In that part of the world where people walk upside down, the seasons are flipped too. So, for our winter holidays, we headed to Brazil. Technically, it's winter there as well—but it felt more like a slightly warmer spring. We only threw on hoodies a couple of times throughout the week, and even then, it was just because of the rain. Basically, a proper beach vacation in the middle of July (or February, old-style)
Before the trip, we drafted a quick list of must-see spots. Well, the Christ the Redeemer statue made it right to the top—it’s one of the most iconic landmarks not just in Rio, but in all of Brazil. We also threw in some classic tourist attractions, a bit of nature, beaches, and shopping malls. Prices there are way lower than in Uruguay, so yes, our plan included filling up some suitcase to the brim.
Pão de Açúcar (a.k.a. Sugarloaf Mountain) is accessible by a two-stage cable car ride. If you get lucky with the weather, the view from the top stretches across all of Rio — old airport (SDU), the bay, and the beaches. One particularly fun detail: planes take off and land below where you’re standing, which is kind of surreal. We didn’t hit the jackpot with clear skies, but still got to enjoy a bit of the view.
To reach the mountain where Christ stands, there’s a train that departs every 30 minutes—so logistics are no problem. But at the top… the crowds. We went on a weekday and still had to elbow our way through. The statue had to share the spotlight with monkeys, who were clearly used to an unlimited snack supply from visitors. Technically, feeding them is prohibited, but that didn’t stop anyone. The vibe was kind of like a zoo with city-view.
One of the more underwhelming stops was the Botanical Garden. It’s essentially a nice, green park—pleasant for a stroll but nothing that made us go wow. Maybe it was the wrong season, maybe we expected more, or maybe we were just tired of walking by then.
We also stopped by the aquarium. It was big and generally fun, but to be honest, after visiting the one in Vladivostok, this one didn’t quite deliver the wow. Still, we checked the the mark in our list, and moved on. What did blow us away, though, was the apartment we rented. Nothing fancy inside, but the view—straight out onto Copacabana Beach—was unbeatable. Every night we’d watch the distant lights on the ocean and the always-busy boardwalk. No matter if it was 1 a.m. or 5 a.m., rain or shine—people were always out jogging along the coast.
Despite all the grim warnings from our Brazilian friends, we weren’t robbed or scammed. Instead, we came back with a suitcase full of coffee, sweets, and all kinds of goodies. Escaping the cold for some tropical warmth turned out to be an excellent idea. Although “cold” in Uruguay is pretty mild anyway—so far, +5°C has been the lowest I’ve seen this winter.
Some parts of Rio have a really strong East Asian vibe.
And finally, here’s a little bonus—some random photos without context, and a quick video clip.
