Rio de Janeiro

10:14 AM Unknown 0 Comments

Olá guys!! This is another long overdue blog post. We apologize for the long delay but we figure better late than never, and great things take time 😀

We arrived into Brazil by plane and are settling into our new apartment in Rio! Fortunately, I utilized Air B N B and found a quaint little apartment in Copacabana a couple of blocks from the beach! We rented the apartment for 11 nights and we could not be more excited to be able to unpack for the time being and have our own bathroom and wifi to ourselves! We even have our own kitchen to cook. The apartment was only $575 for the 11 days, a bit more expensive than a dorm hostel but with way more benefits. We even had a door man to the building!! We took a local bus from the airport and were quite proud to have figured out which bus it was to the apartment. The city of Rio increased the number of busses and routes throughout the city prior to the Olympics, which we happily took advantage of. Once we arrived our host met us. Her name was Carolina and she was so nice and helpful. She gave us her to do list to be the ultimate "Carioca," which is a person who was born and raised in Rio! Brazil so far has been amazing, we found the nearest grocery store and made a grocery list for our dinner's for the week. 

How do I sum up 15 days in Brazil? Three words: welcoming, loving, and amazing.

Our main objectives were to try Brazilian food, lay out on the beach, see the Christ of the Redeemer/Sugar Loaf Mountain, and experience the culture. I think we did a pretty good job at all of the above thanks to our new Brazilian family. The first few days we spent exploring our new neighborhood and laying out on Copacabana. The beaches itself I was expecting a bit more. What do I mean by "more?' In my head and from what I heard from others and what I've seen on TV, I had a picture of what Brazilian beaches would be and feel like. To me, the vibe wasn't what I saw on T.V. Don't get me wrong, it was still sweet to lay out on the beach and soak in the sun! And it was a bonus to have vendors come to us when we needed a water or food! We would be laying on the beaches and want a water and someone would be by yelling "AGUA!" And we would wave our hand and buy one from them. Now that was awesome! You could haggle the price too! They sell everything on the beach!! We may or may not have bought one too many sarongs, but we figure they are very versatile and we will definitely use them in the future! Jackie loved the Acai ice cream. Everyone tried to sell her stuff. They were very persistent even when she told them no. Eventually we learned you just have to ignore the people so they would leave. We enjoyed watching people play soccer on the beach and seeing the impressive sand works of art. 

The main form of transportation we used while in Rio was Uber. We could connect to wifi and order an Uber anywhere in Rio. They were less than half the price of a taxi and were reliable and fast. We also took the local bus transport to a few of the major tourist attractions. We also walked a great deal through the various neighborhoods we wanted to explore like Copacabana, Leme, Ipanema, Botafogo, Urca, Lapa, Santa Teresa and the city center.

Christmas this year was going to be different on so many levels. I think in my head I was picturing Jackie and I waking up on Christmas Day alone in a hostel with nowhere to go. Fortunately for us, this Christmas was one of the best Christmas' I've had in a while and it wasn't because of the presents we received (which the family did have some for us which was so sweet of them) but because of the family we got to celebrate the holiday with. Carla invited us to her Aunt Junia's house for Christmas dinner. When we arrived we were introduced to Cacau and Junio and then were whisked away to attend Christmas mass. Though we didn't understand what the priest was saying we were able to recognize the Christmas songs they were singing even though they were in Portuguese. It was really beautiful to hear the songs like "Away in the Manger", "Silent Night" and "Come all Ye Faithful" in another language. Everything felt foreign and familiar at the same time, it was a truly unique feeling. After mass we met the rest of the family who were at the church and then headed back to Aunt Junia's house. More and more family arrived after mass. Everyone was so kind and welcoming. It was so fun to meet everyone in the family and try to piece everyone together. In Brazil, they celebrate Christmas by eating a huge feast before midnight and when the clock turns 12 they all exchange presents and celebrate! The food was amazing. For Christmas dinner we had Bolinho de bacalhau, farofa, fruits, nuts, a cod fish casserole main dish, turkey, chicken, ham, potato salad and many tasty desserts. I have never felt more welcomed by a family in my life. They always made sure we were taken care of and felt included in conversation and made sure our drinks are ICE COLD. There was plenty of beer and champagne that were delicious as well.

The family we were adopted into were full of characters. Everyone was so happy and glad to be together. There were tons of jokes and laughs going on in all the conversations. Considering we do not speak Portuguese we could not understand all the jokes, but it was fun and made us laugh to see them laughing so much. There was a gift exchange and they included us as well. We received many kind and generous gifts. We also had the chance to participate in a gag gift exchange. This is the same tradition Jackie's family has as well. The gag gift exchange was hilarious. You did not need a common language to share in how fun the gag gift exchange was. So many happy Christmas wishes, and so much fun and kindness occurred that night. It was a true highlight of South America. 

It was our first time celebrating Christmas in the summer. It was such a cool change. We spent Christmas Day at the beach with Carla and had the opportunity to spend time in Barra da Tijuca. We had so much fun. It was a great beach Christmas. 

Another huge highlight was our dinner our at Restaurante Transa. On Christmas we met loads of family members and some of them owned a restaurant in Rio. Christine, Flavio and Junior were so kind and invited us to dinner. Aunt Junia, Carla, and Frida were also there. They spoiled us with all of the traditional Brazilian food. It was so delicious. We tried a heaps of appetizers including multiple varieties of pastels and bolinho de bacalhau. There was also delicious root vegetable that tasted like tater tots. We had plenty of delicious Brazilian beer and Suco de Maracuja (passion fruit juice). For the main course we had Picanha for the first time. It was served with Farofa and Molho a campanha. It was so great.  Dessert was beyond delicious and they served us Pudim, Quindim and Brigadeiro. The family joked about why try one dessert when you could try all three. It was an incredible experience to see and get to know the family more, for them to get to know us, and to try unbelievable and unbeatable Brazilian food. 

Our new Brazilian family was so kind and loving. So much thanks and apprecaition for Carla, Christine, Flavio, Junior, Junia, Cacau and Junio!!! Thank you, and the rest of your amazing family, so much for all the love and hospitality!! You made our trip to Rio so incredible!! 

We did also manage to knock out a few of the touristy activities Rio has to offer as well. We had a great time on Corcovado Mountain seeing Christ the Redeemer. It was so packed with people and the sun was beating down on us, but it was incredible nonetheless. It was awesome to stand under this iconic landmark that towers over Rio. The views were incredible and provided a 360 degree view of Rio. It's breathtaking looking at the harbors, they are one of the 7th natural wonders of the world!! You can see Maracanā stadium, Copacabana, Ipanema, Urca, Tijuca National Park and Lago Rodrigo de Freitas. We took an Uber for $7 USD to the base of Corcovado where we purchased our tickets to the statue. The tickets cost around $20 USD. You wait in line at the station for the trolley up to the top. They pack those things full and in twenty minutes you arrive at the top. We have as much time to explore around the base of Christ the Redeemer and walk back down to the trolley station when you are all done. We took a local bus, which was located right outside the trolley station, back to Copacabana. They have very frequent bus routes to and from Copacabana and Ipanema. It is a huge benefit of staying there. 

Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúar) was just as easy to get too. We took an Uber right up to the front of the ticket station, it only cost $5 USD. At the ticket counter you buy your ticket for the cable cars to the top, for $23 USD.  The first station you hit is called Moro Da Urca. You get off there and have great views of the entire city, the harbors and Sugar Loaf Mountain. You can actually hike up to Moro Da Urca if you want extra exercise. We opted against that since it was 99 degrees out. No matter what though you need to take the cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain. It's a quick and beautiful ride and you are greeted with even more stunning views of this amazing city and its harbors.  There are restaurants, bars and gift shops at the top. We enjoyed a cold drink and an ice cream, since it was so hot out! 

Another fun area we checked out was Lapa. We actually stayed there for a few days in a quite and comfy hotel when our Air BnB stay was over. The hotel was simple and nice. It had freezing cold air conditioning which was so great!! Lapa has a great selections of restaurants and bars. We went dancing here one night with Carla. There are the Lapa Arches and the Escadaria Selarón AKA The Selaron Steps. They are both beautiful. The steps were created by an Chilean artist who said this functional art was his contribution to the Brazilian people. It was cool to walk up and down all 215 steps and see where all the tiles had come from, since they are from all over the world. They steps are so colorful and fun! The Selaron Steps connect Lapa to Santa Teresa. The neighborhood of Santa Teresa is stunning as well. It was so artsy and had very relaxed and chill vibes compared to any other place in Rio. There are cute bars/ restaurantsw view incredible views. Artist's shops line the streets along with old fashioned looking houses. You can take a trolley to and from Lapa for less than $2 USDs. We visited the Parque Das Ruinas on top of Santa Teresa. This is an old mansion on top of Santa Teresa that has more incredible views and tons of characters. It used to be a socialites house and used for glamorous parties in the past. Now it allows tourist and locals to climb through the house and see a panoramic view of the city! 

I could not even imagine how we could have had a better time in Rio. From Start to finish is was INCREDIBLE!! The people, the places, the food and the beaches made it unbeatable! The absolute highlight was the kindness and love we received from our new Brazilian family. I will never forget how generous and open they were. We definitely plan on seeing them again in the future! We owe them so much !! 

Next step is a quick 26 hour stop over in Morocco! This will be a brief but first taste of AFRICA! Soon after we fly to Nairobi for more rest and relaxation before we start our 73 day Africa Overland Adventure through 10 more African countries!