Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - I

I arrived in Rio last night. It's always a thrill to arrive in this city, even if the bus station* is not in a pretty place, surrounded by old, crumbling docks. My history with Rio goes back to when I was 15 years old and one of my dreams in life was to visit this city. So my parents planned a trip, as an 8th grade graduation present for me. It was wonderful (except for the little part where some boys tried to steal my watch - also a graduation present - but then my mom recovered it) and all I had dreamed of.

Rio was the capital of the Brazilian Empire (yes, we had two emperors, back between 1822-1889) and then capital of the Republic until Brasilia was built in 1960. It's a city between the sea and the mountains. The weather wasn't nice today, but it promises to be so in the rest of the week, so I'll be back with more photos for you. The mountain in these photos is the Sugarloaf Mountain as seen from the "back" or from Praia Vermelha (Red beach). This place is only a 10 minute walk from where the conference is taking place. I'm going to take the cable car to the top as well. The view is just breathtaking!

* Buses are the main means of transportation in Brazil. They're extremely comfortable and one can even choose travel in different types of buses and classes (executive, 1st class even). Air travel has become more mainstream, but I still enjoy traveling by bus. It's a good way to see the country too.