Fantastic facility and great PR people. Wonderful informative tour in English. Great twitter feed…read moretoo about area traffic and safety issues.

Continuing my saga to acquire my CPF number leads me to Receita Federal…read more Upon entering the building, you go upstairs and wait until 10 am when numbers are handed out (don't be like me and show up at 8:30 am thinking that if the building is open that you would be served.) The waiting room is clean with a police officer to keep everyone in line, though everyone is quiet, talking in hushed tones while the TV plays at a barely audible volume in the background. Once your number is called, you show the employee the receipt from the correiros along with your passport and listen attentively as she explains that the number is FOR LIFE (unlike my marriage probably...just kidding honey.) Anyway I can now officially open a bank account, rent a car or buy a dresser!

such a cool experience and sight to see! the process getting up the mountain was so easy and…read moresmooth. I definitely recommend going in the morning before the crowds come in

I waited all week hoping that the low cloud cover would finally clear but ended up taking the…read moretrain up anyways on my last day in Rio. Since the escalators were being repaired it was a nice climb up all the flights of stairs to reach the base of the statue. There was one functional elevator but limited to those requiring assistance only. No views were available so will have to return for the panoramas of Rio. The fog unfortunately was thick so couldn't see the details but there was an ethereal appearance. I also joined a mass in the chapel at the base of the statue and that was a unique experience. It was conducted in both Portuguese and Spanish when the father found out there was a majority of Spanish speaking visitors. Will be returning to revisit in better weather next time.

Walk up the steps to be able to view all the tiles. Walking down the steps you won't see all the…read moretiles. Have a drink at the top at a rooftop bar.

I weaved around the huge crowds to climb the Selaron steps all the way to the top…read more There were too many people but if you got lucky then there was a break where one could take an almost clean photo without too many bodies in the way. It seemed like most people gathered on the bottom half of the stairs and less so near the top. The steps were colorful and tiles even made their way onto the concrete walls along the stairs. There even were a few bathtubs thrown into the mix. The most popular photo spots that day were the labeled Escaderia Selaron and Rio De Janiero steps, the podium like Brasil Eu Te Amo and closer to the top was the Brasil 2010 wall. Food and drinks were being sold all the way up to the top. I found the Bay Area tiles (cable car, Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge) but just one of the thousands sent over from around the world. If you have time then also check out Jorge Selaron's fancy final resting spot in the Cemitério de São João Batista. Two very dedicated fans who met him helped drive the effort to make his spot very similar in style here. Next time I'd come back earlier in the day to avoid the crowds.