A few days in..

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Just had the frustration of accidentally deleting everything I wrote.. So here it goes a second time!

We are a few days into Rio getting into the swing of things. Taxis are like mini rollercoasters and the best way to eat is by buffet - which is both an exciting and nerve-racking experience as most of the mouthfuls are something new and not always what you are expecting. With Rio having a beach but also being in the city it's a good combination of both city-break busy days and being able to just sit with the sand in our toes. The beach is super busy (we think because it's carnival) and they have all kinds of sellers walking up and down selling things from cocktails to hallomi (which they grill for you there and then on their make shift BBQs) and  scarfs to tattoos. The waves are impressively strong and wipe you straight out if you're not on your guard, which we both learnt the hard way and almost cost me a pair of sunglasses! 

We have also visited a botanical garden, where we had our first interaction with wildlife and saw many wild baby monkeys swinging from trees as we walked below. Our necks ached for the most part of that day just looking up. 

Carnival is now over, but it was such a fun experience to walk down streets and at the end see a street party in full swing. It gave a community feel to the whole of Rio with all ages joining in the party - our host for the trip Jacqueline, even took her 4 year old nephew to the local street to dance! Carnival is something we definitely won't forget in a hurry. No matter who you are in Rio, everyone celebrates carnival and the colours, music, food and atmosphere was unforgettable. That's one thing from our bucket list ticked off.