Flying High in Rio

After the rush of Iguassu, I turned around and flew back up to Rio de Janeiro for a few days. I felt at ease since I had already become somewhat familiar with the territory upon my arrival in the country. And being that I had already hit up the major tourist attractions, I felt free to sit back and take in the city on my own terms. And that I did.

I got the brilliant idea to shake things up a bit. I had previously seen hang-gliders fly down from a certain mountain top and land on the beach below. It looked fun. It looked a little sketchy. And so I called up the flying company and decided to book a flight.

After signing my life away, my flight instructor drove me up the mountain, making a quick pit stop at his house to pick up our flying vessel and strap it to the top of the car. It only looked slightly mangled and worn, but he assured me that I could trust in its resilience. It had successfully flown many naive tourists down the mountain to safety. And I was the next in line-
Unfortunately, when we reached the jump-off point, the fog was simply too dense for us to take off. We waited, what seemed like an eternity, for a clearing.

A good two hours later, after receiving my flying lesson, learning basic hangliding lingo, and stewing for a while in anticipation

the run-way opened its doors for business. And so there I hung like a lifeless creature, strapped in, and fully expecting to become entangled in my own nerves. But instead of jitters, I felt the total absence of emotion. I replayed the guide's instructions inside my head:

1) Grab on to his shoulder 2) Run as fast I can down the ramp 3) Don't stop running when the ramp in front of me ends. And whatever I do, don't pull back...It'll screw up the flight. And that will be bad.

Check!

And so we ran off the mountain together...into the dispersing fog; the tiny, insignificant world far below us.

Completely surreal. Freedom in its finest form. Nothing below our feet but air.

Gentle breezes and the rush of a calm silence surrounded me. From up here, everything took on a different light. We placed our trust in nothing but the wind.

So of course I had to pose for the camera just a bit--

and pull the famous "no-hands" stunt.

After several minutes, we approached the ocean.

and prepared ourselves for landing.

My body was only dragged in the sand, and twisted around my guide, for a few, very awkward moments.

So if you're ever in Rio, or travelling to any other mountainous destination, I highly recommend taking the plunge. It was the highlight of my entire trip.

So then it was off to explore some new neighborhoods, including Visconde de Piraja Street, one of many boulevards equipped with an eclectic array of shopping and dining. I did do my homework, and was not disappointed.

The painted bulls on the streets added a nice touch to the experience.

It was later in the day that I decided to hop a local bus to take me out to "Barra Shopping," aka the largest shopping mall in all of South America. Now come on people, doesn't it sound like one heck of a way to blow an afternoon? What I didn't realize was how far outside of Rio this mall was located. Had I known, I would have passed on the trip. But alas, we never know until we try. And so a very entertaining hour's drive later, and with the help of a fellow bus passenger, I arrived at Barra Shopping ready for my extraordinary retail experience. And I'm not going to lie. This shopping connoisseur was a little underwhelmed.

But I made the best of it, purchased a $7 scoop of ice-cream (unbeknownst to me, and yes, details like this do leave a lasting impression in my mind), and headed back to try and navigate my way home. The night sky was dark as I pushed my way through hoards of people,waiting for what seemed like an infinite number of buses that I couldn't keep track of.

If I ever was stressed out on my journey, this would be one of those moments. The streets around me turned into a chaotic amusement park, filled with formations of tired people wrapped around the sidewalks in a blurry mass of humanity. And the fact that I didn't know which combination of buses I was supposed to catch, where I needed to catch them, or when I needed to disembark, did not help the situation. And finally, let's factor in a rainstorm. Yes, that would paint the picture quite nicely.

But I paint this picture for you, only because I find that it is in these times of momentary travel chaos and frenzy, that we find out what we're made of. And we learn in the end that there really isn't a whole lot that we can't eventually figure out and overcome with a little patience and perseverance. Life lesson here? You betcha.

Was I glad to have made the Barra Shopping excursion? Well..... no. I still would have passed! But I did make it home safely, after getting off at the wrong stop and meandering the downtown streets for a good 2 miles to get home...

The next day, I did the unthinkable. I succumbed in a momentary lapse of judgment. I did what tourists are supposed to do when in Rio. I went to the beach. Not just any beach. THE beach. Where everybody who's anybody in Rio goes to show the colors and flaunt the results of their latest workout regimen. Oh yes I did.

I had successfully avoided the beach scene in this city altogether. Now don't get me wrong. I love the beach. Just not the beaches that I'm supposed to love. Call it the stubbornness inside of me. Call it what you will. But with a few hours to kill, I decided to bite the bullet and complete my Rio package experience the right way.

So here's the proof. I walked onto the sand, looked around for a while at the rolling mountains and ominous clouds hovering above, talked to a homeless man, and then happily checked the heck out of there.

And honestly, I picked the prefect day to do it. No crowds, no trash, no naked bodies in my face. In fact, I think I might have had a mini-moment there on that beach all by myself.

I had successfully completed my tourist experience with flying colors. And now I could leave happy--onto the last leg of my journey. My true beach experience in tropical Buzios.