BRAZIL Part I: Rio

Brazil, oh Brazil.  One word clearly defines you - AMAZING!

Bottom line: If you have never been to Brazil, GO!  And go ASAP.  The beaches were clean and top notch, water warm.  I have never encountered such nice people, and the food and drinks weren't too shabby.  So, with all that rambling, I hope you finally believe me that Brazil is truly unbelievable.

And now, since pictures always explain much better than words can, let's roll the pics.

We stayed in the Ipanema neighborhood of Rio, which I highly recommend.  Far less touristy than Copacabana, great restaurants, good shopping and it felt safe.

Rio's Botanical Gardens are worth checking out.

Travelling to the top of Corcovado to see the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue which provides for beautiful views and a close up view of one of the "new seven wonders of the world" (the "Christ the Redeemer" statue).

Another set of great sights can be had by taking the tram up to the top of Sugarloaf.  High above Rio, you can see for miles.

  

The Escadaria Selaron (Selaron stairs) are incredible.  Selaron, a local artist, took it upon himself to fix up the long set of stairs near his house.  He began tiling each stair and continued for years.  He would take tiles from visiting tourists and place them among the thousands of other tiles on the stairs.

Finally, we did a lot of relaxing.  Champagne at sunset on the beach was one of our favorite ways to reminisce about what we saw that day and relax.

Good times in Rio, and this was just the beginning of a great trip.  More adventures to come...