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Published: September 23rd 2006
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I´ve been putting off this entry for a couple of days, as I seem to have accumulated SO much to write about. With this in mind, I have a feeling that this entry may end up a bit of an ´I did this, then I did that´kind of thing, so apologies to all those who were hoping for an inspirational piece of writing!
So, where was I? Oh yes, Rio baby! I´ve moved on twice since then so I´m having to cast my mind back all of, ooh, at least five days. Which actually seems like a lifetime when you´re travelling.
Rio was, quite simply, awesome. In hindsight, I think I enjoyed it more than I thought I was at the time and I now feel as though I would quite happily go back there. There was so much I didn´t have time to see and do, Sugarloaf mountain at night for one (but the weather got a little dodgy towards the end so I wouldn´t have seen anything from up there anyway), so I´m sure I could go there again and have a totally different experience.
The absolute highlight of Rio was the Friday I was there.
The Rio Hostel gang
Getting ready to go out to Lapa street party! Myself and three others from the hostel got up early and took a taxi to the Corcovado, home of the omnipresent Christ the Redeemer statue. At first it really felt like an obligatory duty visit, another box ticked on the tourist ´must see´list, but I have to say that I was impressed. Nothing prepared me for the sheer scale of the thing. Yes, it´s touristy and surrounded by cafe umbrellas, but I was able to block all that out and was seriously mesmerised by the sheer awesome-ness (word of the day) of the statue. Now, I´m not a seriously religious person; I´m not at all sure I believe in the existence of a god per se, but the Corcovado worked some pretty groovy mojo on me and I was silenced in the presence of, not necessarily God, but a majestical feat of human toil and perseverance. Amazing.
So what could I possibly do in the afternoon to top that? I thought to myself.
I got drunk in a jazz cafe in Santa Teresa. Marvellous.
The evening was the best bit. A group of around 10-15 of us from the hostel went out to a Lapa street party,
Me on Ipanema Beach
Note: comedy sunburn Lapa being the district situated below the hostel where the Lapa arches are (pictured in my last entry). Beneath these arches is where the magic happens. Locals and tourists come together every Thursday and Friday to party on down ´til the small hours of the morning - dancing, playing samba and drinking like there is no tomorrow. I even got to play samba drums with a band! It was INCREDIBLE. I could tell they were totally digging the short pale girl with the gypsy plaits playing alongside them. Just. Wow. I have never had so much fun (or lost so much weight in sweat) in my whole life. Later on in the evening, having downed a few
caipirinhas and some other disgustingly sugary drinks (you could actually crunch the sugar around in your mouth whilst drinking them), a few of the most hardcore amongst us went to a samba club. Walking in was like stepping into a Turkish steam room, it was that hot, and within minutes of being there we were all dripping with sweat. It was crazy. But totally sexy and undoubtedly the coolest place EVER. A short, sweaty, long-haired guy who was the best dancer I have
ever seen asked me to dance. Thus followed three minutes of me being spun and thrown around, giggling like a fool with a huge grin plastered across my face. I think the novelty of dancing with the palest girl in the club soon wore off though, as my partner made a hasty retreat at the end of the song and samba-d his way back over to the voluptuous Brazilian woman he had been grinding with before me. Ah well. It would never have worked out anyway.
Other sights of note in Rio included: the Ipanema ´hippie´market; watching beach football and admiring some of the most incredible sand castles (and volleyball-players´bodies) in Copacabana; drinking coconut water from a coconut while sitting watching the waves crash on the sand; chilling out in the Botanical gardens, getting close to nature (and peeing in the middle of the hugest bamboo plant I have ever seen - sorry).
So on Tuesday I decided it was time to move on as I was becoming way too comfortable where I was, and caught a bus followed by a boat to Ilha Grande (pronounced gran-jee), an island off the coast of Angra Dos Reis. Ilha Grande
is a tropical island, covered in rainforest and surrounded by blue-green ocean, with very little human settlement. There are no cars or roads as such, just dirt tracks and sandy beaches. The perfect laid-back tonic to the hustle and chaos of Rio. Unfortunately the weather didn´t hold out, so 75% of the time it was overcast or raining - a real problem on an island where all there really is to do is chill out on the beach. But I made the best of it. I had met an English couple, Emma and Chris, and three Mexican girls on the boat on the way over and hung out with them while I was there. We took a couple of boat trips to beautiful lagoons and beaches, which, had there been more sun, would have looked even more idyllic than they were already. We also visited the locally famous Lopes Mendes beach, which was ok if a little grim because of the weather and the fact that we were battling the ever-approaching tide for the duration of our time there - something the trip organiser had neglected to mention to us. The sand was nice though. It crunched like snow underfoot,
which made for a pleasing sensation and sound.
But two days on the Ilha were enough for me. I´m not a huge beach person and I feel the need for more, shall we say, cultural stimulation. So, having said goodbye to the Mexicans the previous day, yesterday Emma, Chris and I boarded a bus for Paraty, a small colonial town on the mainland between Rio and Sao Paulo. Which is where I am now and where I will leave you, dear reader, until the next instalment, because if I write any more my hands will fall off.
So, until next time, keep those comments and words of encouragement coming! I can´t tell you how lovely it is to read them.
Much love. xxx
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willowmeg
non-member comment
Ha! Oops!
I hadn't actually noticed that one could comment, until you mentioned it! *grin* I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying yourself to the fullest. It must be amazing to travel alone and be so free! Best wishes to you... Meagan