Day 13 - Saturday, May 30, 2009: Arrival in Rio de Janeiro

by Tricia Sparks

As trips do, this one has flown by and I realized it was my last day in Vitoria and I was heading to Rio de Janeiro. I repacked the mess that had become my suitcase with the help of my host, Karoll. We lugged my luggage down the two flights of stairs from her flat, climbed into a taxi, and headed off to the airport. After checking in at the aeropuerto, all the students headed upstairs to say goodbye to the people who had been our companions for the week. There were hugs, kisses, tears, and many photographs. The goodbye was bittersweet as I crossed the tarmac to board the plane and head to the most famous city in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro.

The flight to Rio de Janeiro was surprisingly short, considering the change that I was about to encounter. Rio is a city of eight million with the famous beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana. Now I didn’t see Lola or the girl from Ipanema when I landed, but I did see a beautiful and unique city. The sheer size of the city makes Vitoria and Vila Velha pale in comparison. For one thing, when the plane landed we exited through a gate, not onto the runway. The group was picked up in vans by Luiz our coordinator for the last leg of our Brazilian excursion. As we drove from the airport I received my first view from the city on the ground. I could see the favellas high on the hills and I realized the vastness of the issues with favellas in Rio. Then everything went dark. I had entered the main tunnels that connected north and south Rio. When I emerged I got my first glimpse of how the other side of Rio lives. Huge flats on the lagoon, views of the beaches, and a street with shopping that rivals Fifth Avenue.

I arrived at the Ipanema Beach House; our home for the next week. The hostel is located two blocks from the beach and has an amazing and hospitable staff, which kindly put up with 27 American students dominating the hostel. The girls were placed in a dorm type room with three sets of three high bunk beds. Part of the guys were in a similar type dorm and a few double rooms. The group had a short meeting by the pool and the hammocks in the back of the hostel. I got settled in and set out to explore a little.

We walked the area and took in the cafes, restaurants, shops, and people of Rio. The excursion was a short one due to the fact that the group was headed to the Brazilian steak house (Churrascaria). I began with the massive salad bar. The choices were overwhelming. I chose a little of everything and waited on the main course. If you have never been to a Brazilian steakhouse here is how it works: the waiters continually bring around different types and cuts of meet and slice it onto your plate, while placing different side dishes on the table. After a satisfying meal and shared bottles of wine the group headed to a bar to meet the students of Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV).

We ended up the famed Rio Scenarium bar in Lapa, in the heart of Rio de Janeiro where the street resembles the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. People were having coffee and wine on the sidewalks in cafes and bars up and down the block. The bar has an eclectic feel that seemed to be what is at the heart of Rio itself. The FGV students welcomed us. We ate, drank, and talked. I sat down to spend my first evening in Rio with a view of the lights of the city and good friends. Finally exhaustion set in and I headed back to the hostel where I changed, climbed up to the top bunk, and laid down pondering what tomorrow’s tour of Rio de Janeiro would bring.