Rio de Janeiro
What came to be a 24 hour bus ride, Tim and I dropped our backpacks off instantly and treated ourselves with the classic, caipirinhas! We didn’t have the fullest tummy from the long bus ride, so I was definitely drunk off of just one! Below is a video of where we enjoyed our drinks— the worlds known, Copacabana beach. Amazingly, it is walking distance to our hostel. Can’t even count how many times we’ve walked along side this beach.
Christ the redeemer
The next day, we visited one of the seven wonders of the world. That statement alone always adds an extra bump of excitement. From our hostel, we decided to take an Uber (other popular option taken by others being train).
Strangely, the time we visited, there was a wedding going on. And I only say strange because this is maybe our second time encountering a wedding at a popular touristy site. There are many people in such little space, in my opinion, it takes away the intimacy. A lot more work for the photographer and distractions from the event. I mean, yes it is a breathtaking spot with the view. As a result, Tim and I did not get to see the Cathedral area. I didn’t even know there was one because of it being reserved. I had to hear from other travelers and I was definitely confused! Aside from the wedding, there were multiple proposals.. What a lovey dovey spot. 🕊️
Similar to Igauzu falls, there are multiple coatis wandering around. I feel like these wild animals visit much more fun. In reality, it may be a typical occurrence to Brazilians but for myself, it’s something different!!
Also, forget that perfect sunset pic
We almost stayed at the top with the statue for sunset. Oddly, the buses stopped running before then, so we had to get to the shuttle back to the main entrance for transportation purposes. There were no buses or Ubers to pick up people. Little do you know, there is a corporation going on down below. The taxis, employees, security guards and not sure how Uber adds to the equation but every position at the site— overpriced several others and myself to get back to the city area. The “taxi” or off-shift employee, charged 3x the amount without getting to any city. Initially, he wanted to drop everyone off at the bottom of the mountain (which is known to be dangerous). But we all had him at least get to the train station and we ubered from there.
Santa Teresa
The next adventure I wanted to note was exploring Santa Teresa and the worlds famous, Escadaria Selarón. Where Snoop Dogg and Pharrell made their music video, haha!
Every step was so pretty with ceramic art. Throughout, we checked out boutiques, a cafe, seafood restaurant and a local, popular açaí spot with the best I’ve ever tasted, Pão de queijo.
Without a tour guide, the best way to sightsee Santa Teresa is by a trolley. Locals get to take the ride for free. But as tourist, it cost $20R, about $4 USD.
- Sugar loaf mountain – short visit
- Leblon downtown + beach visit
São Paulo
This big city is like Rio but without the beach! Here, we aimed to be less spendy for the sake of our daily budget. From where we were staying, it seemed like São Paulo had much taller hills to walk up and down. 🥵
- visited the Japanese area known as Japão
- Batman Alley- wall art
Beyond Rose 
Leave a comment