Rio de Janeiro

Where I think in Rio, it rained for two days straight when we arrived. On the first day, we thought 'let's go to Rio Sul'. But I, being an idiot, didn't think much and went to the largest shopping center in Rio with four girls. Aline taught me to always play with the thought: 'do I need this or do I want it?'. I must have said that phrase about 500 times since then.

In the afternoon, we took the first tour through the jungle of Rio with our friend Alan. He showed us hidden viewpoints and sights that tourists don't easily come across. Among other things, we walked through the jungle for about 20 minutes to reach a waterfall for swimming! Despite the rain, it was an amazing experience. The rain gave it a certain atmosphere. In the end, we went to a really cool bar for a little aperitif.

On the second 'rainy' day, we did a 'Free Walking Tour'. Students show you around the city for free. You give them as much money as you think they deserve. Well, we didn't have a student... We had a 50-year-old highly educated former businessman who preferred to spend his days begging. And when he can, he talks... In the beginning, he said it would take about 3 hours. In the end, it took almost 5 hours. Our ears were almost bleeding. He practically knows every tube in the city and its family tree. Oh yeah, Rio has about 35,000 churches, and we now know half of them. But we learned a lot and it was very nice. José was a good guy.

On the third day, we finally went to Copacabana to swim, it's simply a dream. Except that every two minutes someone comes up to you trying to sell you cheese, coconuts, bikinis, washing machines, tablecloths, or marijuana. We then went up to Corcovado to see the sunset. We got to experience a breathtaking sunset at Monte Christo (Corcovado).

On the second to last day, we split up in the morning. Muriel, Sara, and Aline went to relax at Ipanema beach. Simone and I decided to climb the Pedra da Gávea. It is about 860 meters high.

With our guide, Winny, we set off. The sign said it would take 2 hours and 30 minutes... but we did it in 1 hour and 50 minutes. We had to walk on exposed roots and narrow trails. Along the way, there was a mountain spring where we could drink fresh water. Then came the climbing part. You have to have no fear of heights for sure.

When we arrived there, we were speechless. The view was incredible.

After this effort, we headed to Ipanema where the others were already waiting for us. Finally, we could jump into the beautiful cool sea and have a refreshing coconut drink. (Of course, coconut milk).

Now we're checking out of our beautiful first apartment and heading to Sao Paulo. On the way, we'll make a stop at the stunning Ilha Grande. You'll see why I wrote 'stunning'.