LATAM airlines provided us with a stroke of luck on our transit day up to Rio de Janeiro. In the space of ten minutes we went from fearing that we had potentially missed the flight due to long delays of passengers in the check-in line, to being informed that they had changed our flight, free of charge, to go direct into Rio rather than our initial itinerary which involved a stopover in Sao Paolo and a change of airports. All up, it saved us a lot of hassle and headache and resulted in us landing in Rio five hours earlier than anticipated. The visit was off to the perfect start! Our fortunes were only to get better as we were greeted at our Copacabana beach-side apartment by our lovely host, Cassandra, who had prepared our rooms, gave us insider tips on places to eat, and delivered a complimentary, yet delicious, home cooked Brazilian dinner for us (first of many throughout the week) which included steaks, rice, salsa, eggs, beans and mixed fruits. This allowed us to settle well and be prepared for our five busy days exploring the many sights and nightlife of this beautiful city!

Aside from the tanning, swimming, reading and frisbee throwing we did on the 4km stretch of Copacabana beach at any spare chance we got, there were many day tours that we were wishing to partake in to witness all Rio had to offer. Our first tour was off to Rocinha, to stroll through the largest favela in South America and become educated in a first-hand experience about how the 160,000 working class 'slaves' reside in their day-to-day lives. It was an eye-opening experience to view the cluster of houses that exist basically on top of one another and the horrid smell that they have become accustomed to as home. We were informed that what their tiresome workers earn in one month 'building the city' for the rich and famous, was less than what a modest teachers salary earns in one day in Australia. A true reflection of the social and financial gap that exists in the country that is said to be the eighth-highest economical powerhouse in the world. However, the warm greeting we received by the locals and the children in the favelas proves that you don't particularly need money to be happy in life!

Upon returning from the Rocinha favela tour, we decided to get a taste for the so-called 'electric' nightlife that exists in Rio by partaking in an organised pub crawl in Ipanema, the next beachside neighbourhood to Copacabana. It was an excellent opportunity to meet fellow travellers of all ages and from all parts of the world, including residents from Canada, Netherlands, Brazil, Switzerland and England. The pub crawl also gave us our first taste of the local cocktail, Caprinha, a drink made by freshly-squeezed juice, sugar, a local spirit called Cahaca (which tasted exactly like tequila) and lots of ice. Whilst refreshing at first contact with the taste buds, about a half a dozen later and we were stumped from the sweetness of them, almost to the point that we were contemplating getting tested for diabetes. The pub crawl hit two local places, Belmonte Bar & an Irish bar called 'Shenanigans' where we consumed cocktails and shots before heading to the opening night of a new nightclub in the Leblon neighbourhood. A modern looking venue with an outdoor courtyard for socialising and a DJ spinning tunes inside on the dance floor for when you've hit that limit of your drinking and the Dutch courage eliminates all inhibitions for us to have a dance. Not a ridiculously late finish at 2am, although the alcohol consumption (and a faulty alarm clock) caused us to sleep-in and miss our hotel pick up for the mountain tour we had booked for 7am. Fortunately, a fabricated excuse of 'confusion as to where our pick-up location was' enabled us to reschedule the tour for the following day and instead we got to enjoy the sizzling Brazilian sun whilst riding on paddle boards on the waters of Copacabana Beach. Hence, the sleep-in may was a blessing in disguise.

Take two! We woke on the Thursday morning significantly fresher (and earlier) than 24-hours prior and were at our confirmed pick up address well in advance to start our mountain tour. We began the journey by driving up Corcovado Mountain to visit the world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue for sunrise. Being there at first light, we beat any potential crowds and heat, to witness unobstructed and clear views overlooking the picturesque city below. The statue was built in 1931 and was there way of having a saviour looking down over the people, with its head facing Sugarloaf Mountain and its arms pointing towards the international airport on one side & Copacabana Beach on the other. We learned that this was to act as a compass if ever lost in the city. Our next stop was to drive across town to Pao de Acucar, more commonly known as Sugarloaf Mountain. We started our ascent up the mountain by means of a cable car, which was introduced in 1913, to allow tourists 360 degree views of the city. A good, half day tour which allowed us great photo opportunities and a chance to get our bearings of the city from 396m above.

The night saw us take a quick visit via the Escadario Selaron, a set of landmark, tiled steps designed by a Chilean artist for a photo before continuing on route into Lapa to experience a change of scenery and visit the apparent home of nightlife and samba in the city. A group of 15 on the tour with only three blokes and a dozen girls (a ratio that is much of a rarity in the Sydney scene) set out to observe a Caipirinha making/tasting course and a complimentary shot before moving onto a samba lesson at a nearby bar called Antonio's. We learnt the rhythm of how to move our hips and feet in tandem from our guide and 'attempted' to put it into practice ourselves in tune with the vibrant, fast-paced music at the bar. Our last stop on the pub crawl was called Lapa 40 degrees which was a three-storey venue that had a mix of samba and live karaoke style music where we continued to drink into the morning hours with our new found friends from across the world.

'Rain, rain go away! Come again on Sunday'. We had pre-booked a bike tour of the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon, Botafogo district and Vermhala beaches for our final full day in Rio. Whilst still a mild 27 degrees, we had to endure periods of heavy rain as we toured around the city by bike, led by our awesome guide, Ricardo. Cycling is my favourite way to take in the sights of a city and Emily to enjoyed the leisurely pedal also. A fun way to explore the very last inches of the city before heading back to our apartment and getting ready for our lovely dinner at Churasscio Palace. We decided to treat ourselves on the final night to a reputable and fancy all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse whereby waiters would approach your table every minute to offer a different cut of meat. Ranging from rib-eye, sirloin and beef shoulder to racks of ribs and spicy sausages, the meat piled up on my plate quicker than I could ingest it. Meanwhile, Emily helped herself to the buffet of oysters that were available, eating her body wait in total of the seafood delicusie. A beautiful dinner to cap off a hectic, but wonderful five days in this amazing city. Whilst we were off to the airport to depart the east coast of South America, I know for sure I will return to visit Rio de Janeiro in the future. For now though, we are trading the beaches and sun of the east for the cold, mountainous regions of the Andes. Our first stop on the west coast is the rustic city of La Paz, the (second) capital city of Bolivia, which will be our first encounter with altitude. (*crosses fingers)