I will start off by saying that we really short-changed Brazil. Brazil, is bigger than the continental United States. It includes the Panetal with its abundance of wildlife and the Amazon jungle. We skipped all of this and went straight to Rio de Janerio. Rio is beautiful with lush tropical landscape, warm golden beaches and famous sights like the Cristo.

Initially, we planned to spend three days in Rio but one thing led to another and we ended up staying for ten. New buildings like this interactive Museum of Tomorrow are part of the rush to prepare Brazil, and Rio in particular, for the Olympics. Although Rio is a very modern city, there are still clusters of the original Portuguese influenced architecture.

We didn’t realize that our Spanish had gotten passable until we arrived in Brazil where the language is Portuguese and had to figure out how to say “hello”, “please” and “thank-you” all over again.

A train ride from Rio took us 2,300 feet up Corcovado mountain to Christ the Redeemer.  Constructed between 1922-1931, the statue is 98 feet tall, not including its 26 foot pedestal, and its arms stretch 92 feet wide. As a symbol of Christianity across the world, the statue has also become a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil, and is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. With tourists from all over Brazil and the world, the site was packed.

Another main tourist attraction in Rio is the tram ride to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. It is a peak that rises about 1,000 feet out of the sea and presents a bird’s eye view of the City.

The iconic Ipanema and Copacabana beaches are action packed with all the “beautiful” people tanning themselves and countless vendors who walk the beach, selling what seems like an endless array of things to buy, like bathing suits, beers, beach towels, books and even coconuts. There are volleyball games, soccer and water sports like surfing, wake boarding and stand-up paddle boarding. We soaked in the atmosphere, enjoyed a cold beers and whiled away the day.

Rio’s beach areas have miles of dedicated bicycle lanes so we rented bikes and enjoyed riding beyond the city, along the beach front and though the parks. This Capybara is a rodent living in the parks. They are the largest rodent in the world and as big as small dogs.  

Although Rio had lured us to stay, we had to move on to see more of Brazil before our time ran out. We had limited time in Brazil because of our scheduled cycling tour in Chile.