OUR HEROES AND BRAVE FRIENDS FROM BRUNEI - THE FIRST ADVENTURERS TO REACH PARQUE DA CIDADE AFTER THE TRAGEDY

For everything in life, if you want to do it in a perfect way, we have to reach the top no matter what difficulty we find in life, we have to conquer our challenges. Me and my brave friends Pauline and Jeff have something in common...THE TASTE OF ADVENTURE!!!

And they were my VERY FIRST GUESTS to reach the top of our magical place in Niteroi, the PARQUE DA CIDADE MOUNTAINS, after all the rain and landslides that caused to many destructions and death in the city of Niteroi. It is indeed the most impressive viewpoint at the famous mountains of Rio, Corcovado and the Sugar Loaf.

In normal days everyone can go there by car and the best thing is that we do no pay anything to go there!!! It is public free!!!

We got into the forest of Tiririca and walked in very easy trails until reaching the not affected part of the road, the acess is a little bit difficult because of the hit and some naughty mosquitoes but we got there!

The funniest part was going to the forest without being noticed by the FOREST GUARD, that gave us a little taste of adventure and it was really great to walk through the eucaliptus forests (with no koalas - kisses to Australia!!! - of course) and the expectation to come accross with a snake in any time. Lucky we did not see any snakes and I am very aware of it.

When we reached the top, we had the place just for ourselves and we could see how GORGEOUS Rio de Janeiro is, from the top of the hill we can see all over the city of Rio from a very different perspective anbd we could understand more of the city of Niteroi which must be addedd with honor and glory to every traveller's list!

It is great that now two more people are living in the great palace of my heart...Jeff and Pauline are now dear friends that I will always remember!!! And they surely have all my gratitude for so much confidence and friendship given to me!

THANK YOU FOLKS!!!!

RAFAEL TORRES LOPES

Tour Guide and Travel Planner

HAPPY FAMILY FROM TEXAS WITH A COSTA RICAN TASTE

I am sure Maria got to their lives to put some AZUCAR taste to this already "sweet" family from McAllen,Texas - USA. A little southern town in the Great River Valley, famous for the Quinta Mazatlan, but also a very close stop point to many birding parks in South Padre Island, fantastic variety of birds in that coastal area.

So they came to Rio, Maria, her husband Jason and Jason's parents, my sweet friend Priscilla and the King and Almighty friend Will, they stayed at Marta's place, such a magnificent guests house on the beach of Copacabana, you can see more of her website at http://www.rioguesthouse.com/ - And I was in charge to show all of Rio in just one single day, and we did it, and I also made them "glyde" in the skies of Niteroi.

We started our day heading the Forest of Tijuca with a quick stop in my PLAN B...the Mirante Dona Marta where you can see the Christ Mountain and all over Rio but with no crowd, very few people know about this place but it is one of the options that you have to see the whole city and the access there is free, after that we finally reached the Christ, our famous and most important attraction, we had a ball there!!! but we headed to the Forest until the waterfall of Cascatinha but before that we had a baptism, Jason was baptized as Jason Brasileiro, hahahaha :) They have the pictures! When we finally reached the Falls they realized that Rio was much more than expected, but we had to continue because we had to see more of the city, and I took the to the gated community of Joa where the Atlantic Ocean with all its fury make a real surfing festival for the locals. We completed our visit to Rio and then we cross the Bay and visited Niteroi.

In Niteroi, we did the classical tour of MAC, our Modern Art Museum. From this point you have very unique vistas of our Bayside, we can clearly see the island of Boa Viagem and the beach of Icaraí, them we had lunch in a very brazilian resturant with yummy food, A MINEIRA, and as a grand finale...

WE WENT TO PARQUE DA CIDADE, a privileged viewpoint that is a real highlight to any trip to Rio, and from there, thanks to my friends and paraglyding instructors, Jason and Maria jumped.

We had a perfect day and for sure they will come back for more! I had 4 interesting guests and I ended up with marvelous 4 Great friends!!!!

I am sure that everywhere they go and everyone they meet that will recommend Rio as a great destination to discover!!!!

Thank you my friends for a wonderful day!!!

Rafa

IMAGES THAT STICK IN YOUR HEART - THE GREAT SURPRISE: NITEROI

Explosion of happiness in Niteroi - Parque da Cidade

An incredible overview of everything you visited

We know how to get there....

Words are useless to describe how much I love this city!!!!

Niteroi is part of my golden teenager times!!! And it is a very intense part of my own present!!!

Niteroi holds many surprises that a normal traveller will never reach....

There is a place in the Bay Side that very few people know, but all locals go there and I am going there since I was 10 or 12 in my way more adventurous times...Now I am just a simple adventurous tour guide...hehehehehe, in that time I was just a "daring kid"

PARQUE DA CIDADE is a place where every visitor fall in love, but how can't you????

True...best sunset in the State, I can tell you, this is one of the best places!!!

I can teach you the CAMINHO DAS PEDRAS to go there!!!

You must be asking yourself WHAT A HEC is caminho das pedras, right???

Caminho das Pedras is a way we have when we want to tell you a secret so badly....

But this is for sure the best way to spot all over Rio de Janeiro in a very privileged way...

AND IT IS MY PHOTOGRAPH PLAYGROUND.

Marcone and I usually go there in our tours and also in our free time, and I have to go there much more to continue a "certain course"...

Enjoy the images and let me know if you like it!!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

donrafainrio@yahoo.es

MORE GUESTS FROM ARGENTINA AND A GOOD FRIEND I MADE IN BUENOS AIRES

As you can see, we live on the edge!!!! :) hahahahahahhaa :))))))))

My guests need ACTION...so all the time in my tours they "suffer"...but if it is a "pleasant torture" where the punishment is seeing the most beautiful spots of Niteroi, like the view point of Parque da Cidade and the very old fort of Santa Cruz constructed in 1565.

Leo is from Buenos Aires and he came here to spend some days in Rio, one day with me when I usually provide a wide introduction of Rio and the rest he was alone in the town discovering new places and making new friends!!!

Buenos Aires is not so far and we always have our argentinean brothers!

And his city I love and I often visit for many reasons, my friends and my work!!!

ONCE AGAIN LEO IS ONE OF OUR VISITORS WHO PROVES THAT NITEROI IS INDEED ONE OF THE BEST SECRETS OF ANY TRIP IN RIO!!!!!

Now some spanish: LEO...que gusto muy grande fué tenerte en Rio y enseñar lo que tenemos de mejor, asi que Rio siempre será tu hogar fuera de Baires!!!

Aqui tenés un amigo y una familia, siempre que venir!!!

SALUDOS FUERTES Y UN SUPER ABRAZO,

Rafa