Rio de Janeiro, the finale!

6am came and after some confusion about the bus service, we set off to Rio, our final destination and favourite city.
Since this was our 2nd time staying in Rio, having previously been in Ipanema and Copacabana, we made reservations at a hotel up in the hills of Santa Teresa. After a winding uphill taxi ride through cobbled narrow streets, we made it to Rio 180 boutique hotel. We felt immediately at home. Our room was amazing, complete with wet room, hot tub and panoramic views across Rio towards the Sugar Loaf and Christ Redeemer. The pool area was also lovely so we spent the day soaking up the sun and cooling off every few minutes – it is seriously HOT in Rio.

That evening we took a taxi down to the centre of Santa Teresa, with its colonial buildings, narrow streets and graffiti art. We checked out a cool art/antique shop then grabbed two cold chopp’s and reminisced about the trip in a lovely terrace bar next door. From there, we wanted to walk round the area but as Santa Teresa is so big, it’s hard to see it all in one evening. We chose to head down to Lapa instead as we’d heard good things about its nightlife and of course, it’s said to be the home of the Samba so we wanted to catch some live music. After being dropped off close to Lapa’s impressive white aquaduct, we walked around the main party area, where hundreds were spilling out of the many street cafes and samba clubs. The atmosphere was electric and the buildings were all very old giving the place a real personality. We passed down a very rowdy and somewhat sketchy street where they were selling 700ml servings of Caipirinha for just a few quid…ridiculous. We eventually came across Lapa’s infamous staircase. The topsy-turvy staircase is decorated with all manner of coloured tiles, every one different and paying homage to countries from all over the world. It’s a really cool spot, and extends from Lapa all the way upto Santa Teresa. We went back to the centre to join in the action, and grabbed a seat inside a busy bar which had a live samba band playing. The music was great and very infectious it appeared, as the local Carioca’s took turns standing up and showed us tourists how to samba. We had a fantastic night but we’d had a long day so jumped in a taxi and headed back up the hill to our very comfy bed!!

Our penultimate day was here. We got up early and made our way across the city to Sao Conrado beach. The waves were enormous that morning, but we weren’t here to surf, no, we were about to jump off a 600m cliff and hang glide all the way to the beach. Feeling very nervous, we headed up the steep mountain side with our guide Paulo in his 4×4. Once at the top, there was no messing about, we got into our harnesses quickly and then before I knew it, I was next to jump. The only instructions were to keep running but don’t look down. I swallowed hard, and holding my guide maybe too tight, we ran down the ramp and off what felt like the face of the Earth….we swooped smoothly into the air then carved to the left, the view was unbelievable from up there; the beach, the ocean, the favela and the lush green forest and only a mere kite between life and death. A few minutes in, I relaxed and was able to take in everything. We circled down towards the beach, and 10 minutes later we were ready to land. My guide had to take a phone call first though, which I thought was hilarious. Landing was intense to say the least, and we came down a lot steeper than I expected. After some mid-air running, we eventually touched down on the sand to safety. Whilst a little pricey, it was an incredible rush and a spectacular view.
We headed back to the hotel and spent another lazy afternoon by the pool. Our last evening was super special too, we headed up to the rooftop for caiprinhas and perfect pizza then back the room for prosecco on ice in our private bedside hot-tub overlooking the Sugarloaf. Evenings don’t come much better than this and what a way to round off the trip of a lifetime.

We had a relaxing breakfast and morning by the pool then packed up our bags to head to the airport and fly home to sunny England.

We can’t believe our Latin American journey has come to an end after 4 months on the road. Really gutted to be leaving, but the memories we have will stay with us forever.
To the incredible scenery, landscapes and cities we have seen, the amazing people we have met, the journeys both good and bad, the stunning wildlife, the language, the food, the beautiful beaches and relentless heat, all we can say now is thank you for what has been a truly life changing trip.

p.s as I’m posting this, my 2nd set of records arrive, 15mins before I leave the country!!!!!!