I’m not a blogger, I admit that. But sharing my adventures and epiphanies online seems more appropriate in a place not moderate by some company’s “community guidelines”.

One thing I wished I’d get into the habit of doing is posting a blog post once a week.

Every Friday or something.

Like today.

So this is the first such Friday when it feels just right to share a bit of my thoughts.

Exactly last Saturday at 7:00 I landed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America.

I’ve never been to either North America or South America so for me it’s 100% novelty from this moment on.

I’ll be in Brazil for the next two months and I’m very grateful to be able to do this without a huge hassle, especially since the past couple of years haven’t been supportive to travel.

The first thing I noticed was the humidity and warmth. It immediately feels like a tropical place, without even going out of the airport premises.

Rio de Janeiro - Botanical GardenThere are fruits and trees here that I have never seen in my life, not even in movies. It’s so green and beautiful that it feels like heaven.

On the not-so-nice part is the personal safety subject, and I discovered a new term called “street smarts” which means don’t walk on the street like an advertisement to get mugged. Walking with jewelry, expensive stuff and even swinging or using your phone on the street is not considered smart, because random bad guys might run by you and sweep it out of your hands and into the sunset.

That’s why all my photos here are crappy since they’re made with a cheap (burner) phone.

What I found to be quite a nice experience is going for a walk on the beach in the morning before breakfast.

There’s something about watching the ocean waves and walking in nature that make life worth while.

But that’s it for this post, I have to dress up and go to a samba party downtown.