Rio de Janeiro, Zona Sul

Firstly, let’s get the pronunciation correct: Hee-oo jee dgan-ay-roo. Add some sun, sand and sea with crashing waves; throw in tanned bodies playing bat-and-ball, foot-volley, volleyball or just posing; tune in to the Samba and Bossanova blaring from the fruit juice and coconut stalls; pull your bikini/trunks up your bum. Ta-da! You’ve got a Rio beach scene. The classic images of the city, the most glamorous place on earth when the jet-set began jet-setting, all come from the Zona Sur. The place names ooze glamour: Ipanema, Sugar-loaf, and Copacabana.The man behind in his sungas (Brazilian swimming trunks worn by all) is standing up with his back to the sea and facing the direction of the sun, sunbathing.

When the sun came out, the sight of all this didn’t disappoint. Sipping fresh coconut water and relaxing on the beach, whilst watching people come and go was a classic travelling experience. While some of the glamour has faded (very few Hollywood stars will be setting foot on the sands of Copacabana this year) the beaches are still used as much as ever by locals and tourists alike, On Sundays especially, when the wide roads behind the beaches are free of motor vehicles, Cariacas love nothing more than getting out and enjoying possibly the most amazing public space, within a major city, in the world. We were on the beach quite a few times. The sea was still warm for swimming and we had a couple of good jogs along the front.

Before coming to Rio I had no idea just how many mountains there are around the city, some reaching up to 1000m. It really is an incredibly beautiful setting and it’s this combination of forested hills and coastline that make it a unique place. About 100 years ago, somebody had the crazy idea of building a cable car to the top of the Sugarloaf. It was an ambitious piece of engineering which of course succeeded and is now one of the top attractions. We went up late on a lovely afternoon and got amazing views all over the city, of a spectacular sunset and of the lights twinkling as night fell.

The highest peak on this photo on the right-hand side has the Christ the Redeemer statue on top of it.

As if Rio weren't blessed enough with jaw-dropping scenery, there is also a large, beautiful lake just a few blocks back from Ipanema beach. We walked most of the way around the lakeside path, which is much used by joggers and cyclists - not a bad life if you're living in one of the apartments around here, especially the tall ones with a view of the sea to one side and the lake to the other. The steep-sided mountains are unsuitable for real estate and instead shanty town favelas are tightly packed into these areas. This makes a stark contrast between people who have so much and spend a lot of time in beauty parlours and people who have very little. At least the people in the favelas in the Zona Sul can get to the beaches unlike people in favelas the northern part of the city who can't afford to get there. Looking across the the lake, fancy lakeside apartments to the left and the favela, Rocinha, clinging to the hillside beyond.

Very few cities in the world have a location anything like this one and it was a joy to be there and take it all in.Sugarloaf mountain in the background and people enjoying the beaches at the weekend.