From the time I stepped on to the TAM flight I immediately started smiling. Not sure why but maybe it was the feeling of Brazil in the air. I have enjoyed the last month immensely as it felt very different and real compared to most of my experiences before but now there was a different sense of excitement and anticipation of what was hopefully to come in the air. Travelling was taking a back seat for a while, it was time for a holiday and hopefully a 3 week party. I arrived at the hotel quite late but excited to see friends i was meeting. They were a bit jetlagged and tired especially after spending a full day on the beach but they managed to drag themselves out for a welcome drink or three with me. It felt good to be here.

Believe the hype about Rio, it is an infectious city. Coming from Peru and Colombia, arriving here felt like being back in Europe or Australia...well almost. Big city, wide boulevards and plenty of shops it felt like being catapulted back to the modern era. It almost felt like Sydney or what I imagined parts of Miami to be like at times, but there was something different about this place. You immediately feel the vibe of the city and want to just have a drink and start dancing

Having my first breakfast at the rooftop of the hotel presented me with the postcard picture I had imagined. Photos don't often do a view justice and the view to the beach and the lake behind the hotel is ...yes I'll say it again...breathtaking. The sea, the lake, the palm tress all hemmed in by amazing mountains sets the scene for the superlatives that are synonymous with Rio. My sisters would hate me if they saw this.

So to the beach it was for the rest of the day. When in Rio, this is what you do isn't it?! Waiters on the beach bringing you caipirinhas, people playing volleyball and football, loads of people watching and watching and watching, sun on your back, sand in your toes. I would say I was happy at this point. The time spent on the beach in summary, proved to provide shall we say 'some entertaining and interesting' times but all good fun and definitely memorable. The evening sent us to the Lapa district of Rio. A bohemiam/arty area which had lots of bars and restaurants and was a good place to go out on weekends. After dinner and on the way to the bar that had been recommended to us we came across what seemed like a mini street party and I would have been happy here but eventually we went to find our venue. A nice place with good live samba music and we met a fun bunch of people. A perfect way to finish the day.

While in Rio we took in a tour of some of the favelas. I think we were all expecting it to be a bit more like 'City of God' but were shown around areas that although were authentic, had progressed a lot more from the picture of a dangerous shanty town. This was good for the people though, as public services had made improvements all over the place and the process of 'pacification' (read getting rid of drug lords and crime) was proving to benefit most people. The only problem was now they had to pay taxes for all of this and a lot of the poorer people were forced out. We also took in a full day tour of some of the sights including Sugarloaf mountain, Corcovado (the 'Jesus thing' as my little nephew puts it) a drive past the samba drome (where the official samba schools perform in front of judges during carnaval) and the Maracana soccer stadium. Corcovado and Sugarloaf mountain were impressive but the rest of it was a bit dull especially as the Maracana was being renovated so it just looked like a building site..I was a bit disappointed being a football fan. I'm not a fan of organised tours but to try and see these things separately would take a lot of time, effort and a few days which we didn't have unfortunately....especially as it was all about the beach!

Rio is a place that can get under your skin and you can see why people here ( the Cariocas) are always happy and smiling. It's unlike any other city I've been to and it makes you want to stay longer and longer. Maybe I'll come back and I will?