Come to Jesus

(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) When one thinks of Rio, one automatically thinks of Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor), the statue of Jesus that stands atop Corcovado mountain, overlooking the city. In a city of extremes, it is the ultimate irony: blessings upon a city proud of its reputation for lasciviousness.

“The Christ” is located 2,300 vertical feet above the city, in the Parque Nacional de Tijuca, which is an urban rain forest. Another extreme: only in Rio can you go from the concrete jungle to the tropical jungle within a few minutes.

It has just been announced that Christ the Redeemer is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, which was voted on by more than 1 million voters.

So, after you are finished with all of your partying in the city, come on up to Jesus. He will redeem you! Trust me. Millions (as in almost 12 million) of Rio’s inhabitants do.

Jesus turning his back on me.

Amen, and Adventure On!

Kristen

Between me getting my Brazilian visa only one day before departure and my travel companion Hana “Lil’ Crooked Legs” Krivonozkova (a literal translation of her Czech sir name) being majorly delayed by a security breach at LAX, we barely made our flight from NYC to Brazil. We are off to a rocky start. We arrive, after 15 hours of flight time, and get on a local bus. Within 10 minutes it breaks down. Right next to the most violent favella (slum) in the city. Nobody on the bus seems to mind or care about the half an hour wait for our bus replacement. Welcome to Rio! Did I mention that it starts pouring down buckets of rain? We slop all of our stuff to the hostel, and finally, after 24 hours of vigilance, get to put our bags down. Phew!

Two idioms come to mind: “When it Rains it Pours”, and “When in Rome (Do as the Romans Do)”.

So, what to do when it rains in Rio? Make like a local, and party till the wee hours! And then sleep in until about 2pm or so.

We did manage to make it to Sugarloaf Mountain, one of Rio’s finest attractions, before sunset one day. The lousy weather persisted, but made for some very dramatic photos. A couple of hours later, and night is back. Time to repeat the ritual.

Ritual for When it Rains in Rio:

• Sleep in till afternoon.


• Get up and do something in the few hours of daylight remaining.


• Take a siesta.


• Get ready for a 10pm dinner.


• Hit the local clubs around midnight.


• Arrive home at an unmentionable hour.


• Repeat until sun shines. (At which point you will be advised to wake as early as possible and head to the nearest beach.)

Adventure On!

Kristen

I am sitting here sweating while waiting for my Brazillian visa to arrive, since I’m supposed to leave on Monday for Rio de Janeiro. If I don’t get my visa tomorrow, they will not allow me to board my flight. This is a problem!

So, as I sit here waiting for my FedEx Saturday rush delivery, I come across the following news:

“A Brazilian congressional committee on Thursday approved a bill that aims to boost tourism by eliminating visa requirements for visitors from the United States and four other wealthy countries.” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

To read the full article, please go here.

Man, I wish they had approved this bill earlier!

The sweating continues…

In the hope that I can Adventure On,

Kristen

Syttende Mai is Norway’s Constitution Day, and has similar significance to the USA’s 4th of July. It celebrates the signing of the Norwegian Constitution in Eidsvoll on May 17, 1814.

In Oslo, the children parade past the Royal Palace carrying flags.

The National Day is celebrated throughout the world in many Norwegian communities, including my hometown of Seattle. The area of Seattle called Ballard has a significant Norwegian population, and every year they close down the main street for the Syttende Mai parade. There you can see adults and children wearing the traditional Bunads, a traditional costume that represents the region where you are from (sort of like the Celtic kilts). There will be a joyous celebration with many flags, Norsk food and drink, and music and dance. For a listing of today’s events in Ballard, check out http://www.syttendemaiseattle.com/event.shtml.

Eat some lutefisk, and Adventure On!

Kristen

(ROATAN ISLAND, HONDURAS) Pirates have been raiding Roatan Island since the early 1600s. The first to invade were the Spanish. Then the British. This time, it’s a Czech. Jirí Máška is a modern-day pirate if ever I met one. He is conquering the island with a brewery.

A well-respected artist (http://www.maskaart.com) whose art was not consistent with Communist thought in his home country, Máška left Czech in the early 1990s. He went first to the United States to continue his art studies, then travelled all over the world. He eventually made his way down to Roatan.

In each of these places, he thought the beer was terrible. While many people might have had this same thought, he decided he needed to do something about it. Roatan Brewery (http://www.roatanbrewery.com/) is now up and running with two lovely beers, Bay Islands Pilsner and Bay Islands Ale. I can vouch that they are both delicious.

The brewery itself is a replica of a 15th century Spanish fortress. Máška has built it himself in less than 2 years, high on a hill in the east end of the island. Windmills and solar panels provide the power. In order to produce these natural beers, which follow a 600 year old recipe, he imports everything, from the equipment to the hops, yeast and malt, from Europe. The entire brewing cycle takes about a month to complete. If you stop by, Máška will give you a tour of the place and regale you with stories, only after he provides you with a freshly poured beer.

All his beer drinking has inspired some pretty lofty ideas. Máška has, among other serious adventures, crashed a 4-seater airplane and survived. Later he sank a boat he brought over from Czech in the deep waters off the north coast of Honduras, and was adrift for 16 hours. With no flotation device. Eventually he was picked up by local fishermen.

These events have only fueled the passion for his latest endeavour. What next? A pirate ship, of course! His Black Pearl project (http://www.1blackpearl.com) is creating an exact replica of the pride of Henry Morgan’s fleet. Henry Morgan was one of the most famous pirates of the Carribean, who built the original Black Pearl off the coast of Honduras in 1667. Máška is not only building this ship using the same materials used back then, but is also building it in the same place it was originally built. Details include 6 bronze functional cannons, handmade canvases and ropes, a handmade metal-tipped anchor, and also the sheathing impregnated by hot blood from oxen. The ship is designed for tourism, and will be ready for its maiden voyage in summer of 2007.

What’s on the horizon for Captain Máška is beyond anyone’s imagination. Perhaps the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria? Ahoy, mateys!

Adventure on,

Kristen

My name is Kristen Gill. I’m a freelance travel writer and photographer living in Seattle, Washington. In this blog I hope to share with you some of my travel experiences via stories and images. Join me as I explore the world’s quirky cultural nuances!

Adventure on!

Kristen