We arrived in Rio on the wednesday after Iguassu, i think. On everyones advice we decided to stay in Ipanema. The poshest and most expensive part of Rio but also the nicest by far. The prices in rio were a bit of a shock after Argentina and so on, and we both felt pretty broke when we left. The first day we spent on Ipanema beach which is the one next to Copacabana, as we were tired after our bus ride from Iguassu. Copacabana is now too crowded and a bit seedy so Ipanema is one of the nicest beaches in Rio. The view from the beach is amazing as it is crystal clear water and you can see sandy islands in the distance.

The next day we decided to do all the culture stuff, we took a taxi to the christ in the morning and looked at the views from up top, which were really cool. You can see the whole of Rio as there is a platform all the way round the christ. As we got there so early we avoided the crowds which made the experience much better as we weren't being pushed round by crowds of people. We then got back in the taxi and went back to Ipanema. In the evening we went to Sugar Loaf mountain with the girls to watch the sun set behind the christ, i think we have already put some pictures up though not sure. We stayed up for about 2 hours to see what Rio looked like at night, the whole city was lit up and it looked amazing.

The next two days were spent lazing around on the beach, going out in the evening and drinking too much Caiparinha (famous Brazilian drink made with Cachaca, lime, crushed ice and sugar). The first night to Lapa, where all the most famous clubs are and the second night in Copacabana where we went to a very strange Indie club.

We left on the sunday taking a (30 hour!) bus to Asuncion, we were sad as Rio was the best city so far, and we had a real good hostel atmosphere. Everyone goes out together and drinks together which is really fun.