Ipenema Beach Backpacking Eight Months On the Road By Bus Through South America By David Rice |
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| Ipanema Page Nineteen |
| Ipanema.Backpacking by Bus In South America Eight Months On the Road By David Rice |
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Page 10
Ipanema
Ipanema Beach and Copacaban Beach, were places I had read much about.
I walked Copacabana Beach for at least two miles, stopping at stands that
sell food and sampling a beer and some coconut milk. All along the beach
people were making elaborate sand sculptures and had set out small pots for
donations. I spent the rest of the day checking out hotels and restaurants.
At my hostel I had changed into a blue short-sleeved cotton shirt and jeans
with tennis shoes and baseball hat with no logo. I seemed to fit right in, as
the dress of many in Rio was very similar it turned out.
I felt great about being there, lots to do and the more I stayed the better I
liked it. Surprising to me, it was not that expensive to eat in open front
restaurants along the beach.
After all those bus rides I was tired of traveling so I relaxed and slept late
each day. I ate good and let everything catch up with me. When I did go out
to see the city the streets near the beaches occupied most of my time. I also
rode the bus all over the city and had a good look at Rio. Some interesting
rock faces block some streets while others have tunnels and roadways
through the high cliffs. At one point I found myself in the shanty towns but
luckily it was during the day. Rio has its share of poverty, with four sections
of makeshift housing.
Visa
Early on, I applied for my visa to enter Paruguey. I like to get this done
quickly and well ahead of my departure date so I found a bus to the embassy
of Paruguey and headed there on my second day.
For $60. I received a visa good for the lifetime of my passport I like to get
the visa for the next country as soon as I can and would rather not wait until
the last minute. I wanted to be in Buenos Aires by the middle of December to
avoid the end of December/January/February crowds in the mountains of
Argentina and Chile when the locals take to the trails and campsites. I
needed to limit my time in Rio and to make my arrangements on a timely
basis.
After I got the visa I went to Ipanema Beach, a mile long strand with volley
ball and lots of locals on the beach. Ipanema is lined with buildings and
condos and capped by a huge rock at end of the beach. I walked the beach
and sat on the rock to watch the sunset.
I love the metro. During my many subway rides in Rio I had spotted a poster
about the orchid exposition at the Rio's botanical gardens where they had
hundreds of flowering orchids. I am an avid gardener so this exhibit became
the highlight of my trip. Hundreds of flowering orchids throughout the park
made it a great day-long visit for me.
Next day I took a bus to the statue Christ the Redeemer. This is something
that I felt I must see on a visit to Rio. The cost was $35 for a cog train up the
side of the rock to the top where Rio revealed itself through the mist. From
high on this mountain I could see the sprawling and impressive city of Rio De
Janiero at my feet. A sign made it clear that there would be no refunds of the
ticket price on a cloudy day "We are not responsible for cloudy days."
As we rose we came into the clouds and I feared my ticket price would be
wasted when we passed through a misty rain. At the top, however, the clouds
miraculously broke and Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer emerged from
the mist as if on cue, giving me a fantastic view and a memorable sight
indeed.
For the rest of my stay in Rio I walked the town parks and visited the
interesting buildings. I stayed in Rio for nine days and met many other
backpackers. We would hook up and go out to dinner or go to the beach and
the gambling casinos or walk the beach or the marina and look at the yachts
and sailboats.
Ipanema had lots of vendors peddling home made stuff along the beach, lots
of hippies selling home made jewelry, and many mobile food stands. In this
liberal society of Cariocas, as the locals call themselves, they seemed to
allow most anything.
My daily thing was to go to the Copacabana Hotel and check out the excerpts
from the newspapers of the world on a handout compiled by the hotel. I
would get my coffee at a coffee shop and sit and read the headlines from
around the world, culled from many international papers. Another activity was
to make trips on the Rio subway and metro bus system which extends the
subway far into the suburbs.
In between Copacabana and Ipanema beaches there were shops to visit and
food stands to sample. I also liked to go to the dock and watch the boats.
On Sundays they close the street in front of Ipanema Beach and turn the
street over to roller bladers, skate boarders and bicycle riders, with a few
dog walkers and strollers mixed in.
And off course many a strolling beauty that looked just like the Girl from
Ipanema.
Ipanema Beach and Copacaban Beach, were places I had read much about.
I walked Copacabana Beach for at least two miles, stopping at stands that
sell food and sampling a beer and some coconut milk. All along the beach
people were making elaborate sand sculptures and had set out small pots for
donations. I spent the rest of the day checking out hotels and restaurants.
At my hostel I had changed into a blue short-sleeved cotton shirt and jeans
with tennis shoes and baseball hat with no logo. I seemed to fit right in, as
the dress of many in Rio was very similar it turned out.
I felt great about being there, lots to do and the more I stayed the better I
liked it. Surprising to me, it was not that expensive to eat in open front
restaurants along the beach.
After all those bus rides I was tired of traveling so I relaxed and slept late
each day. I ate good and let everything catch up with me. When I did go out
to see the city the streets near the beaches occupied most of my time. I also
rode the bus all over the city and had a good look at Rio. Some interesting
rock faces block some streets while others have tunnels and roadways
through the high cliffs. At one point I found myself in the shanty towns but
luckily it was during the day. Rio has its share of poverty, with four sections
of makeshift housing.
Visa
Early on, I applied for my visa to enter Paruguey. I like to get this done
quickly and well ahead of my departure date so I found a bus to the embassy
of Paruguey and headed there on my second day.
For $60. I received a visa good for the lifetime of my passport I like to get
the visa for the next country as soon as I can and would rather not wait until
the last minute. I wanted to be in Buenos Aires by the middle of December to
avoid the end of December/January/February crowds in the mountains of
Argentina and Chile when the locals take to the trails and campsites. I
needed to limit my time in Rio and to make my arrangements on a timely
basis.
After I got the visa I went to Ipanema Beach, a mile long strand with volley
ball and lots of locals on the beach. Ipanema is lined with buildings and
condos and capped by a huge rock at end of the beach. I walked the beach
and sat on the rock to watch the sunset.
I love the metro. During my many subway rides in Rio I had spotted a poster
about the orchid exposition at the Rio's botanical gardens where they had
hundreds of flowering orchids. I am an avid gardener so this exhibit became
the highlight of my trip. Hundreds of flowering orchids throughout the park
made it a great day-long visit for me.
Next day I took a bus to the statue Christ the Redeemer. This is something
that I felt I must see on a visit to Rio. The cost was $35 for a cog train up the
side of the rock to the top where Rio revealed itself through the mist. From
high on this mountain I could see the sprawling and impressive city of Rio De
Janiero at my feet. A sign made it clear that there would be no refunds of the
ticket price on a cloudy day "We are not responsible for cloudy days."
As we rose we came into the clouds and I feared my ticket price would be
wasted when we passed through a misty rain. At the top, however, the clouds
miraculously broke and Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer emerged from
the mist as if on cue, giving me a fantastic view and a memorable sight
indeed.
For the rest of my stay in Rio I walked the town parks and visited the
interesting buildings. I stayed in Rio for nine days and met many other
backpackers. We would hook up and go out to dinner or go to the beach and
the gambling casinos or walk the beach or the marina and look at the yachts
and sailboats.
Ipanema had lots of vendors peddling home made stuff along the beach, lots
of hippies selling home made jewelry, and many mobile food stands. In this
liberal society of Cariocas, as the locals call themselves, they seemed to
allow most anything.
My daily thing was to go to the Copacabana Hotel and check out the excerpts
from the newspapers of the world on a handout compiled by the hotel. I
would get my coffee at a coffee shop and sit and read the headlines from
around the world, culled from many international papers. Another activity was
to make trips on the Rio subway and metro bus system which extends the
subway far into the suburbs.
In between Copacabana and Ipanema beaches there were shops to visit and
food stands to sample. I also liked to go to the dock and watch the boats.
On Sundays they close the street in front of Ipanema Beach and turn the
street over to roller bladers, skate boarders and bicycle riders, with a few
dog walkers and strollers mixed in.
And off course many a strolling beauty that looked just like the Girl from
Ipanema.
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