Niterói (July '11)

Caroicas like to joke that the best thing about Niterói is the view across the bay to Rio de Janeiro...

Niterói is a city across the Guanabara bay from Rio, and to get there you can take a ferry or the spectacular Niterói bridge ...



Once across the bridge life still follows the typical Rio attitude, seemingly at a slower and quieter pace...

On a weekend, the contrast with Ipanema or Leblon beach couldn't be greater...

The main attraction of the day was the Fortaleza de Santa Cruz. It sits on a rocky outcrop opposite Pão de Açúcar, and guards the entrance to Guanabara Bay.

It is an ideal site for cannon to protect the city against against invasion (twice successfully achieved - Dutch & French), and also a great site for posing...



Once inside the fort we realised it probably wasn't a bad place to be stationed...

...unless you're a prisoner

The batteries of cannon were an impressive place to explore (built by the British of course)...

The gunners certainly had some iconic views to check their range...

Enjoying Rio from every angle...

Beijos, Bhavna & Rob

Fazendinha (July 11)

Rory's favourite place to visit in the UK was the childrens' farm or 'Fazendinha'... The excitement was at fever-pitch when we finally found one near Rio; but how will it measure up against Bockett's farm?

We would never have found the farm without the help of our great friends Milena and Tom.

After a quick snack we headed straight for the horse rides, which were particuarly popular...

Unfortunately for the horse, he had to take both Bhavna and Rory (as it was Rory's first time riding)...

Rory's favourite event at Bockett's is the pig-race, there were definately some piglets, but it was much too hot for racing....

However there was still a special race to enjoy, not pigs, but the tartargua (terrapine) race!



Could Belle and Billy be participating? Of course the female won!

Jasmine was right not to turn her back on the emu, or on the geese (very reminiscent of times at Bushy Park).



 

There were plenty of fluffy animals of all sorts to be fed and stroked...

 

With health and safety not being an issue, milking a cow was a real novelty, poor cow!

Then came the opportunity for a bake off! Hair nets on, lets bake!

After a fun filled day, there was just enough time to feed the ducks one last time.

We all had a fabulous day, and the verdict? - We'll definitely come back again!

Bonde experience ( June ´11 )

The bonde that travels up to Santa Teresa from Centro is the last of the historic streetcars that once crisscrossed the city.

After joining at Carioca station, near Lapa, the bonde travels over the Arcos de Lapa - one of Rio's iconic sights. Built as an aqueduct in 1723 to bring fresh water from the Carioca river to the population of the city, it was converted to a viaduct for the Bonde in 1896. It is pretty high, and people hang on to the side of the trams crossing the Arcos...



quite fearlessly...

The tram clatters up through the cobbled streets towards bohemian Santa Teresa, where we stoppped to recharge our batteries.

The relief of getting off the tram safely was apparent to all ...

During lunch we agreed that it was possible to improve the standard of tram driving ...

The views of Centro are rather exciting for some .... (the darlek shaped concrete building - is the modern Rio de Janeiro Catherdal).

Unfortunately one of the Bondes crashed on the 27th August due to passenger overloading and some 23 technical faults being blamed including the brakes. There were sadly some deaths and many injured, so the future of the Bonde is unknown...

Rob & Bhavna xx