Our last-minute decision to visit Rio brought with it a lot of anxiety. Firstly, after stories we had heard from multiple travellers, we were convinced we had set ourselves up for a definite mugging or worse. Secondly, after the visa debacle, where we were convinced we were not getting over the Brazilian border and therefore loosing a lot of money in the process. Luckily none of our fears were realised and we enjoyed our five nights at Copacabana.

Our accommodation was a huge highlight for us. We decided to spend more money than usual to ensure we had a safer place, close to everything we needed. We prioritised a kitchen so that we could cook for ourselves and avoid the streets at night. We struck gold when we came across Marcia and her apartment just metres away from Copacabana beach.

Firstly, when the visa s@#t was going down, I messaged Marcia to say that we were probably not going to make it into the country and that we thought we should cancel our booking. I asked how much this would cost, full well knowing that our booking.com reservation stated that cancellation would result in complete forfeit of the A$600 we had paid. To our complete surprise, luck and delight, Marcia replied that she would happily cancel the booking for us without charge as she believed in good karma and would pray that our visa was approved. She left her dinner date with friends to call booking.com to cancel the booking for us at no expense. For someone we had never met, she went above and beyond for us. When our visas came through the next day I sheepishly messaged and asked if we could reinstate our booking, to which she responded she had never cancelled it on her books because she knew things would work out!

We found the Brazilian people in general to be gorgeous, extremely friendly and always happy to give us a hand. Coming into the Portuguese speaking country, we had forgotten how debilitating it felt to be without the local language. We had moved forward enough with our Spanish that wherever we went, we were able to portray what we needed. Now in Brazil, to have that taken away was really unsettling. We felt rude and ignorant. Marcia suggested that we keep trying Spanish, and most of the time we managed to get by!

Our days were lazy in Copacabana. We utilised the gym in the building, ate sushi daily and did a day trip to see Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf and the steps of Selaron. Hilariously when we arrived to see Christ, the enormous statue was hidden deep in cloud and did not come out to introduce himself. Sugar Loaf was both an interesting engineering feat and a fabulous view over the coast and to Christ. Finally, the steps, the work of Chilean artist Jorge Selaron, were a masterpiece of tiles from all over the world, a project he initially started to liven up the ugly steps in his front yard! Aside from that, we chilled at the beach and were offered everything from acai bowls, to cocktails, African handicrafts and weed! Brazil will be a country to return to in years to come, the less explored beaches and cities we were told have a lot to offer.