Rio de Janeiro

The camera is right down at the surf line with wet sand under it, low enough that the photographer’s own shadow falls across the foreground. Surfers are standing a couple of paces away with boards under their arms, waiting to go in, and there are people in the water past them. At one end of the bay a low flat shelf of reddish rock runs out into the sea with a lamp standard on it and people up on top watching the break; past that, islands sit on the horizon. Behind the beach a sea wall, then the promenade with palms and floodlights, then a solid wall of apartment blocks and hotels standing right up against the sand - which is the thing about the Rio beaches that surprises people, that they are not out of town but inside it, with the city stopping at the kerb.

Rio is one of the top destinations in South America for luxurious vacations, beach hotels perched along the exquisite coasts, and long beautiful beaches. It is home to famous Ipanema Beach and Copacabana Beach as well as thousands of others. Cool cultural attractions and a diverse population also help to make Rio an interesting and enjoyable place to visit.

Although Rio is one of the top destinations for wealthy jet setters and boasts a number of exclusive luxury hotels, the city also has a very large population of very poor people. Both the sophisticated city of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have hundreds of shanty towns (called favelas). There are around 1,000 in the Rio neighborhood known as the North Zone. These favelas climb up the hillsides, with a maze of narrow streets winding through densely-packed shacks. Recent movements to improve the quality of life for residents has resulted in many areas becoming virtual open-air museums with wonderful colorful artwork decorating the sides of buildings for blocks. Ironically, a guided tour through these areas has become popular with tourists.

Ipanema Beach Rio is famous for its sparkling urban beaches, including Barra da Tijuca Beach, Copacabana Beach. Leblon Beach, and Ipanema Beach. Ipanema Beach is in the neighborhood (barrio) of the same name, and was made world famous by the song “The Girl from Ipanema,” written by Vinicius de Moraws and Carlos Jobim. These two men were part of the emergence of the 1960’s bosa nova sound. Ipanema (both neighborhood and beach) is located next to Copacabana, but Ipanema has a more sophisticated atmosphere with high-end shops, boutiques, restaurants, hotels, and posh luxury apartments. It boasts its own parade during Carnival. The beach itself is divided up into segments that are loosely relegated to certain people and interests. There is a section frequented primarily by the LGBT crowd (you can find it by the rainbow flag), areas for topless sunbathing, volleyball areas, and family areas.

Christ the Redeemer One of the landmarks of Rio is the huge statue of Christ the Redeemer that towers above the city from the top of Corcovado Mountain, which is 2,300 feet high. Its design is in art deco style, and was constructed over a nine-year period from 1922 to 1931 at the height of the style’s popularity. It is made of soapstone and reinforced concrete, and is 130 feet tall, including the 98-foot pedestal. This statue of Christ with outstretched arms is one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks, and is Rio’s symbol. The statue stands within the Tijuca Forest National Park, and a tram ride to the summit takes you through the rainforest canopy.