Rio de Janeiro

Brasil, Dezembro 2023

By Francisco Morais

December 30^th, 2023

From Montevideo, a short flight delivered us to Rio’s golden light and humid breeze. Our home base was Windsor Barra Hotel at Barra da Tijuca, where each dawn began with waves crashing against its famous mosaic promenade. We spent mornings strolling the shoreline—sand between our toes, kiosks selling freshly cut pineapple—and afternoons soaking up sun on Ipanema’s gentler swells.

Mid-week, we caught the city bus that climbs through Tijuca’s Atlantic Forest toward Corcovado. The winding road curves past hillside favelas and dense greenery, each hairpin revealing wider views of the bay below. As we ascended, the air cooled and the crowds thinned, until Christ the Redeemer’s colossal figure came into focus atop the summit. From that perch, the city sprawled beneath us—mosaic beaches, glittering water, and serrated peaks embracing Rio in every direction.

In five days of sun and beach, Rio revealed itself as a city of bold contrasts—urban energy meeting natural grandeur, city rhythms set to the soundtrack of waves and samba. When our vacation drew to a close, we carried home the warmth of summer days, the taste of salt and citrus, and memories of family laughter echoing across two oceans.