Jardim Botanico

On Tuesday, the weather once again, was not up to the Rio standard we had in mind! That said, it was still really humid and we didn't fancy sitting around our hostel, as the beach was not an option. At our hostel, they have a little board by the breakfast area, that tells you what is going on that day, and where you can get into places for free on certain days. We both spotted 'Botanical Gardens' and decided that was what we would do, as Tom is a great lover of all things planty and animaly.

We hailed a taxi within seconds outside our hostel, and after a short $R20.00 journey, along the large lake, we were there. Entry into the gardens was a mere $R7.00 (£1.75) and we were greeted by huge palm trees at the entrance. Once again we couldn't believe that we stepped through a gate that separated the city, and the rain forest (Rio has the capability to do that a lot!). 

The first thing we noticed was how big everything was. Leaves, trunks and root sizes were bigger than us. Even the ants were triple the size of the ones in England, it was clear that everything just thrives in these tropical climates.

The whole garden took us about 4 hours to walk around in full, and everything to see served a purpose. This rocky cave is dedicated to just rock dwelling plants.

Tom spotted 'Amazon Region' on the map, so we swiftly headed there, as it promised Pantanal like plants and fish, the sort we will hopefully see for real in a few weeks! It was a large lake called 'Frei Leandros Lake', and had the characteristic big lily pads like you see in pictures from the Pantanal.

Tom's fish eyes quickly spotted the most enourmous fish we'd ever seen, the sort that fish River Monsters are worthy of.

Tom immediately recognised it as a 'Pacu' or a 'Tambaqui' as they call it locally. These fish are local to the fresh waters of South America, and have really strong teeth that can chomp through, fruit, grains, and even nuts! It has even been reported they have had a nibble on the human kind as well!!!

Everywhere we turned, there was well looked after garden, paths to walk along and an array of wild birds to hear.

The birds wern't the only animals to be seen or heard though. Cheeky little Marmoset monkeys jump from tree to tree like the common squirrel in England, but they're much more playful and photogenic. They let you just get close enough for a picture then run off laughing their high pitched squeal to their friends, almost as high as Steph when she first saw them. They can also, unsurprisingly, be found hanging around where there is any sign of FOOD!

Some highlights for us were the Orchid tent, which had a beautiful array of varying coloured orchids.

We also enjoyed the cactus garden, however they were hanging into the paths, and all over the floor, so we were very careful to watch our steps!

One thing we both enjoyed was the vast amount of water, and natural waterfalls there were in the park. You could watch them start as a small stream along the side of a path, to then follow it along and see it become a large waterfall, crashing down the side of a rock.

The only disappointment of the whole garden, was the historical aqueduct. It was about a 20 minute walk away from the whole garden, and when we got there, it just looked like an abandoned old bridge. It was a bit forgotten about, and so slightly underwhelming. If it hadn't been so far away it wouldn't have been so bad.

As our day at the botanical gardens ended at the peaceful Japanese Garden, we decided to brave it, and walk back to our hostel, as we are becoming quite familiar with the area. It also meant we passed the huge lake where the panoramic views of the mountains are amazing.

The whole walk took us about an hour, but it was great to see Rio behind the beaches. 

The botanical gardens isn't an immediate must do out of all the attractions in Rio, but on a dull day, it was an added bonus, and a nice peaceful day (probably good for a hangover)

P.S. We finally realised who Mo, our tour guide from Monday reminds us of! Imagine Olaf the snowman from Frozen as a small Brazilian man, and you have Mo.