We had breakfast with Gary and Doris then took a few pictures on the top deck of the ship. First we got into our room at the Hotel Sofitel which was conveniently facing Copacabana Beach. It was 90 degrees plus some every day. The Brazilians hardly ever played volleyball on the beach after 10:00 am. The first night we did the Brazilian Show with a group of about 8. The tour guide asked too much, so we paid 20% less by booking with the conciege at the hotel. The show was spectacular. The Brazilian martial artists moved very quickly and never missed.
The next day we saw Christ the Redeemer. The statue was hit by lighting a few weeks before we got there. It broke the tip of two fingers. We could not tell where the damage was, maybe it was fixed. There were some elaborate sand castles on the Copacabana Beach. There were guys trying to collect money if you took a picture of the castles, so we took the pics while in the bus to avoid paying. John had a biker try to snatch his gold chain off his neck in broad daylight. The beach area did not look particularly dangerous, but I would guess it is fairly dangerous.
We tried to buy a souvenir necklace for Kristin. The shop near our hotel initially asked $150 but when we were more sure of buying it the next day, they upped the price to $250. So we did not buy it. On the final day we took a bus to SugarLoaf Mountain. There is an airport just below the Mountain. When jets take off they must do a hard right to avoid the Mountain. Makes for some good pictures!