Beginner Confusion in Rio de Janeiro

We landed in Rio right on schedule at 7 in the morning. Since we hadn’t booked an arrival package in advance, we jumped right into the adventure. First things first, we needed to exchange some money since we only had dollars with us. We found an ATM in the airport, but it turned out it wouldn’t accept our cards. Luckily, we had brought some cash, so we exchanged a bit of that to get into the city, find a hotel, and locate a bank. In the airport lobby, there were a bunch of little kiosks with eager girls ready to help us get a taxi. You should never accept the first offer you get, and we didn’t. With some smiles and a bit of stubbornness, we managed to haggle the taxi fare down from 60 to 40 reais. We were driven to Copacabana, probably the most famous beach in the world. We let the driver choose which hotel to drop us off at since we didn’t want to spend hours searching for a good, affordable place. We ended up at a hotel that cost 168 reais, which included breakfast, a pool, and air conditioning. Normally, a double room would go for 300 reais, but since it’s low season, the prices were much cheaper. After getting our bags settled in the room, we hurried up to the rooftop pool. It was a bit small, but the view of Copacabana made the beach look even more inviting. We rushed down to the beach, where towering hotels and skyscrapers formed the backdrop. Along the beach, there were little kiosks where you could grab a bite to eat and enjoy a fresh coconut for just 1.5 reais, which is about 3-4 kroner. On the beach, there were plenty of vendors walking up and down selling everything from clothes to lobsters. Honny managed to snag a Ronaldo T-shirt for 20 reais after some tough negotiation. The waves were really big, so there were signs along the water’s edge advising against swimming. We decided to do what the locals do and just stroll along the beach. Despite the heat, Brazilians are super active. They walk, run, and bike, either on the beach or on the promenade. After relaxing for a bit, we set out to find an ATM to withdraw some cash. It quickly turned into a frustrating battle as every machine and bank rejected our cards. Just when we were about to give up, a bank assistant came over and informed us that CityBank was the only bank in all of Rio de Janeiro that works with Visa internationally. It was the only place to get cash. However, you can easily use your Visa card at restaurants and shops. Finally, we managed to withdraw some money, but Honny still couldn’t use her card. I had no issues, so at least we had a bit more cash to work with... In the evening, we found a little restaurant to eat at, which was also very cheap. Two huge portions of food, wine, and water only cost us 50 reais. It wasn’t until after we finished eating that we started to feel the time difference. It became a struggle to keep our eyes open, and by 8:40 PM, we had to throw in the towel and head to bed.