Friday, September 30, 2011

MIA? Becos I am on vacation in Rio de Janeiro!

You guys might be wondering what happened to me? The simple reason is that I am on a one month vacation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My holiday is coming to an end now. I have about 1 more day to go. I must confess that this was one of the best trips of my life.

Pictures do not do the beauty of this city justice. I can understand why it is also known as the 'City of God'. This city is blessed with beautiful beaches and tropical rainforest nature. I am pleased to say that I was at Copacabana and Ipanema beach almost every other day. It was so relaxing and refreshing, I really needed this. The other main attractions of this city are the Christ the redeemer, Sugar loaf mountain, the Botanic gardens and the Hippy market which is only open on sundays. Of course, if you are coming by in Feb/Mar, you can enjoy their famous carnival. There are so many things to see and do if you are open to trying and exploring!

Now, here is the not so fancy side of Rio: it is well known to be unsafe and most likely you would be mugged at one point or so. So far, nothing like that has happened to me or my husband. I think the reason is because, we didn't behave like typical tourists and had our guards up all the time. Made sure not to bring too much money and dress like tourists. We walked around in flip flops and sundresses (of course no dresses for my husband, LOL). In many instances, I was mistaken for a Brazilian. I guess that is a good sign! Language is a problem because most people speak only Portuguese.The only ones who can speak English are those who have travelled outside of Brazil and attended university. For me, this was tough as I had a hard time understanding the food menus. With all that said, I still managed to get around easily. Rio is an expensive city so make sure to bring enough money.

By the way, these movies show how the life in Rio really is 'City of God' and 'Tropa de Elite'. I must say that it is not all that fancy as what most tourists think and perceive. So be prepared for some gruesome scenes.

Here are some pictures of my trip. I am going to miss this city very much.

Strolling by the beach.... It was a beautiful sunny day!

The beach, the hotels then the slums (favelas) in the background! See the contrast?!

If you are not a good swimmer, stay away from the beach, the waves are strong!

Not sure, if you can see any micro bikinis and speedos! 

The favela (slum)

Some handmade jewelry in the hippy market! 


Never forget to try the deserts... This was made of tapioca and coconut.. Super tasty!

The Sugar loaf!

 Uma approved attraction (Sugar loaf)!

The Botanic garden... Simply beautiful!

Water fountain... Drink if you dare (I didn't btw) LOL!

The main attraction 'The cute monkey'....  



Christ the redeemer. The best attraction in my opinion! 

The magnificent view from the Christ the redeemer!


If you want to see more crazy pictures, just feel free to join me on my facebook account. 
#/UmaPreve - Fan page

See you guys soon! 

Muaks!