Pedra da Gávea

The rock...

Everyday while on the way to training I see Pedra da Gávea. This rock has been looking at me ever since I moved out to Barra and everytime I look at it, I can almost hear it taunting me, "climb me Pacquiao... climb me..." or more like "I bet you can get your ass up here... hell no, you won't even make it half way..."

And everyday I tell myself that one day before I leave I'd make the hike up there, prove it wrong and check another landmark off my Rio de Janeiro tourist list. Well Saturday was that day and I hiked/climbed/staggered my way up joined by my fellow gringoes and we CONQUERED that rock BUT it was a good test of our will and endurance.

The view of the rock I get on my way to training.

The view I get of Pedra da Gávea from the gym. She just sits there looming in the background, watching over Barra da Tijuca.

The climb...

It was tiring but after all said and done it was worth it reaching the top and getting that vast view of Rio de Janeiro. On one side you have Barra da Tijuca and the other you have Zona Sul (Leblon, Ipanema etc.) and the rest of Rio. It's hard to describe it in words so I've got some pictures to show you, but it only scratches the surface of trying to describe what it was like.

Some before shots... already sweating a bit from walking up to the part where you actually start the climb/hike.

L-R: Jerrod, Brooke, Jeff, Vidu, Sam and myself

Some pictures of the trails and paths up and this is only the beginning parts.

The halfway point, "Ship rock." You can see a bit of Barra through the trees.

The trail near the top after coming above the treeline. The view from that part gets better and better the higher you go. Literally every 10m there'd be a spot to take a few pics then you go a bit higher and the view is even better etc. etc.

This is the part where you have to "rock climb" you can do it without ropes as it's probably no more than 15m. But it's probably a little safer and easier with ropes. It's amazing how far you can see the higher you go up.

Views from the top of the Barra da Tijuca side and the Zona Sul (South Zone) side.

What it feels like being at the top. Views of Zona Sul and Barra da Tijuca. You can see Cristo Redentor, Sugarloaf and "The Two Brothers" mountain on the Zona Sul side. The Barra da Tijuca side.

Going back down...

Some video...

A view of Barra da Tijuca from near the top of Pedra da Gávea.

A 360º view from the top of Pedra da Gávea.

After our climb (exhausted, tired and a little tanned) at around 4:30pm-ish, probably was closer to 5pm but I can't remember.

Pedra at the end of the day. You feel a real sense of achievement looking at it and knowing that you've made it to the top.

Visas and visa renewal...

Visa...
If you are from Australia, USA and Canada then you will need a tourist visa to enter Brasil which will be valid for 90 days from entry. Don't forget that some months have 1 extra day so it's best to count it as 90 days and not 3 months or when you go to reapply you might realise that you've already overstayed for a few days.

Process...

I'm not sure on the other countries but if you're like me and from Australia then you can apply for a visa at www.brazilsydney.org if you're from the NT, NSW, QLD and some islands. All other states have to apply through www.brazil.org.au.

It's quite easy and straight forward. You can download the appropriate application form from the website and fill it in. Then you send it to the embassy/consulate with a money mail/postal order from the post office and return envelope.

Make sure to do it at least a month or two before you leave. The process should only take 5 days BUT when I applied I waited almost a month before I double checked with them. They'd received the package but it hadn't been processed yet for some reason? So also make sure to keep tabs on them.

Once you get your visa approved you have 90 days to enter Brasil. Upon arrival in Brasil your 90 days starts.

Visa renewal...

For visa renewal you have to go to the international airport here in Brasil. Before I read that you could reapply for them through the Federal Police but they've changed that now apparently.

You will need your:

- Passport

- Departure card (you get this piece of paper upon arrival into the country)

- DPF Receipt from Banco do Brasil

You might need:

- Bank statement/Credit card (as proof of sufficient funds for your intended length of stay)

- Airline ticket

Make sure you keep your departure card otherwise it will cost you R$160 for a new one!

DPF form:

Also you have to fill out a form online at www.dpf.gov.br and print it out. You take the print out to a Banco do Brasil (they have one in the airport) and take the receipt with printout attached to the Federal Police.

Make sure:

- the Banco do Brasil has a Caixa (kai-sha) so you can pay the thing

- you select the right Unidade Arrecadadora and Código da Receita STN; otherwise you could end up having to pay another R$60+ for the correct one. Which is what I had to do!

The DPF form you'll have to fill out. Select: GRU -Funapol (emissão da guia para pessoas e entidades estrangeiras) from the main page.

The DPF receipt:

Transport to the aiport...

You can catch the Real Autobus from Zona Sul and Barra da Tijuca to the Airport and it costs only R$7, compared to a R$60+ cab fare which could be wayyy more depending on the traffic. And traffic here can get pretty bad.

The buses are airconditioned and have very comfy recliner seats. So even though the ride takes about 1hr+ from Barra da Tijuca you can do it in comfort and have a nap on the way and back.

More cauliflower...

Ok, so my ears have been swelling up again which means... more drainage. So I took the opportunity to make a short tutorial based on what I know/learnt so far on how to drain cauliflower ears. It's pretty straight forward and easy really.

Well except sometimes getting the needle in on the right angle... the other day the first time I put the needle in kind of horizontally nothing came out, so pulled it out and THEN it started bleeding which was like "oh shit!" But I managed to get it in again (on a 45º kind of angle) and drain out most of the fluid (1.5ml again).

There's a competition on Sunday and I'm hoping to enter it, if it's not too late to send in forms. Then after I was thinking of giving my ear a rest, but I doubt it because I don't want to miss out on all that training :)

Santa Teresa and Corcovado

Yesterday I thought I'd take a break from the constant training and only did the morning class. I decided to do a bit of a touristy thing and met up with a group of Couch Surfers in Santa Teresa and spent the rest of the day (6 or more hours) walking!!!

Walking...

Ever since I've been on holidays I've been walking A LOT... but not all in the same day! Whenever I walk it makes me appreciate the little things in a neighbourhood you'd miss if you drove by in a car. It realise how lucky/lazy I've been to be able to drive a car a short distance and have the money to pay for it all, while I see others less fortunate than myself but they still have the truest smiles on their faces. It also makes me realise how lazy society has become to rely so heavily on public transport to get from A to B and on how much we miss out seeing when you zoom by them in a car. You never know: that little café might have the best home cooked meals in the world, or hottest waitress in Rio.

Santa Teresa...

Anyways yesterday I went to Santa Teresa and spent about 1.5hrs walking around there which is tiring in itself, because the suburb is on a hill and many of the roads and stairs wind up and down and all around. Not to mention a French guy was leading and it seems almost like we were going in circles, only up and down hills. It was pleasant and we got to view some favelas on a hill and walk through a small part of them. After walking for around 1.5hrs we rested at some cantina for lunch before making the long ass trek up Corcovado. It was also where a guy had his red car parked out front fixing the subwoofers and stereo system in the back of his car so he could play some LOUD ASS baile funk music. Totally straight out of Fast and Furious, except in the middle of narrow street in a favela in Rio de Janeiro. Go figure.

The cobblestone roads of Santa Teresa

Taking our rest before going up Corcovado... L-R Max (french dude), old french dude, me and some random french dude that lives in the 'favela'

You can see the tracks for the tram (bonde)

The famous stairs in Lapa/Santa Teresa

Jorge Selarón, the man that spent 18yrs to complete the stairs... and me with a Brasilian brown belt (forgot his name, Allan?) that led us up and down Corcovado

Top of Parque das Ruinas and the view of Rio de Janeiro from there.

(Brasil??) Favela ... you can see it from Santa Teresa

More stairs and a pic of graffiti I thought was cool. Walked up and down more than 5 flights of stairs like this, not to mention up and down hills.

Corcovado...

Corcovado is the hill that Cristo Redentor (Christ statue) sits atop. From our rest spot in Santa Teresa it took probably just over 3hrs to walk up to the top of the 'mountain.' The only thing was that towards the top there was so much cloud cover you could barely see 50meters in front of you, which would of made it pointless to pay and try view the statue. Luckily I'm still here for another 4 months so got plenty of time to see it on a sunny day. Also next time I'll make sure to wear my "Jesus is my homeboy" t-shirt.

The start of the ascent up Corcovado.

Small 'waterfall' we saw on the way up.

I wish they also include how far you got to go on the signs. This was taken probably a good hour or more into our walk.

That 'fog' up there is actually the beginning of the clouds which just got thicker the higher we ascended.

This was my first experience of 'walking through/on the clouds' and a pretty cool one at that.

Finally reaching the top. You can see how thick the cloud cover is up there.



The descent...

... was an interesting event itself. Instead of walking back down along the same road we followed some train tracks for a bit before taking a left onto a jungle path. I didn't remember to take any pictures till I was near the bottom because most of the time I was concerned about not slipping and falling only to have trees, branches and rocks to break my 50º angle fall down the hill. Knowing how goofy I am I wouldn't of been surprised if that shit happened but after a bit I got used to it and where the best parts were for footing but was still very cautious. There was a part where we had to use a rope attached to some ropes to get down a steep bit which was cool. Then a main little stream that had many waterfalls we came across on the zig-zag path down.

Following the train tracks down.

The water was so nice and cool here and I had a sip when I was informed it's alright to drink. So fresh!!

I had a small epiphany while looking over some of these "jungle trek" photos. Wouldn't it be cool if you had a Predator costume and just ran around laser-pointing some people and then jumping out through the leaves and all? I reckon it would :)

A sign at the very bottom, I'm pretty sure it shows the trail we took.... Ok I'm just guessing.

Words really can't describe enough the views and experiences of these places. You really have to be here and experience them yourself to appreciate it and do it some justice.

That being said, if I was told before hand that we'd be walking for 6 or more hours I would of said F T S! (you can fill in the blanks) and probably made a polite exit and gone home.