Monday, May 10, 2010

[LAIST] A Weekend in Rio de Janeiro

[LAIST Tour Begins, Fazenda Tozan, Churrascaria – Nova Pampa, Port of Santos, Deloitte, Embraer, Natura, Gol de Letra, Bom Bril, Agencia Click, Nextel Institute, May 6, Rio, Rio Weekend, Petrobras, PREVI]

Saturday in Rio – Christ the Redeemer

We had planned to visit Sugar Loaf Mountain, but the conditions were not appropriate for a visit so we ended up going to Christ the Redeemer. We also picked up some supplies for the soccer match the next day. We also got a chance to check out the local night life.

Flamengo versus Sao Paulo

Our guide took us to a soccer match at Maracana between Flamengo (the soccer club with the second largest fan base, second only to Manchester United). As we were walking to the Metro station, already half a street away from our hotel and decked out in Flamengo gear, we were being heckled by a Sao Paulo fan.

We were certainly sitting in the right section as there was almost as much entertainment behind us as there was on the field. The fans are passionate, cheering through the entire game non-stop and waving their massive flags. While we didn’t understand the Portuguese cheers, we shouted similar phonetic sounds while mimicking the same motions.

While the game ended in a 1:1 tie, it was certainly an experience to be there when the team scored a goal (as well as each time there was a “controversial” call). I can understand why this experience and culture would be described as a “religion” by our guide.

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