You know those tall, nubby looking mountains you always see in pictures surrounding Rio? Yeah, I climbed one. And not just any one. Pedra da Gávea is one of the most spectacular and strenuous urban climbs in South America. The rock is easily distinguishable by large flat top that rises out of the Western skyline. The face of the rock looks like a carved figure, and there are ancient inscriptions on one of its sides, which have led to theories that the rock contains an ancient tomb, a time portal, and/or a UFO landing site. Whatever the case, it is cool as hell.
The 2.5 hour hike up was the craziest hike of my life. First of all, we did it at breakneck pace because a) we were afraid it would get dark before we reached the top, and b) we didn’t know each other well enough to say “slow the hell down! I’m dying here!” Something that we laugh about now since the events to follow definitely made us very close… literally.
Apparently the hike itself is only 1 mile, but in that mile, hikers also rise over a half-mile in altitude. They definitely don’t have things like this in Illinois, but I’m not in Illinois anymore that’s for sure. Seven students in my program and I made our way through various landscapes from dense tropical forest, to dry barren rocks. At points we had to use vines and grass to hoist ourselves up the rocks. Also, near the top, there was a 30 m rock-face that we later learned you are supposed to use legit ropes to climb. Oh well, despite the tense moments we made it to the top, tired but feeling very accomplished. The view from the top was incredible! The 360-degree view allowed us to see the rolling hills and jagged peaks of Barra da Tijuca coastline, lagoons, the gigantic sprawl of the Rocinha favela, and the entire south zone of the city and more.
Once we reached the top, we relaxed, stretched our sore muscles, had a snack, and settled in to watch the GORGOUS sunset over the ocean. Talk about a good reward. Exhausted, we cuddled up on the rocks (ha) and settled in for a good nights sleep. Or so we thought. About an hour later, we were all marveling at the beautiful way the lightening WAY off in the distance lit up the western sky, when a sudden shift in wind and sudden drop in temperature caused us to look behind us. The eastern sky was very dark and a storm was blowing in from the ocean. And quick. We quickly gathered our stuff, and carefully scrambled down the rocks to find shelter in a dinky cave a few meters down from the top (wait, when did I start using the metric system? haha). Everyone had a good attitude about the situation and we laughed it off by telling stories and getting to know each other for the first few hours. Oh! I almost forgot. I got hit by lightening. Kinda. You see, the lightening was very very close and must have hit the rock we were sheltering under and sent a wave of conduction into my leg. Just me. No one else felt it. It didn’t hurt, but definitely scared me!
Soon the novelty wore off and it started getting very cold. Since no one had brought warm clothes (it had been 104 degrees when we hiked up), we literally spooned together on the sloped floor of the cave (aka: you couldn’t move or you would roll out of the cave) and “slept” until daylight. I don’t know if any sleeping happened but the next few hours were a drowsy blur. As morning drew closer, we once again climbed the summit and watched the beautiful sunrise over the city. I wish I could say that I saw the whole thing, but the flat rock at the top was a welcome comfort after that cave and I kept falling asleep. Every time I opened my eyes the sky was a different shade of brilliant red/orange. Another 3 hours later, we emerged from the forest filthy, exhausted, sweaty, and feeling badass. We just spent the night in a cave on the top of a mountain during a thunderstorm in the middle of Brazil. How many people can say that?
February 15, 2010
the sombódromo
Last week I (along with about 70,000 other people) went to an official samba school practice/dress rehearsal at the Sombódromo (the runway where the schools compete to be considered the best samba school in Rio). There are many samba schools in Rio and only 24 get to compete during Carnaval. Of the schools that compete, they are divided into two categories: A and B. Each year one school moves up from B to A and one moves down. When a school moves down, it is a disgrace to their school and their reputation takes a hit. Therefore, competition is fierce. As they compete, judges critique everything from their rhythm, to their smiles.
When I attended, the Mangueira samba school (one of the largest in Rio) was practicing on the runway. The coolest. Thing. Ever. Over 4,000 samba school members participated in the parade. They were divided into different groups. Some wore colorful costumes such as huge dresses or simply jeweled lingerie and others simply danced in their samba school official shirts. There were dancers on top of big platforms dancing their hearts out. The show lasted 80 minutes, which is the amount of time allocated for each school to flaunt their samba skills for the judges. The official Mangueira song was played during the entire show and everyone in the audience danced and sang along in the crowded bleachers, hardly aware that they were not on the runway themselves!
When I attended, the Mangueira samba school (one of the largest in Rio) was practicing on the runway. The coolest. Thing. Ever. Over 4,000 samba school members participated in the parade. They were divided into different groups. Some wore colorful costumes such as huge dresses or simply jeweled lingerie and others simply danced in their samba school official shirts. There were dancers on top of big platforms dancing their hearts out. The show lasted 80 minutes, which is the amount of time allocated for each school to flaunt their samba skills for the judges. The official Mangueira song was played during the entire show and everyone in the audience danced and sang along in the crowded bleachers, hardly aware that they were not on the runway themselves!
February 6, 2010
is this real life?
The Intensive Language Class is finally over! I’m not really sure how much it helped, but I’m sure it didn’t hurt. I now have off until March 2nd ☺ Wow, I have a hard life.
Carnaval officially starts next Saturday, but in the minds of Cariocas, it has already begun. Prices have been raised on everything, tourists are beginning the influx, and there are street parties all day, everyday on the weekends.
Since class ended Thursday, Thursday night all the international students had a party to celebrate, which ended with a crazy dance party with our cab driver, and swimming at the beach at 5am.
But even crazier than all that, is what came prior. A pizza rodizio!! Basically, you sit down and every kind of pizza you can think of (and many you couldn’t) comes circling around to your table. We feasted on pizza with shrimp, cheeseburger, palms, corn, fish, and much more. After eating more than enough, they then came out with the “pizza doce” or desert pizzas. Oh. My. God. There was chocolate pizza with strawberries, fried banana pizza, carmel pizza, pineapple pizza, and the list goes on… I’m totally bringing this to America.
Yesterday, we spent the day at a beautiful, secluded beach called Prainha south of Rio. It ended up being quite an adventure. To get there, we took an hour bus, and then hiked an hour (all in 100 plus degree heat). We then relaxed on the beach there for 4 hours and took frequent dips in the cool water (although the ridiculously strong current didn’t quite make for a relaxing swim). Surfers were everywhere which made for an even better view, if you know what I mean ☺
After we had our fill of the sun and waves, we started home. Luckily, an ice truck saw us suffering and let us hop in the back of his truck for a lift to the next beach over. We then walked another 45 mins or so to the bus stop. We ended up waiting there for about a half hour since everytime a bus that we needed came, he passed us by without stopping. Here, busses sometimes don’t stop for you for one reason or another. Maybe you’re too wet or sandy from the beach, maybe you are carrying something big they don’t want on their bus, maybe they are in the wrong lane to pull over, or maybe they simply don’t feel like it. Eventually, we did get a bus home, but it was at the peak of rush hour. Traffic is HORRIBLE in Rio and it took us about twice as long to get home. Still, so worth it!
Carnaval officially starts next Saturday, but in the minds of Cariocas, it has already begun. Prices have been raised on everything, tourists are beginning the influx, and there are street parties all day, everyday on the weekends.
Since class ended Thursday, Thursday night all the international students had a party to celebrate, which ended with a crazy dance party with our cab driver, and swimming at the beach at 5am.
But even crazier than all that, is what came prior. A pizza rodizio!! Basically, you sit down and every kind of pizza you can think of (and many you couldn’t) comes circling around to your table. We feasted on pizza with shrimp, cheeseburger, palms, corn, fish, and much more. After eating more than enough, they then came out with the “pizza doce” or desert pizzas. Oh. My. God. There was chocolate pizza with strawberries, fried banana pizza, carmel pizza, pineapple pizza, and the list goes on… I’m totally bringing this to America.
Yesterday, we spent the day at a beautiful, secluded beach called Prainha south of Rio. It ended up being quite an adventure. To get there, we took an hour bus, and then hiked an hour (all in 100 plus degree heat). We then relaxed on the beach there for 4 hours and took frequent dips in the cool water (although the ridiculously strong current didn’t quite make for a relaxing swim). Surfers were everywhere which made for an even better view, if you know what I mean ☺
After we had our fill of the sun and waves, we started home. Luckily, an ice truck saw us suffering and let us hop in the back of his truck for a lift to the next beach over. We then walked another 45 mins or so to the bus stop. We ended up waiting there for about a half hour since everytime a bus that we needed came, he passed us by without stopping. Here, busses sometimes don’t stop for you for one reason or another. Maybe you’re too wet or sandy from the beach, maybe you are carrying something big they don’t want on their bus, maybe they are in the wrong lane to pull over, or maybe they simply don’t feel like it. Eventually, we did get a bus home, but it was at the peak of rush hour. Traffic is HORRIBLE in Rio and it took us about twice as long to get home. Still, so worth it!
First Futébol Game
Last week, I attended my first Brazilian soccer game… and what a game to see. It was the Flamengo v. Fluminense (Fla-Flu) game in the Rio de Janeiro city championship tournament. Apparently, this cross-town rivalry began way back in 1911 when a few unhappy Fluminese players, left the club and joined the Flamengo club where they started the soccer program there.
Flamengo is the most successful team in Rio State Championships. They are “up one” on the Fluminense 31-30. There is also an interesting social dynamic between the two teams. Fluminense was originally started by sons of the elite who had come into contact with soccer while studying in Europe. Since then, it has been traditionally supported by the wealthy, which leads to resentment from the middle and lower class fans.
Before the game, it was already apparent the sincere divide between allegiances. When presenting our ticket (which was in the “neutral” and “tame” section of the stadium… tame is a very relative term) we had to declare which team we were rooting for. Randomly choosing Flamengo, we were told we had to go to the other side of the stadium. In Brazil, it is necessary to divide teams spectators simply for protection. Those wearing jerseys, had to take them off to walk through the opposing team’s side of the stadium, or risk getting hardcore heckled or even assaulted.
Once inside the 95,000-seat stadium Maracaná Stadium, you couldn’t help but feel the energy. Between all the fireworks (snuck in by spectators and set off in the stands), waving banners, and zealous chants, the atmosphere was indescribable. We faked as much enthusiasm as we could muster after arbitrarily choosing to support Flamengo and attempted to mouth the cheers, waving our shirts in the air with the best of them. Our support must have helped because Flamengo had a late comeback to take the win!
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