Rio de Janiero is such an iconic city that it felt surreal to finally see it in person. The moment we set foot we were embraced with the vibrant, laidback, and joyous lifestyle of the city. It began with the kindness and generosity and welcoming spirit of our hosts. They picked up us from the airport and on the way to our place took us on a sightseeing tour for a glimpse of the city. This gesture set us up for an incredible experience in the blissful city.
We stayed in Copacabana for the first part of the trip meaning we could enjoy beach strolls and vibrant samba music and endless sounds of Bossa Nova music everywhere we went. With time we started to feel at home and became adorned with Sandy toes, beach hair, and floral flowy dresses. We visited the iconic sights of Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, and of course tons of bars and restaurants that served refreshing caipirinhas. While we toured we learned a great deal about the history of Rio and of the Carioca culture - interwoven with complicated history forming microcosm of ethnic diversity. We learned about the sugar industry in Rio and about severe deforestation that was later restored with the creation of Tijuca National Park. The Atlantic Forest that surrounds Rio teems of wildlife from cute monkeys dangling on the branches to many variety of birds and plants.
Exploring the many beaches, bars, and foods was the best way to appreciate the people, the culture, and the magic. We even discovered a machine that squeezed fresh orange juice within seconds for about $1USD.
A few days after Rio we traveled south for some well deserved beach time and to celebrate my birthday in paradise. I wrote an entire post about our time in Ilha Grande and Angra de Reis so I won’t get into much detail here. We did end up returning to Rio and stayed closer to downtown in the Santa Teresa district where enjoyed a few more days of good vibes.
We went out for an evening of live Samba Music, explored a monthly artisanal market, and joined the tourist crowds for photos of iconic infrastructure in the area. To our delight we encountered a block party of samba music on the street. Hundreds of people of all age gathered to enjoy the music. Being a part of the crowd was the embodiment of happiness and joy. We topped off our time in Rio by going to a Rodizio, which for those that don’t know is an all you can eat steakhouse. The amount of food, delicious cuts of meat, and generosity of the serves is something we won’t forget, I’m pretty sure we also left with a few extra pounds.
As we reflect about our time in Rio, we felt it was such a reinvigorating time for us and while at first we were cautious of petty theft, our appreciation for Brazil grew ten-fold. We were also so impressed by the body positivity, the confidence, and good energy that Caroicas exude on themselves and others. Even though we had an obvious language limitation, everyone was very kind and thoughtful to us and made our time in Rio so memorable, we know we’ll definitely be back for another visit soon. We’re already long ing for those beaches, the good vibes, and charming magic of Rio de Janiero.
