Day 5: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Today, Dan and I decided to break in our hiking boots and trek to Cristo Redentor, "Christ the Redeemer." This massive statue, which basically became synonymous with Rio during the World Cup games, sits atop the 710 meter (~2300 feet or .44 miles) Corcovado mountain. In order to get to it, people can travel by van, train, or on foot. Dan and I opted for the latter and began the 1.4 mile hike in Parque Lage (the national park we had visited a few days prior).

The hike began relatively mildly, with a steady incline and a clearly marked path. However, after about 20 minutes, the trail became very steep, and our only assurance that we were going the right way was that we were traveling upwards. We quickly learned that the journey to the top would be strenuous. In many parts of the trail, Dan and I had to rely on thick tree roots or strong branches (and one time, a chainlink) to pull ourselves up.

When traveling through a different city, people are likely to take note of the mundane because they are hypersensitive to any changes in their surroundings. This is perhaps even more true when traveling through a non-urban landscape. While hiking through the jungle, I found myself surveying nearly everything, from the shape of the leaves to the color of the tree roots (some of which were bright red or deep amber, interestingly enough). So I was on particularly high alert when, during our second water break, Dan and I heard rustlings in the distance.

At first, I thought the sound was coming from other hikers. However, when the noise got closer and the trail behind remained empty, I began to shift my gaze upward. Out of a far-off tree, a little monkey soon emerged. We instantly made eye contact--me and my new monkey friend. Then, he started jumping from branch to branch to get closer to us! I began imitating his chirps and clicks to engage him in proper conversation. Slowly but surely, he leapt his way closer until he was directly looking down on us. It was amazing!  

(I wish the picture did this guy justice)

I could have happily hung out with my new friend all day, but after about 20 minutes, Dan snapped me back to reality and we continued our climb. Incredibly, not even 5 minutes later, we were in for an even bigger treat. Two marmosets were hanging on tree trunks directly beside the trail! (I generally refrain from using exclamation points this often, but ahhhh!! Monkeys!!!) They were most definitely accustomed to seeing people because they did not shy away when we got next to them. Once again, I was in my happy place. The marmosets soon departed, but not before I managed to snap a selfie.

For the rest of the way up, I continued to ride the high of seeing these amazing creatures. The climb itself was also incredibly exhilarating to the point that Dan and I were both a little sad when we finally got to the top. Sure enough, though, after about an hour and a half we had reached the summit. 

(Three-quarters of the way up)

We arrived at a turnstile where we were asked to present our tickets for Cristo Redentor. Tickets?? Where were we to purchase said tickets? Not only did the attendants at the start of the trail neglect to mention anything about our entry, but the workers at the top were also apparently done selling tickets for the day. We learned that if we wanted to see the monument, we would have to take a van ride back down and purchase our admission there. It was too late to climb our way back down anyway, so we knew we had no other choice. 

Once we got to the ticket booth, we discovered that the credit card machine had just broken and we were just shy of the cash needed for entry. At that point, we also realized the sky had clouded over into a thick white haze, so our view from the top would have been rather unremarkable. It became clear that it was not meant to be. To be honest, I wasn't that upset; this was one of those instances when the experience was all about the journey rather than the destination.

At night, Dan and I decided to go to a churrascaria, or a Brazilian steakhouse, to treat ourselves to a well-earned meal. We ended up at a highly recommended restaurant called Porcão. While the meat was really good, we both questioned whether it was on par with the better offerings in New York. However, this did not stop us from stuffing our faces and finishing off with a sizable slice of dulce de leche cake for dessert.