Found this picture while cleaning my desk. Ah… Brazil I miss ya! It was a fun flight from Sydney to Buenos Aires. What a trip! An experience I am proud of even before I became a travel agent. I became an expert of travel as I personally process everything from visa, ticket and other stuff requested by the Brazil Embassy.
So, back to my trip, I remember vividly on the plane, they were providing wine and the cute Mini wine bottles looked really cute and so I was like I want one even if I don’t really drink so I asked for two, one for me and one I can bring a souvenir home with. 😆 The young me was just having fun with my nostalgic Brazil Trip!
Once in Rio, we didn’t waste time and went shopping! There was so much to see and of course to relax from jet lag! It was a long trip from Sydney where I stayed 3 months backpacking.
We went to Copacabana Beach the next day! Yes the beach in a song! There, you see everything. I didn’t know it was a thing on that Beach. No wonder Copacabana Beach is popular. Some people were sunbathing bare and I was trying to hide myself from being bare. I look left and right, making sure I am wearing enough.
But tell you what, Copacabana Beach was not for me. It was too cold to touch! If you happen to get there, let me know if you’ll shiver because it was too cold for even a dip! No wonder, everyone is sunbathing, nobody is swimming.
You hear that saying- when you’re in Rome, be a Roman, right?
So, we tried to act like we’re Brazilian too! We went sunbathing all the way like the locals do. We were laughing but in my mind, there’s shame. Should we be ashamed? It’s a struggle from within when you’re not used to someone’s culture, I guess.
It didn’t take long, we packed up cause we can’t take it anymore. There’s too much to see and too much to imagine. It’s overwhelming but just kidding…
We went to a bar and had a drink. No, not a hard one, just a popular drink in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s Cachaca mixed with deets. Cachaca is a Brazilian distilled liquor made from the fermentation of raw sugarcane juice. That was the first time I tried diets!
But before hitting the beach, we went to Corcovado Hill. At 2,400 feet above the city stands a 125 foot tall statue of Christ the Redeemer. We took a picture at the foot of this iconic statue, overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro. It’s breathtaking, being on top but can be crowded and I am glad we went early. Here, you’ll see the whole city, the beaches and everything your eyes can focus on. This statue symbolizes the country’s faith. We stood close to this Art Deco, made of soapstone, Christ the Redeemer for a picture that I was here! It’s voted as one of the seven wonders of the world.
The next day, we went to Paõ de Aćucar (SugarLoaf Mountain), a beautiful natural attraction and not to miss the glass cable car ride that takes you to the top of the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain where you’ll enjoy a fantastic 360 views of Rio. The stunning panoramic beaches, Corcovado Mountain, downtown Rio and Guanabara Bay. Make sure to bring your camera, it’s a perfect picture perfect place to capture nature.
The next day, we flew to Iguazu Falls. To the top of the falls! We crossed on a rope bridge to the Iguazzo Falls. We were surrounded with butterflies and in fact, one butterfly landed on my palm. It was so beautiful because everyone was jealous of me!
The Iguazu Falls separates Argentina and Brazil, waterfalls between two borders. It’s the world’s most breathtaking complex of waterfalls, you are surrounded with waterfalls when you’re down there! I felt small compared to this wonder. You can hear the thunder of the roaring water rapids. Imagine how many waterfalls there are to make it around?
But before you can do the boat ride, there’s a brief trek downward to get to the base. It can be slippery with the waterfalls non stop splash but it didn’t deter us from going down to experience the boat ride. It’s a once in a lifetime for me. Gotta do it!
We were warned, we might get wet and sure enough we get some of that. Not bad. It was just fun to get around the different tiers of the waterfalls and see exceptional views of the beautiful waterfalls up close.
On a side trip, we went to a bird park – Parque Das Aves for two days where we really enjoyed the hotel we stayed in. The pool was right there when you feel like going for a swim but honestly, we were so hectic with our short trip, we didn’t get to enjoy the pool but the food was great and the ambience was au natural which I love.
We went on a safari ride in the bird park on a 16 Acre jungle. The greens are lush and you can hear the birds but only saw a few. I kind of think, it’s probably better to take a hike than a safari ride. It’s these moments made me decide to become a travel agent because the experience made me see a different perspective.
Something to consider is the time of visit. I am jealous thinking how many birds will I take pictures of if I had hiked slowly, enjoying every moment of this beautiful bird park.
You can get the bird park admission from Rb80 ($16) for there are options available depending on how you want your experience when visiting Parque Das Aves.
I would like to go back to Rio but this time, I want to make sure it’s during their Mardi Gras season so I can watch their festival! The Carnival in Rio is a festival held every year and considered the biggest Carnival in the world. And is held every year before lent. It started in the year 1723, quite a long history, 300 years ago!