Face to Face with Christ the Redeemer

A trip to Rio de Janeiro is never complete without visiting one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. The Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As Catholics, one of the highlights of our trip to Brazil was ascending to the top of the Corcovado Mountains and witnessing the iconic art deco statue of Cristo Redentor.

We were excited to leave Ipanema to meet up-close with the 30-meter tall statue of Jesus Christ. That day, the skies were blue and the sun shined brightly as the tourists and locals spent the afternoon at the beach.

At past 2 in the afternoon, we reached the Cultural Center of Trem do Corcovado. There was a long queue of visitors that day. Having advanced purchased tickets from our tour operator, we were fortunate to get in quickly and just waited a short while for the train ride.

We boarded the cog train through the lush Tijuca Rain Forest to the statue of Christ the Redeemer on top of Corcovado Mountain. The train passed through leafy green tunnels of trees and provided views of Rio de Janeiro far below. It was a 20-minute ride.

The weather on top of the Corcovado Mountain was unpredictable. While it was sunny by the beach, it doesn’t guarantee that the weather conditions here will be the same.  What we witnessed that was a statue hidden by fog and clouds.

We waited for about half an hour, but the face of the statue did not show up.

Feeling blessed that we made it to the site, but a bit disappointed at the same time with the changing weather conditions. We made the most of our time taking photos with the largest art deco statue in the world.

The trip was over. We were dropped off at our hotel feeling unlucky. My husband was not satisfied. With a dissappointed tone, he asked me if I would want to visit for the second time. And so I agreed to come back with the hope that we could see Christ the Redeemer’s face and get better pictures. This time he made two plans; (1) come back to the site the day after two days with a personal tour guide, and if plan (1) did not work, (2) book a helicopter ride on our last day in Brazil.

After two days, we came back with a private guide. We were nervous, uncertain if the statue will appear. We prayed.

While on the elevator, our private tour guide told us, “This is a test on your faith. If you have a good relationship with Him, you will see Him.” We took the escalator, the final ascend to the 710-meter granite peak.

 The visibility was better this time. We took individual photos with the statue.

The view far below was clearer. In just a matter of seconds, we saw clouds moving away from the statue.

Thank God! Finally, we saw the face of Cristo Redentor!

Look at the group of clouds behind us.

Every year, more than six hundred thousand people visit this site. But not all can witness the dramatic feature of the statue. The feeling of being here and seeing the face of Christ the Redeemer was very fulfilling. Now, we know why it is the symbol of faith and happiness of the Carioca people.