Christ the Redeemer Corcovado Rio de Janeiro

We have had a real struggle trying to explore the beauty of Rio. This is our second trip to Rio. Last time when we visited, it was too overcast. On the last night of this previous trip, our bus had problems coming into Rio and so we ran hours late. We raced to the square and tried to get a public bus. The lady collecting bus fare assured us that she would show us where to alight. Unfortunately, she forgot and so we had to jump off the bus, into a taxi and off to the train station to catch a train/ ‘Trem’. On arriving we were informed that we had to wait. So we gave up and decided to have a nice dinner instead.

It is sad that my good camera got smashed on the rocks of Sana, forcing us to use a waterproof camera that happens to have no flash. My hope is that the damage will be covered by my insurance company.

Anyway, I am determined not to be beaten. My son has a sleep in and I pack the room up as we head out this afternoon. We walk to the bus station and are told we should get a van. This happens to be half the price of the train (this is because I have a child discount with this van). We wait for a while and it seems like has taken ages. Finally, we take off though I am not happy since we have limited time.

It is an incredibly windy road. It feels like we are driving up the tower of Babel! When we get to the car park, we see the rear of the statue. Serious excitement sets in.

We hit the toilets first, then the elevator up, then the escalator – and here we are!

We have to battle with the crowd to have a photo with the statue. Cameras are continuously swapped among tourists as people shove and push. My son gets upset. I try to teach him to wait and give others a chance since they will also give us a chance. Sadly, they don’t. My son seems to have a meltdown by now.

We take a break and enjoy the view. We are blessed with the bluest of skies. The clouds were thick the day before; so this is better.

We then get to meet the Secretary of Tourism. He is doing an interview on the issue of riots and protests and how it affects tourism. He is trying to invite tourists to come back to Rio. So we enjoy our 5 minutes of fame – though we are only known by a few people in Brazil.

Seeing Christ the Redeemer has been one of our “must see”. My son blogs on all the big things of the world and he will definitely be adding this to his list.

I actually need to motivate him to blog again now that I have thought about it. You can read his blog at http://explorasonourworldtrip.blogspot.com.au

Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ, found in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 2nd largest statue of Jesus in the world.

• Have you been to Rio Brazil?
• Did you get to see the famous Christ the Redeemer statue?
• What else fascinates you about Brazil?
• Do ahare your comments with us below.