Rio to Macae - Crew Change Day

Crew change this week. Flew into Rio on Monday night and stayed at the Luxor Hotel in the airport. Sounds better than it is. Certainly no palace. For a start it has no windows, second it's in an airport and third has only 3 English speaking channels but a squillion Portuguese channels which are either football or crap talk shows.

The next day we left for Macae. The journey takes you near downtown.

Rio de Janeiro from the Rio–Niterói Bridge

They are working on the airport, road, everything for the forthcoming Olympics in 2016. One can't get the feeling that there is a bit of sweeping under the carpet though. As many are aware, Brasil is a country of huge contrasts between rich and poor. The poor live in favelas which, if they are at the side of the road, create a bad impression.


So what do you do? Why, you hide the slums behind sound barriers...


Of course some people live in the green belt way outside on the edges of Niteroi.


Some even have nice water views.


Meanwhile those with the cash can be the proud owner of one of these new cars. All they need are the windows to be tinted so the roadside hijackers can't see in.


Others can do their DIY shopping at Leroy Merlin or get all their food at Carrefour.



Oh well, there is still hope I guess for this beautiful, if somewhat disturbingly juxtaposed country.