First time to Rio de Janero - It didn't disappoint!

First time posting to the Steemit community and wanted to share one of my latest adventures. Traveling is an important part of my life and has contributed significantly to developing me into who I am today. What is even more special about this trip is that it is the first time traveling abroad with my fiance, who said YES less than a month before we flew out.

Without further delay, let's jump into my time in Rio:

Day 1 - Forget the beach, head for the hills!

When most people think of Rio de Janero, it's all about the beaches, beach bodies, and the state of mind that gives the city it's much deserved reputation as a party . However, what's often overlooked is the incredible landscape that breaks the city into multiple regions by towering monoliths of granite.

After hiking to the top, the best way down is one with the best views and a nice breeze. Hello Hang Gliding!

Finding hang gliding pilots isn't difficult. There are plenty. The entire operation is actually coordinated by a kind of air traffic controller who logs every pilot's flight, their passengers, and the dates/times. This has a separate fee from what you actually pay your pilot, but is well worth it seeing as it goes to supporting the infrastructure to allow you to safely experience a birds eye view above Rio. (btw, bring cash. Even with Square, Stripe, and all the other POS systems, Brazil is still a few years behind being fully up to speed on supporting them)

Day 2: Sugar Loaf (and then the beach!)

No, Sugarloaf is not the same as Christ the Redeemer. In the picture below you can see the giant monolith in the center right. It gives you an equally stunning view of the city, but from a different viewpoint of the Christ.

The beach(es)!

Capacabana (shown above) is easily the most well known of the beaches in Rio. If you want something a little less touristy, head over to Leblon, which gives you great views of the Two Brothers.

Aaaaand for good measure, a picture of my new fiance sporting her new bikini.

Day 3: Visiting Christ the Redeemer

For those of you coming here looking for a picture of Christ the Redeemer, I'd suggest heading over to Google. None of mine will do it justice and there are tens of thousands of travel bloggers who've posted the same image. I'm more interested in what you can see FROM the vantage point at the base of Christ the Redeemer.

Alright folks. That's it for today. If you liked these and want more, leave some love below. We spent 13 days exploring Brazil so a follow-up post may be in the future.

Safe travels!