Here’s a confession: my entire trip to South America was based on one idea– I need to be in Brazil in time for Carnival. Even though the process to get to Brazil took some time, I met my goal, but just seeing Rio De Janeiro during Carnival wasn’t enough for me. I’ve been in Rio for 2 months now, a long period of time for a traveler like me. So here we go, another monthly round-up:
Destinations Visited
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Arraial Do Cabo, Brazil
Favorite Destination
Rio De Janeiro
Best Dish Eaten
Home made fried fish, Brazilian style, in Arraial Do Cabo
Homemade Fried Fish, rice, beans, mashed potatoes. YUM!
Highlights
Walking through the Santa Marta favela— A lot of people think “favela” and immediately associate it with the worst place one could possibly visit when in Rio. I lived in one favela when I first arrived in Rio, and then I ventured into Santa Marta. Both times I found that I felt safer walking around these areas, than if I were to walk around in downtown. A whole different vibe is emitted from the streets of the favelas: there’s more laughter, and more people spending time outside. I say this, but please don’t go walking around the favela taking pictures of the locals with your large DSLR camera.
Cheating my way to the top of Christ the Redeemer— Meaning, sure, I walked to the top of Christ the Redeemer. But I also had an Uber drop me off halfway up the mountain. According to everyone and their mom, this was a much safer version than climbing the entirety of the mountain of Christ the Redeemer, Corcovado, and I really wanted to bring my camera. There are a lot of accounts of people being assaulted and robbed on the trail to Corcovado, as well as tales of tranquil hikes up the mountain, but I didn’t want to risk it with my camera.
Hiking— For me, a perfect city has beaches, night life and hikes. There are so many hikes in Rio De Janeiro and not only can they challenge you in some way, but they also always provide a nice view. Because Rio is just gorgeous to look at.
Finally going to Arraial Do Cabo— Before I had even decided to spend my time in Rio De Janeiro, I was supposed to live in Arraial Do Cabo, a much more tranquil and safer town. It’s only about 2-3 hours outside of Rio, so I finally made my way out there where I stayed with some friends from Argentina and explored the area. I also got a pretty nice tan, so that’s cool.
The return of Fabiola— I don’t really talk about the friends I meet on the road too much (I’d be talking forever) but this is different. Fabiola, another long-term traveler actually left Brazil for a bigger and brighter future at the end of February only to return a few weeks later because there really is no place quite like Rio De Janeiro.
Starting a vlog— I haven’t gotten too far into vlogging, yet, but I enjoy editing video so much, I just had to start doing it. I love putting together video, even though I don’t have all the equipment to make a quality vlog, I’m doing my best with what I have and I really like it. I post every Thursday. You can find it here.
A hike up Urca can provide this view
