We're in RIO!

 

 Ah Rio. I had a vague idea of what to expect when I arrived in this thriving, busy city. Coming from Africa, everything seemed so bright, shiny and clean. Rio is famous (apparently) for its crime, but we never once felt unsafe. Of course, we were careful, kept our money and expensive things hidden or in the apartment, and stayed on the brightly lit beaches. But the plethora of police and active evenings made it easy to enjoy this city. Things like: dancing being led on the beach (see picture above) made you feel like you were somewhere fun and carefree. I loved it from the moment we arrived. We took a walk down to Ipanema Beach, and the wind was blowing so hard that the sand was flying through the air, stinging skin and eyes alike. We felt like a storm was coming and didn't spend too much time wandering about.

Our first full day in Rio, we decided to do a guided tour of the two most famous tourist attractions there - Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain. Although the brevity of the tour and disinterested tour guide made us grumble a bit, neither attraction disappointed us as the views were spectacular and we got lucky with the weather.

We just barely arrived at Sugarloaf mountain for sunset, and the city began to glow. The lights were mesmerizing and the pictures can barely capture the incredible view. We only got 20 minutes up there the first time and we knew we would have to come back.

I know, I know. It looks like someone photoshopped us into this picture, but it was extremely windy, and the backdrop is real. We loved it!

The next day we decided to walk around to get our bearings a bit more. Copacabana beach has this beautiful sidewalk with light and dark tiles for its entirety. There are people running, walking, skating and cycling (on the cycle path). It is very active and full of life at all hours of the day and night. There are little workout stations every half a kilometer or so with pull-up bars, and signs that release a cold mist when you press a button to keep exercisers cool. We did a run down this beach and really appreciated the mist.

Copacabana Beach has volleyball courts, mini football (soccer) fields, tennis courts, and probably any other sport you can think of. At night there are team practices, boot camps, and more. The beach really seems like the center of life here. Floodlights are used to keep the beach bright after sunset, which is great as it gets dark by 6pm (don't forget it's winter here in Brazil, despite the 30C+ temperatures!)

We spent quite a few days just bumming around on the beach with our rented chairs and umbrellas, drinking something cold and occasionally making our way into the water. As it was low season and midweek, there weren't a lot of people around. This was a great time for reading, journal writing, chatting or just people watching. We loved how confident everyone was around us. Despite all of the stereotypes, most Brazilians didn't have beach perfect bodies, but they were all in tiny weeny bikinis or speedos anyways. THEY loved their own bodies and they didn't care if you didn't (men and women alike!) I thought maybe I should be a bit more Brazilian in that way, but then again, I do absolutely love my bathing suit that can almost double as a tank-top if it's a hot day. Maybe if I was going to spend a month in Brazil, things would have been a bit different.

On the second day on the beach, I decided to go stand-up paddle boarding. I have tried with my friend Kathy in Switzerland on Lac Leman, but never in the ocean! We were in a protected bay so it wasn't too difficult. I've got good balance and I've kayaked and surfed a bit before. Another guy paddle boarding near me fell off every 5 minutes or so and ended up paddling on his knees! I was not the only one out there as SUP is getting more popular. 

It is a big bay, however, and I loved the feeling of just paddling myself out into the ocean with nothing but the board under me. It felt so peaceful and calm... until I started to feel a bit seasick with the waves bobbing under me. 

This is my view back to Copacabana beach from my paddle board. It looks like a long way, but it only took 10 minutes or so of paddling to get back. 

Normally, Paul is not a beach person. But with the good weather and caipirinhas, he didn't actually mind it so much. Add to that the umbrellas providing shade and the slight breeze keeping us cool and I would say he was almost happy to be on the beach. Almost.

Driving in Rio is terrifying and heart-stopping, and even though we took a few tours and taxis, we tried to walk whenever we could. In the pictures below, our faces show how we felt as our taxi driver watched a football (soccer) game on his mini TV while driving through Rio crazy traffic. We wore our seat belts and said our prayers, hoping to make it out alive (spoiler: we always made it out alive). Still, I had to resist the urge to yell at the driver to WATCH OUT FOR THAT PERSON! AH THERE'S A CAR ABOUT TO HIT YOU! THE BUS IS GOING TO RAM US!

On our last evening in Rio, we decided to once again ascend up the two cable cars to Sugarloaf Mountain. We wanted to see it in the day and get a bit more time there.

We were rewarded with yet another gorgeous sunset and over an hour just enjoying the view. I could have sat there all day, drawing and admiring the bird's eye view.

Of course, I had to do the iconic handstand, but the wind blew me right over! It doesn't look windy, but my hair was being whipped around violently and I could barely take a picture because of it.

We had been eating well in Rio, with an all you can eat skewer meat place to Copacabana Palace (where, I was told, Justin Bieber once stayed... as if that was a GOOD thing...), and finally this sushi place. I love sushi and sashimi. LOVE. So we got one of their biggest plates and shared it. I mean, I let Paul have a few pieces while I rapidly devoured the rest of the plate. I left feeling a bit like a fish but definitely very happy.

All you can eat meat!

This is my, I LOVE SUSHI face

And so our time in Rio was finished. Paul and I both agreed that we would be happy to come back here and spend some more time. There are so many more things to explore, especially in the town, that we just didn't get the chance. We needed a little rest from traveling and this was the perfect place in which to do it. Have you been to Rio before? What's your favorite part? What should we do/see next time?