DAY 20 - OUR FINAL WEEK OF OUR DREAM WORLD TRIP!! Why Rio to end? When we first realised that with Ads going back to work only a few days after we landed home and the fact that we were both shattered from the year, we knew that the last 9-10 days needed to give us some serious R&R!! It sounds bad saying that after a year off of work but as other travellers that have done the year hog will know, the continuous travel, moving places, living out of bags and hours and hours and thousands of miles you travel on local transport in different countries really does take it out of you............especially in your mid 30's ha ha!! The original plan had been to chill on a beach in Venezuela at the end and when that plan had to change we thought perhaps we would do the same in Brazil. However we both realised that 10 days on a remote island with nothing to do but chill and think, might not be too good for us before going home................too much time to think about work, unemployment, mortgages etc...!!So perhaps doing this bit earlier, ending with the Amazon and a slightly more active finish might be better, hence why Rio was the option as you had the hustle & bustle, the beach and if we hated it a coastline of chilled places to choose from! However getting a hostel was not good as all were about 45 quid a night!! Dorms were also 35 quid a night for 2 so neither of this we could afford or wanted to do in our last week! We looked at apartments but all were about 100 dollars a night for a basic studio and then we found one which was cheaper on a UK letting sight, a 2 bed, in Ipanema with FAB views, result! It was still too much but after chatting online with the landlord he lowered it to 100 RS, 28 quid a night which was a bargain compared to everything else and meant we could definitely chill in our own place for the last 9 days. Neither of us cared even if we didn't like Rio, to chill in our own place and not suffer the good ole dorm or hostel for the last week would be bliss. How would be cope being able to do normal things like unpack our bags??!!!! Heaven eh!! So here we were in Rio at last just praying that our apartment and owner existed and that both were legit!! Finally we got a taxi which took another hour plus through some tunnels in horrendous jams to get to Ipanema! As we entered the famous Copacabana area first, it started to look better, more restaurants and bars and had a safer feel about the place. Coming into Ipanema with the tree lined roads and chilled feel felt abit like we were on holiday so soon we started to think this wasn't a bad place to end at all if the apartment existed!! Our taxi driver kept looking at his map though, please lord let this place exist. Finally he found it, phew! And the guy on reception said immediately to us 'Alfranio' when we walked in so we knew our landlord was for real! Hallelujah! Alfranio was a cool guy, great English too which helped. The only problem was that the flat was on the 16th floor so with idiot here not doing lifts I was definitely going to get fit this week!! As I arrived huffing and puffing to Ads and Alfranio looking out on the balcony the 16th floor, the hike was definitely worth it!! We had hit jackpot the view across all of Ipanema was just incredible and with the backdrop of the two brothers and mountain setting it was just incredible. There was even a Xmas tree in the lagoon that changed colours, we were so relieved and couldn't wait to settle in....... which didn't take long!! The first eve we spent most of the time just taking in the view from the 16th floor and looking forward beyond belief to having our own place for a week! TBC!