Rio de Janerio, 2011

April 8, Rio de Janerio, Brazil

Did not do much today, very relaxing!

Went and spent the day at Ipenema Beach.  Great place, very busy, nice fine clean sand.  Wave fairly large but not too bad!

Best part is guys coming around with beers!  $2!!!!!  Life is good.......

Out for final dinner, and caiprihna, as last night in Brazil!

April 7, Rio de Janerio, Brazil

Got on a tour to Fevala Rochina.  This is a town that started with people just building houses on vacant land!  Very interesting.  Not much for roads, but many sidewalks worming through the various houses!  Actually just a suburb!  Close to areas that people worked, cheap rent, and usually no taxes and free electricity!  They just tap into the lines!  There are stores, and now the government is stepping in and building hospitals, roads and daycares!  Then tax the people!  Many are run by gangs!  The one we visited is just being fixed up by the government, but a gang still runs part of it!

This was the last thing done withe group!  We are no fending for ourselves!

Then after a 5 minute stop, dropped at another hotel, picked up for the city tour.  Started with a drive up to Christ the Redeemer, the large statue over looking the city of Rio!

But had to change to another bus that took us to the top!  Many hairpin curves to get there!  

Great views over the city!

Next stop was at the short street area where the Carnaval floats are judged.  Street not that wide, but the seating and judge booths are large!

Then to Lapa, the steps that are tiled with tiles from all over the world.  Interesting.

Dumped the tour here as they were heading to Sugar Loaf Mountain.

Walked over the the Cathedral.  Seats 8000 people.  Strange looking church, as it is built as a cone!  Huge!

Caught the Metro to Ipenema Beach where we watched the sunset and had hamburgers on the beach!  Very nice.

Caught the bus back to the hotel, but could have walked just as fast as the traffic is crazy!  2 streets with 3 or 4 lanes each, all feeding into 1 lane!