Just Keep Swimming: Christ the Redeemer

On the 19th, we finally went to see the famous Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado mountain. We took the long way there by first stopping at the Chinese Overlook that sits across the mountain range from the actual statue. The Chinese Overlook is a small pagoda built in the 20th century by Chinese immigrants that came to Brazil to start a tea plantation. It's one of the few perspectives from where you can see both the Christ statue and Sugar Loaf at the same time. The drive through the mountains was extremely scary. The roads are narrow and random people, cars, and bikers pop out of nowhere! Not to mention you can't see what's at the top/bottom of a hill or around a tight corner 99% of the time.

Luckily we survived to see the spectacular view of the city at night. Because there were so few people, it was very quiet and serene. I was almost afraid to talk too loud. The air had cooled down significantly, but the ground and stone railings were still warm from the sun. Standing under the majestic glow and watchful eyes of Christ, I felt very at peace. Up close, it was interesting to see the heart carved onto his chest and small diamonds cut out-of the palms of his hands. The view to our left was the new world cup stadium. Straight ahead was the view of Sugar Loaf. Towards the right we could see the cemetery near Botafogo where we stop when riding the 434. To the right of the cemetery was the Lagoa. Copacabana and Ipanema were above the Lagoa. Because we arrived by car, we were allowed to stay after everyone else had left. We also stopped to pray at the small chapel located at the base of the statue.