Evening star., 1938-12-04
By ELEANOR PERSON.

BY ELEANOR PIERSON.
With modern liners and giant clip
per ships of the air serving South
America, United States travellers
seeking to discover" that thrilling
land have at their disposal con-
venient and comfortable transporta-
ton unknown a few years ago. Those
American tourists who must be
frugal with their days find planes
a ready and alluring answer. And
flying down to Rio not only saves
time, but affords the tourist an
opportunity to see the vast back
country of Brazil before Rio bursts
upon the vision in all its glory.
just as the foreigner who comes
to the United States and sees only
New York has a false conception,
however pleasing, of this country
so the visitor in South America
who sees only the big cities is not
getting a complete picture of this
great continent.
During the three days flight down
the coast of Brazil the traveller will
have an absorbing panorama OF
miles of impenetrable jungle, the
wide waters of the Amazon and
more than glimpse OF some old
and interesting towns.
Initiation at Equator.
The Pan-American Clipper makes
port the first night at Belem Gn the
state of Para, but often called Para.
That morning the passengers will
have been served cups of chocolate
on the banks of the Paramaribo, in
Dutch Surinam (Guiana), while the
big plane paused to refuel; they
will have had view Of Devils
Island, the infamous penal colony
off the coast of French Guiana, and
the Clipper will have dipped in
salute as it crossed the Equator,
Initiating all aboard to the fellow
ship of "Condors." The evening will
be passed pleasantly at the Grand
Hotel in Belem. slipping 'vinho
dassai" at the sidewalk cafe beneath
mango trees that offer convenient
daytime shade.
They have a proverb that goes:
"Who comes to Para was glad to
stay,
Who drank 'assai' never went
away"
Belem was once great clty-Rlos S
fival-in the days when rubber was
shipped in tremendous quantities
down the Amazon from the interior.
Traces of the grandeur of the days
tnu-f1
exist-parks, boulevards, public
buildings and the lavish opera house.
The second days flight impresses
one with the fact that Brazil is
bigger than the United States. as
mile after mile of seacoast and
jungle rolls by in green waves below.
That night at Recife, in the state
of Pernambuco, there is time to
visit the oldest cathedral in Brazil
before sunset and time after dinner
for a little roulette in the hotels
casino before turning in for the
night.
Then, Gorgeous Rio.
Next day there are two stops, at
Bahia and Victoria, small coastal
towns, before the Clipper circles over
Rio in the early afternoon.
Rio is so startlingly beautiful, so
chock full of scenery and so dra-
matte in its appeal that it isn't fair
not fair to give one enchanting spot
everything. It's like one of those
super-colossal movie sets, only this
one is real. Rio sparkles. The sun
shines down on the white buildings
and the intense blue of the bay, with
hills and peaks rising from the sea
in splashes of jungle green.
Atop the highest peak, the Corco-
vado, stands an immense statue of
Christ with arms outspread, looking
down on the. city. Across the bay
Sugar Loaf rises out of the water,
with the seaport a wreath at its feet.
It's fun to take the aerial cable car
and swing across to Sugar Loaf just
at sunset. The sun sinks behind
Corcovado and the lights of the city
begin to wink on below, outlining
the bay and extending back into the
canyons. It's wonderfully theatrical!
One of the things that will i'm
press visitors is the cleanliness of the
streets and beaches. Copacabana
beach is snowy white sand and the
broad walk that forms its borders Is
of black and white tiles in beautiful
patterns. Every evening after dark
the beach is cleared and every scrap
of refuse is gathered from the sand.
The broad walk, favorite prone
made, is swept clean during the night.
In the mornings Copacabana is
crowded with bathers, but the beach
is so wide it is never overcrowded.
Lone Woman at Ease.
There is so much to do in this
lively city, so many things to see
that travellers need never be lonely.
And a woman travelling alone will
feel perfectly comfortable dining in
public, going to the opera, the races
or the casinos; for Brazilians are
very circumspect in their attitude
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