"Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is 39.6 metres (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 metres (31 ft) pedestal, and 30 metres (98 ft) wide. It weighs 635tonnes (625 long,700 short tons), and is located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca ForestNational Park overlooking the city. A symbol of Brazilian Christianity, the statue has become an icon for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, and was constructed between 1922 and 1931.
On July 7, 2007, in Lisbon (Estádio da Luz), Christ the Redeemer was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a list compiled by the Swiss-based The New Open World Corporation. Leading corporate sponsors, including Banco Bradesco and Rede Globo, had lobbied to have the statue voted into the top seven."
This is the 4th new wonder that I have visited (The previous ones include The Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan & Taj Mahal in India). I also visited Machu Picchu in Peru subsequently. This is the least impressive wonder among the 5 new wonders I have seen. I have seen more impressive monuments that did not make it to the new wonder list - namely, the Potala Palace in Tibet, Ang Kor Wat in Cambodia, Old City in Jerusalem etc...
The Statue of Jesus Christ
Close-up
Mystical Christ.
It was a foggy day.
I love the happy expression of the folks.
"Lapa is a neighbourhood in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. It is located in the centre of Rio and is famous for its historical monuments and nightlife. Since the early 1950s, Lapa has been known for its lively cultural life, concentrating many restaurants and bars where Brazilian artists and intellectuals used to meet."
A Street full of grafitti
This is the kind of Rio that I had in mind.
Nice!
Creative!
"Escadaria Selarón is a set of world-famous steps in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They are the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón who claims it as "my tribute to the Brazilian people". In 1990, Selarón began renovating a dilapidated steps that ran along the front of his house. At first, neighbours mocked him for his choice of colours as he covered the steps in fragments of blue, green and yellow tiles – the colours of the Brazilian flag. It started out as a side-project to his main passion, painting but soon became an obsession. He found he was constantly out of money so sold paintings to fund his work. It was long and exhaustive work but he continued on and eventually covered the entire set of steps in tiles, ceramics and mirrors."
Jorge Selarón (The gentlemen in red)
Impressive piece of art.
Impressive passion and determination of the artist.
Tiles from all over the world.
Remember to bring a tile if you visit here in the future.
"Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil (Rio De Janeiro) and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival. Considered one of the most popular Brazilian cultural expressions, samba has become an icon of Brazilian national identity. The Bahian Samba de Roda (dance circle), which became a UNESCO Heritage of Humanity in 2005, is the main root of the samba carioca, the samba that is played and danced in Rio de Janeiro."
No visit to Rio De Janeiro will be complete without checking out its Samba scene. I went to Rio Scenarium which was touted to be one of the best Samba club in Rio and top 10 bars of the world (voted by the UK Guardian). And my verdict is "I LOVE IT!!!"
Samba encapsulates the Spirit of Rio!
Samba encapsulates the Spirit of Rio!
Rio Scenarium
I love dancing & swinging to the Samba music.
Old folks, young kids, tourists are dancing together on the floor. It is more like a family event where everybody - young and old - dances freely. Everybody was enjoying themselves. I really hope there is such a culture in Asia - it would be fun dancing together with my parents, my aunts, my cousins & my nieces =)
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