Copacabana, Ipanema, Sambadrome, Sugarloaf mountains, Maracana football stadium, the city centre, Christ the Redeemer, cathedrals, favelas, museums …. Where to start in Rio!?!

None of the above.

We head to the botanical gardens.

Sound strange?

It was a strategic move in the hope that the weather clears later in the week so we can actually see Christ the Redeemer when we get up there. Since arriving in Rio the mist and low cloud has been the dominant force in the sky. Not the best for viewing 13 storey statues on top of mountains. So, we spend the first few days focusing on ground level stuff. The gardens had been recommended to us from a Sao Paulo local we met in Paraty.

We arrive early in the day and wander about the different sections. Neither of us are into gardening and plants. What an earth are we doing here? Wandering along, feeling a little bored but trying to appreciate and be grateful for where we are ..... out the corner of my eye I spot a dark object move quickly.

Thinking it's a bird I turn my head apathetically. Suddenly I grab Emma's arm as I realise it's a monkey jumping from the trees! What follows can only be described as the top animal highlight for both of us in this 2-month trip around South America. These little critters are a bunch of fun and unafraid of our presence. Busy gathering their breakfast they jump from tree to tree, at times flying in the air. Focused on getting to the good fruit.

They happily pose for photos, as if they know that actually its them that is the attraction in the botanical gardens of Rio.

Realising what kind of fruit they like the most, I gather a couple off the ground. A monkey close by me in the tree is watching every move I make. I throw the fruit up to it and to my surprise it reaches out to catch it! We play this catch game 4-5 times but unfortunately for this monkey, I was terrible at ball throwing sports like netball and softball at school. After multiple attempts to throw it straight up, the monkey rolls its eyes at me and heads down the tree to just pick it up off the ground. I still thought it was a fun game, even if he was unimpressed.

The next day the weather packs up more so we head indoors for some mall therapy. Its in this moment that I come up with the bright idea of getting my hair touched up with a bit of pink. Sounds easy and simple. Well thanks to the language barrier, the plan and the reality are two quite different things! A simple google translate question from the hairdresser and my response leads me completely up the wrong path and I walk out with a full head of pink hair instead of blonde with pink highlights. Kill me now.

After 2 days of sideways looks from people I decide I cannot handle anymore and go to another hairdresser to get it 'fixed'. The customers in this salon translate for me and the experience is amazing. What kind and wonderful people there are in Brazil. Not only to help me in my hour of vain need but also to give me tips, advice and contacts for things to do in the city.

It did make me think though …. trips to the hairdresser back in NZ are going to be so boring!

We decide a big day of walking is required so head off to the Sunday Ipanema hippy markets. The sun breaks out as we get to the end of the many stalls, so we wander down to the famous beach. Its stunning. The soft bright sand, the people, the waves … perfect. We climb up to a lookout and take obligatory selfies. From here we head over the rocks to Copacabana.

The streets become desolate as Brazil plays in the Football World Cup. We find a bar and settle in with the 'locals' to watch the game. Wow! There is no doubt NZ'ers are rugby mad but supporting Brazilian football is next level. The noise is insane. The emotion is strong. The love for the game is powerful. Drinks and food flow freely and everyone is glued to the screen, yelling at the ref. Businesses either close altogether and let their staff go, or put TVs out onto the street so people can congregate and watch it together. When I say businesses, I'm not talking bars and restaurants with TVs outside encouraging people to watch … I'm talking any business; shoe shops, dairy's, book stores, anyone with a street front.

After the game we head back down to Copacabana beach to watch the sun setting on another day. Pinching ourselves that we are actually here in Rio and …. Bonus, we haven't been mugged or kidnapped yet!

Finally, the weather begins to clear and we book into a day tour to knock off the main touristy sights in one hit. First stop the football stadium, which seems fitting. Next up is the sambadrome, a purpose built stadium where the colourful spectacle that is the Rio Carnival is held each year. Next is the worlds ugliest cathedral , the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian. Built in the late 70's the design was based on the Mayan pyramid style. Much more attractive on the inside than outside, it contains 4 sections of stained glass that soar 64 metres from the floor to the ceiling and meet at the top. Quite beautiful and breath-taking.

Up next is the Selaron Steps in Lapa. Selaron was a Chilean artist who fell in love with Brazil and its people. He was a lovable character who lived next to these dilapidated steps. In 1990 he decided to start renovating them with broken tiles in the colours of the Brazil flag (blue, green and yellow). Soon the mosaics became an obsession and eventually he covered the entire 215 steps in tiles, ceramics and mirrors. The steps became famous and the area around is used by many artists to display their work - particularly graffiti art. Originally the tiles were sourced from construction sites and rubbish found in and around Rio, however in later years most of the tiles were donated by people from all over the world. Emz and I managed to find 3 tiles of NZ origin; one that shows a picture of a sliced kiwifruit and says 'kiwi was here 2008', another is the beautiful moko face of a Maori chief and another is a black tile with a green koru symbol.

Selaron handpainted approximately 300 of the over 2000 tiles and kept the work as a living art piece, constantly moving tiles around and recreating. He once said that the work would not be finished until 'the last day of my life'. All his hand painted tiles depict a pregnant African woman whom Selaron would never comment on, except to say it was a 'personal problem from my past'. Sadly, Seralon was found dead on the steps in 2013 at the age of 65. Police would not disclose the cause of his death, but burns were found on his body and he had received death threats in the months leading up to his passing.

As the clouds over Rio clear we leave Lapa to head up to one of the 7 wonders of the world; Christ the Redeemer. This icon of Brazil stands 13 stories high and sits on top of a 2,300 ft mountain overlooking Rio. It was completed in 1931 and is an imposing sight. The 360 views of the city are fantastic from the foot of the statue. Thousands visit every year and its impossible to get a photo with no people in it. If you ever wanted to learn about selfies, this is the place to do it. People everywhere scurrying about trying the get the best selfie shot. Its kind of funny to watch … as we find ourselves doing the exact same thing!

Standing underneath this giant monument, admiring Rio city, we reflect on the fact that in this short trip we have been privileged to see 2 of the 7 wonders of the world; Machu Picchu and now Christ the Redeemer.

Its time for lunch and then off to another famous Rio icon, the Sugarloaf Mountain. It is a world heritage site and has a cable car that runs between the 2 peaks, taking you from the ground to the top. Again, the views are breath-taking of this beautiful city. Small marmoset monkeys, with their grumpy looking serious faces, run around trying to steal food from the tourists. Great end to a fantastic sightseeing day.

After some quality beach time on Copacabana (rude not too since we are staying in the heart of this famous beach) we head to the city centre for a 'free walking tour'. We learn about the history of the Portuguese royal family and their decent on Brazil, as they fled Napoleon's invasion of their homeland in 1808. Since there was nowhere suitable to accommodate hundreds of noblemen and women, officials at the time simply evicted locals from their homes. The royal family left Rio is 1821 but established many educational institutes while they were in residence; schools, universities, libraries and the local newspaper.

Rio was the largest port of slaves in America and was the main stage of the abolition of slavery in later years. In the 1900's the city lacked decent urban planning and sanitation for the population it supported, so diseases like yellow fever spread rapidly. The mayor at the time demolished the houses where the poor population lived so he could modernise and reform the city centre; pushing these slave descendants into the hills and helping establish the first 'favelas'.

Emma and I were very keen on visiting one of these favelas, however multiple people we had met over the last few days had warned us not too at this time. The favelas are run by gangs and drug lords and at the moment Brazil is going through political turmoil, with elections coming up in October. People are divided over the city's future, causing fear, protests and an increase in violent crime. Just a week before we were there a woman had been shot in the stomach visiting a favela. This time we heeded the warnings and stayed away from the tours; much as we were keen to see how these people lived in ramshackle huts on the side of the hills.

On our last night in the city we wandered the streets along Copacabana, saying goodbye to this beautiful place. We were so grateful that we made the call not to be scared off by the stories of how dangerous this country is. There is no doubt there is crime here, like any big city or country, and you need to be on your game. Aware of your surroundings. Not making stupid decisions. Pretty much, just common sense. But don't be put off visiting this country. Its sights are fantastic and awe-inspiring. Its culture is rich, tragic and mystical. Its food is outstandingly good. Its people are friendly and welcoming.

As we wander along the boardwalk we talk about how, other than the bus incident, we haven't seen anything of note when it comes to violence here. We had met other travellers in Paraty that had regaled us with stories of armed tanks driving up and down the main streets of Rio and police with machine guns everywhere. Not long before we arrived in the country there had been a major protest in Sao Paulo where truck drivers had barricaded off the main highways with their 18-wheelers protesting the price of diesel. The army was out in force and the protest lasted days. We joke with each other about how not seeing sights like what we had expected, is kind of a let-down and an anti-climax.

As if the universe hears us, within minutes of this conversation, we come across flashing lights, cars stopped in the street and a crowd gathering. As we reach the area we see a group of officers detaining an African man. About 5 big burly security officers are trying to hold him down, one is beating him with a baton, as he lies half naked on the cold hard concrete road. From what we can understand he had tried to rob someone. As they get him in handcuffs and drag him kicking and screaming into the security car, another officer punches him repeatedly in the stomach. Its heart wrenching to watch and one more time, Emz and I glance at each other in pure shock.

And as the chapter closes on our time in Brazil we are grateful for our experiences here. The beauty and the reality.

Brazil you have been outstanding and a place we will definitely return to one day. Adeus por agora.