Day 70 - Rio de Janiero, Brasil

Right, if you are under ANY misunderstanding that I came away to get a tan, you are sorely mistaken. South America is NOT hot all year. Sunny, yes. But NOT tanning weather, much to Sam's disgust. That said, after a torturous 5 hours on a plane with annoying kids binging the hostess button all day, we landed in Rio, and IT WAS HOT. We sweated our way through the hoards of taxi drivers, got some cash, and were whisked through the city to Copacabana. And it was NICE.



Its green, and lush, and warm and humid. The place is tonnes more developed than Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador put together. The bay is stunning. There are stacks of tunnels cutting through the rugged landscape, and the whole time you can catch a glimpse of Jesus up on the hill overlooking the whole city.



We checked in, donned our board shorts, and headed for the beach (just 3 blocks down). I was kinda anxious about Brasil - different language (its similar to written spanish, but sounds completely different, so much so I have no idea what people are saying to me). So approaching the beach, I had a mild fear (its known for pickpockets during the day, and armed robberies at night). But my fears were unnecessary. Flocks of speedo wearing muscle boys, kids playing in the sand, surfers, and sarong-sellers fill the beach, which goes on and on. Sugar-loaf mountain stands at one end, and jesus looks down at the other. We sat in the sand, walked along with the waves lapping our feets, and Sam planned the best way to burn her lily-white skin.