Rio- Copacabana

Jet lag worked in our favor, waking us up bright and early, so we seized the opportunity and headed straight to the beach. We're staying right at the junction of Ipanema and Copacabana, and as luck would have it, we discovered that Sunday is beach day in Rio. The roads were closed off, and vendors filled the streets. It was perfect—we enjoyed pastels and fresh coconut water for breakfast, all while watching runners pass by. There was some kind of event happening, with crowds of people in blue carrying flags, singing and running. There was police presence , both on the ground and in a helicopter.

At 8 a.m., the beach already seemed full but by midday, it was completely packed. We rented chairs and an umbrella and settled in for the day. Copacabana is unique—you don’t have to move a muscle because everything comes to you. We had food and drinks delivered, Aanya and I got our hair braided, and we were even offered massages. Watching the endless parade of vendors with their goods was a lot of fun. 

Aanya adored her braids, but for me- never again. They hurt both while getting them done and afterward! Aanya even gave me tips on how to sleep with them, but I’m still not convinced.

At one point, we witnessed a dramatic moment—a lifeguard rescuing a little girl. Her brother had been holding on to her, doing his best, and it was all happening so close to the shore. It was a good reminder for us to caution the kids, who were having a blast in the waves but didn’t realize how rough the water could be.

We finally packed up around 5 p.m. as the tide started to come in, along with the rest of the crowd. A little sunburned, but feeling relaxed and happy, we ended our first day in Brazil.