Today, Friday, January 26th was jammed packed with activities beginning with a wake up call at 7:30 am to hike Corcovada Mountain. We already visited Corcovada Mountain to tour the famous Christ the Redeemer statue, but we decided to hike in Tijuca Forest for a more in depth experience. Our goal was to hike the mountain in an hour and a half and with minimal breaks and incredible stamina, we did so in an hour and twenty minutes! We were able to see the interior of the Tijuca Forest National Park, a place that felt apart from the city and reminded us of our wilderness days in the Amazon. Unfortunately the mountain was surrounded by a cloud so the view was foggy but running down the mountain in the light rain made it well worth the journey.

After the hike, we quickly showered our sweat soaked bodies and ventured to the Santa Teresa railroad for a well deserved meal at one of the best feijoada restaurants in Rio. We road a charming yellow cable car to an artsy neighborhood in the mountains. Bar do Mineiro was the name of the restaurant, it was packed with people chowing down on beans with dried meat and sausage, fluffy white rice, sauteed kale, orange slices, and creamy mashed pumpkin. Together, these foods make up the traditional Brazilian feijoada and it was delicious!

Finally, after a hearty meal, we road back to the city and visited the Selaron Steps, an art project made by a Brazilian who collected tiles from around the world and created a colorful staircase out of the mosaic. The colors popped against the concrete steps and seemed to fit with the bright colors that make up Brazilian culture.

Overall our day was tiring yet rewarding. We were able to get our heart rates up while adventuring through the urban Tijuca forest which makes up 3% of Rio, ate a traditional Brazilian meal, and saw a landmark that represents the diversity and artistic life within Rio. Our days are winding down but at least we were able to check off some of our sites to see today.

-Camille and Isabel