New Zealand didn’t want me to leave. My flight from Auckland to Buenos Aires was delayed a few hours, and, although it gave Tanya and I time for a farewell game of mini golf, I then missed my connection to Rio. That definitely mixed things up a bit, but I wasn’t complaining – the airline put me in a 5-star hotel in downtown Buenos Aires for the night.

I’ve been gone for over half a year. I usually talk in months, I’ve occasionally calculated days, and I’m beginning to use hair length as a reference, but “half a year” hits it home in my mind. The South Pacific chapter is done with, and the South America one has just begun. The final 3 months of my trip. As one of my best friends said: “At least you’re on a continent that ends in ‘America’.”

Tanya and I can’t believe we visited 9 countries in 13 weeks. To put it another way, we can’t believe we survived 13 weeks together, two of which were spent almost entirely in a campervan. That’s an accomplishment in itself. Thank you for the wild ride, Tanya. I know that, among other things, you’ll miss my Aussie accent and my enticing wink, but maybe our paths will cross in LA.

When I finally made it to Rio, Jessemin was there with an impressive “CHARLIE, BEM VINDO AU BRASIL!” sign. Jessemin has worked primarily in Costa Rica for Rustic Pathways, but he’s managed to make a few trips to Brazil during the holidays. While I’m still seeing how far my Spanish can go, he’s got a good handle on the lovely language of Portuguese. (I was shocked to hear that Portuguese is the 5th most spoken language in the world…and that Brazil has the 5th largest population.) Coming from Australia and New Zealand, the language is music to my ears. It’s fresh, exotic, passionate – adjectives to also describe the nation as a whole.

On the descent into Rio, I knew I would love it here. The city cooperates with its natural surroundings. Houses are nestled into hills, buildings curve around bays, the city simply blends into beach. I had never seen so many shades of green in a major city, and, on our way to the hostel, I saw just as many shades of human. People as white as me and as black as the ace of spades – all equally Brazilian. I’ve only been here a day, but it seems diversity is at the heart of the country.

Since two of my best friends are coming to visit me here, there’s no pressure to see all of Rio in the two days we have. Jessemin and I spent yesterday strolling along the stone patterned sidewalks of the beaches. But not just any beaches. The ones that are filmed, painted, sung about, and dreamed about, like Copacabana and Ipanema. We grabbed fresh juice on a corner stand and then got juggling lessons from some local pros. We also got in a game of volleyball and a game of “futevolei,” volleyball without hands. The locals make it look easier than it is, I learned. We scheduled another game for this afternoon and then strolled back to our hostel in Ipanema, saying “aaahhhhh” as the girls passed.

Jessemin and I were fairly jetlagged (after an 11-hour flight, I arrived in Buenos Aires 4 hours earlier than I left), but the energy of Rio is contagious. And now more than ever, since Carnaval begins tonight. We took the cable car up to the top of “Pao de Acucar” (Sugar Loaf), a peak with extraordinary views of what could be the most beautiful city in the world. After thinking “I can’t believe I’m in Brazil. This is incredible.” hundreds of times, we joined some friends from the hostel to check out pre-Carnaval festivities.

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