The Best Thing Since Sliced Sugarloaf

Pão de Açúcar / Sugarloaf

 Coco Loco  -  cachaça, coconut milk, coconut water,

condensed milk and ice cream - yum!

We were waiting and waiting for the clearest of days during these cooler months so we could explore TripAdvisor’s top rated site in Rio, which is the most famous viewpoint in all of the city, if not the country. However, time was slowly running out and our remaining weekends in Brazil were now countable on one hand, so we had to bite the bullet and just go for it. In the morning we took the bus to Copacabana and started the day with a bang as we explored Zona Sul, feeling a bit more comfortable walking around the streets than we had when we arrived in February. I say bang because one of the first things we did was try a cocktail called Coco Loco, which was was not only delicious but meant we started the morning with a bit of a buzz. The weather was a little hazy and we were worried that it wouldn’t clear up but after lunch it looked significantly better, so we jumped in taxi and headed to the foot of the first mountain.

We were expecting a queue but there were very few people and we managed to get a good spot on the first cable car that arrived. Seemingly about 1pm is a great time to go as most people are eating lunch. With the morning haze cleared up, the cable car journey was beautiful. Even Katie, with her fear of heights, seemed to love this one (although not my comments on the reliability of the engineering in Brazil).

The first cable car took us up to the mountain called Urca, where there is a large selection of shops, restaurants, and cafes. There are also several view points, and the one over woodland was great for bird-snapping. From Urca you could take a (very short, very expensive) helicopter ride but we decided against it as neither of us had any spare underwear and we have seen how Cariocas drive cars...let alone helicopters. Urca had some of the best views of Rio we have seen, with Christ visible of course, as well as most of Zona Sul (South Zone) such as Ipanema and Copacabana.

From Urca you can take a second cable car to the actual Sugarloaf mountain, which is a lot higher than Urca and hence has a different perspective of the city. We ate ice cream (Dolce de Leite Magnum and a Cornetto), drank beer, watched a giant lizard, spied on a private beach, and generally just absorbed the view for over an hour. It was a great way to spend an afternoon and if you visit Rio, it’s an absolute must-see.

Feira do Hippie

Every Sunday in Ipanema there is a market called the Hippie Market (Feira do Hippie), and the day after visiting Sugarloaf we decided to take a morning and see what all the fuss was about. As our regular readers know, we are massive market lovers and can think of no better way to spend a morning/day/night than looking at the delightful items and same-same tat that is sold around the world. The hippie market was very nice and sold many items that we haven’t seen anywhere else. Also the stalls didn’t all sell the same things as each other, most stalls were unique actually, which meant we had to navigate the entire market to ensure we didn’t miss the one thing we wanted! The market isn’t that big and you can walk around in an hour easily (depending on how many things you buy of course.)

We bought a bag that Katie fell in love with when she saw one Swedish friends in Jeri had. I bought the hardest thing in the world to transport back in a suitcase; a huge round plate of painted glass that is as beautiful as it is fragile. Anyway it will look lovely hanging in the window of a new flat somewhere.

That’s about that for today, enjoy the rest of the photos from our glorious weekend living the #RioLife.

Copacabana Beach. Have you heard of it? I'm not sure it's that well known...

Ipanema Beach

People were climbing Urca and Sugarloaf!

Sugarloaf from Urca Mountain

There's quite a lot of wildlife at the top of Urca. We saw this Mico...

A huge lizard...

Lots of leaf-cutter ants...

And have you ever seen such a red bird?! Beautiful

The view from the top of Sugarloaf

Christ from Sugarloaf

A Little & Large Market

Every Sunday there is a farmers' market in Barra that sells everything from fruit and veg to paintings and pastels (a kind of Brazilian pasty). A few weeks ago we took a lovely little stroll down the beach to the market, and a harder one back home again due to the heat and the physical exertion of walking on wet sand. In Brazil a lot of food shopping is done on Sundays, at markets across the country. It results in these bustling hives of activity, which are a great place to people watch... and chilli watch.

I took these photos on my phone so please excuse the poor quality. I still don’t feel 100% secure taking a £300 camera out and about with me without fear of being robbed. There is certainly crime in Rio de Janeiro although so far we have been untouched by it. I think carrying an object worth more than the average monthly salary in a country with a lot of poverty is just asking for trouble though. It's still difficult to know whether we are being overly cautious or rightfully wary.

Anyway we ended our Barra market trip with a pastel. When I took this photo I didn’t notice the partially naked man in the background, as this sight is so common place in Rio.

On a different day we went to Feira de São Cristóvão, or Saint Cristovao Market depending on your openness to the foreign tongue. We met up with a work colleague of mine, Cris, who showed us around this big market. It was a lovely way to spend a day and all three of us had a great time. We saw a couple of shops dedicated to Cachaça.

These bottles had various fruits floating around in them to impart flavour...and one of them had garlic in!

Meat on stick! Oh how I missed thee.

The market had a lot of tat for sale. However unlike the majority of Asian markets we have been to, there wasn't any hassle or pressure coming from the store owners. There was no physical forcing into stores and no immediate bartering attempt at every product you looked at or touched. People just let you wander in and out as you pleased. It meant that it felt more like a shopping centre than a market and in the hot weather it was much appreciated and created a very pleasant atmosphere. We bought a couple of trinkets to homely up our flat a little bit but generally there wasn’t too much that we were interested in.

However we were not really there to consume with our increased purchasing power, we were there to experience and enjoy the atmosphere. There were two big stages that hosted live music throughout the day and people came and danced the hours away. There was a great family atmosphere with many young families here who had come to seemingly just enjoy the music and the entertainment and have some of the delicious Brazilian cuisine that Katie spoke about here.

The restaurant kindly offered props for some really authentic photo opportunities!

As well as the big stages, there were a few smaller ones nestled between the stalls. This couple were loving it!

Just a short one today... Tchau.

Gukje & Gupo Market

Gukje market is THE place to shop in Busan. This market is full of clothes, foreign foods and strangeness. The market is in Nampo and is impossible to miss 'cause it is huge. I seriously love this place and have just bought a boatload of souvenirs from the market.

I love the smell of fake genuine goods.... And now moving from Gukje market to Gupo market, this is where you will find some true Korean uniqueness!

Gupo market is a traditional market that it a stones throw away from Katie’s apartment. Every day they have a variety of fresh fish and other foodstuffs for sale. This market is where you can get a real feel for what Korean life is like, since it is not a tourist spot and so makes a great visit! As you get further into the market you start to find kitchenware, woodwork and some clothing as well.

Anyone living in the nearby area should definitely visit because you can save yourself a pretty penny by buying some household items here, and things like cheap detergent and toiletries. You even have specialised stalls that may only sell one thing.

The old classic garlic stall. Korea eats more garlic per person than any other country in the world so I guess it’s not that shocking. After you emerge from the bustling and slightly mad Korean market stalls and exit via the back entrance, we get to the slightly more seedy side of Gupo Market. The side that has made it (in)famous.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS ARE EXTREMELY GRAPHIC AND ANIMAL LOVERS SHOULD VIEW THEM WITH CAUTION!

This seedy street is where they house the animal produce. You have your everyday chickens and pigs, with a few goats thrown in, but then you come across a strange sight. This photo is the best I could get (they don't let you take photos) of the different animals they have here for sale.

Starting at the back we have DOGS, then MORE DOGS on the middle left, and then RABBITS on middle right. On the bottom row, we have TURTLES in the yellow box with CATS next door to them and PUPPIES in the next cage. What a unique and bizarre sight!

You are soon overwhelmed by the rather distinctive and disturbing smell of wet dog and you come across dozens of cages with lots of hounds crammed in.

Anyone that read this blog will know that I have no qualms with eating dog or breeding dogs for food. In my opinion they are like any other animal that we eat and you have to remember that these dogs are not your pets. They have been specifically bred for the purpose of eating. I would also like to point out that the majority of Koreans DO NOT AGREE with eating dog. It is mainly the older generation who eat it and it is very traditional and embedded in their culture.

And as with a lot of traditions, it is morally ambiguous. For instance, who amongst you believes that Kosher / Halal meat should be sold? I imagine the majority, yet it has been banned for sale in New Zealand and Holland due to the fact that you kill the animal without first stunning it. This causes unnecessary pain to the animal and therefore this traditional method has been banned in a handful of countries. My point being is that traditions are difficult to outlaw and always a touchy subject.

What I feel uncomfortable about here are the conditions that the animals in Gupo Market are kept in - it's quite appalling. Especially when you see the pet stores on the opposite side of the street. How bizarre!

This final picture is really quite disturbing so I give you another warning before reading. As well as there being live dogs, there are equally as many dogs that have been butchered, ready to be cooked.

That is graphic so sorry to any dog lovers out there. Please also note that Koreans are trying to stop the eating of dog but as with stopping any tradition, it comes with great outrage from people who believe that dog is just a meat like any other, so why shouldn’t we eat it?