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

A WORK OF HEART - TERRY YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME!!!!

Just as usual, I had a guest, and I ended up with a great friend!!!! :)))))) Mr. Brayboy!!! :) Terry for good friends!!!! Talking about friend, Terry is a friend of Brazil. He comes here very often and now he has Rio as his main destination in Brazil.

We had a tour yesterday, sunday afternoon, october 25th...

More than a tour we had such a great day, Marcone came with us, so Terry had TWO GUIDES...and we had a challenge:

Showing him in a half day what he could have seen in two days!!!!! Good, we love changes, and as you all know, Marcone is also one of the best tour guides that I have...

We met him in a apartment Terry rented in Copacabana and we took him to Niteroi.

Very few people know that Niteroi is one of the most hidden surprises in any tour to Rio, I was born and raised there, and humbling speaking I know the city as the palm of my hand, and I know exactly what people expect to see, places where locals love having fun, wild beaches and many view points that offers a very unique view of Rio from the opposite side of the Bay, the Guanabara Bay.

Not only we explored all over the Bay Side, visiting the CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM, the so famous "spaceship" (I am sorry OSCAR, but it is an UFO!!!!), we drove along the bay passing in Icarai beach, entering in Froes Road to finally reach the inlet of São Francisco; we decided to reach the famous viewpoint of Parque da Cidade, the weather was not likely to have a cool sunset, then we decided to show our friend Terry the oceanside of Niteroi which normally demands one more different full day.

Then we drove to the ocean beaches of Piratininga, and we stopped in Camboinhas Beach to see the GUARANI indian tribe by the Canal de Itaipu and we finished our day DANCING IN THE RAIN AT ITACOATIARA BEACH!!!!

In a half day (which was a full day indeed) we did both sides, the Bay and the Ocean, we had lots of laughs giving Terry two more arms, and we danced with our umbrellas on the impressive rock of Itacoatiara, we also showed how lovely Rio can be seen from the other side of the Bay!!!!

Marcone and I we have lots of passion for our activity, and when we work with our guests, we give them our souls!!!!

That is why Rio is so dear for real travellers who always write to me requesting for more tours and tours!!!!

That is why we enormously thank Terry, from the lovely mountainous state of North Carolina for such a precious confidence and friendship and we are very sure that he will always be back!!!!

Rafael Torres Lopes

Tour Guide and Travel Planner

donrafainrio@yahoo.es