January 5, 2015
Day 4:
Today we arrived in Rio de Janiero! We got to our hotel and started to check-in, when suddenly Harley realized he didn’t have his passport. He frantically started searching his backpack and his pockets but it was nowhere to be found. So, Tait had to spend the day trying to get Harley a temporary passport. At first we were sad that we had to cancel our plans but our moods took a turn for the better once we were informed that our hotel had a rooftop pool. It ended up being a great day! The view from our hotel was absolutely breathtaking! We were able to see Christ the Redeemer in the distance along with one of the many favelas. We spent the day on the rooftop tanning and swimming, which was much needed after a few early mornings and long nights.
Day 4:
Today we arrived in Rio de Janiero! We got to our hotel and started to check-in, when suddenly Harley realized he didn’t have his passport. He frantically started searching his backpack and his pockets but it was nowhere to be found. So, Tait had to spend the day trying to get Harley a temporary passport. At first we were sad that we had to cancel our plans but our moods took a turn for the better once we were informed that our hotel had a rooftop pool. It ended up being a great day! The view from our hotel was absolutely breathtaking! We were able to see Christ the Redeemer in the distance along with one of the many favelas. We spent the day on the rooftop tanning and swimming, which was much needed after a few early mornings and long nights.
January 6, 2015
Day 5:
Today we went to see the famous Christ the Redeemer! We rode the subway for the first time in Brazil, which was different. It was definitely much cleaner than the subway in New York and had less crazy people lurking around. I was very excited to see the statue but when we got there I was a little surprised. I knew it was going to be crowded, but when I say you could barely walk, I’m serious. Aside from the crazy tourists, the views were absolutely breathtaking! It is amazing to finally see something in person that you’ve only seen in pictures or online. From Christ the Redeemer we were able to see Sugar Loaf Mountain, which was very beautiful.
After we finished taking a ton of photos, we tried looking for a hiking trail nearby. After asking several people about hiking trails, we never found one. So we ended up just going back to the hotel. Once we got back to the hotel we showered and got ready for dinner. After dinner we went to Copacabana Beach. It was a really nice beach! We walked around for a little bit and watched the sunset. We then had dinner by the beach at a delicious restaurant. Today was a fantastic day!
January 7, 2015
Day 6:
This morning Tait gave us the option of going to Copacabana Beach before we had to meet with representatives from the company Chevron. Although we only had a few hours, our time at the beach was very well spent. Most of the time was spent catching some rays as we lounged on our towels taking in the spectacular view. Once we got back to the hotel we showered and got ready for our meeting with Chevron. We took the subway again and walked to the Chevron building. Once we got there we were escorted to the room where the discussion would take place.
There were many issues that were discussed in our meeting. There were many issues regarding oil and gas in Brazil and the utilization of the pre-salt layer. They also went into full detail how they would go about extracting the oil from the ground. We talked about the geology of Brazil and the efforts that could be done to stop disasters such as landslides. One of the representatives also went into great detail about seismology and the computer software they use to extract that data. Lastly, another representative discussed the seven biomes of Brazil and their temperatures and risks.
After our very informing meeting with Chevron, we went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. For dinner we went to another restaurant near the hotel. Myself along with many others on the trip decided to get pizza. The “plain cheese pizza” in Brazil is almost identical to a “margarita” pizza in the US. Again, dinner was very tasty! After dinner we headed back to the hotel and relaxed after yet another great day in Rio de Janiero!
January 13, 2015
Day 13:
Sadly, this was our last day in Brazil. Today we went on a hike in the largest urban forest known as Tijuca National Park. Tijuca was once used for sugar and coffee. I was under the impression that it was going to be an easy hike but I did not take into account the heat and humidity. The hike was very fun and I wish we were able to do more hiking in Brazil. It actually surprised me that we didn’t see much wildlife while on our hike. On our hike we came across an example of where a landslide took place, which was very cool. Also on our hike the group decided to climb a tree (pictured below.) It was definitely a mission for me to climb the tree, along with trying to get down.
After our awesome hike, we went back to the hotel, changed into our bathing suits, and jumped into the pool. We spent the rest of the day poolside, taking in the hot sun before we headed back to the cold winter weather in New Jersey. After the pool, we showered and made our way to the airport.
I couldn’t have asked for a better group of students to travel to Brazil with. Over the past two weeks I have made great friendships that will continue for years to come. I hope students in the future are fortunate enough to get the opportunity to experience such a great trip like I did.