Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the home of the Cariocas, as Rio’s residents are known. Locals proudly say that while God made the world in six days, on the seventh day he made Rio de Janeiro - the sensual home of samba, soccer and Carnival. And, now it is also home to the statue of Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf mountain and the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema
Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s, the area around what is now Rio de Janeiro was occupied by the indigenous people’s of the Tupi, Puri, Botocudo and Maxakali tribes.
The climate is tropical with temperatures in the high 20s C and so very humid.

The city of Rio was founded by the Portuguese on March 1st, 1565.
Today there is an estimated population of 6.5 million and, now, the city is one of so many contrasts.
There are hills, there are tunnels, there are trains, buses and cars, there are bicycles and motorcycles, there are horrendous traffic jams, there are pedestrians everywhere, and there is noise, constant noise.
There are areas of old buildings, some of which look almost derelict, there are older areas which are going through renovation and repair, there are modern areas of tall apartment buildings and gleaming office towers.
While people watching, many contrasts are also evident. There are folks of every shape, size and height that one could imagine, each with one of a multitude of skin tones. Hair tones, and textures, also present what appears to be an infinite variety.
There are numerous people who are very well dressed, fashionable, and perhaps wealthy too. Near the beach areas there are young people who are very skimpily dressed, because that is the fashion and is acceptable, in some of the older areas there are folks in similar states of undress, and perhaps, also barefoot, but not because they are being fashionable - they are so very poor.
This is a city of many contrasts for sure.

We had two days to explore the streets, and sights, of Rio and were ready to cram in as much as we possibly could, and to err on the side of caution, we left all, and any item, of value or which might attract unwanted attention from those of bad intent.
We walked many kilometres in the intense heat, while occasionally stepping into an air conditioned building for a cool down, and a sip of water. We explored the beach areas, we wandered in and out of some of the older areas of the city, we walked through some of the more affluent areas too.
We traveled in a shuttle van and a taxi - doing what we needed to get to where we wished to be.
We rode the very efficient Light Rail Transit system without too much trouble and had a very pleasant surprise when we learned that all seniors ride free. Only needed photo ID with a picture and date of birth included - we used our Alberta driving licenses to good advantage.
We wandered the dock area too. All of the redundant warehouses - built in the days, before containerization, when bulk raw materials were stored inside and manually handled into the holds of ships - are now being gutted and refurnished, to be used as apartment lofts, offices and similar commercial spaces. Many of the exterior frontages of these old storage buildings have also been aesthetically improved by the addition of beautiful murals.
While we were wandering, we encountered many groups of young people, most were scantily dressed while wearing a variety of Carnival costume attire - there were lots of sequins, tinsel, sparkles and body paints in evidence and all were exuberantly loud.
It rained, on both days, sometimes quite heavily but we managed to avoid the worst and enjoyed a wonderfully tiring couple of days.
We were both ready for an early bed and a well earned rest.