you venture further into Brazils countryside, where farming is applicable, you could understand why Brazil is associated with the natural wonders and resources that it has come to be known for.
From atop the statue, you may have been able to see some Favelas, but I was unable to spot them. About 45% of the Favelas are dominated by the military, while 37% are dominated by gangs. I would have liked to be able to see these Favelas for my own eyes, and to see people who live in them everyday, but we were unable to. The Favelas are without sanitation, which allows untreated waste to flow into the bay. About 76% of the hospitalizations in Brazil are due to this poor quality of water, filled with human feces, hard metals from industries, and even large pieces of trash that flow down into the bay from tributaries in the surrounding hills. During the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, many athletes found it hard to compete with all of the floating trash and rashes caused by the water. Brazilian officials said that they aimed to clean up 80% of the waste entering the bay before the Rio Olympic Games. There is still uncertainty as to whether the efforts were effective in the long run, though cleanup crews were successful in cleaning up floating waste such as bottles, cans, and other trash items like couches, clothes, and other trash.
After we saw Cristo, we went to Sugarloaf Mountain. This mountain is located at the mouth of Guanabara Bay, in the state of Rio. Sugarloaf mountain is a large hill that seems to jut straight out of the earth, and is a major tourist attraction in Brazil. When you see the mountain, you can understand why they made it into a tourist attraction. It is located next to Copacabana beach, faces Cristo, and is generally the best vantage point to look at the municipalities lining Guanabara bay, including Rio. The mountain provided our group with some amazing pictures. When we were at the top, there was a large crowd gathered at almost every railing. We found an opening and hung out for about 30 minutes before we descended back down into Rio. On the way down, at the intermediate stop between the peak of sugarloaf and the ground, me and a few group members got ice cream with fruits. There was also a helicopter landing here as we were eating the rest of our ice cream. When we got to the base, we looked and there were climbers climbing the intermediate mountain, which looked very fun. Here at the base, there was also a beach small statue of Chopin, a very famous music composer from Poland. I had heard of him before, but when we got back to the hotel, I looked up some of his compositions and they are incredible. We went to a gift shop before we got lunch. At the gift shop I got a coffee mug and two parrots made out of rock and quartz crystals. At lunch, Jacalyn was not feeling well, so when we got back to the hotel, Tait took her to the hospital. Before we got back to the hotel, however, we stopped at the Mario Filho Stadium, or the Maracana Stadium. This is the largest stadium I have ever seen. It was the location of the 1950 world cup, where Brazil lost to Uraguay 2-1 in the most upsetting loss that the country has ever seen to this day. Being a big soccer fan, I was very interested in learning more about this stadium. At the final game of that 1950 world cup, 200,000 people were admitted entrance into the stadium facilities. This was more than was expected to fit. Recently, renovations to the stadium have allowed it to hold more fans but safely. We also went to the Salsa Stadium before making it back to the hotel. This stadium was a long stretch of walk way, with seating in rows along the sides. When we arrived, there were people dressed up with headwear and other salsa equipment, and we took some pictures. They were definitely just a bunch of drunk people, however. The last thing we did was go to Lapa, or downtown Rio. When we got there, people littered the streets, laughing and taking pictures. We walked down one street way and there were block steps that were red and looked like they were from a movie. The street was the epitome of nightlife for locals here, as there is a great community feeling in areas of Rio like this, where music is always playing and everyone is having a good time. We left after drinking out of coconuts and talking to a few residents. When we arrived at the hotel, Tait took Jacalynn and Alex to the hospital, though Alex just had a sprained ankle and left shortly after. Jacalynn was just feeling weathered and needed to eat as well as drink water and sleep.
From atop the statue, you may have been able to see some Favelas, but I was unable to spot them. About 45% of the Favelas are dominated by the military, while 37% are dominated by gangs. I would have liked to be able to see these Favelas for my own eyes, and to see people who live in them everyday, but we were unable to. The Favelas are without sanitation, which allows untreated waste to flow into the bay. About 76% of the hospitalizations in Brazil are due to this poor quality of water, filled with human feces, hard metals from industries, and even large pieces of trash that flow down into the bay from tributaries in the surrounding hills. During the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, many athletes found it hard to compete with all of the floating trash and rashes caused by the water. Brazilian officials said that they aimed to clean up 80% of the waste entering the bay before the Rio Olympic Games. There is still uncertainty as to whether the efforts were effective in the long run, though cleanup crews were successful in cleaning up floating waste such as bottles, cans, and other trash items like couches, clothes, and other trash.
After we saw Cristo, we went to Sugarloaf Mountain. This mountain is located at the mouth of Guanabara Bay, in the state of Rio. Sugarloaf mountain is a large hill that seems to jut straight out of the earth, and is a major tourist attraction in Brazil. When you see the mountain, you can understand why they made it into a tourist attraction. It is located next to Copacabana beach, faces Cristo, and is generally the best vantage point to look at the municipalities lining Guanabara bay, including Rio. The mountain provided our group with some amazing pictures. When we were at the top, there was a large crowd gathered at almost every railing. We found an opening and hung out for about 30 minutes before we descended back down into Rio. On the way down, at the intermediate stop between the peak of sugarloaf and the ground, me and a few group members got ice cream with fruits. There was also a helicopter landing here as we were eating the rest of our ice cream. When we got to the base, we looked and there were climbers climbing the intermediate mountain, which looked very fun. Here at the base, there was also a beach small statue of Chopin, a very famous music composer from Poland. I had heard of him before, but when we got back to the hotel, I looked up some of his compositions and they are incredible. We went to a gift shop before we got lunch. At the gift shop I got a coffee mug and two parrots made out of rock and quartz crystals. At lunch, Jacalyn was not feeling well, so when we got back to the hotel, Tait took her to the hospital. Before we got back to the hotel, however, we stopped at the Mario Filho Stadium, or the Maracana Stadium. This is the largest stadium I have ever seen. It was the location of the 1950 world cup, where Brazil lost to Uraguay 2-1 in the most upsetting loss that the country has ever seen to this day. Being a big soccer fan, I was very interested in learning more about this stadium. At the final game of that 1950 world cup, 200,000 people were admitted entrance into the stadium facilities. This was more than was expected to fit. Recently, renovations to the stadium have allowed it to hold more fans but safely. We also went to the Salsa Stadium before making it back to the hotel. This stadium was a long stretch of walk way, with seating in rows along the sides. When we arrived, there were people dressed up with headwear and other salsa equipment, and we took some pictures. They were definitely just a bunch of drunk people, however. The last thing we did was go to Lapa, or downtown Rio. When we got there, people littered the streets, laughing and taking pictures. We walked down one street way and there were block steps that were red and looked like they were from a movie. The street was the epitome of nightlife for locals here, as there is a great community feeling in areas of Rio like this, where music is always playing and everyone is having a good time. We left after drinking out of coconuts and talking to a few residents. When we arrived at the hotel, Tait took Jacalynn and Alex to the hospital, though Alex just had a sprained ankle and left shortly after. Jacalynn was just feeling weathered and needed to eat as well as drink water and sleep.
Day 6:
On day 6, we went for a hike in Tijuca National Park. Tijuca National Park is a 3.953 hectare Atlantic Biological Rainforest. It is a Unit of Federal Conservation, and is under shared management of the City and Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The forest forms the border between the Northern and Southern Vegetation. It was a three hour hike and was impeded several times by our groups inability to stay together. Andy T. was running ahead of the group at every chance he saw, and many people were enjoying some of the sights and sounds. After arriving, we quickly realized our tour guide, Guzman, was not very accustomed to the hiking grounds. We went as far as the trail was provided and then turned around. While we were there, I saw less species of plant and tree than I did when we were hiking in the Tropical Rainforest. There was, however, a fallen red wood that had been blocking a path way. The tree was cut and moved to the side, but all pieces were left on the side of the pathway. The wood was amazing looking, with a dark red hue, very dry and very regal looking. This wood is the same wood that many Brazilian companies have made profit off of, selling it to foreigners, and a lot of the time, illegally. The coffee cycle and other plantations in the past, such as sugar cane, corn, and cassava, caused other major deforested sections of forest in this area. These trees are being cut down because you can sell them for a lot of money, but the effect that it takes on the forest is bad. Many people take advantage of this natural resource, but deforestation is occurring as a result. If everyone illegally cut down trees, then there would be chaos, and if nobody enforces the laws, then nobody will care if the Brazilian forests are being destroyed. The dense vegetation reduces pollution, and contributes to the quality of air found in the area. In the past, reforestation efforts were the first of its kind in the area, and many different species of tree were planted in the forest. This National Park is the smallest in Brazil, but it is also the most visited one. When the hike was done, we walked back to where our bus was, and got on.
When we got back to the hotel, a group of us went with our two group leaders to see Ipanema Beach. We took the subway to near Ipanema, and then stopped to get dinner. The group was me, Jacalynn, Tyler, Kim, Andy, Catalina, Tait, and Lester, our chaperone. We enjoyed tacos and pork, and eventually found our way to the beach after stuffing our faces. Ipanema Beach was packed. There were people strewn all over the sandy white beaches, and on the far left side of the beach, near Copacabana, there was a large structure of rocks which had even more people sitting around and enjoying the rest of the day. It was like a big party on the beach. While we were there I noticed that there was not nearly as much enforcement of safety as there would be if this beach was located in the United States. In many aspects I liked this, but at the same time, the whole place did seem sort of dangerous. As I was thinking this, I looked up at my friends who had gone in the water, and one of them was shouting that she had injured her leg. We got up to leave, and when we reached her, she stated that she was bit by a shark. I knew that this could not be true, so eventually we found that she slid getting out of the water and scraped her leg on a barnacle. The story remained for the rest of the trip, however, that she was bit by a baby hammerhead shark. When we got back to the hotel, after our group accidentally split up, Jacalynn and I were supposed to present but our presentation wasn’t working. Anne and Andy presented, however, and it was very good.
When we got back to the hotel, a group of us went with our two group leaders to see Ipanema Beach. We took the subway to near Ipanema, and then stopped to get dinner. The group was me, Jacalynn, Tyler, Kim, Andy, Catalina, Tait, and Lester, our chaperone. We enjoyed tacos and pork, and eventually found our way to the beach after stuffing our faces. Ipanema Beach was packed. There were people strewn all over the sandy white beaches, and on the far left side of the beach, near Copacabana, there was a large structure of rocks which had even more people sitting around and enjoying the rest of the day. It was like a big party on the beach. While we were there I noticed that there was not nearly as much enforcement of safety as there would be if this beach was located in the United States. In many aspects I liked this, but at the same time, the whole place did seem sort of dangerous. As I was thinking this, I looked up at my friends who had gone in the water, and one of them was shouting that she had injured her leg. We got up to leave, and when we reached her, she stated that she was bit by a shark. I knew that this could not be true, so eventually we found that she slid getting out of the water and scraped her leg on a barnacle. The story remained for the rest of the trip, however, that she was bit by a baby hammerhead shark. When we got back to the hotel, after our group accidentally split up, Jacalynn and I were supposed to present but our presentation wasn’t working. Anne and Andy presented, however, and it was very good.