Chile & Brazil

Me and mum got to see a lot from the air when we left Australia because we spent 26 hours up in it. Because of the ash from the volcano in Chile, we had to fly around New Zealand to get to Chile! We saw that Chile is really flat along the coast because it is on a fault line where two plates meet and cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Then the land gets folded into mountains behind the coast where it’s been crunched by the tectonic plate. That’s why Chile is good for skiing!

We are staying in a hilly old area of Rio de Janeiro, where you ride a tram to get up the hill.

From our street you can see the statue of Christ the Redeemer in the distance. You will have to zoom in to see it in the photo below! In the photo with me in it, he is in the clouds somewhere.

We are volunteering at a local community centre teaching English to kids and adults. The manager took us on a tour of the community where he grew up. It has tripled in size and now people are building homes on the hill. This is me pretending to be the statue on top of the hill. I was feeling pretty miraculous when I lifted this rock!

I am taking Portuguese lessons every day. I don’t speak much, but me and the kids still play and have a lot in common, like music.

Ever heard the song 'Copocabana'? It's about this place! I'm standing on the Barry Manilow song. It's a big beach where they play lots of Brazilian football, which is trying to keep the ball in the air with your feet, or playing volleyball but with a football and your feet! They also make awesome sandcastles.

They teach Capoeira at the centre where we are teaching English. Capoeira is this cool way of training for fighting, but it is more like a dance because there is music and singing while it is going on. When we went to the local market, they were kind of busking while doing it.

There is a tram museum not far from us, In Portuguese, the tram is called the "bonde" (you say it like "bonji"). It's got old bondes on display, and stuff from old bondes, and old stuff like photos of Rio from ages ago.

We visited the Tijuca Forest, the world's biggest urban forest. To get there, we got to ride in an open-top jeep. This is me breathing in the fresh air riding along Ipanema beach.

We climbed up into the hills around Christ the Redeemer, and saw him from all different angles through the trees. The amazing thing about this forest is that it has all been replanted. The original native forest was chopped down for coffee plantations, until they realised they had made a serious mistake after some big landslides.

We saw all the landmarks from the movie Rio, including this Chinese pagoda lookout (Vista Chinesa) which had an awesome view.

Ever heard the song 'Girl from Ipanema'? It's about a place in Rio, a beach right next to Copacabana. On Sundays, they close half the road so it can fit all the people riding bikes, skateboarding and roller blading. Here's me doing an Abbey Road shot, except on the Avenida Vieira Souta. Me and mum hired some bikes and rode around the lake.

Around where we are living in Santa Teresa was a bit open arts festival where artists opened up their houses and invited people in to come and look at their work. We went to an old ruined mansion which has been converted into an arts centre.

There are monkeys (macacas) living among us. You see them in the trees, and walking along the electric cables. Here is one that is stays at a nearby hotel.

Well we finally went to Christ the Redeemer. Spot the tourist!

Christ the Redeemer faces Sugar Loaf Mountain, where we went the next day. You have to go up in a cable car. We actually saw people rock climbing up the mountain!

Once you are up there, you are face-to-face with Christ and looking over Copacabana beach, Botafogo Bay and Flamengo beach. Here I am with my grandparents who met up with us in Rio after touring around South America.