A LETTER FROM RIO DE JANEIRO
by Viv Quarry (www.vivquarry.com)
Rio de Janeiro is a city of around 9 million people situated on the east coast of Brazil amidst a tropical, mountainous rain forest. There are around ten beaches separated by headlands, which define the different districts of the southern zone of the city. The beaches are impressive stretches of golden sand, lit by powerful arc lamps at night, and the destination of a large proportion of the Cariocas (as the inhabitants of Rio are called) at the weekend. Standing with open arms on the highest of the round topped mountains which spring up throughout the city, is the Statue of Christ, which can be seen from most points of the city. Another point of natural beauty in the city is the large lagoon in the southern part of the city. It is between this large and beautiful lagoon and the sea, that Ipanema stands. Ipanema, with the district of Leblon to the south and Copacabana to the north, combine to give the city 8 miles of clean, sandy beaches. Further to the north, there are more beaches around the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain from where, after taking the two cable cars to the top, a stupendous view of sunset over the city can be seen .
Rio de Janeiro means 'river of January' in English. This is because when it was first discovered in January 1502, the Portuguese captain mistook the huge bay in which the city was built, as the mouth of a great river. The climate is tropical, which means generally cool and sunny in winter, hot and sunny in spring and autumn, and very hot, wet and humid in summer. The seasons are much more clearly defined here, the weather changes dramatically often within days of the official start of the season.
The city does have some problems, the biggest of which is the traffic system. The roads are badly maintained, traffic lights badly synchronised, and many of the main link roads of the city are clogged by a completely disorganised public transport system which often means five or six buses with five or six passengers in each one blocking eighty per cent of the road. When road works appear, they don't seem to be supervised and therefore add to the inferno for more time than is strictly necessary. For someone living in the southern zone and working in the city centre, 10 miles away, the journey to and from work can waste three hours of every day.
However, it is probably the violence in the city which attracts the most attention from abroad. I can only say that for the people who live here there is little evidence of violence in day to day life. Violence is not part of the Brazilian nature unless provoked, and so if a tourist takes care not to flaunt wealth by carrying expensive cameras or jewels, the risk of being robbed is less than in many other cities of the same size in the world. The tourist areas are will policed and are actually safer than equivalent places abroad. I would say, without doubt, that a tourist on Sugar Loaf Mountain or The Statue of Christ is much safer than a tourist in Trafalgar Square or Piccadilly Circus.
What makes any city a special place to live is the atmosphere created by the people who inhabit it, and in this Rio excels. During the public festivals of New Years Eve and Carnival, the city comes alive. There are usually around 3 million people on Copacabana beach to watch the music show and five tons of fireworks being set off on New Years Eve, and the Carnival is the simply the biggest public party in the world.
The Carioca's work hard and afterwards invest all their remaining energies in enjoying life to the maximum. At the weekend the bars and restaurants are full until about 3 am, and there are often free shows on the beach with Brazilian and foreign bands. The national passion is football, at which, as everyone knows, the Brazilians are supreme. During a major local derby in the city with the biggest football stadium in the world, all is quiet until the final result is known and the victorious fans parade through the streets with horns blaring and flags and shouts coming out of the car windows. Thankfully, although in Brazil fan really means fanatic, the supporters are more good-humoured than their counterparts in Europe and there is seldom violence at the matches.
Rio is quite simply a jewel of a city. In spite of the pollution and congestion, it is easy to find peaceful gardens and forest often within walking distance. Here, there are troops of wild monkeys in the trees and huge, beautiful multi-coloured butterflies flapping over the natural streams and waterfalls. The combination of stunning natural beauty and exciting and varied night life make Rio, for me at least, the best city in the world in which to live.