1st stop on my EPIC trip of my 20's is Rio de Janiero, Brazil. I chose this stop at this time in my trip cuz I purposely wanted to miss Carnival. Traveling solo, I thought Carnival would be better enjoyed with a friend, so I'll be back later for the most famous street party in the world. I was in Rio about 2 weeks before Carnival so the city was getting ready with street signs already put up and such.

I left So Cal at the end of winter. Literally 5 days before I was laying on the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, I was shredding the slopes in Big Bear. When I got back to So Cal in mid April it was just starting to heat up for our summer so 2011 was an endless summer for me and you could see it in the tan I kept well into September.

First time I ever stayed in a hostel was in Rio and what an adventure it was. Because of the heat, I definitely didn't need the sheets they gave me let alone my mummy sleeping bag a brought. I had some fun roomates from Argentina (a group of 6 or so young 20-something year olds that just wanted to party and talk about sex). They were fun though.
I got to enjoy a caperinha (famous mojito-like Brazilian cocktail minus the mint, plus muddled limes). A perfect refreshing drink for the climate and the culture of the famous beach surrounded city. i still try to ask for caperinhas at the bars every once in a while in Southern California, but because of the lack of the "special" Brazilian alcohol needed to make the drink, it's rare to find a place that can make it, let alone know what I'm talking about.
My first day I enjoyed Ipanema beach. Then I walked to Copacabana beach another day. The next day I enjoyed a day of sightseeing (Christ Statue, Lapas Steps, Sugarloaf Mountain, Santa Theresa Neighborhood, etc.). I hired a tour through my hostel (Che Lagarto, Impanema) and it was a really good deal. I literally saw all the sights I wanted to see for a very reasonable price. The Christ Statue was cool to see. Though it was really crowded with people, I still got some cool shots of myself and my Savior. What really annoyed me in all honesty were the people who were replicating his position he was posed in while taking their own pictures. It was almost as if they were mimicking Him. Something that (to me) isn't comical in anyway shape or form. The Lapas Steps were one of my favorite sights for multiple reasons. One, because it was very artistic, Two, because it was very colorful. And three, because THE ARTIST who created the steps (and it continually changing them) was there working on them, and I got a picture with him! That was one of my highlights of the city for sure! The next day I spent at Leblon beach, which is supposed to be like the Malibu Beach of Rio. Personally, I noticed no difference in the demographics of the three beaches I went to. Then spent the next day at the Botanical Gardens walking around and the Lagoon riding my rental bike and napping on the grass.

There is so much to do in Rio. I also signed up (through my hostel) one night for a company to take me to a Samba school rehearsal (what a better time to see the Samba school rehearse than 2 weeks before Carnival?), but unfortunately they didn't follow through with the company that was supposed to pick me up so I didn't get to do that. That was really the only thing I wanted to do that I didn't get to in Rio.
I also didn't do a favelas tour (Rio's famous and world famous poverty-filled neighborhood). I already felt like I was stepping on egg shells traveling as a SWF from America being in Brazil. I was warned of the dangerousness of my circumstance and the country and the city, so I knew going on a favelas tour wouldn't be the smartest decision for my situation.

I was in Rio de Janiero for a total of 6 or 7 days I think and I think that was a perfect amount of time to see the city and really get a feel of it.
Last thing to touch on is the language barrier. I honestly thought my little elementary-level Spanish that I knew could carry me though Brazil. I've traveled all over Europe multiple times with my Spanish, so I honestly thought Spanish wouldn't be THAT big of a difference from Portugese. Boy was i wrong. The language barrier was the most difficult part of my Brazilian travels.

Last but not least, how. How did I plan all this myself? My credits go to Kayak.com, tripadvisor.com, hostelworld.com and 4 months of planning. I can preach for days on how fortunate we are to live in this "global generation" and this "technology-based generation". A combination of the 2 with my ability to just up and go and my independence let me go on this EPIC trip. And I truly had the time of my life!!!