Hiking

Im barely awake while writing this blog, im sure ill pass out right after. Shawn and i have just got back from and entire day of hiking. We got a local guide, Gui, to pick us up at the hotel and take us on a hike called Gavea. You can check it out here: http://www.riohiking.com.br/tours.htm .

Gavea (the flat one)

The hike was great, perfect weather for it...mostly cloudy with some sunny breaks and a nice wind. It was about 800m to the top, with only a few places along the way that needed some concentration. The view from the top was absolutely amazing. You could see many beaches, the west part of rio, the entire national park (can´t remember what its called, but it´s the worlds largest national park contained within a city) and the city itself (not to mention a great view of the largest favela). Since it was a windier day, there was dozens of hang-gliders and parasailers, many of them making approaches very close to the summit of gavea (our guide exchanged a few jokes with some of the people while they were in mid-flight). What surprises me is how little people hike in rio. According to our guide, this was the most rewarding hike in rio, a city of 7 million people, the busiest season for hiking, we saw about 25 people the entire day. Our guide claims that brazilians usually choose the beach over a hike. There were plenty of other peaks in the area which looked like great places to climb if only we had more time...oh well.

Rio's Largest Favela (from peak of Gavea)

Last night was a ´chill´ night, we went to a blocko in copacabana, relaxed at an outdoor cafe and got home at 2am.

So at 6am tomorrow morning, shawn and i are taking off for a two-day hiking adventure at a place called IIha Grande. We´re going with the same hiking company as today: http://www.riohiking.com.br/tours.htm

One last side note for all the amazonians out there...amazon.com has no presence in rio! no one ive met has heard of it...i think the right thing to do would be to open amazon.br ... joe can i WFR ?