A sun for Christ the Redeemer

by Wilker Jeymisson Silva (Brazil)

A leap into the unknown Brazil

2018. Best friend and the wonderful city of Rio de Janeiro: beach, sun, fun, happy people and ... Christ the Redeemer! My best friend and I traveled together to Rio de Janeiro, enjoying the summer vacation. The rest deserves to be done in style. My friend had never traveled by plane before and her dream was to understand why this city was called wonderful, as it is popularly known, in Brazil and in the world. After some tourist spots that we know, the day arrived that we established to know the famous Christ the Redeemer. Nothing could be better. We woke up early, programmed ourselves about the route we were going to take and turned on our GPS. We rented two bikes so that we could have the full experience in the city. That day was looking like it would be amazing. We cycled for a few hours: we left our hotel, rented bicycles and were able to see, in an intimate way, beautiful spots of the city, such as the beautiful beaches that Rio de Janeiro has, historical monuments that tell a little about the place and the wonderful strong sun that shines in the sky. Some stops to record the incredible moments and keep them beyond memory. Yes, Rio de Janeiro was still beautiful, as the famous Brazilian music says. Smiling, happy and emanating unparalleled energy. We were arriving in the streets that precede Christ the Redeemer. The hills were very steep, so we got tired and we were unable to continue the bike route. We went down. We continued a short walk and the GPS indicated that we were close to our destination. What would be the vision we would have when we climbed the monument? Was the monument too tall? What would it feel like to be up there? We arrived at the point we have been waiting for: the entrance of the tram to Cristo Redentor. It was necessary to buy tickets, so we entered a line that was in a covered area. At the entrance there were prices. Any price seemed fair to see one of the wonders of the world. There were many people waiting in line, so it took us more than 30 minutes to be attended. We were very anxious. However, I did not wait for what was to come. One of the employees who worked at the box office approached and asked "Do you want to watch TV?". At the time, I thought quickly, "I want to see Christ the Redeemer." The employee told us that we could see how Christ the Redeemer was doing, so we said yes. When the TV was turned on, I couldn't see the head of Christ the Redeemer. The hands and body were there, but the head was not. To our surprise, there was a great fog covering the whole head of the monument. The employee told us "This fog has covered the Christ the Redeemer now, it may take a while for you to see it, but the vision will not be good". At the same time, we were sad. A ruined plan. We would not see Christ the Redeemer, after a long journey and so many expectations. We decided to leave. We called a taxi to return to our hotel. Gradually looking at the landscape, taking advantage of another view of the city. We didn't see Christ the Redeemer. 20 minutes later, my friend looks at the car window and points out: "look at Christ the Redeemer ... there is sunlight exactly over your head"! The scene was beautiful. It seemed that there was a sun just for him. We admired him until we were unable to see him. At that moment, we learned that plans may even fail, but there will always be a way to see the good in things. The taxi followed its route to our final destination, but the memory seemed to be not over yet ...