South America Day 3: Last-Minuteness / Dois Irmãos

So it turns out that just showing up in Brazil without a rock solid-plan for what you are going to do and where you’re going to stay is … not great.

Some plans I had made for these first few days in Brazil fell through right before I started this trip. It took a few hours of online wrangling this afternoon (and more $$$ than I would have liked), but I have now filled in the gaps in my schedule here.

The Brazilian tourist industry is running at about 99% capacity, even though it is really only late spring here. I would have expected it to peak in January, but it’s only late November and almost all places are sold out. What remains is at the fringes of the price curve: either really sketchy or more expensive than you might prefer. I’m traveling with a lot of camera gear so I don’t feel comfortable with “sketchy.” (Maybe I should be taking photos of the upscale lodging instead. 😉)

I’ve been staying in the Santa Teresa neighborhood so far (will be elsewhere in Rio tomorrow) and have found great places to eat and stay here. My favorite has been a little coffee shop / restaurant around the corner (2017 update: sadly, now closed) so much I’ve been both nights I’ve been here.

I did get to spend an hour or so around lunch time walking along the famous Ipanema Beach. What follows are some photos including the Dois Irmãos (Two Brothers) mountains that form the western end of the beach.

I’ll stay tomorrow night in a new part of Rio, then I’m headed north to Salvador (historic community, wildlife viewing, beaches) for three nights, and then back to Rio the night before Tara arrives.

Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The “Two Brothers” mountains on the west end of Ipanema beach. · Leblon, Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Leblon, Rio de Janiero, Brazil