Is Christ The Redeemer Worth It? We're Not So Sure. Why You Should Visit Lapa and Santa Teresa

Okay so we closed out yesterday showing you the best view facing west to the city but today is all about spectacular views facing east. We just arrived at Cristo Redentor also known as Christ the Redeemer which is notably one of the most postcard worthy spots in not only Rio de Janeiro but all of Brazil. About to head straight up to the top. There's a few different ways of getting to the top. One of the most common ways is going in a van with a tour group and the other most common is taking the train all the way up to the top. Now there are other options if you're a little bit more on the adventurous side. I believe there's a hiking trail that goes all the way up to the top to the peak of the mountain but you do still have to pay to get in. When you get up here there are places to eat, grab something to drink and of course there's lots of gift shops. So if you forgot to pack water don't worry you'll be in good shape. And here we are at the poster card one of the if not the most iconic landmark in Rio de Janeiro and quite possibly all of Brazil. It's actually one of the seven new wonders of the world so it's pretty well known. Construction on this place went from 1922 to 1931 so it took about nine years and the structure is made entirely of soapstone. So if you look really close to these little mosaic pieces all put together and word on the streets is when they were putting it together the workers wrote little messages to their significant others on the back side so the structure's got a lot of history a lot of stories to tell. The statue itself weighs 635 metric tons. When they originally designed it they wanted to build it with steel but they decided that reinforced concrete would be a much better design and hold for its crossed shape and if you look really close you can see lightning rods on its arms and on its head but it's not totally immune to the weather. In 2008 there was a thunderstorm that caused a lot of damage to the fingers head and eyebrows but the government initiated a restoration project to replace some of the soapstone layers and repair the lightning rods on it. In case you didn't know Brazil has the largest population of Catholics in the entire world. So if you're wondering how this project landed here in the mid-1800s there was an effort to place a Christian monument somewhere in the city and they wanted to do it to honor Princesa Isabel which was Don Pedro Segundo's daughter but that was put on the back burner and as Brazil became a republic instead of an empire they revisited that idea decades later and had meetings with the cities to try to figure out what they could put in place and they eventually decided on a large monument of Christ which is what you see behind us. It's located on the top of Corcovado mountain and it's at the very highest point the peak which is 2,300 feet high and if you are feeling like spending some money you could always take a helicopter ride. Tickets in high season are 79 reais per person and that includes a ride on the Bom Dia all the way up through the beautiful Tijuca National Forest. Do expect to share your space when you're here there's lots of people here no matter what time of day that you come it's crowded. You also may want to research the weather before you come ideally crystal clear days are perfect for an all-around panoramic of the city and remember in summer it gets really hot so bring a lot of sunscreen and a lot of water. So this is my first time seeing the Christ and I personally think that there are better views and better options to see the city and I actually think this is a much more beautiful landmark from a distance so with that being said I would actually say you you could probably pass on coming here and invest your money in going to Sugarloaf that's where it's at. Listen I think Rio de Janeiro is a city full of different activities and if you've never come here it's definitely worth putting on your list at least to come check it out but you're inevitably going to see it everywhere you go in the city so I think you should come check it out. Jin says you can pass you be the judge. So Rio de Janeiro is covered in beautiful things and this just adds to that equation we're now at one of the most beautiful staircases in the world called Escadaria de Celeron which is named after a Chilean born artist that came here lived in Brazil fell in love with it and dedicated this entire project to Brazil. Before he started this staircase he was more famously known as a painter until this became his passion project. The staircase is said to be made up of 2,000 plus tiles from over 60 countries there's a total of 250 stairs and most of them started off as green yellow and blue for the colors of the Brazilian flag that's how much love Jorge had for Brazil and over time he started adding some red tiles to increase the vibrancy and passion of the project. Unfortunately this whole workload came to end in 2013 when Jorge died basically at the foot of his steps here in his house so there was a candlelight service to celebrate him and it still draws people year after year after year to come and admire his work. The staircase is actually a bridge between the two different neighborhoods of Lapa and Santa Teresa. Something else to note it is free to walk through but make sure you walk up the staircase because that is where the view is if you walk down it actually looks like any other ordinary staircase. There's vendors selling everything along the stairs from coconut water to hats to your own pictures printed on tiles. The best time to visit is actually when there's more people here I know it sounds contradicting because you want to be here to enjoy the staircase by yourself but unfortunately the Lapa neighborhood is not necessarily the safest in the evening or early dawn hours so try to come when other people are here. It might seem like it's crowded and it looks like it's crowded from our footage but grab yourself a seat on one of the stairs and it's actually a pretty peaceful experience. You definitely want to make sure you go all the way up to the top because the work doesn't just stop below so really come here admire it take it all in and know why you're here in the first place. Within walking distance of the Escalaria de Celeron is an area called Lapa and this area if you couldn't tell from the music behind me it's not only known from the locals but also from all the tourists that come here. It's a great area to go out at night time but in the daytime it's kind of desolate there's not that much activity. There is a police presence here but my best suggestion is come when there's more people and the streets are more movemented. When it starts to hit around 4 or 5 p.m the bar chairs and bar tables start coming out and the beer flows like water. If you're wondering what's behind me it's the primary landmark of Lapa. It's an aqueduct that was built in the mid-18th century to carry fresh water from the Rio Carioca to the residents of Ria but nowadays it's not used as an aqueduct anymore although it does have some train tracks on the top of it that take you directly up to the neighborhood of Santa Teresa. We're in the neighborhood of Santa Teresa and we're at a bar called Bar do Mineiro. It started as a bar and now it's transformed into a restaurant and bar and we're here to get my personal favorite Brazilian dish which is called feijoada. Feijoada is basically black beans with meat with rice with some greens and then something they call here farofa. You either love it or hate it. When I first got to Brazil I kind of hated it but it does slowly grow on you. My best explanation is that it's flour and when you put it in your mouth it kind of has a consistency of sand or sawdust but it's great at picking up all the flavors of the dish that you're eating. Because it's so heavy it's typically served at lunchtime so you're able to take a nap wake up and eat some more. The dish has basically five components. The rice which is going to be your base, the feijoada which is the star of the show, the couve which is the collard greens, the farofa which is a manioc or cassava flour, and oranges. So when you're in Rio de Janeiro definitely make a point of stopping by Bar do Mineiro and trying out their feijoada. It's rich, delicious, and worthy of a nap. Rain or shine another point of interest you may want to add to your list when you're here in Rio de Janeiro is the jardim botanico or the botanical garden. It's 15 reais per adult to get in and it is a large park so you're going to want to allot probably anywhere from an hour to three hours here. There's over 6,500 different types of plant species here. Some endangered. Yes and it's honestly a very impressive garden and the grounds are breathtaking. It was originally founded in 1808 by King John VI of Portugal and it was originally intended for the introduction and acclimation of different spices from the West Indies. Things like cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper. Of the 140 hectares, 60 percent of it is wild matatlântica or Atlantic forest that butts right up to the Corcovado mountain. The other 40 percent is cultivated by humans. There's also a large variety of birds here many of which are used to the foot traffic from all the visitors so your chance of seeing them here is much higher. Most of it's covered so it's a great place to duck off from the sun and or the rain. The security here is also really beefed up so it's very very safe for you to bring your cameras and go nuts and the flora and fauna is a great representation and an introduction to Brasil. This place is mesmerizing at least for me. I truly appreciate plants and nature and everything botanical so if this is something that interests you I highly recommend coming here. If it's not your thing I still recommend coming here because this might be one of my favorite botanical gardens that I've ever been to. It's worth it. Well how can I relay this message? That doesn't sound good. You can't say that. That's right. Yeah that's right. Right? Yes. More than just a pretty picture to pump up your Instagram. I don't don't prefer Instagram. I hate that. Neck hurt? There's over 8,000 different types of species. I guess that's 6,500 isn't it? I thought it was 8,000. Oh. My heart will go on.