Sun and Fun in the big cities of Brasil

Even after an exhausting overnight of planes, there was no controlling the excitement I had upon arriving in Rio de Janeiro. For starters, its Brasil (en español)...and the beach...and I was looking forward to some relaxing fun in the sun after chilly Peru, secondly I had two amazing friends, Erika and Ashley, who had traveled from the States for vacation and to meet up with me along my journey. 


Our hotel, conveniently located on the border of copacabana and ipanema was steps from the beach and a total luxury for me after spending a lot of time most recently in hostels and tents! We started our day at the beach, of course, and enjoyed some quality time catching up in the sun amidst the constant barage of vendors selling everything from bikini tops to shrimp on a stick. Later that evening, we got changed and headed out on the town. We started the night walking around the funky, bohemian area of Lapa known for great bars and clubs. We grabbed our first of many caipiriñas at a bar with outside seating and people watched as the cachaza (local rum) slowly started to take affect. Those drinks do not mess around... After staying to hear some live music, we left to get dinner at one of the famous, and probably most eccentric, steakhouses. Although the food was beyond delicious (I stuck with seafood and the salad bar) the amount was actually quite sickening and we all felt a bit ill as we made our way out of the ornate seashell-adorned resto and back to the hotel, there was no chance anyone could drink or go out after that. Instead, we vowed that was the last churrascaria of the trip and got ourselves up early the next morning for a jam packed day of tourist sightseeing. 

Copacabana Beach

Crazy decor in the churrascaria

First on our list was Christo, probably the most famous monument in Rio, and one most people associate with the city. It really is cool that you can see it from almost any point in the city and once we got to the top and could see up close the actual size, it was truly magnficent. 

Some spectacular views of Rio

Christo up close

After taking our share of gorgeous vista pictures from the top, we headed back towards Copacabana where we were to begin a tour with a group to see some of the Favelas of Rio. This might have been my favorite part of the trip as it was most interesting to me in terms of the history and economy of Rio. Essentially, the favelas are shanty towns, and used to be solely illegal settlements, in and around Rio inhabited by about 1/3 of the population. What was especially interesting on our tour, was that in the 1980´s a luxury Sheraton hotel was built right at the edge of one of the largest favelas in Rio, which we visited. This hotel, which pictured the favela in the background of the image of the hotel it used for publicity, created a revolution of sorts as it represented a change in the way the legal citizens of Rio regarded the illegal settlements and created awareness about them. The history of the favelas is quite interesting and of course has its roots in illegal activity and poverty, you can find more detail here, however, some of the favelas have the best views in all of Rio and have created sustainable businesses, schools and a better quality of life. Our tour`s fees actually supported an NGO responsible for improving living conditions and funding a school for children in one of the favelas we visited, so although parts of the tour felt odd to essentially be staring at impoverished people and their homes, at least proceeds were helping children in the community. I would definitely recommend those visiting Rio to take a similar tour or take some time to research more about these communities as I found the whole concept and history really fascinating. 

views from the streets

A few from atop one of the Favelas

The following day we took a beautiful walk around the gigantic Jardim Botanico (botanical gardens) and later that afternoon we went to the other most famous tourist destination, Sugar Loaf, a huge mountain with possibly the best views I have ever seen of any city. We stayed for sunset to capture the best pictures and then got ourselves ready for a final night on the town. Following dinner, we went to a famous Samba bar where we listened to the live band and even tried a bit ourselves. Let me just say, Brazilians are quite passionate on the dance floor, but it was fun to get the "full experience" with some new male friends....

Jardim Botanico

Sugar Loaf from the gondola

beautiful sunset view

Samba bar

Our last day, we ventured over to Ipanema beach, which was of course beautiful and a bit more tranquilo than Copacabana. Following a day in the sun and a quick break for a delicious Acai treat, I headed to the bus station to make my way to Sao Paolo. 

Although the bus is only supposed to take 6 hours, for some reason it took 8 and I think my friend Paul, who I was staying with, might have been a bit worried when I showed up 3 hours after I said I would at his apartment in the Campo Bello area of Sao Paolo.  The following day, he took me on a typical Saturday day in the life showing me his local farmer´s market, shopping along the posh area of Jardim and riding bikes in the Ibirapuera Parque (Sao Paolo´s central park). We ate a lunch/dinner of feijoada (bean stew) and later headed out for drinks at the super swanky Sky Bar at  The Unique Hotel. A spectacular full day in one of the biggest cities in the world! 

amazing fruits at the farmer´s market

make your own havainas!

spectacular rooftop bar at Unique Hotel

I had to leave for airport basically in the middle of the night on Saturday, as I was taking yet another overnight flight to the city of Manaus which would be the jumping off point for starting my Amazon jungle tour.