August 10, 2015
Part of my preparations for my
upcoming travel, I always do some advance research and readings: read some blogs, search
for tips and try to weigh down reviews from other travelers as well. While
finalizing my itinerary, I always check and double check if my schedules are
well laid out, no time conflicts and should provide enough time in between
activities. This will help me to manage my time properly; this will also
avoid idle time while on travel. As I’ve said in my previous post, I always
join group tours to get the most out of the place.
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| me and Cristo Redentor |
I opted to join the tour granting
early access to Christ the Redeemer though I had a tour a day before on the
Sugar Loaf Mountain that comes with a package that includes the Christ the
Redeemer. Why I didn’t join that? Christ the Redeemer is world renowned one of
the New Seven Wonders of the World and Rio de Janeiro is also a favorite for
tourists, so you should always expect crowds flocking the area. If I joined the
other day’s package wherein they are going to the statue in the afternoon, I
will have to join with the large crowds and as expected, pictures with lots of people and that is my real reason, to avoid such crowd that i cannot have a good chance of taking pictures with the statue.
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| park ticket |
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| park information |
As I read the tour with an early
access, it was emphasized that we are beating the crowd and should be there
15-30 minutes prior to the first train arrival. The only difference is, to get
there early, we must leave our hotels early as well. I was instantly interested
when I read the reviews that you can really beat the crowd; having the place as
your own, with freedom to take photos without photo bombers.
My scheduled pick-up time is at
7:10am (not that early). I booked it online with www.viator.com
and the service was done by Amigo Tours in Rio de Janeiro. The pick-up service was
on time and we’re ready to go. We drove straight to the Corcovado Mountain
going to the ticketing station. After taking our tickets, we transferred to
another van, Tijuca Forest Park’s van to take us to the statue. When we arrived
at the place, we are one of the few people enjoying the place; those who drove
straight same with us also.
We own the place for the first 20
minutes. We had all the corners for photo opportunities. Even the viewing deck
where you can have the panoramic view of the city is still available and
vacant. We took several selfies and our guide offered her photography skills
taking us pictures one by one on the statue. We really had a great time.
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| Cristo Redentor meets the crowd |
After we had all those photos,
the first train arrived, the crowd started to flock the area. It’s true that
when you are with the crowd, you’ll going to be haggling for photo
opportunities. Lots of people come together, not enough space for a good view
of the statue. Oh well, I still enjoyed being with the crowd for quite a few
minutes and in fact I took pictures of them as well. Then I returned back to
the meeting place taking the stairs going down. Lots of souvenir shops along
the way, though for me it’s a bit pricey, yet it’s the thought that I bought it
on site really counts. I just bought few little things and two rosaries. I was
thinking of buying the replica of the statue since our guide told us that
whatever the materials made with the original statue is the same with the
replica that the shop was selling. What made me decide not to buy it’s because
I’ll be going to Peru for a week and I am afraid I will just broke it into
pieces while on travel and I still have enough time to scout for souvenirs when
I’m back in Rio after a week.
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| Cristo Redentor ar sunrise (view from my hotel room in Copacabana) |
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| Cristo Redentor's first visitors for the day |
It was a nice trip; it was worth
all the effort to go there early. Being there early gives us a nice weather as
well, not with the striking heat of the sun. Cold breeze from the forest,
you’ll feel fresh since it’s just early.
We went back to the park’s van
for them to take us back to our van waiting at the ticketing station. The views
along the way are impressive. We can pass by the Tijuca rainforest which as per
our guide was once rehabilitated due to drought in the city. A bit of history
was shared by our guide, I cannot remember it all but it’s so nice knowing how
it was before and how it became what it is now. The area of the Christ the
Redeemer statue was once a frequented area by the Emperor (not quite sure of
the term but a thought of a high ruler of Brazil). And when Portuguese came as
a symbol of Christianity, the Christ the Redeemer statue was built.
Another access to the Christ the
Redeemer statue is by train. It is said to transport passengers from ground
station to the top for 20 minutes and the train departs every 20 minutes as
well, and operating daily from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm. Due to limited capacity,
considering the number of tourists who wants to go to the park, sometimes
waiting in line in order to get on board the train will take an hour or two. It
will be a sacrifice but I guarantee you, it’s all worth it.
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