My Life in Rio – 3 Months in 30 Photos

The last 90 days have been an absolute blur. I touched down on January 18th and from that moment forward, Rio de Janeiro has completely sucked me in.

On a long bus ride to the airport this week to extend my tourist visa, I had some time to reflect on the first three months of living in Brazil.

I’ve gotten to know the city pretty well and my Portuguese is improving every day. I found a great place to live, a few solid friends and some quality basketball close by. My gym membership is free and so is my rental office. Things are moving along nicely.

The next chapter will focus on creating more substance and traveling deeper. The beaches are beautiful and Carnival was insane, but there’s a lot more to Brazil than that.

I’ll be traveling around the country over the next two months, as well as solidifying plans for my primary goal in Brazil – to work at the World Cup.

I can’t wait to reveal my plans for both of these adventures, but until they’re finalized, here’s a photo diary of my first three months in the ‘Marvelous City.’ It went a little something like this…

Day one, hour one, I dropped my bags off at the hostel and went straight to Ipanema beach.

I met a great group of people at the hostel which included three Brazilians, a Chilean and a guy from Hawaii.

During the day, I explored the city. Can you spot the loner?

And I snuck into expensive hotels to get better views.

At night, we went out and drank some Caipirinhas.

Then I found an apartment with a good view (below) and great roommates.

We ate food together.

I went running so I wouldn’t get fat.

Then I found a gym that trumped all other gyms I have ever been to.

There was a basketball court nearby where I shot threes and earned some street cred.

From there I got invited to play in a league outside the city (that’s me playing D).

With all the physical activity, I got addicted to suco shops and Acai. It left me no time for quality photoshopping.

All while taking Portuguese classes for four hours a day.

Then Carnival came and I forgot everything.

There were many street parties.

I saw lots of boobs.

And got caught dancing with the queen of Carnival at a Vila Isabel Pre-Carnival Party.

And danced in the parade at Sambodrome. I was nervous. It was awesome.

After carnival, I spent a week recovering and watching saxy sunsets.

They are really nice here.

Ipanema is incredible but, sunset at the harbor wall in Urca might be my favorite.

Here’s the view above Urca (bottom of photo) from Sugarloaf Mountain with Flamengo beach across the bay.

The semi-finals of the Carioca Cup came so I went to Maracana Stadium to watch my team (Fluminense) lose in the semi-finals against Vasco.

Then I watched Flamengo win the Basketball Championship and I thought about changing my team then they beat Vasco to win the Carioca Cup too.

Then I went down to Centro Rio to get some culture at the National Library

and got a nice view of the Teatro Municipal.

Then I got hungry and went to a market.

I took a nice photo of this papaya and then immediately smashed it on the ground. I dislike papayas.

Then I washed my hands and went to the office to get some work done.

 And that brings us up-to-date as I sit here and publish this. Here’s to three more months!

More T2T Photos:

• The Incredible Views of Sugarloaf Mountain
• Photos of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
• My Instagram

Gareth

My name is Gareth Leonard, a Marketing Director turned World Traveler with a passion for slow, meaningful travel. I have been traveling the world full-time for the past 9+ years and document it all on Instagram and YouTube. Come join me!