The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1922-07-26
Rio in Its Valleys Among Towering Peaks.

Brazil is not backward in railroad
construction, having $1,000 miles Of
track. Yet so vast is the country that
railway construction seems barely be-
gun. Brazil has yet to build its trans
continental lines. With Il single ex-
ception the railroads are confined to q
belt along the coast from $50 to $50
miles deep. The exception is the road
extending from the port of Santos 800
miles westward to Porto Esperanca
on the Paraguay river.
Rio de Janeiro, capital Of Brazil,
in which the exposition celebrating the
centenary of Brazilian independence
Is to be held. has population between
| a million and million and half. and
| is therefore one of the greatest Of cit
les. 1t shares roughly with Vienna.
| Osaka, Picking. Hankow and Calcutta
| the rank Of tenth city Of the world. In
| South America 1t is surpassed in size
only by BuenOs Aires. Set in series
| Of valleys. backed and all but encir-
cled by mountain-like hills clad in
riot of tropical vegetation, and with
magnificent harbor at its feet. Rio
de Janeiro is one Of the most beauti-
| ful-many travellers assert the most
| beautiful-of the cities of the world.
Mans hand has helped nature in bring
| ing about this beauty. Broad boule
wards rim the deep crescents Of the
harbor and the rough, picturesque adj
| joining coast; one of the most famous
| Of botanical gardens has been created;
and avenues are lined by towering
palms, while stately buildings are set
in spacious parks.
"As multicolored and varied in
beauty as the butterflies of the trop-
les" is the characterization Of one re-
cent visitor to the metropolis of Bra
I'll. "In splendor of hue and setting.
this great city of the South Is I'M
rivaled the world over. Here granite
peak and turquoise sea. tropic forest
and rainbow tinted town. meet and
harmoniZe.
This city of lure terraces up from
a glorious bay-the Bay of Guanabara.
mountain-encircled, islebejeweled.
From the shore, where parks and
boulevardS are fast crowdng out the
old Rio of narrow streets, rise forested
hills on whose slopes the lovelier por-
ton of the city lies"
Rio Seen From the Mountains.
To see Rio at its best and loveliest
one must go TO these mountains that.
tower over the city. Turning hayward,
one looks down. through a frame. of
tangled vines and branches, onto the
| tree-tops of the Sloping virgin forest.
Far below. set in verdure, CLEANS the
Kaleidoscope city, with its crescent
shores In numerous creScents the
dreaming sea meets the beaches
Formosa. Santa Luzia, Lapa, Gloria.
Flamingo, Botafogo. Nermelha. The
bay, set in its amphitheater of hills,
sparkles like sapphire. To and fro
among the ships at anchor ply the
busy paddle-wheel ferry-boats TO the
islands and TO Nictheroy, the little
sister city across the way. In the dis
lance tower the blue spires of the lofty
Organ mountains.
Oceanward one looks down on
from the sea. There is bulky Baby
lonia. and fiat-topped Gavea, like a
great sail unfurled. Between them lie
Rios suburban beaches-Leme Cap
acabana. Ipanema, Leblon-in
glistening chain, their white Villas
nesting betwee. hill and shore. The
Avenida Atlantica, which connects
them. is eQualed only by boulevards
along the Mediterranean.
One can motor from the city to
these beaches and on to Gavea over q
new road cut in the rock high above
the sea. climb to the divide at Tituca-
and drop down. on the bay side Of the
range, to his starting place in the city
IA wonder circuit of forty miles or
more.
Avenida Rio Grande. Rios finest
thoroughfare was ''hand made" AFTER
the city had attained practically Its
present extent. In 1904 II was decided
to carve this great modern avenue out
of the city. over COO homes being sac
rificed.
The avenue. more than mile in
length and so wide that II consists
of two distinct boulevards separated
by row of shade trees, is thronged
day and night with automobiles.
The sidewalks. the widest the
traveller is likely to find in all his
world travels, are of black and white
stones laid in mosaic designs, like
those in vogue in Lisbon. Both stones
and workmen were brought from
Portugal hut similar pavements, con.
structed later in other parts Of the
city, are "home made"