Traveller | Fi Design

Fi, Christ the Redeemer and a million tourists (and some scaffolding)!

Well, Rio de Janeiro and Florianopolis, Brazil is MASSIVE!!

We arrived in Rio de Janeiro very early in the morning and headed to the hostel we had booked. The hostel was recommended to us and we were looking forward to some fun and time to chill out after our amazing trek. It’s safe to say that it didn’t live up to our expectations. Maybe it would have if someone had mentioned that it was on the outskirts of hell. We checked in and found a dorm that must have had an explosion. There was no one there and when I used the bathroom, the toilet didn’t flush and there was no water in the faucet. It was time to leave!! And then one of the ‘guests’ asked if we were staying because he wanted to party with us. Um, no!! By this stage it was around 6:00am and we decided to go elsewhere.

We settled into a nice hotel a couple of blocks from Copacabana Beach, had a nap and headed for the beach. The weather was forecast for sunshine all week and we made the most of it. We woke up around nine each morning, ate breakfast, went to the beach to swim and lie in the sun. We walked around in the afternoons and had early dinners so we always felt safe.

We had an amazing dinner at the Copacabana Palace which meant sandwiches for the rest of the week.

Princesses Fifi and Brooke at the Copacabana Palace

We were amazed at how quiet everything was. It wasn’t going to be long before people arrived for the World Cup but it was all a bit sleepy. There were very few tourists and we felt like we had the run of the beach. The streets had a tropical city feel like you see in Bali and Thailand. It was busy with people coming and going about their business but very relaxed. We were also surprised that almost no one spoke any English and we relied heavily on the phrase book. People are friendly and you can get by with a smile and some charades. My trip to the post office was adventurous and while we sat waiting my turn, I studied the phrasebook. Perfect. Until they asked me a question and more hand signals ensued, lots of fun and why travel can be so exciting.

We went to see Christ the Redeemer and it’s so impressive. It really is HUGE! More stairs and lots of lovely views ….. DSCF1137 View from the top … Christ the Redeemer looking over Rio beaches

After a week we flew to Florianopolis which is so pretty. I’M IN LOVE. We met Brooke’s gorgeous friend Lu and had so much fun. We made beautiful friends, played cards, Jenga, went to a dance party, nearly got a husband, fell in love with the man who saved me from that debacle and I cannot wait to go back.

Florianopolis – Backpackers Sunset Rooftop Deck