About Me

Olá! I’m Karina, a true Carioca!

Born and raised in Rio, I’m a proud Carioca (Rio native). My journey has taken me around the world where I’ve tried to find a place as unique as Rio but I realized that nowhere else compares. 

I’m a seasoned travel professional and a passionate lover of my home city: I created this blog to share my own private Rio with you.

Scroll down to learn 10 more things about me.

10 things about me

I’m just a girl, standing in front of the world, asking you to love Rio.

1. My dog’s name is Panda. He was a street dog in Cappadocia, Turkey. He’s been with me, traveling around the world for more than a decade. I’m a total dog person, and I have a habit of giving my dogs names that sound like they belong to another century like Godofredo or Penelope. Panda was named before we found each other, otherwise he probably would be called Bartolomeu.
2. My first career was as an architect — I’m a natural problem solver and architecture was my first love and favorite puzzle.
3. I have the vagabond-wanderer gene and have traveled to 51 countries, and lived in 4. I currently live half the year in Cappadocia, Turkey and half traveling or in Rio.
4. My favorite food is prawn and mandioca, you’ve gotta come to Brazil to try mandioca.
5. My favorite saying or expression is the way Turks say Happy Birthday: Iyi ki doğdun or “I’m happy you were born.”
6. My wish for the world: that everyone gets the chance to watch the sunset (or sunrise!) from the Sugarloaf.
7. I’m not into the typical things — I like to take the road less traveled, whether with my movie picks or travel destinations.
8. I study astrology so I can point fingers at the planets when I make questionable life choices.
9. Although I’m Brazilian, I can’t stand bananas — and I don’t have to because they’re not even originally from Brazil.
10. I have a job where I spend hours hunting down the cheapest flights — my job is a kind of treasure hunting!