Sunday, Rio March 24, 2013

Sunday, I went for a swim at 6 and met the others at 7:30 to take a long walk to the right out of the hotel.    I think the direction was west as I think the coast of Brazil runs more or less east/west at Rio.   We walked along the Copacabana beach, into Ipanema and along Ipanema beach.  It was about an 8 or 9 kilometer walk.  Here is one of many sand castles we encountered.  

Each day merchants set up on the beach renting chairs and umbrellas, selling merchandise or beverages, etc.  It is a lot of work to set up and break down each day.  Here are a couple of guys coming to set up along Ipanema Beach.

After our walk we returned for breakfast.

Next stop was the “hippy market” in Ipanema.   Ipanema is both a district and a beach.  Every Sunday in a park in the district, a craft market is set up.  It started informally years ago and has grown into to huge affair.  We were joined with our third local guide, this time Marco (same name as our trusty driver) who lives near one of the favelas that we will visit later in the day.

Next we visited a couple of museums in Santa Teresa winding up at  Aprazivel for lunch.  Here we met Eduardo and Christiana who were traveling with their bags and planned to head directly to the airport from the restaurant.  The restaurant was lovely having been built along and down the hillside with a number of little covered cabanas.  While it was possible to eat indoors, we choose an outdoor cabana.  We were eight for lunch with Dom, Marco, Eduardo and Christiana.  Here is a shot of our table with half of our group.

 By this time we are all wise about Brazilian serving sizes.  Ben and Gail shared  a meal and Caroline and I shared a grilled fish.  The food was delicious and we lingered while we waited out a rain storm that was inundating Ipanema and the favela we planned to visit.  By about 3:30 the rain subsided and we headed down Sta Teresa mountain and to Ipanema to visit Canto Galo, one of the 848 favelas in Rio.  Approximately 2 million people live in favelas in Rio we were told.

Marco explained to us that at the end of the 19^th century shortly after the slaves were freed (I think that happened in the mid 1880s) there was a popular revolt in the northeast in the Bahia state seeking to establish an independent country.  This is known as the Canudos War.  Former slaves were recruited to help the Central Government to suppress the rebellion.  In return for their help, they were promised jobs and housing.  Once the rebellion was quelled, the troops returned but the promised help did not materialize.   As a result the disappointed troops began to occupy the government owned hillsides in Rio and Sao Paulo.  The name favela itself, we were told, comes from the fava bean which was native to the area of the Canudos rebellion.  Somehow it became attached to the encampments.  Over time the inhabitants of these encampments began to improve them and they became permanent, cramped and crime infested neighborhoods.  With the advent of drugs, the favelas fell under the management of gangs and the police did not even venture in.  Unauthorized taps to transmission lines obtained electricity. 

Water and sewer were also purloined.  Without any presence of duly constituted authority there was not way for the utilities to collect for their services.

Brazil has a form of child support for the poor similar to the welfare subsidies employed by the United States and state governments prior to comprehensive reforms under the Clinton administration.  Many of the families were large and these payments constituted a principal form of income for the residents.

Spurred by the World Cup and Olympic bids of Brazil and Rio, a pacification program was launched.  At first the police efforts to go into and reclaim the favelas resulted in a bloody war in which police, gangs and innocent residents were injured and killed.  The police backed off and regrouped.  They created a specially trained pacification police force, announced specific dates on which they would be returning to a specific favela.  When they returned they returned in force, erected permanent police stations with community facilities such as classrooms, recreational facilities, community space, etc.  The police maintain a very visible presence and it seems to be working.  Rather than stand and fight the gangs have fled.  One unintended consequence has been the increase in crime rates in the suburbs and other parts of the country as the gangs have tried to relocate.

The favelas are largely located on hillsides encroaching on public forests.  Because of the steepness of the hills, the most desirable units have been at the bottom of the hills because less climbing of the hillside is necessary.  In Canto Galo (and other favelas that have been pacified) the government built elevators that go to the top of hillside.  This makes it easier for children to go to school outside of the favela and for the residents to get outside for work.  We were joined by Fabio (the guide from our first day in Rio).  He and his son Phillipe have volunteered in this favela. We took an elevator to a point near the top of Canto Galo and began to walk around.  We climbed steps to the very top of the favela where the police station/ community center was constructed.  Here is a photo of a part of the favela.

We also visited a museum and NGO that works with residents in various ways to preserve the history and culture of the people.  As most of the people are of African descent, there are plenty of signs of African culture.  Two men at the culture center gave us a demonstration of a performance on a congo drum and an instrument that look more like a bow and arrow than a string instrument.

After our visit to the favela we returned to the Copacabana Palace. After showering we went down the beach to Dom Camillo a very good Italian restaurant.  We were able to get tables on the sidewalk and had a pleasant evening and splurged on the wine for our last night together.

Monday,  March 25th.

Today we have to leave.  I arose early for my last swim.  Just as I was toweling off I saw Ben heading to the hotel fitness center and Dom arriving (he was staying at a hotel down the block as B&R guides often stay at more economical places). We all met at 7:30 for our last walk on the beach.  We headed east to the naval base at the edge of Copacabana and back.  Next breakfast, packing up and departure.  Ben and Gail had a later flight direct to DC with a stop in Sao Paulo and are scheduled to arrive about the same time as we.  There is a non-stop Delta from Rio but originally we were going on the Salvador an then flying to Brasilia to connect with Delta.  When we scrubbed Salvador in favor of staying another day in Rio, it became too expensive to switch to the Rio/Atl flight.  

Our route is TAM to Brasilia and then a late flight home.  I am writing this last post in the airport in Brasilia.  I must say for the airport of the capital city, the Brasilia airport is unimpressive.  We are still in the domestic portion of the airport as we wanted to check our bags here, reclaim them to be sure they arrived and then recheck since we have several hours to kill.  Apparently, the bags were checked through by TAM which we did not recognize until we waited at the luggage belt through emptying the entire plane.   

Delta does not staff its counters until later and there is only one restaurant on the outside of security.  I do not yet know what is on the other side of security.  So far, our experience suggests that connecting through Brasilia is suboptimal.

When Delta does show up we will try to get them to verify that they got the handover of the baggage.

For now, I will sign off until another trip gives me time to record my experiences.

Centrum, nightlife Rio

Sunday March 23, 2013

We gathered at four and headed downtown to see the old section of town near the port.  To do so we had to go through one of the 40 tunnels in Rio that makes it easier to communicate with the separate sections.  Squeezed between the mountains and the sea, Rio has great beauty but its traffic is adversely affected by the geography and it would impossible without the tunnels.

In the early 1900s Rio was prospering and the mayor at the time Pere Ira Passos aspired to make Rio as beautiful as Baron Haussmann made Paris.  He inaugurated a building boom that saw the construction of a beautiful opera house

a city hall, a city library and many other buildings.  The library is the largest in Latin America and has the third largest collection in the world.

Different parts of Rio have walkways with different tile mosaic patterns.  Roberto Brule Marx created these and each has its own distinctive pattern.  Copacabana has its pattern as does Ipanema and also Lapa

After walking around downtown we went to the Escadaria Selaron.  Jorge Selaron was a Chilean artist who came to Rio many years ago.  He began to transform the 215 steps of the Convent of Santa Teresa in the Lapa district of Rio by placing colorful tiles on them as a “tribute to the Brazilian people”. He died in January of 2013 of an apparent suicide.  Here is a view of the steps.

As the work began to become known, people would send or bring him tiles from all over the world to work in to his mosaic.

After our tour of Lapa we went to an opening of a new art museum, Casa Daros, dedicated to Latin American contemporary art.  The exhibition was part of the Daros Latin American Collection of the Daros Latinamerica based in Zurich Switzerland.   What we saw was eclectic ranging from whimsical representations of cartoon characters done as pre Columbian art to photographs created by children using homemade pinhole cameras.

From there we went to dinner at Nova Capela a traditional restaurant that has been in Lapa for 110 years.  Its durability is interesting because there was a time when Lapa was very dangerous to visit.  Now it is a thriving nightlife district.  Its portions are very generous and each couple shared an entrée and was still unable to eat the entire serving.  Following dinner we walked around Lapa a little and wound up at Scenarium a multi-story nightclub at night and an antique market by day.  It is huge and the line outside waiting to get in was endless.  Dom had sent our local guide Walter ahead to snare a table and we were able to by-pass the line.  We had drinks, wandered around and left before the place became packed with partiers. 

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Rio.

Saturday morning we arose early even though we had been up late 9at least for us) the night before with Edwardo and Christianna.  I went for a swim about 6:30 and we had planned to meet the others at 8 in the lobby for a walk along the beach.  Caroline came down to the pool with me and Dom showed up while I was finishing my swim.  We all had coffee together.  We returned to the room to change into something more suitable for walking than my wet swim trunks. 

We had a lovely walk along the Copacabana Beach to the left all the way the end at a granite hill.  At the end is a public exercise park with various exercise manchines.  Here I tried my hand (or rather feet) at one.  

Many men were on a narrow ledge along the granite hill  fishing.  We saw one man pull in his line that had three hooks on it and he had a catch on all three hooks.

After the walk, we had breakfast and left the hotel in our van driven by Marco.   This morning Christian was no longer with us (he had a test this morning in a course on tourism he is taking) but we were joined by Walter.  We went to the top of Tijuca Forest for a good view of the Corcovado Hill and the statue of Christ the Redeemer atop of Corcovado.  

The lookout point afforded a great view of Rio in 360 degrees.  The view allowed us to really see the magnificence of the harbor.  From the open sea a ship would encounter several islands and then a mouth to a bay.  The Portuguese built forts on both sides of the mouth thus controlling access.  When they entered the bay it was so deep that they thought it was a river, thus the name they gave to the city River of January/Rio de Janeiro.

 Walter pointed out some of the favelas we could see.  He told us that the police were pacifying these slums by announcing in advance when they were coming and then on that day moving in.  They build a police station and a permanent presence there.  There are over 800 favelas and approximately 20 percent of the city lives in them.  The land is government land that has been occupied by the poor.  They get their electricity and wate by illegally tapping into the lines.  Walter told us the history of these places goes all the way back to the emancipation of the slaves.  He explained that when the slaves were freed, they had no place to live or work.  The government and the people of European stock were happy for them to go to the hills. It kept them out of way. Here is a picture of one favela.  You can see how it is built into forests owned by the government. 

Then we went to the elegant and expensive neighborhood of Leblon and its adjoining beach  Here we had fresh coconut juice an coconut.  Afterwards the ladies went shopping in Ipenema with Ben and me just tagging along.  Lunch was at a restaurant and shopping center on the Lagoon.  Here are four of Rio’s most favorite restaurants co-located.  We sat on the patio overlooking the lagoon and were able to order from any one of the restaurants.  It was a grand idea and very pleasant a seseme encrusted salmon with a mango salad  Ben and Gail had the same.  Caroline had a different salmon preparation.

We returned to the hotel and I found Eduardo and Christianna having lunch with the Egyptian consul.  I visited with them for a while and then headed up to do these notes and prepare for the evening.  It will start at an opening for a new museum and then dinner and nightclubs.  I will report on that later.

Friday, on to Rio

March 22, 2013

Friday morning, we awoke to a beautiful sunny sky in Paraty.  We had a quick cup of coffee at 7 and went for a walk across the Pereque-Acu river and along the beach, up a hill to the ruins of the original fort.  We continued on to a lovely beach and then returned to the Casa Turquesa for a wonderful breakfast.  

Everything about the hotel is lovely. It only has eight rooms and would be a great choice for a honeymoon.  It is tastefully done and the breakfasts were great.  They included fresh fruit, delicious breads, yogurt, granola and eggs.

After breakfast, we packed up and before flying to Rio we went into the hills about Paraty in the van, first to a operating water wheel mill used to process manioc and to make cachassa.  Then we went to a lovely spot with a mountain white water stream flowing over granite rocks that could have been in the mountains of North Carolina.   

Villa Verde was the name of the property.  It is operated by an Italian who used to operate a a sailboat for tourists.  The boat sank and he decided to stayi n Paraty.  He found the property in the hills above the city and began to operate the reataurant as a weekend family outing spot.  Children can play in the stream and the parents can linger over a three or four hour lunch.  We had a great light lunch of salad and raviolis.  Some of the raviolis were stuffed cheese, some with pumpkin, some beef and some mushrooms.  It was excellent and a good pacing for Rio. 

I received an email from my friend Eduardo Tess from Sao Paulo reporting that he was in Rio.  We made plans to have him join us for dinner.

We went to the airport about 2pm and met our pilots.  Our trusty King Air 300 was sitting there all ready pre-flight checked and fueled.  We boarded and Paulo, our pilot, told us he had obtained clearance for a fly by of Rio on the way in.  We had a fabulous view of Paraty and its hundreds of islands on our way out and a great view of Rio flying in.  We saw Corcovado with its statue of Christ, Sugar Loaf, Copacabana Beach and downtown Rio.  We landed at Santos Dumont airport which is right on the water near downtown and used only for civil aviation and a few domestic commercial flights. 

We were met by Christian, our Rio guide and later by Fabio and his twelve year old son Philippe.  They had arranged for us to visit the Rio Operations Center in which the City monitors emergency preparedness, public services such as power, transportation, sanitation,traffic and public problems. 

Before going there, we went to the Copacabana Hotel  and checked in.  As we were preparing the leave the hotel for our meeting at the Operations Center, we met Eduardo Tess coming in from a long walk along the beach. 

We agreed to meet him in the lobby at 7:15 and went to our meeting.  At the center, Dom, Fabio and Philipe were denied admission because they had on shorts.  They had to wait as we were  ushered in.  The Center does not handle public safety but is linked to the public safety information.  It is part of their effort to be ready for the World Cup and the Olympics.  It was fascinating but it is only a beginning.  Their network of cameras is only 800 and they will need to expand to 3000 by the Olympics.  Eventually it will have to be better integrated with public safety.  Joaquin Monteiro de Carvalho,  the Subsecretario of the Municipal de Transportes was our host.  He is an up and coming young Carioca, 32 years old, and very impressive.

On the way back to the hotel our transport paused for us to get out and inspect the venue for the Carnival parades.  I had not realized it but apparently the floats travel  a short distance, no more than a kilometer, between permanent stands.  It is a competition and they are scored on various things such as the quality of their dancing and whether they make it from the start to the finish in 80 minutes.

We freshened up for dinner and met in the lobby at 7:15.  I went looking for Eduardo who was at the pool bar with a young couple Alex and Carolina.  Carolina is a lawyer and will be working with the Rio Office that Eduardo is opening   Eduardo said he coud not join us for dinner because his wife Christianna was on her way from Sao Paulo to join him and see Caroline.  

We went to dinner Porcao a traditional Braziiam restaurant from where a gorgeous view of Sugarloaf can be had.  Unfortunately there must hare been a power failure as it was all dark..

We returned to the hotel and Christianna had just arrived and Eduardo was at the same table in the bar that he had claimed earlier, this time with a different couple, a lawyer from Rio who has worked with Eduardo for years and his wife who just finished her PhD in the History of Law. They were waiting for a table at Cipriani's the hotel elegant restaurant venue. We chatted with them until 11:45 when they were told their table was ready.  We went to bed and they went to dinner.