The Country Mice

Ah yes, another summer, another story. Last year my little one and I were toodling about the arctic circle. This year, the Olympics beckoned via our Athletics Canada connections and while none of us has been too sure what to expect, begging your indulgence, what follows is an attempt to share and elucidate along the way.

We wandered our first day only slightly travel weary — a lengthy sub-Equatorial journey but only four hours time difference — and found some of the positive energy and revitalization brought to the city via the Olympics. 

This area in the Centro neighbourhood appears to be an old shipping industrial area as it sits only a couple of blocks from the water, with warehouse-style buildings and railway tracks. 

Most of the buildings had huge line-ups so we weren’t certain what lay within, although they appeared to be sports-themed venues for children and adults, a place to try out the various events on a small scale.

At the tip of the peak in the picture with the yellow cat-creature you can see a slight profile of Cristo Redentor — Christ the Redeemer statue. There ought to be a closer picture of the statue coming later this week.

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And if you’ve been paying attention at all to the reports of a heightened military presence in Rio over the next two weeks, I can affirm that we are feeling quite safe, although it’s a bit disquieting to think what the area would be like were not all these folks in place. Flashing lights, motorcades, sirens, the whump-whump-whump-whump of military helicopters…. it’s always good and smart to depart from one’s homeland for a while to appreciate the luxury of the lifestyle that is Canada.

And speaking of petty crime — I will say in advance that the photos this trip will not be to my usual, ahh, photojournalistic standards. At the last moment I elected to leave my camera at home and to use only my phone. Enough said.

Nothing like a familiar few letters to beckon from a rainy (sudden switch in weather; this is winter, after all) afternoon. Canada House is set to welcome friends and family of competing athletes. To soothe the gastronomically homesick there’s McDonalds coffee (what?! No Tim Horton’s?), Hudsons Bay Olympic clothing, Labatt’s beer, wifi courtesy of Bell, Oreo cookies, Wheat Thins crackers, and very very good food. 

All themed in red and white.

And very very friendly.

Following lunch we thought we’d head to a couple of events at a couple of venues. The various venues are spread all over the city, far and wide, north and south, far and wide, and far. Very far.

But how would we know that? 

Very far.

Too far for the subway, which we’d taken to get from our hotel in Centro to Canada House in Copacabana. Yep, that one.

Call Uber, said the smart people at Canada House. 

Oh Uber I love you. 

Download the app (thank you, Bell), address for pickup and destination, press ‘go.’ 

Your driver will be there in 10 minutes. Your driver will be there in 5 minutes. Your driver has arrived. Your driver’s name is Tomas. The vehicle is a Volkwagen with license number xyz. Your fare will be R$75, automatically charged to your credit card. Your destination is 20 minutes away.

Oh Uber.

Tomas spoke no English but his mobile chattered away at him for the entire journey.

Which (oh Uber….) took 158 minutes and cost R$111 (R$125 after I tipped poor haggard Tomas the R$14 I had in my pocket). I can’t be sure how Uber got it wrong but I think the chock-a-block Rio traffic might have had something to do with it.

So arriving somewhat behind schedule we did manage to witness the end of the women’s basketball game against Senegal (devoted Senegalese fans actually booed… Our team won anyway)…

…. and the field hockey game between Great Britain and Australia. The biggest dilemma of course was deciding for whom to cheer — the mother country or the commonwealth cousin? Discreetly, we clapped for both. No booing here.
 

And you needn’t ask how we got home. One hour and R$12.

Boa noite!