My return to Rio de Janeiro after 15 years was a long overdue trip. Once again I was lucky to be heading their with work, but work trip or not - my camera was the first item packed. I only have fond memories of my last and only visit, even though I can’t remember much about it. The one vivid memory was taking a helicopter tour over this amazing city - and that was the experience I wanted to try again!
Before we even landed I’d researched the options and very soon I was flying high over the beautiful sights of Rio. The beauty of this city very quickly came flooding back to me - the beaches in contract of the city buildings, as well as the iconic Sugar Loaf Mountain, Corcovada and Christ the Redeemer.
The natural beauty and the man made landscapes really work perfectly together, and even as a city with a reputation for warning tourists to be on their guard at all times, it’s beauty is not just what you see, but also how the locals make you feel.
Every person I met was friendly and warm and couldn’t do enough for me. The service and warmth really was something that struck me, and it was in stark contrast to the warnings you got each time you mentioned you were intending to walk somewhere on your own or head out other than at peak times.
On my first morning there and before the madness of the work started I got up early. Already at 6 am there was total daylight and the beach was flooded with sunlight. I grabbed my camera and headed down to the shoreline just across from the hotel. There was only a few other people around including a couple of parents with their children taking photos. I’d been there for just a few minutes when the father walked over to me. “You are here by yourself?” he said calmly. “It’s too dangerous to be here with your camera, you should go!”
So it was just a few more snaps I took before I followed his advice and headed back to bed! But throughout the trip I only felt safe and comfortable, but with so many locals giving such strong warnings I become sad at thinking how bad it must be for such a beautiful city to get a reputation like this. But one thing is for sure - I will visit again…