18/3 - Been there, done that.

Quite big – yup. A lot of concrete – tons. Packed with tourists – of course. Amazing view – probably. The weather forecast didn’t look too promising beforehand and Corcovado was as expected covered in clouds when I pulled the curtains at 06:10 on Saturday morning. Nope, that was not a typo, ten past six on a weekend morning. Friends with small children have the weirdest hours to work after and if you don’t want to hike alone, you better get out of bed early enough as well. 

Shouldn’t complain though, a later hike and visit to Cristo Redentor would have meant even hotter weather and even more tourists, so all good. We had a good hike up and I finally got to see one of the main tourist attractions in the city. Been there, done that. Need to come back on a clear day with fewer clouds though and perhaps even watch the sunset.

Once again, the Brazilian beach wear showed its versatility. I knew since before that Havaianas were great for hiking, but also Speedos are apparently part of the South American mountain outfits. You’ll be sweating like on the beach anyways, so I guess why not?

A couple of hours after getting back from the hike, I got a bit worried that I’d ended up in a Ghostbusters movie or had moved in at Hogwarts with Harry and Hermione. For a split second I thought I saw a ghost in the elevator. But no need to panic, it was just one of the British tourists staying at the hotel. He’d probably spent the whole morning applying the sun block, which as such wasn’t too bad of an idea but very sensible actually. The only risk with spending so much time preparing for the beach is that sometimes it will start raining while you’re busy with the pre-beach procedures…like it did that Saturday. 

24/4 – Vinkevink to paragliders and finally a quiet spot.

Not far from Ipanema, and before getting to the Americanised Barra de Tijuca, you can turn right and drive up to Pedra Bonita. Mainly known for the paragliding ramp almost at the top and the nice view of Pedra da Gávea you will get from up there. From the ramp area and parking lot, there’s a nice little walk up to the summit, which I joined a few Norwegian friends and their children for a couple of weeks ago.

After some 30-40 minutes hike through the rain forest, we found ourselves in the clouds. It was totally white and nothing to be seen beyond the edge of the cliff. But suddenly the clouds clear for a second, and the beach glisters in the sun way down there. And it’s gone again. Then Pedra da Gávea plays peekaboo for a while until the highlight of the view appears - a paraglider, who’s been using the thermals properly, appears not far from us through the clouds.

When being accompanied by three children within the age of two to four and a half (That half year is very important, so want to stress that it’s four and a half years and not four.) you won’t have a quiet second. The stories range from the total truth, where the father at times sounds like he’s choked on something, and impressively imaginary explanations and theories. Strangely enough we didn’t see any jungle hens on the way up, only the odd tiny lizards. Would also be quite interesting to construct a hike like the one up to Pedra Bonita with the same proportions for an adult as it has for a four and a half year old. Doubt that any semi-fit person would last very long with steps high as up to the middle of your thighs for that many minutes. But our little Norwegian fjellpanter did, without any worries whatsoever.

Yesterday, I found the most quiet spot in the city so far - the botanical garden, Jardim Botânico. It’s like a secret hideaway, bordering to busy streets and both the posh Gávea and Leblon, as well as to the favelas nearby. Palm trees, massive other trees (which I don’t have a clue what they are and can’t remember what the signs said), cactuses and orchids and just nice and quiet. Hardly the helicopters are to be heard beneath the green cover of the trees. Must be even nicer during spring and summer when the roses bring some colour to the place. Should probably have chosen some other footwear than Havaianas though, three hours of walking proved that my feet are not totally adapted to the Brazilian lifestyle - yet.