Let’s start with the journey from Fortaleza to Brasilia via Recife. This was the first time I’d need to stop at another airport before the final destination. The first flight to Recife wasn’t the best. I had the window seat which is always my preference. The woman sitting next to me didn’t know the meaning of personal space. She fell asleep which is fine, it was the leaning over to my space which wasn’t ok. I was crushed, I had no room to manoeuvre. At least she didn’t snore. I’m sure you can relate to this. I don’t know what’s worse: Bring crushed by a deep sleeper or being next to someone who snores.

I manage to fall asleep and was woken up by one of the air stewardess. The plane was empty so goodness knows how long I was there for. There was no danger of me missing my connection flight as I had a few hours to wait.

The journey from Recife to Brasilia was a lot better. I had a whole row to myself, flip flops off, I lay down on the whole row, stretched and slept throughout the journey. It was a bliss. Being short has its perks!

I landed around 8:30am and spent a couple of hours at the airport to relax and recuperate. It was too early to check in. I give it until around 11am before ordering an Uber to the Saint Moritz Hplus Hotel. They allow me to check in when I arrive which is good. It gives me more time to look around Brasilia. This would be the best hotel I would stay at all round, from the quality of the toilet paper to the service.

A couple of hours later I make my way to TV Tower. I meet Fiorella, a lady from Mexico. We’re both trying to take pictures with the “I LOVE BRASILIA” sign. She’s in Brasilia for an event and has to do a presentation.

After taking photos for one another, a torrential downpour begins. I’m in flip flops, shorts and t shirt, you either laugh or you cry in this situation. TV Tower is closed in poor conditions. I’m told to come back at 4 to see if anything changes.

It starts to rain every couple of minutes on and off. It seems every time the rain restarts, it gets heavier. I can see the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha is just down the road. Sweet! There’s something to take up the time.  I arrive at the entrance, and I’m informed it’s only open for tours on Saturdays. That’s 2 stadiums I’ve tried to enter and I’ve been unsuccessful on both occasions.

I’m allowed to walk around the stadium and take photos, now here comes the scary bit. Not only is there a torrential downpour, there’s thunder and lightning. I nearly get hit by lightning! Yes you read that correct. It was a new experience to say the least. I was near a street lamp and it got hit by lightning. I notice a bright light and a shit load of sparks.

It funny, sometimes I lean on street lamps when I check my phone or a map. I’m glad I didn’t on that occasion! I notice more sparks and a lightning flash in front of me. Moments after there are several flashes of lightning around me. More sparks, more lightning, and let’s not get started on the thunder. I’m sure you won’t be surprised that I shit myself.

Before I came to Brazil I had family and friends warn me about the dangers of Brazil. “Stay safe”, “be careful”, “try not to get robbed” etc. At this point I’ve not faced a single threat from the Brazilian people. Lightning has been a bigger threat to me than the Brazilians!

The rain eased up, I took the opportunity to take more photos. As soon as I heard thunder again it was time to bolt (see what I did there…). I walked around a bit more and got drenched like a drowned rat.

I went back to TV Tower and unsurprisingly due to the weather conditions, it’s closed. I go back to the hotel for the rest of the evening. Rather than risk it by going out for dinner, I opt for a pizza, delivered to the hotel.

The next morning, there are blue skies and no clouds. Time to head out and do some exploring. I start at TV Tower as it’s the nearest place to the hotel. TV Tower was designed by Lucio Costa and is 750 feet high. You get a clear view of the Monumental Axis. This is a central avenue in Brasilia’s city design.

As it’s a nice day I walk along the main road. Everything I wanted to do was in close proximity. I stop at the Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecide (that’s a mouthful!). The entrance is underground. I’ve never known or been to a cathedral where you had to enter underground.

Further down the road, as I’m on my way to the Praca dos Tres Poderes, I notice Brazil’s Congresso Nacional (or National Congress). The Monumental Axis begins on the national congress. I’d never been to a national congress, it looked nice so why not take a photo?

Just behind the Congresso Nacional is the Praca dos Tres Poderes (Three Powers Plaza). The plaza was designed by Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer and has some sculptures and works showcased around the plaza. If you came here I doubt you’d spend more than 15 – 20 minutes unless you’re really into your architecture, and spend time reading about the history of it all.

For the size of the space it doesn’t look like there’s too much. The actualy works themselves look fine but I think there’s a lot that can be done to make it look more aesthetically pleasing.

I’d say the main attraction of the Praca dos Tres Poderes is the National Flag and Pole. This was designed by Sergio Bernardes. It’s 330 high, and has 24 steel rods representing the number of the then-existing states of the union.

I try my luck at the Senado Federal (Federal Senate) which is the upper chamber of the National Congress. It was a big building and I believe they allow access on the roof for photos. I wasn’t allowed in because I was wearing shorts, I initially thought it was the flip flops but the security guard said that was fine (work that one out). There wasn’t a chance in hell I was going back to the hotel to put jeans on just to get in. It was hot and I usually pick comfort above anything.

I guess with time saved it meant I could go to the Itamaraty Palace. This is the Foreign Ministry building designed by Oscar Niemeyer, it’s also known as the Palace of the Arches. For a second time in about 20 minutes I was denied entry because of the shorts. Yet again refer to the above paragraph where comfort takes priority.  If you ever go there they do tours every 2 or 3 hours.

So where does that leave me? I’ve done everything I planned to that day so time to walk on the Monumental Axis. I don’t know if you’d be allowed to this or not but what a place to have a picnic or a BBQ. I took my time walking along, I noticed a protest against the Government. For those who don’t know Brazil isn’t in the best political situation, since I’ve been here there have been several (peaceful) protests.

I go into the shopping mall opposite the hotel. I find a place to eat that serves tapioca and acai. I was in heaven, I was so happy to see tapioca that I ordered two. I ordered a small acai, when it came out I was sure it was a large. When I checked the bill it was classed as a small! The one I had in Salvador was actually a small. I’m most certain the one I had in the shopping mall should’ve been classed as a medium or a large. I’m not complaining, however after eating 2 tapiocas, I wasn’t up for a large acai. It took a bit of time but I managed to finish it.

I planned to spend the last day travelling to Pirenopolis to see the waterfalls. Pirenopolis is around 3 hours away from Brasilia on bus. The earliest bus to Pirenopolis was at 7:30am and last bus from coming was at 4:30pm. I needed to plan this properly. The only issue was that if I missed the bus coming back I would’ve struggled to get back. My flight the morning after was early and I still needed to pack and collect the clothes from the laundrette next door before it closed. Providing everything went smoothly I’d be able to do it all. I decided that if I woke up not feeling tired and up for it, I’ll go.

I set my alarm for 5:30am, I woke up and pressed snooze straight away. I didn’t mind missing out because I was already going to see the Iguassu Falls, and seeing how much I liked Brazil it gives me another excuse to add to the list of reasons to come back. I mean, it’s not like the next time I come back the waterfalls will have disappeared.

So with the free day I go to Palacio da Alvorada. This is the Presidential residence and is another Oscar Niemeyer building. It’s a 15 – 20 minute bus journey from the Monumental Axis. If you want to do a tour, they’re free but they only take place on a Wednesday so I turned up at the wrong day. You could say it was another place I wasn’t allowed in but at least it wasn’t because I was wearing shorts. I didn’t mind, it was a nice day, took the usual photos and waited for the bus.

Later on I meet with Fiorella for a quick drink, she was going back to Mexico City in the veening. When we first met we spoke about meeting but times haven’t been kind for either of us. She was happy her presentation went well without any hiccups. I’m sure that’s the aim for anyone doing a presentation.

Before going over the standard talk of where we’re from, what we do etc, we talk about in my opinion the best thing that people who meet through travelling talk about, more travelling! The usual where we’ve been, where we’d like to go, plans, etc.

After parting ways, I go to an all you can eat rodizio churrasco restaurant. People bring some of Brazil’s finest meat to your plate every 5 minutes. What more could you want? By the end of it I felt like I was pregnant with triplets.

Brasilia is the kind of place you’d spend the weekend, although saying that if you want to see the inside of Palacio da Alvorada you’ll need to turn up on a Wednesday. Remember if you ever go and you want to get into some of the tourist spots, don’t wear shorts! And if I were you I wouldn’t risk it with flip flops either.