Rio!

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We arrived at Rio airport around 8pm on the 26th and got a taxi to the Ipanema area. We´d had a look in the LP about where to stay and were given the choice of about 5 or 6 different areas and we really had no idea about the best or safest place to stay. By luck, we seemed to have chosen the right place. We headed to the Hotel San Marco which was a little more expensive compared to what we´ve been paying but we always knew Rio would be a little expensive in general. We had a very nice little room with A/C, a brilliant hot shower and cable T.V (we hoped to save some money this way!). The staff were very friendly and helpful and pointed us in the direction of a very good restaurant pretty much opposite the hotel - we didn´t want to be wandering too far from the hotel at night. The place was excellent with great service and brilliant food. Who would have thought that a jacket potato could taste so good?

The following day we had a much needed lie in before heading out around lunch time to take a stroll up and down the Ipanema and Copacobana beaches. The beaches were pretty lively for a week day with lots of people playing sand football and volley ball. Dan thinks that this is why the Brazillians are so good a football! The beaches are long and clean and have plenty of little bars serving coconuts, beer and snacks. Between the beaches and the main road is a wide pavement and cycle/jogging lane that are both filled with half naked (both old and young) people trying to get and keep fit. We enjoyed quite a bit of people watching. That evening we ate at a restaurant opposite the Copacobana before visiting a market that sets itself up nightly on the pavement between the opposing lanes of traffic.

The next day we got up in time for breakfast, which was included and then headed out on a day of sightseeing. 1st stop was Sugar Loaf Mountain. You take two cable cars to get to the top which is pretty high and get an amazing view of the city from the top. The weather was good so we could see for miles. Next stop was the statue of Christ the Redeemer. We caught a taxi from Sugar Loaf all the way to the top of Corcovado Mountain, up a very very windy road that the taxi driver got confused with a racetrack! The view form the top was again spectacular and the statue was very impressive. It stands at 125ft tall and weighs 1000tonnes. It was unveiled in 1931. We spent about an hour up here before returning to Ipanema on another hair-raising taxi ride. That afternoon we again took a stroll along the two beaches before enjoying another very good dinner and a few beers at our favourite Brazillian restaurant.

We´d been really looking forward to Rio but had also been a little worried as we´d heard quite a lot of bad things about the place but we have both really enjoyed it. There have been some riots while we´ve been here but we haven´t seen any evidence of them and so far (touch wood!) everything´s been safe enough.

Only final day in Rio was spent nursing a slight hangover and updating our blog. Tomorrow we leave for South Africa where we will be spending two weeks on a conservation project and two weeks on a bush survival course. Hopefully we´ll be able to check the internet sometime over those four weeks but we probably won´t be able to update the blog again until we´ve got some free time again

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[Mum and Dad F]

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Amazing set of blog entries guys...enthralling..great pictures and wonderful accounts. Take care in SA Love from us both